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It is the spirit of the age to believe that any fact, no matter how suspect, is superior to any imaginative exercise, no matter how true.

Gore Vidal

I remember the Bond movies when I was a child. They were silent then.
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Children Myself Remember Silence
As for civil liberties, any one who is not vigilant may one day find himself living, if not in a police state, at least in a police city.
GORE VIDAL

Civil Finding Liberty Live Police
The first grown-up book that I read on my own was a nineteenth-century edition of ‘Tales from Livy’ that I’d found in my grandfather’s library.
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Book Edition Grown Library Reading
It is very difficult for a writer of my generation, if he is honest, to pretend indifference to the work of Somerset Maugham. He was always so entirely there.
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Difficult Himself Honesty Pretend
Gossip is conversation about people.
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Conversation Gossip People
There is only one party in the United States: the Property party… and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat.
GORE VIDAL

Democracy Party Politics Republic
In classical times, it was a capital offense to speculate upon the hour of a king’s death or upon the identity of his successor.
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Capital Death Himself Offense Success Time
Like the TV networks, once our government has a hit, it will be repeated over and over again.
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Government Repeat Willing
The four most beautiful words in our common language: I told you so.
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Beautiful Language Ourselves Word
History is nothing but gossip about the past, with the hope that it might be true.
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Gossip History Hope Past True
He who is last had best laugh.
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End Himself Laughter
Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.
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Confidence Personality Style Yourself
I’m not paranoid, no. I’m different in that I have enemies. Very real ones.
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Different Enemy Oneself Reality
Every country should have at least one King Farouk.
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Country Oneself
In character, as it were, the writer settles for an impression of what happened rather than creating the sense of the thing happening.
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Character Creation Impression Myself Settle Writing
In essence, Clinton’s Anti-Terrorism Act would set up a national police force, over the long-dead bodies of the founders.
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Act Finding Force National Police
Of all recent presidents, Clinton was expected to behave the most sensibly in economic matters. He understood how the economy works. But because he had used various dodges to stay out of the Vietnam War, he came to office ill at ease with the military.
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Economy Himself President Understand Work
In America, the race goes to the loud, the solemn, the hustler. If you think you’re a great writer, you must say that you are.
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Greatness Loud Race Yourself
There is no such thing as a homosexual or a heterosexual person. There are only homo- or heterosexual acts. Most people are a mixture of impulses if not practices.
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Impulse People Person Practice Sexual
Each youth betrays considerable anxiety about the wedding night ahead.
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Anxiety Night Youth
I never wanted to be a writer. I mean, that’s the last thing I wanted.
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Dream Myself Writing
To invent a war means that you’ve become a wartime president, and you can suspend much if not all of the Bill of Rights.
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Invention President Suspend War
American history has fallen more and more into the hands of academics.
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Academics Fall Hands History
The Pentagon talks about our power to ‘overkill’ Russia ten times, twenty times, perhaps forty-eight times. For my tax money, it is sufficient to overkill them once.
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Money Talk Tax Time
Actually, I can’t remember when I was not writing.
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Myself Remember Writing
Americans, in general, are ignorant, bigoted, and deeply unhappy with their declining incomes.
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Decline Ignorance Income Sadness
Does one ever read a politician’s books?
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Book Oneself Politics Reading

It is the spirit of the age to believe that any fact, no matter how suspect, is superior to any imaginative exercise, no matter how true.

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It is the spirit of the age to believe that any fact, no matter how suspect, is superior to any imaginative exercise, no matter how true.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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