In any work you do, you can be profound one minute, and then you be superficial the next, and you can be smart and insightful and then insipid. There can be room for all that. Maira Kalman More Quotes by Maira Kalman More Quotes From Maira Kalman It's almost impossible to reconcile the realities of how one feels during the day, hour by hour. But I approach things not cynically. Maira Kalman hours impossible reality The most inspiring objects are books. I have about 5,000 volumes in my home library. It's an unending source of visuals and ideas. Maira Kalman home book ideas I like the brooding man - a brooding man with a sense of humor. Maira Kalman brooding sense-of-humor men I like Thomas Jefferson, though he intimidated me. I thought he would have been very tough to be around. I don't know if he had such a sense of humor. Maira Kalman sense-of-humor tough knows Soon enough it will be me struggling (valiantly?) to walk - lugging my stuff around. How are we all so brave as to take step after step? Day after day? How are we so optimistic, so careful not to trip and yet do trip, and then get up and say O.K. Why do I feel so sorry for everyone and so proud? Maira Kalman optimistic struggle sorry Every Monday morning is new hope. Maira Kalman monday-morning monday morning My sister is an artist and an interior designer. She went to high school for art. I went to high school for music. Maira Kalman designer art school Michael Pollan is a champion. In all ways. A man of great integrity, humor, and common sense and kindness. Maira Kalman kindness integrity men I said, 'Well, how much space do I have?' And they said, 'Well, you know, it's the Internet.' Maira Kalman internet space said I don't like anything permanent; I have to be able to flee. You have to be able to flee at a moment's notice. Maira Kalman like moment you permanent I don't like plots. I don't know what a plot means. I can't stand the idea of anything that starts in the beginning - you know, 'beginning, middle and end.' Maira Kalman stand end beginning you If I could never work again and I could just listen to music and walk, I'd be very, very happy. Maira Kalman walk music work happy My mother was the influence on me - my father was absent. He was a diamond dealer; he was doing wonderful things in the background, and women were left at home. So my mother really was in charge of everything: the ballet, dance lessons, piano lessons, and latkes. Maira Kalman me women mother father There is no kind of music I don't listen to. Everything good is interesting. I am as happy with a Bach fugue as I am with a record by Thelonious Monk. Maira Kalman i-am good music happy I have been working for over 30 years and am always wondering about where I am and where I am going. It does not stop and become a fixed event of achievement. Maira Kalman stop i-am always achievement It is impossible to know what fate will bring. If you love to write or paint, you will keep on writing or painting, and things will either work out or not, and you just have to keep being in the process. Maira Kalman you painting work love I truly believe there's always a solution to every problem. Maira Kalman solution always problem believe I don't believe in politics; I don't understand any of it. Maira Kalman any understand politics believe I don't listen to the news. I don't read the newspaper unless it's eccentric information - and the obituaries, of course. Maira Kalman listen newspaper news information