“Why should literature be easy? Sometimes you can do what you want to do in a simple, direct way that is absolutely right. Sometimes you can't. Reading is not a passive act. Books are not TV. Art of all kinds is an interactive challenge. The person who makes the work and the person who comes to the work both have a job to do. I am never wilfully obscure, but I do ask for some effort.” WayWantShouldKindPersonsArtBookSometimesJobsReadingAsksLiteratureEasyCan DoChallengesSimpleEffortTvsDirectWhat You WantAll KindsPassiveObscureInteractive Author:Jeanette Winterson
“It's no easy matter to paint a background. I venture to say that the old painters had more difficulty with their grounds than with their figures. You know the story of Vandyke brought to Rubens with this recommendation: 'He already knows how to paint a background.' 'That is more than I can do!' was the reply.” KnowsI CanMatterStoriesEasyCan DoKnow HowFiguresDifficultyPaintBackgroundsPainterVentureRecommendationsRubens Book:William Morris Hunt on painting and drawing Source: William Morris Hunt on painting and drawing
“Songs are pretty easy. They are small, they are modular, they are about as big as a bagel. They are easy to build. Films are overwhelming in their magnitude and scope. By comparison, a lot of film directors wish they were writing songs because you can do it while getting your hair cut.” WritingBigsFilmSongWishEasyCan DoCuttingHairDirectorsComparisonOverwhelmingYou Can Do ItScopeMagnitudeWriting SongsFilm DirectorsBagelsHair Cut Author:Tom Waits
“Forgiveness is the best charity. (It is easy to give the poor money and goods when one has plenty, but to forgive is hard; but it is the best thing if one can do it.)” IfsGivingHardEasyCan DoPoorForgivingCharityPlentyBest ThingsGoods Author:Meher Baba
“Good journalism is crucial. Good journalism isn't easy so I think it's less about what story and more about the layers and context that need to be explored in the story. That's one of the reasons why I'm excited to be a part of CNN. This is the kind of place that you can do that.” ThinkingNeedsKindReasonStoriesEasyCan DoExcitedJournalismReason WhyCrucialLayersCnnGood Journalism Author:George Stroumboulopoulos
“No one can do me any good by loving me; I have more love than I need or could do any good with; but people do me good by making me love them - which isn't easy.” PeopleLoveNeedsEasyCan DoLoving Me Author:John Ruskin
“I endeavor to drink deep of philosophy, and to be wise when I cannot be merry, easy when I cannot be glad, content with what cannot be mended, and patient where there is no redress. The mighty can do no more, and the wise seldom do as much. ... I am resolved to make the best of all circumstances around me, that this short life may not be half lost in pains ... Between the periods of birth and burial, I would fain insert a little happiness, a little pleasure, a little peace: to-day is ours, yesterday is past, and to-morrow may never come.” MayLittlesPhilosophyWisdomPainPastLostEasyCan DoPleasureHalfWiseAcceptanceBirthPeriodsCircumstancesDrinkPatientYesterdayGladEndeavorMerryBeing WiseMorrowShort LifeBurialInsertRedress Author:Elizabeth Montagu
“Sure, it's easy to be upbeat when everything is going your way. Anyone can do that. It is far more important, however, to take a positive approach in circumstances that most people would view as negative.” PeopleWayImportantMotivationalEasyCan DoViewsCircumstancesApproachNegativeUpbeat Author:Ralph Marston
“The worst thing we can do as a nation is taking the easy way out. If you start opening up offshore drilling, then you are buying time and you are not addressing the fundamental problem with fossil fuels.” IfsWayProblemNationsEasyCan DoWorstFundamentalsOpeningFuelBuyingWorst ThingsFossilsFossil FuelOpening UpEasy WayDrillingOffshore Author:Joe Biden
“The entertainment business is hard on relationships, but it's just as hard on your own spiritual well-being. It's easy to lose focus, to forget your priorities and wander from the path. There is not any one thing you can do to survive this desert. It's a matter of maintenance, of the small things you do every day and every week to keep the engine running smoothly.” WellsMatterHardRunningSpiritualEasyCan DoLosesForgetPathFocusOne ThingWeekStressEntertainmentPrioritiesWanderWell BeingDesertEnginesSmall ThingsMaintenanceForget YouEntertainment Business Author:Ralph K. Winter, Jr.
“Your life's course will not be determined by doing the things that you are certain you can do. Those are the easy things. It will be determined by whether you try the things that are hard.” TryingHardCertainCoursesEasyCan DoDeterminedEasy ThingsThings That Are Hard Author:Sheryl Sandberg
“You can do anything in the world if you say "Hey man, don't blame me, the devil made me do it. It's an easy way to escape responsibility."” IfsMenWorldWayMadeEasyCan DoResponsibilityDevilBlameHeyEasy WayBlame MeDon't Blame Me Author:Ice Cube
“Emotionally involving the audience is easy. Anybody can do it blindfolded: get a little kitten and have some guy wring its neck.” LittlesGuyEasyCan DoAudienceNecksInvolvingKittenBlindfolded Author:George Lucas
“Has your work become very easy? Do you find you can do it with little effort? Has it ceased to impose any strain or fatigue upon you? Do you no longer feel loss of vitality after a long spell of it? Can you now do it as easy as water rolls off a duck's back? If so, look out! Do some stock-taking. Examine your output.... Work done with little effort is likely to yield little result. Every job can be done excellently or indifferently. Excellence necessitates effort-hard, sustained, concentrated effort.” IfsFeelsLooksLittlesLongHardDoneJobsEasyWaterCan DoWorkLossResultsEffortExcellenceYieldSpellsDucksStrainYou Can Do ItVitalityFatigueWork DoneOutput Author:B. C. Forbes
“People just don't know how to write down a simple easy line. It's difficult for them; it's like trying to keep a hard-on while drowning - not many can do it.” PeopleKnowsWritingTryingHardEasyDifficultCan DoLinesSimpleKnow HowDrowning Author:Charles Bukowski
“Before doing stand-up, I thought acting was easy - it's not easy. It's a hard life. It's easy in its own way, you just stand there and talk. But there is a difference between people who can do it well and people who can't.” PeopleWayWellsHardEasyCan DoDifferencesActingHard Life Author:Jim Jefferies
“When you're writing a song and there are five people invested in it, it's easy for one person to say, 'Oh, this song is about this and that', and everyone has to hear the idea and see if they can do better.” PeopleIfsWritingPersonsIdeasSongEasyCan DoFive Author:Jason Mraz
“I think you need optimism. I believe that's incredibly important that you be optimistic that you can do things different and still do them just as well. That's very important to success - just to have a positive outlook. I know it's not easy to do that.” ThinkingKnowsNeedsBelieveWellsStillsImportantDifferentI BelieveEasyCan DoOptimismOptimisticOutlookPositive OutlookBeing Optimistic Author:Jim Abbott