It is ironic that a nation that has never experienced a coup d'etat should be so obsessed with the idea of conspiracy. Gore Vidal More Quotes by Gore Vidal More Quotes From Gore Vidal American laws don't work, but at least the laws of physics might work. Gore Vidal physics law might I came out of Capitol Hill. Well, that's just not an ordinary background for a writer of the ordinary American sort. Gore Vidal capitol-hill hills ordinary The British are absolutely hung up on class, and whenever they start to really - class for the English is like sex for Americans: They start to shake all over when the subject comes up. Gore Vidal british class sex I come from the highest class of all. I am a third-generation celebrity. Gore Vidal thirds generations class I have been on the cover of Time magazine. My father was on the cover of Time, and my grandfather was on the cover of Time. Gore Vidal time-magazine magazines father I'm in Hollywood right now, surrounded by nothing but the sons and grandsons of movie stars. Gore Vidal hollywood stars son If you are at the mercy of what they call print interviews and the mercy of people who write about you, they can always tell lies. Gore Vidal writing lying people Before the word gay had really been invented, was there's no such thing. Only a country, basically as mindless about these matters - based upon our peasant superstitions, religious superstitions - would they make categories. Everybody's everything. Gore Vidal gay religious country Obviously I'm in favor of protecting the rights of everybody: gay, black, women, what have you, American Indians. Gore Vidal black gay rights I deny that there's such a thing as a gay person. I deny there's such a thing as a heterosexual person. Gore Vidal deny gay persons A huge number of Americans still believe that Saddam Hussein was responsible for 9/11. You have a people that don't know anything about the rest of the world, and you have leaders who lie to them, lie to them, and lie to them. Gore Vidal numbers believe lying Many people in the United States happen to believe that United States policy is wrong in Vietnam and the Vietcong are correct in wanting to organize their country in their own way politically. This happens to be pretty much the opinion of western Europe and the other parts of the world. Gore Vidal europe believe country People are worse educated than they used to be. Certainly they are not very interested in reading books, as opposed to watching television, movies. They are used to getting things through the eye and the ear. In a small way, literature goes on being written, but few people like it. Once it's bureaucratized by the schoolteachers, the game's up. Gore Vidal eye reading book I have no social position and I stay away from what is known as society as much as possible. Gore Vidal known position social People like to re-invent you, according to cliché. There are a lot of stores about me that really apply only to Capote or Mailer or somebody else. Everything is a mish mash. Gore Vidal stores people I have no television to go on so I get a lot of writing done. That's my substitute for television. Gore Vidal done goes-on writing I'm a much worse guest than I am a host, and I'm not an awfully good host either. I really like being alone. Gore Vidal like-being-alone host guests Everybody has two legs, two lobes to the brain which is why we tend to be interested in symmetry, always balancing things. Gore Vidal legs brain two In Southern Europe, we have, of course, very bad governments. Gore Vidal southern government europe We have a great deal to learn from Scandinavia and a great deal to be alarmed at from the Mediterranean. Gore Vidal scandinavia deals
