The fool is often oblivious of his own gaucherie. Gore Vidal More Quotes by Gore Vidal More Quotes From Gore Vidal These people [Bush Administration] are for the most part rip-off artists. Notice that they're all gas and oil men from Cheney, to the two Bushes; I think Rumsfeld also. Gore Vidal rip artist men There is no such thing as a homosexual or a heterosexual person. There are only homo- or heterosexual acts. Most people are a mixture of impulses if not practices. Gore Vidal literature practice people Our rulers for more than half a century have made sure that we are never to be told the truth about anything that our government has done to other people, not to mention our own. Gore Vidal government done people Since there is no system of public education, the great majority of my fellow citizens is frighteningly ignorant. They have no idea where Iraq is. They accept as the gospel whatever the government tells them. Good grief, any other normal country would have been against the Iraq war! But we live in an abnormal country, governed by experts in deceptive advertising. Gore Vidal grief war country Ayn Rand's 'philosophy' is nearly perfect in its immorality, which makes the size of her audience all the more ominous and symptomatic as we enter a curious new phase in our society.... To justify and extol human greed and egotism is to my mind not only immoral, but evil. Gore Vidal evil perfect philosophy I think the Chinese will say the hell with you and pull their money out of the United States. That's the end of our wars. Gore Vidal chinese war thinking Fifty percent of people won't vote, and fifty percent don't read newspapers. I hope it's the same fifty percent. Gore Vidal political fifty people It is curious how often one prefers his enemies to his friends. Gore Vidal curious enemy As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action: you liberate a city by destroying it. Words are to confuse, so that at election time people will solemnly vote against their own interests. Gore Vidal communication cities people I assume that the point of American democracy is you can express any point of view you want. Gore Vidal democracy views want The war against terror is like a war against dandruff. It's a metaphor. It's not about anything. Gore Vidal metaphor terror war Since no one can ever know for certain whether or not his own view of life is the correct one, it is absolutely impossible for him to know if someone else's is the wrong one. Gore Vidal views life-is impossible Our form of democracy is bribery, on the highest scale. Gore Vidal democracy form politics The word 'radical' derives from the Latin word for root. Therefore, if you want to get to the root of anything you must be radical. It is no accident that the word has now been totally demonized. Gore Vidal democracy roots latin Politics is made up of two words: "Poli," which is Greek for "many," and "tics," which are bloodsucking insects. Gore Vidal greek two blood There is something about the state putting the power to bully into the hands of subnormal, sadistic apes that makes my blood boil. Gore Vidal bully hands blood Can you imagine having a love affair going on and on decade after decade? Macabre. Gore Vidal macabre affair imagine A narcissist is someone better looking than you are. Gore Vidal sarcasm cynicism sarcastic In the town of Ravella, where I have a house, when the Supreme Court said that an act of sodomy, as they describe it, could not be committed between a man and his wife, the entire square burst into laughter. Gore Vidal laughter squares men It is not enough to succeed. Others must fail. Gore Vidal envy failure political