“For me, I make a schedule and I pass the time. I don't think about the transformation. When my schedule says I'm finished on this day, I put it in the past and go toward my future.” ThinkingPastTransformationThis DayMy Future Author:Tehching Hsieh
“One year to me is just a small section of life. For most humans, one year is a long time and so much happens. But for the universe, it's very temporary.” LongUniverseTemporary Author:Tehching Hsieh
“I know I am a human being. I can give myself to one year for a project. That is why I say I'm primitive in the way I work, especially compared to most artists. I came to New York in 1974, knowing that it is the art center of the world. But I didn't go to find people for my work. I do the work, and the people come to me, and I learn from them. That has always been my approach - to do the job first and then to respond to it after I finish and learn what people think about it. That's how I develop, and I'm more of an outsider in that way.” PeopleThinkingWorldGivingArtArtistPrimitiveOutsiders Author:Tehching Hsieh
“I come from a painting background, and although my painting is completely different from my performances, there is something about the fundamentals of that training that transfers over to this idea of an exercise and being diligent about mapping something out in advance - even if it is just being aesthetically diligent.” DifferentPaintingExerciseTraining Author:Tehching Hsieh
“Building a relationship with the character. It's just like sitting with someone you know. It's very easy to predict when they're going to shake their head or say whatever, but because I'm the author I have to make characters do what I want them to do.” CharacterEasyBuilding Author:Ottessa Moshfegh
“Anybody that I like that you talk to about me will probably agree that when I'm hanging out with someone one-on-one, I have a tendency to build this attitude toward the world outside of us, it's us and them. I'm with you here, and you're with me, and we are in the club and everybody else out there is in that shitty club. The positive is I make people feel really special, and I also make some people really uncomfortable and judged, and I'm working on that.” PeopleWorldAttitudeSpecialAgreeUncomfortableHanging OutJudged Author:Ottessa Moshfegh
“For me, I enjoy intimidating people and I enjoy being intimidated. It is exciting. It's cool to have an experience with someone where you challenge them, and they are afraid, and then they love you and they've grown. When that happens to me, I feel so blessed if somebody has opened my world up a little bit more.” PeopleWorldEnjoyChallengesLove YouExcitingBlessedIntimidatingIntimidated Author:Ottessa Moshfegh
“You know that's why people don't like unlikeable characters. It's not that they're not interesting. Everybody knows the most interesting character in a book or a movie or whatever narrative is the villain.” PeopleBookCharacterInterestingVillainMost Interesting Author:Ottessa Moshfegh
“In military school, on day one you must memorize the mission of the Merchant Marine Academy.” SchoolMilitaryMissionsMarineAcademyMerchantsMilitary SchoolMerchant Marine Author:Robert Kiyosaki
“I'm asking the reader to suspend reality with me and entertain the idea that the person writing is not me. In order to do that well, I think, one needs to point out the artifice of the narrative. Somehow if the narrator is self-aware then it's almost more humanizing and more relatable.” ThinkingWritingRealityRelatable Author:Ottessa Moshfegh