Archive for the ‘words’ Category

words | nothing is original ::

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

:: “…nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is nonexistent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery — celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: “It’s not where you take things from — it’s where you take them to…”

– Jim Jarmusch, an American independent filmmaker

[I stole this quote from a passage in Paul Arden's book Whatever You Think, Think The Opposite.]

words | marcus brigstocke ::

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009

:: “…computer games don’t affect kids. I mean, if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we’d all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic music…”

- Marcus Brigstocke, British comedian

words | emo philips ::

Sunday, March 29th, 2009

:: “…when I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realized God doesn’t work that way, so I stole one and prayed for forgiveness…”

- Emo Philips

words | kihachiro onitsuka ::

Tuesday, March 17th, 2009

:: “…it’s the beginning of the end when you start to appreciate your own accomplishments…”

- Kihachiro Onitsuka, founder of Onitsuka Tiger (Asics), from this short video on the founding of the brand (H/T Sean Leow via PSFK)

words | w.a. pannapacker ::

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009

:: “…productive mediocrity requires discipline of an ordinary kind. It is safe and threatens no one. Nothing will be changed by mediocrity; mediocrity is completely predictable. It doesn’t make the powerful and self-satisfied feel insecure. It doesn’t require freedom, because it doesn’t do anything unexpected. Mediocrity is the opposite of what we call “genius.” Mediocrity gets perfectly mundane things done on time. But genius is uncontrolled and uncontrollable. You cannot produce a work of genius according to a schedule or an outline. As Leonardo knew, it happens through random insights resulting from unforeseen combinations. Genius is inherently outside the realm of known disciplines and linear career paths. Mediocrity does exactly what it’s told, like the docile factory workers envisioned by Frederick Winslow Taylor…”

- W.A. Pannapacker, an associate professor of English at Hope College, from his article titled “How to Procrastinate Like Leonardo da Vinci.”

words | cory doctorow ::

Tuesday, February 17th, 2009

:: “…content isn’t king…conversation is king…content is just something to talk about…”

- Cory Doctorow

words | benjamin franklin ::

Tuesday, February 17th, 2009

:: “…tell me and I’ll forget…show me and I might remember…involve me and I’ll understand…”

- Benjamin Franklin

words | isaac mao ::

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009

:: “…our brain supports sharing in its very system-nature. This has profound implications for the creative process. Whenever you have an intention to create, you will find it easier to generate more creative ideas if you keep the sharing process firmly in mind. The idea-forming-process is not linear, but more like an avalanche of amplifications along the thinking path. It moves with the momentum of a creative snowball. If your internal cognitive system encourages sharing, you can engineer a feedback loop of happiness, which will help you generate even more ideas in return. It’s a kind of butterfly- effect, as the small creative energy you spend will eventually return to make you, and the world, more creative…”

- Isaac Mao, from his piece Sharism: A Mind Revolution

words | john malkovich ::

Sunday, February 1st, 2009

:: “…nothing you do particularly matters, but I’m not sure that’s a great excuse for doing it poorly…”

- John Malkovich, from an interview in the November 2008 edition of Esquire magazine