“For artists and intellectuals today, what is most needed is to be clear about social responsibility, because that is what most people automatically give up. Just to protect yourself as an individual is very political. You don't have to march on Tiananmen, but you do have to be clear-minded, to find your own means of expression.” PeopleGivingMeanTodayPoliticalArtistIndividualSocialResponsibilityClearExpressionNeededProtectGiving UpMarchSocial ResponsibilityProtect Yourself Author:Ai Weiwei
“The idea to use backpacks came from my visit to Sichuan after the earthquake in May 2008. During the earthquake many schools collapsed. Thousands of young students lost their lives, and you could see bags and study material everywhere. Then you realize individual life, media, and the lives of the students are serving very different purposes. The lives of the students disappeared within the state propaganda, and very soon everybody will forget everything.” MayIdeasDifferentStatesUseSchoolYoungPurposeIndividualLostRealizingForgetStudyMediaStudentsMaterialsPropagandaBagsServingEarthquakesIndividual LifeForget EverythingYoung Students Author:Ai Weiwei
“Twitter is most suitable for me. In the Chinese language, 140 characters is a novella.” CharacterLanguageChineseSuitable140 CharacterChinese Language Author:Ai Weiwei
“No matter what happens, nothing can prevent the historical process by which society demands freedom and democracy.” MatterHappensProcessDemocracyDemandNo Matter WhatHistorical Author:Ai Weiwei
“There are no outdoor sports as graceful as throwing stones at a dictatorship.” SportsStonesThrowingDictatorshipThrowing Stones Author:Ai Weiwei
“You need a purpose to express yourself, but that expression is its own purpose.” NeedsPurposeExpressionExpress Yourself Author:Ai Weiwei
“When I look upon seamen, men of science and philosophers, man is the wisest of all beings; when I look upon priests and prophets nothing is as contemptible as man.” MenLooksPhilosopherProphetPriestsWisestSeamen Author:Diogenes
“I think optimism is whether you are still exhilarated by life, whether you are curious, whether you still believe there is possibility.” ThinkingBelieveStillsPossibilityOptimismCurious Author:Ai Weiwei
“It appears that a simple rule, of something adhering to another similar idea, repeated, leads to stabilities. This seems to be a function of relational data sets, linked to rules, like in DNA chains that have infinite adaptability for sequencing proteins. Out of only four bases, which in turn are further limited by two rules of complimentarity, a myriad of forms arise.” TwoIdeasSeemsFormTurnsSimpleFourFunctionBasesInfiniteAriseChainsDataStabilityLinkedDnaProteinAdaptabilitySequencing Author:Cecil Balmond
