Joshua Foer Quotes

I don't think language could have evolved if it was the only distinctive trait. It goes hand in hand with our ability to develop tools and technologies, and also with the fact that we cooperate with nonrelatives.

The relationship with my people, the Nigerian people, is very good. My relationship with the rulers has always been problematic.

Mathematics knows no races or geographic boundaries; for mathematics, the cultural world is one country.

I'm always trying to be a good ambassador for my country.

Cinema is universal, beyond flags and borders and passports.

Well-run libraries are filled with people because what a good library offers cannot be easily found elsewhere: an indoor public space in which you do not have to buy anything in order to stay.

A bland smile is like a green light at an intersection, it feels good when you get one, but you forget it the moment you're past it.

Objects let you tell a narrative that encompasses everybody. Texts don't.

I can walk into a room and create a good ambience. I was taught all about this back when I studied acting. One of the things they would teach you is how to send out positive signals when you enter a room. I am glad I learned this.

English language is the most universal language in history, way more than the Latin of Julius Caesar. It's the most punderful language because its vocabulary has a certain critical mass that makes a lingo good for punning.

Probably only an art-worlder like me could assign deeper meaning to something as simple and silly as Tebowing. But, to us, anytime people repeat a stance or a little dance, alone or together, we see that it can mean something. Imagistic and unspoken language is our thing.

There was no language barrier when it came to kids, and when it came to play.

In real life, people fumble their words. They repeat themselves and stare blankly off into space and don't listen properly to what other people are saying. I find that kind of speech fascinating but screenwriters never write dialogue like that because it doesn't look good on the page.

I have been in meetings where a head of state will say, 'I like your tie,' to a man... or, 'I like your country because the weather's good,' or whatever. So for me, the pins in some ways were openers.

Music is about communication... it isn't just something that maybe physically sounds good or orally sounds interesting; it's something far, far deeper than that.

I don't know anything about propaganda for Chinese reunification. I only know about charity and environmental work. I just want to do good.

Supposing everyone lived at one time what would they say. They would observe that stringing string beans is universal.

Someone once told me that movies are a universal passport. And it's true, wherever you go.

I am a people watcher and I have a very good memory.

It's good for art to make us think, to give us a shared experience that creates a dialogue, makes us talk to each other, including strangers.

You have to think about why you're asking an audience to come to the theater. It's not that they should come because it's good for them, because it's the vegetables that they should eat and the culture shot that they should get... It's about experience and building community and catalyzing dialogue and bringing people together.

I'd really like to visit India and South America. I think India will be a great mix of sightseeing and relaxing, and I've got a feeling it will also be good for one's soul and spirit. And I'd love to go backpacking around South America at some point. I did that in Australia when I was younger, and the camaraderie was great fun.

Going to another country you're not in your house, you're with people you've never met before, and I think it's definitely a good growing experience.

I have a good connection with people from America that come to my shows. It's more the American culture. I like the culture, so I want to spend more time there and make more friends and have some fun.

Contrary to popular belief, I don't spend a whole lot of time following soccer. But as I have traveled around the world to better understand global development and health, I've learned that soccer is truly universal. No matter where I go, that's what kids are playing. That's what people are talking about.