Socrates told us, "the unexamined life is not worth living." I think he's calling for curiosity, more than knowledge. In every human society at all times and at all levels, the curious are at the leading edge. Roger Ebert More Quotes by Roger Ebert More Quotes From Roger Ebert To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts. Roger Ebert crime unhappy Every great film should seem new every time you see it. Roger Ebert gambling movie film I believe empathy is the most essential quality of civilization. Roger Ebert wisdom civilization believe To know me is to love me. This cliche is popular for a reason, because most of us, I imagine, believe deep in our hearts that if anyone truly got to know us, they'd truly get to love us - or at least know why we're the way we are. The problem in life, maybe the central problem, is that so few people ever seem to have sufficient curiosity to do the job on us that we know we deserve. Roger Ebert jobs life believe It's hard to explain the fun to be found in seeing the right kind of bad movie. Roger Ebert kind found fun We laugh, that we may not cry. Roger Ebert cry may laughing Sometimes you only need to have a few words with a person to know you would like to have many more. Roger Ebert few-words relationship needs What every human being should do is eat a vegetarian diet based on whole foods. Period. That's it. Animal protein is bad for you. Dairy is bad for you. Forget the ads: Milk and eggs are bad for you. Roger Ebert vegetarian-diet eggs animal The genius is not in how much Stanley Kubrick does in “2001: A Space Odyssey,'' but in how little. This is the work of an artist so sublimely confident that he doesn't include a single shot simply to keep our attention. He reduces each scene to its essence, and leaves it on screen long enough for us to contemplate it, to inhabit it in our imaginations. Alone among science-fiction movies, “2001'' is not concerned with thrilling us, but with inspiring our awe. Roger Ebert space artist essence Parents and schools should place great emphasis on the idea that it is all right to be different. Racism and all the other 'isms' grow from primitive tribalism, the instinctive hostility against those of another tribe, race, religion, nationality, class or whatever. You are a lucky child if your parents taught you to accept diversity. Roger Ebert children ideas school And I think both the left and the right should celebrate people who have different opinions, and disagree with them, and argue with them, and differ with them, but don't just try to shut them up. Roger Ebert trying people thinking We all are born with a certain package. We are who we are: where we were born, who we were born as, how we were raised. We're kind of stuck inside that person, and the purpose of civilization and growth is to be able to reach out and empathize a little bit with other people. And for me, the movies are like a machine that generates empathy. It lets you understand a little bit more about different hopes, aspirations, dreams and fears. It helps us to identify with the people who are sharing this journey with us. Roger Ebert journey dream civilization Why is it that English, drama and music teachers are most often recalled as our mentors and inspirations? Maybe because artists are rarely members of the popular crowd. Roger Ebert inspiration teacher drama The moment a man stops dreaming is the moment he petrifies inside. Roger Ebert moments dream men Jacques Tati is the great philosophical tinkerer of comedy, taking meticulous care to arrange his films so that they unfold in a series of revelations and effortless delights. Roger Ebert delight philosophical care Artists are rarely members of the popular crowd. Roger Ebert members crowds artist Movies that encourage empathy are more effective than those that objectify problems. Roger Ebert empathy problem No movie has ever been able to provide a catharsis for the Holocaust, and I suspect none will ever be able to provide one for 9/11. Such subjects overwhelm art. Roger Ebert catharsis holocaust art We feel the same emotions for our ideas as we do for the real world, which is why we can cry while reading a book, or fall in love with movie stars. Roger Ebert falling-in-love stars real Because of the rush of human knowledge, because of the digital revolution, I have a voice, and I do not need to scream. Roger Ebert digital-revolution technology voice
