Roles quotes
2.2K quotes on this topic — from poets, philosophers, and thinkers across history.
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"There's Hobbes, who understood in the 1640s that the sovereign is not an appointee of God, or even a figure of superior virtue and wisdom, but just a functional device whose role is to keep people from hurting and killing each other."
"I don't have the illusion that there's any position or role in the world with as much potential for bringing about change as that of president of the United States."
"There are a lot of roles in Shakespeare, basically. If I feel that the script is a movie, I would be interested in doing any role of Shakespeare's."
"I went into the foreign service because I was interested in politics. But, in 1991, when I joined, I didn't see much of an opportunity to be involved in federal politics as a Conservative. We were at the tail end of the Brian Mulroney era. I wanted to do something non-partisan as a way of preparing for a role in our politics later."
"There's more roles now to fill since Trump's in. There's this refusal of power. I think progressives are actually literally uncomfortable with the exercise of power, because of what you learn. When you're too educated you understand the total disconnect of the exercise of power."
"Arnold Schwarzenegger has been offered a role in a sequel to 'The Terminator.' In this one he travels back in time and kills the person who suggested he run for governor."
"The role of the poet is almost nothing...drearily nothing. And when he steps outside of his boots and tries to get tough as our dear Ezra [Pound] did, he will get his pink little ass slapped."
"[Warren Buffett ] met with all sorts of different groups about a lot of different things, but yes, he took the time, he listened and he wanted to understand about some of the different diseases and the strength of the American role in doing all these things."
"There have been times when I've been asked to do things and I've thought, "This is great! This is a great script. But, I do not believe myself in this role." I pretend I'm the producer and I think, "If I was making this movie, would I cast myself in this part?," and if that doesn't feel right to me, then I don't even go audition for it."
"Molly Shannon such an interesting actress that portrays vulnerability and danger at the same time, because she seems brittle in that role."
"Montgomery's unique role in the domestic slave trade was that it was the first community that had a rail line that connected the Deep South to the mid-Atlantic region."
"The role of the judge is simply to decide cases."
"Cool is the emotional straightjacket. It makes us less available for connection which makes us less equipped for leadership roles."
"The role of the Guru is to show the person that he already has what he is looking for."
"I wish I could play the lead role in one movie, one great movie."
"There is the case of Henry Kissinger who was a known scholar who later became the National Security Advisor to President Nixon and later on Secretary of State. He received the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in establishing relations between the U.S. and China. At the same time that he was doing that he was also encouraging all sorts of covert actions against Cuba including political assassinations. This contradiction is one that is hard to understand."
"The primary role of the music industry is to have artists be heard above the rest. It's a big needle in a haystack problem. The Internet has the service and tools to find the needle in a haystack."
"I had some great role models along the way. My on-field heroes were the great Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, and Willie Mays. I wanted to be like them on the field, and I am so damn proud to join them in the Hall of Fame."
"I think the UN's role - especially since it's not an extremely rich fund, and that's to put it mildly - is mainly to act as a leading thinker of the world in terms of how to think about the future."
"There is a sense in which the United States Ambassador speaks to the United States, as well as for the United States. I have always seen my role as a thermostat, rather than a thermometer. So I'm going to be actively working... for my own concerns. I have always had people advise me on what to say, but never on what not to say."
