Peter Porter Quotes

I must admit that i am fascinated by the glories of ancient India. But when will the purveyors of Indian culture realise that not everything about our past was glorious?

Undeniably the American art form, too. And yet more and more, we see films made that diminish the American experience and example. And sometimes trash it completely.

People looked up to us for our values and leadership. But today, they laugh as we are busy debating whether one of the seven wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal, was actually built by Indians.

A nation's life is about as long as its reverential memory.

Great nations write their autobiographies in three manuscripts - the book of their deeds, the book of their words and the book of their art.

Cinema reflects culture and there is no harm in adapting technology, but not at the cost of losing your originality.

The coming of age of Canadian culture may not depend on our ability to protect it at home, but to project it on the world’s stage.

The Law and Justice government does not want a bunch of foreign historians to decide what goes on in 'their' museum.

'Authentic' is one of my least favourite words because in such a diverse country, whose authenticity are you talking about?

Our national future does not demand we revise and malign our past.

India is still flinching from a cultural insult, still looking for its identity.

The basis of national identity is to say, "This is authentic to me or my forebears," and is there even such a thing? How authentic is it to your life? Just because your grandfather did it, what does that have to do with you? If I say I'm working in the style of Rembrandt, so what? You can say it, but are you really? No, because when you try to literally copy a cultural artifact, you change it. It dissolves, and then who's looking at it? People who appreciate that kind of drawing, or people it means nothing to?

India does not need to become anything else. India must become only India. This is a country that once upon a time was called the golden bird.

Most national holidays in most countries rest on selective memories of the past.

To what better purpose can a man's energy be devoted, and his talents, than the resuscitation of his country's language?

If you want to retain your identity and culture, we're a really great mothership. If you want to sell out... there are definitely other companies to talk to.

I'm American; I was born and raised in America, and I don't want to fake who I am to fit a stereotype.

There are many different artforms that are just being lost because the whole digital revolution has homogenized everything, turned it all into Walmart.

You can't cast Hittites as Trojans; I'd love to do it, but sadly, there are none available!

The Opera House guidelines have from time to time been amended, whether it's for other sporting events or other causes. The guidelines have always been stretched in the part and the commercialisation of the Opera House has always been there.

The younger generation of filmmakers is concerned about our roots, rather than making films with characters plucked out of the cloud or some English DVD. Actually since 2000, Tamil cinema is going through some positive changes.

What I mean by being real is just when you are doing dance celebrations, sports celebrations, like the cooking dance or anything like that. When you're an artist, you want to always try your best to do the homework and see where it originated from.

We have to preserve folk in its authenticity. Else folk will become fake.

Even if Pearl S. Buck hadn't spent most of her life in China, she'd have every right to write about it.

I think it's a disgrace that we're allowing extreme voices in this country to erase our proud heritage.