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Clive James

Critic, essayist, poet and broadcaster

Recorded said elsewhere, not written here
Yes, but I don’t think I have the energy. I’ve been hit in the face by a cricket bat at 1,000 miles an hour. I think the last round-up is here. But that’s OK. It would be bad manners to complain. I’ve had a lucky life, and I’m grateful for it.

Rachel Cooke, The Observer, 1 December 2019 source ↗

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Christopher Hitchens Essayist, critic and journalist
There is an even longer shot that I do propose to attempt even though its likely efficacy lies at the outer limits of probability. I am going to try to have my entire DNA “sequenced,” along with the genome of my tumor. ... So perhaps I will be able to contribute a little bit to enlarging the knowledge that will help future generations.
Recorded Vanity Fair, 8 October 2010 source ↗
Warren Zevon Songwriter and musician
The songs aren't all written. ... You don't know where they're going to go. That's the fun of the job. There's the usual malarkey, the usual gags, the usual stuff. And also a few songs written by way of kind of being farewells to people, goodbyes to people, gratitude to people. Expressions of, you know, this was a nice deal, life. But I don't think it's exactly weighted with sentimentality.
Recorded Jon Pareles, The New York Times Magazine, 26 January 2003 source ↗
Rosa Parks Civil-rights activist
I would have to take longer than a minute to give my whole synopsis of my life, but I want to let you know that all of us should be free and equal and have equal opportunity and that is what I’m trying to instill and encourage and inspire young people to reach their highest potential.
Recorded Academy of Achievement interview source ↗
David Vélez Co-founder and chief executive of Nubank
No, falta mucho por construir. Estoy muy contento con lo que hemos podido construir en Nubank en estos casi diez años. En lo personal, tengo una familia con cuatro niños chiquitos y eso es un desafío gigantesco, que crezcan, sean buenas personas y lleguen a ser buenos ciudadanos. Es un gran desafío en el que estoy muy enfocado.
Recorded Vicky Dávila, interview, Semana, 1 October 2022 source ↗

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Question What is the hardest thing that has happened to you, and what did you carry out of it? Failure & regret
One thing, it's too big a subject and I want to talk about it on paper if I talk about it at all. But I can say this much, because I thought the life that my father and mother would have had together was cut short and something of what they might have achieved I hope that I'm achieving in my work.
Recorded Philip Williams, 7.30, ABC, ABC News, 20 August 2015 source ↗
Question Has knowing you will die changed how you live? Death & what remains
Yeah. These books are all around me and they'll be here when I go and I'm that sick. I just don't know when it ends. But in 2010, I got really ill and leukaemia was one of the things I was diagnosed with and eventually it will switch me off. So it raises the question: what do you do? Do you lie down and give up? Read the Bible? Or do you go on as you were reading and writing. And I've done the second and I've just done a little bit called Latest Readings which is about the books I've been reading lately and I could do another volume of that because I'm still reading.
Recorded Philip Williams, 7.30, ABC, ABC News, 20 August 2015 source ↗
Question How would you want people to remember you? Death & what remains
It’s here. I’ve always thought that it was here. If you play to the gallery, that’s posterity. The best you can hope for is another gallery after you’ve gone, but you won’t see it. Statistically, it’s unlikely that much of what one does will be read for ever. It may just be one or two poems. For example, my Japanese Maple poem is famous among people who own a Japanese maple.
Recorded Robert McCrum, The Observer, 15 March 2015 source ↗

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