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To be human and to be adult means constantly to be in the grip of opposing emotions, to have daily to reconcile apparently conflicting tensions. I want this, but need that. I cherish this, but I adore its opposite too.

Stephen Fry

When you’ve seen a nude infant doing a backward somersault you know why clothing exists.
STEPHEN FRY

Backward Cloth Do Exist Know Nude Seen Somersault
But happiness is no respecter of persons.
STEPHEN FRY

But Happiness No Person Respect
An original idea. That can’t be too hard. The library must be full of them.
STEPHEN FRY

Belief Do Full God Must Not Them Were
Old Professors never die, they just lose their faculties.
STEPHEN FRY

Die Facilities Just Lose never Old Professor
You don’t sit down and write a wish list about the person you are going to fall violently in love with. It just doesn’t work like that.
STEPHEN FRY

Down Fall Go Like Love Person Sit That Violently Wish Write
I’d probably want to teach at university, because children would drive me insane. I suspect it would be English literature, Shakespeare and so forth. I’ve always been deeply, deeply in love with that kind of thing.
STEPHEN FRY

Aspect Children Deeply Drive English Insane Kind Literature Love Person Probably Shakespeare Teach Thing University Want
There’s no doubt that I do have extremes of mood that are greater than just about anybody else I know.
STEPHEN FRY

Anybody Doubt Else Extreme Greater Have Mood No
I’m a bit of a coward, and lazy, oddly enough.
STEPHEN FRY

But Coward Enough Lazy Oddly
They are just 100 per cent bear, whereas human beings feel we’re not 100 per cent human, that we’re always letting ourselves down. We’re constantly striving towards something, to some fulfilment.
STEPHEN FRY

Always Bear Down Feel Human Being Hundred Let Ourselves Percent
I feel I would love to close down for a number of years in some way and just be in the country making pork pies and chutneys and never have to poke my head out of the parapet.
STEPHEN FRY

Chutney Close Country Head Love Make Number Out Parapet Pie Poke Some Year
I am a lover of truth, a worshipper of freedom, a celebrant at the altar of language and purity and tolerance.
STEPHEN FRY

Altar Celebrate Freedom Language Lover Purity Tolerance Truth Workshipper
Now, bipolar disorder, it goes on a spectrum. There’s very severe conditions of it and there are milder ones. I’m lucky enough that it’s reasonably mild in my case.
STEPHEN FRY

Bipolar Condition Disorder Go Mider Now One Severe Spectrum
You can act in five, six, or seven films in the time it takes to direct one film.
STEPHEN FRY

Act Direct Film Live One Seven Six Take Time
I shouldn’t be saying this – high treason, really – but I sometimes wonder if Americans aren’t fooled by our accent into detecting brilliance that may not really be there.
STEPHEN FRY

Accent Brillance Country Detect Fool May Not Realy Say Should Sometimes There Treason Wonder
Having been an actor and a writer for so long – 20 years or so – I felt that it would be daft to go to one’s grave without having directed. It’s a natural extension of writing and acting, and so I knew it would happen one day.
STEPHEN FRY

Actor Been Direct Grave Have Long One So Twenty Without Writer Year
It is exhausting knowing that most of the time the phone rings, most of the time there’s an email, most of the time there’s a letter, someone wants something of you.
STEPHEN FRY

Email Exhaus Know Letter Most Phone Ring Someone Something Time You
I have pushed the boat out as far as I should in terms of taking on too many things. I’m getting older and I just could not take it any more. I am now monitoring myself very closely and I’m just trying not to get into that sort of state again.
STEPHEN FRY

Boat Far Have Many Push Should Take Term Thing Too
I get an urge, like a pregnant elephant, to go away and give birth to a book.
STEPHEN FRY

Birth Book Elephant Get Give Go Pregnant Urge Way
I don’t watch TV. I think it destroys the art of talking about oneself.
STEPHEN FRY

Art Destroy Oneself Talk Television Think Want
But if one could go back in time, I’d love to have been directed by Howard Hawks, who’s one of my great heroes. One of the greatest directors there ever was. He directed probably one of the greatest westerns of all time in ‘Rio Bravo’.
STEPHEN FRY

Back Being But Could Country Durect Go Great Hero However I Love People Person Time
I don’t believe there is a God. If I were to believe in a god, l would believe in gods.
STEPHEN FRY

Believe Do God Not Would
Oh, it takes a lot for me to walk out of a film.
STEPHEN FRY

Film For Lot Me Out Take Walk
I don’t need you to remind me of my age. I have a bladder to do that for me.
STEPHEN FRY

Age Bladder Em Me Need Remind That
I think the fact that I’m so well known to be gay makes it very difficult to have a convincing relationship with a woman on screen. It wouldn’t be at all difficult for me to kiss a woman – I’ll kiss a frog if you like.
STEPHEN FRY

Convince Difficult Fact Gay Known Make Relationship Screen Think Very Well Woman
I think my view is that whenever you project into the future you’re never likely to be accurate in the details, or the paraphernalia and style. It’s in the spirit of it.
STEPHEN FRY

Accurate Detail Future never Paraphernalia Project Spirit Think View
Many people would no more think of entering journalism than the sewage business – which at least does us all some good.
STEPHEN FRY

Business Entering Good Journalism Least Many Morem Think No People Sewage Some Would
If you go looking for loonies and religious fanatics and dropouts and freaks, I dare say you’ll find it.
STEPHEN FRY

Dare Dropout Fanatic Find Freak Look Loonies Religious Say

To be human and to be adult means constantly to be in the grip of opposing emotions, to have daily to reconcile apparently conflicting tensions. I want this, but need that. I cherish this, but I adore its opposite too.

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Popular Authors

To be human and to be adult means constantly to be in the grip of opposing emotions, to have daily to reconcile apparently conflicting tensions. I want this, but need that. I cherish this, but I adore its opposite too.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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