"Almost any interesting work of art comes close to saying the opposite of what it really says."

Gene Wolfe Literature See all quotes by Gene Wolfe →

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More by Gene Wolfe

“What little I have learned in the course of a long life, regarding the gods, I have tried to forget.”

“There are people who love birds so much they free them. There are others who love them so much they cage them.”

“Until we reach the end of time, we don’t know whether something’s been good or bad; we can only judge the intentions of those who acted.”

“No man has a home unless he is master of a place where he must please no one—a place where he can go and lock the door behind him.”

“The best way to be thought honest is to be honest.”

““You’re called a holy man,” she said. “I see you’re wholly deranged.”

Resonant Thoughts

"But it can be almost as objectionable to be made to take part in something as to be forbidden to do so."

— Christopher Hitchens

Philosophy1949–2011

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"In opera, as with any performing art, to be in great demand and to command high fees you must be good of course, but you must also be famous. The two are different things."

— Luciano Pavarotti

Music1935–2007

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"I stretched out on the bed and slept. It was twilight when I awakened and turned on the light. I felt better, no longer tired. I went to the typewriter and sat before it. My thought was to write a sen…"

— John Fante

Literature1909–1983

#art

"If someone listens to our music, and it makes them creative, that makes me happier than anything. But with our music, we try to teach the masses of fans that not everything is as it seems."

— Marilyn Manson

Music1969

#art