Rajiv Menon Quotes

Every country gets the circus it deserves. Spain gets bullfights. Italy the Church. America Hollywood.

The Taj, the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Cracao Basilica and Polish church are some monuments that hold a special place in my memory.

A country is made not by policy alone, but by its music, its entertainment shows, all of it.

Georgia is not just a European country, but one of the most ancient European countries.

Queen Victoria did not regard art, letters, or music as in any way springing from national character: they were something quite apart, elegant decorations resembling a scarf or a bracelet, and in no way expressive of the soul of the country.

When I'm doing a store in a country, I always like to consider the concept of the country and the city. Ask what are the clothes of the city, what does this city represent for me?

I wouldn't be surprised if some day, they put the Simpsons in the Smithsonian. It's become part of our culture, those characters.

I'm just fascinated by visiting actual castles in the countryside.

I think people care. If not, why do so many people spend money going on vacations to see architecture? They go to the Parthenon, to Chartres, to the Sydney Opera House. They go to Bilbao... Something compels them, and yet we live surrounded by everything but great architecture.

If you travel to Germany, it's still absolutely Germany. If you travel to Sweden, it still has a Swedish identity.

In Barcelona, things seem so different. For example, I know that it's traditionally the least Spanish city, but you'd never know they had a monarchy, coming here as a tourist - as opposed to the U.K., where the Queen is probably the best-known animal, vegetable and/or mineral going when it comes to overseas visitors.

The centuries-old history and culture of India, majestic architectural monuments and museums of Delhi, Agra and Mumbai have a unique attractive force.

When I was young, I overheard a Brit say Canada wasn't a real country because it doesn't have any poets. Even then, I kind of knew that was wrong, but I still thought, 'Wow, here's my chance to do something, to be of service to my country.'

I think cinema is the memory and the imagination of the country. Take the memory and imagination out of an individual, and he stops being an individual. I think it's the same thing for a country.

I appear to be drawn to iconic characters and what they reflect back to our cultures.

In Rome, I particularly love the history, churches, sculptures and architecture and the fact that you can walk along a tiny cobbled street and turn the corner to find the Trevi Fountain. London is evocative of other eras and full of history.

We say arts education is good for general education, but that's not the point. The arts are what great nations are remembered for. They are a mirror.

I think there are two cities in the world - New York and Rome.

The Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower. They're monumental. They're straight out of Page 52 in your school history book.

There are over 400 parks in all 50 states that represent our country and that are enriched with stories that tell about how our country became what it is today. There is a lot of history frozen in these places.

You don't need to go to Rome, Prague or Vienna to find wonderful architecture, amazing stories and suprising, hidden gems.

This is America; our icons are complicated.

There is a lot of history buried in Chicago that I still have yet to discover.

My husband John's and my breaks are often very culture heavy. He cannot pass a museum without venturing inside, so we tend to see a lot of architecture and so-called places of interest.

Sightseeing was ... based on imaginative invention, like rehearsing your own play in stage sets from which all the actors had fled.