Salman Rushdie Quotes

I do ask myself why I make people so enraged, because I only ever say what I think. And while I know it might not be everyone's point of view, that doesn't seem particularly intolerable to me.

Anger, and the self-righteousness that is both the cause and consequence of anger, tends to be easier on the psyche than personal responsibility.

I might be in an airport, late or angry with a ticket person, and I'm going to sort of check myself, because part of me is seen as Eric Camden. We all need as much help as we can get. It's a role model to me as much as to anybody else.

You can't be responsible for the way people respond to you. You're only responsible for yourself.

It is wise to direct your anger towards problems - not people; to focus your energies on answers - not excuses.

I expect if people have had a problem with me or my attitude, then they come and take it directly with me, face to face.

At the same time I know that it’s not really their fault, at least not completely. I did my part too. I did it on a hundred different days and in a thousand different ways, and I know it. But this makes the anger worse, not better.

The problem with taking offense is that it's really hard to figure out what to do with it after you're done using it. Better to just leave it on the table and walk away. Umbrage untaken quietly disappears.

It is just as much an offense to take offense as it is to give offense.

I behaved poorly by starting this whole thing and I made some mistakes in dealing with it, and they made some mistakes in dealing with me, and taking down all my stuff was probably one of them.

My mom always said fighting with me as a kid was like going to court. I'm trying to realize that being right is not the most important thing.

It's important to have people around you with enough confidence to say if you are not acting in a good way. Normally, when you are at the top, people say everything is fantastic. Probably in that moment it is what you want to hear, but it's best to be reminded how to act properly.

When people disappoint you, it's just as much your responsibility to be aware of it and what you don't want.

You have to take responsibility for how you act. You can't fix everyone.

People take things too personally - I don't. If someone says something about me, I let it go. But unfortunately, everyone isn't like that. So I'm trying to be more diplomatic - but people always want a headline from me!

Men don't have to tiptoe around me - you can say anything and I won't get offended.

I admire people who have that integrity, who know how to peacefully move through a situation - and it's reflected in how they deal with things like loss.

One thing I hate is people screaming at me. If you want me to do something, talk to me.

I don't think any one person is the cause of all of someone else's problems.

I haven't raised my voice for eight to 10 years in the kitchen. And I won't have anybody shouting. If I hear of anybody having a go at anyone else, they'll get disciplined.

No one can drive us crazy unless we give them the keys.

I'm quite an emotional person. I cry a lot. I do not like conflict, so if I have an argument with my parents, I'll often cry. I become too emotional.

You're going to be much less likely to point the finger at somebody and create a huge brouhaha when it wasn't necessary if you had stopped and asked yourself, 'Could I have done things to prevent this situation?'

I think, for one, we have to really accept that anger is a normal human emotion that can be a positive force for change.

I've never had a teenage rebellion; I'm not that type of person. I always work out my problems in a conscientious way.