From the very beginning, when you go into Scientology your world narrows down very quickly. Lawrence Wright More Quotes by Lawrence Wright More Quotes From Lawrence Wright I like the serendipitous surprises of reality. Lawrence Wright surprisereality Unlike the talent for war, the ability to make peace has always been rare. Lawrence Wright abilitytalentwar I don't hold America responsible for the largely oppressive governments in the 22 Arab countries. There are repressive Arab governments that are our allies and there are those that are our nominal enemies. It doesn't make a whole lot of difference to what extent we're involved in propping up those governments. Lawrence Wright differencesgovernmentcountry When you look at the science and the genetic studies that have been done on Palestinians and Jews, you find that there is a unity. They're both descended from the Canaanites. They're essentially the same people. Lawrence Wright unitydonepeople I don't want to constantly be writing about terrorism and strife. Lawrence Wright terrorismwantwriting I get very antsy when I'm not occupied. Lawrence Wright IRS is very poorly equipped to make a distinction between what is a religion and what is not. Lawrence Wright irsdistinction Having written Camp David as a drama, I could see the drama maybe a little more clearly when I wrote the book. Lawrence Wright dramabook Scientology is probably the most stigmatized religion in America already. Lawrence Wright scientologyamerica You can't tell a story linearly if you want people to understand. Lawrence Wright storieswantpeople Every medium has its advantages and weaknesses and there are many things I can put down on paper that I might not be able to put into film or into a stage performance. In each form, one can communicate powerfully in different ways. Lawrence Wright stage-performanceablemight Chronology can be dangerous. You can get so linear that it becomes robotic for the reader. Lawrence Wright dangerous I don't dispute Scientology can help people; I think that is a very important fact to keep in mind. Lawrence Wright mindpeoplethinking I read a lot of books. Here are the books I'm using for my 9/11 project. [Wright gestures to three six-foot-long shelves of books.] As I read them I highlight certain passages. Then I have an assistant write down each quote on an index card and note where it came from. Lawrence Wright feetwritingbook If we're talking about Sinai, we can't understand it without the 1967 and 1973 wars, and you can't understand it without the biblical story of Moses leading his people through the wilderness. These are essential elements in the modern conversation about what's going on in the Middle East that seem to have been lost. Lawrence Wright biblicalwarpeople Radicalism usually prospers in the gap between rising expectations and declining opportunities. This is especially true where the population is young, idle, and bored; where the art is impoverished; where entertainment—movies, theater, music—is policed or absent altogether; and where young men are set apart from the consoling and socializing presence of women. Lawrence Wright opportunitymenart I feel like a 1960s graduate student. I still work on note cards. I've never found a better system. Lawrence Wright graduatesstudentscards Journalism is a flawed profession, but it has a self-correcting mechanism. The rule of journalism is: talk to everybody. Lawrence Wright flawedjournalismself We hear a lot about theological justifications for the conflicts, but very little about the scientific evidence, which in no way supports them. The time period in which Moses was leading his people out of Egypt, into the Promised Land, the Promised Land was Egypt. We know that. Archaeological records are very clear. The Egyptians were avid bureaucrats even in those days and kept very scrupulous records. I think it's important for us to realize this conflict is built on a legend. It has no scientific support. Lawrence Wright supportpeoplethinking There are many countries where you can only believe more or you can believe less. But in the United States we have this incredible smorgasbord, and it really interests me why people are drawn to one faith rather than another, especially to a system of belief that to an outsider seems absurd or dangerous. Lawrence Wright believecountrypeople
