“Things alter for the worse spontaneously, if they be not altered for the better designedly.” Quote by Francis Bacon
“I think that Eleanor Roosevelt really learned about the limits of power and influence from Arthurdale. She could not make some things happen. And she particularly learned that she could not, just because she was nominally in charge, she could not change people's hearts and minds; that a very long process of education would result before race was on the national agenda. And it really did move her into the racial justice arena with both feet. She came out fighting.” PeopleThinkingMindHeartLongHappensMovingFightingProcessJusticeResultsRaceFeetInfluenceLimitsThings HappenAgendasHeart And MindArenaEleanorRacial Justice Author:Blanche Wiesen Cook
“Well, one thing that has changed is the number of people killed by terrorists in Pakistan. Civilians killed has gone down really quite dramatically. There was a newspaper article here about a month ago that got big headlines which said that civilian deaths from terrorism were down something like 80 percent or 90 percent from their peak of two or three years ago.” PeopleYearsWellsSaidTwoBigsThreeNumbersGoneOne ThingChangedMonthsPercentYears AgoTerrorismTerroristNewspapersArticlesThree YearsPakistanCiviliansHeadlinesCivilian Deaths Author:Mohsin Hamid
“So in many ways, the bombing at the end of this year and the terrorist attack of last year in Peshawar have bookended both those years in a very unfortunate way. But at a bigger picture since, the impression in Pakistan is that things are actually improving on the terrorism front quite dramatically.” WayYearsEndsLastsFrontsBiggerTerrorismTerroristImpressionLast YearUnfortunateImprovingPakistanBombingTerrorist AttacksBigger Picture Author:Mohsin Hamid
“I think that things were getting really very bad a couple of years ago, and there's been a very significant change in response to that on the part of the security forces and the government, but particularly the army. And you see Pakistan actually fighting terrorism and terrorists in a much more wholehearted way than had been occurring previously. It's not anywhere close to over yet, but you've seen a big change in the antiterrorism campaign here.” ThinkingWayYearsBigsGovernmentFightingForceSecurityCoupleYears AgoArmyResponseTerrorismCampaignsTerroristSignificantPakistanBig ChangesSignificant ChangeSecurity ForcesFighting Terrorism Author:Mohsin Hamid
“think that the external situation has also changed somewhat. The reduction of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan has, in a sense, reduced how inflamed the situation on the Pakistani border regions was and is.” ThinkingForceSituationChangedBordersRegionsAfghanistanReductionNato Author:Mohsin Hamid
“And also I think the rise of other, you could say, destinations for international jihadis mean that Pakistan isn't necessarily the place where people from all over the world who want to engage in these activities gravitate to. They're going now to places like Syria or Yemen Libya, elsewhere.” PeopleThinkingWorldWantMeanActivityInternationalDestinationElsewhereSyriaPakistanLibyaYemen Author:Mohsin Hamid
“There really still is a deep wound, you know, in the collective psyche of Pakistan. And the violence has left enormous human and emotional and psychic damage. That's not going to go away. But that said, I think I'm cautiously optimistic that we're looking at a better future.” ThinkingKnowsHumansSaidStillsLeftViolenceEmotionalWoundsEnormousOptimisticDamageCollectivesGoing AwayPsychicsPakistanBetter FutureDeep Wounds Author:Mohsin Hamid
“I spent a lot of time [between takes] apologising to Peter Dinklage [Dance's on-screen son, Tyrion Lannister] because I treat him appallingly.” SonTreatsScreensPeterTyrionLannistersApologising Author:Charles Dance
“But the quality of writing in the series [game of Thrones] is paramount. That's probably why all of us are involved in this and all of us are quite so loyal to it, because we don't have to expend a lot of energy trying to make a silk purse out of a pig's ear. The quality of the writing is really good, and that's what makes playing a character so enjoyable, whether he's heroic or villainous.” WritingTryingCharacterGamesEnergyQualityInvolvedEarsSeriesHeroicLoyalPigsThronesEnjoyablePursesSilkParamount Author:Charles Dance
“Power is always a corrupting influence. In this mythical time - let's call it medieval, feudal - people in power are dictatorial and don't want their positions of power to be threatened.” PeopleWantInfluencePositionThreatenedMedievalPosition Of Power Author:Charles Dance