Category Archives: Quotations

Things people said.

A Simple Truth, And True

Posted on August 31, 2018 by JMN

“But here’s the thing: Knowledge is objectively better than ignorance.” (Paul Krugman, “For Whom the Economy Grows,” NYTimes, 8-31-18)

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“Swimming in Words”

Posted on August 31, 2018 by JMN

“The most we can do is to write — intelligently, creatively, critically, evocatively — about what it is like living in the world at this time.” (Oliver Sacks, quoted by Bill Hayes, “Swimming in Words With Oliver Sacks,” NYTimes, 8-30-18) … Continue reading →

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“Big ego, low self-esteem”

Posted on August 26, 2018 by JMN

Is there a certain type of artwork that you keep in your bedroom? Strangely, there are works of mine in the bedroom, but they’re not works that I’ve shown. They’re experiments with painting, plants and patterns, very quiet things. I … Continue reading →

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A Poet Fights for the Environment

Posted on August 26, 2018 by JMN

His war is fought for the survival of such menaced species as the unique richness of butterflies in [Mexico’s] forests, turtles along her coastlines, whales in her waters. Such matters, however urgent, were “outrageously absent” from debate or discourse before … Continue reading →

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Comment on a Comment

Posted on August 18, 2018 by JMN

I very much appreciate supportive comments. They encourage me to up my game. I quoted a paragraph from a remembrance of V.S. Naipaul published by Aatish Taseer in the NYTimes: Taseer is a writer I had not encountered previously. What … Continue reading →

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On V.S. Naipaul

Posted on August 16, 2018 by JMN

He never looked away. I was with him in Wiltshire soon after my father, the governor of Punjab in Pakistan, was assassinated. I had been estranged from my father and was not sure how to mourn him. Mr. Naipaul, with … Continue reading →

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Proportion

Posted on August 16, 2018 by JMN

The most important word in art is “proportion.” How much? How long is this joke going to be? How many words? How many minutes? And getting that right is what makes it art or what makes it mediocre. (Jerry Seinfeld, … Continue reading →

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WWE

Posted on August 10, 2018 by JMN

According to the bullhorns and depending on the year, America’s military campaigns abroad would satisfy justice, displace tyrants, keep violence away from Western soil, spread democracy, foster development, prevent sectarian war, protect populations, reduce corruption, bolster women’s rights, decrease the … Continue reading →

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Hopeful Road Map

Posted on August 10, 2018 by JMN

“But a hopeful road map to humanism’s recovery might include variations on those older themes. First, a return of serious academic interest in the possible (I would say likely) truth of religious claims. Second, a regained sense of history as … Continue reading →

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Poetaster

Posted on August 4, 2018 by JMN

More joy courtesy of Blake Gopnik, “In His Films, Brancusi Takes Flight,” NYTimes. Given all the chestnuts in this show, the challenge is to see if we can still find a way to be astonished by them, as we were … Continue reading →

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