Gore Vidal Quotes

Half of the American people have never read a newspaper. Half never voted for President. – Gore Vidal

Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn. – Gore Vidal

The United States was founded by the brightest people in the country – and we haven’t seen them since. – Gore Vidal

Every time a friend succeeds, I die a little. – Gore Vidal

The more money an American accumulates, the less interesting he becomes. – Gore Vidal

Half of the American people have never experienced the luxury of dying of hunger. – Gore Vidal

The genius of our ruling class is that it has kept a majority of the people from ever questioning the inequity of a system where most people drudge along, paying heavy taxes for which they get nothing in return. – Gore Vidal

It is not enough to succeed. Others must fail. – Gore Vidal

The genius of a free market system is that it doesn’t care what colour people are; it only cares whether they can produce the goods and services efficiently. – Gore Vidal

Advertising is the art of convincing people to spend money they don’t have for something they don’t need. – Gore Vidal

Democracy is supposed to give you the feeling of choice, like Painkiller X and Painkiller Y. But they’re both just aspirin. – Gore Vidal

Every time a friend succeeds, I find it harder to call them a friend. – Gore Vidal

There is no human problem which could not be solved if people would simply do as I advise. – Gore Vidal

Half of the American people have never married. The other half have never experienced anything else. – Gore Vidal

The United States is a nation of laws: badly written and randomly enforced. – Gore Vidal

The average American is nothing if not patriotic – so patriotic that he hesitates to complain to his government when he plays the role of victim. – Gore Vidal

The United States is a nation of laws: badly written and over-enforced. – Gore Vidal

There is no human problem which could not be solved if people would simply do as I advise. – Gore Vidal

Ideas not preceded by money and power have none. – Gore Vidal

The only thing that pushes our species onward is the knowledge that we’re all going to die. – Gore Vidal

The American public is not interested in a balanced and fair election process; they want to see their own side win. – Gore Vidal

The genius of a democratic system is that it has no leaders; just rulers. – Gore Vidal

The fate of a democracy rests on the ability of its citizens to come up with catchy slogans. – Gore Vidal

I’m not concerned with that works on Wall Street. My concern is with what works and what doesn’t work on Main Street. – Gore Vidal

Half of the American people have never experienced the luxury of dying of hunger. – Gore Vidal

The genius of a free market system is that it doesn’t care what color people are; it only cares whether they can produce the goods and services efficiently. – Gore Vidal

Half of the American people have never read a newspaper. Half never voted for President. – Gore Vidal

The United States was founded by the brightest people in the country – and we haven’t seen them since. – Gore Vidal

Democracy is supposed to give you the feeling of choice, like Painkiller X and Painkiller Y. But they’re both just aspirin. – Gore Vidal

I’m not into labels. Just call me Gore Vidal. – Gore Vidal

Fifty percent of politicians are honest. The other fifty percent are lucky enough to get elected. – Gore Vidal

The American republic, if we can keep it, is in the hands of a powerful media and by far the greatest wealth and influence that has ever existed in human history. – Gore Vidal

A good name is more likely gained through acts of kindness rather than acts of violence. – Gore Vidal

I’ve never found any great wisdom in studying history. – Gore Vidal

I’ve always preferred my own company to being around other people. The best part about being alone is that you never have to apologize for being yourself. – Gore Vidal

The art of writing is the art of applying the seat of one’s pants to the seat of one’s chair. – Gore Vidal

The trouble with writing is that it is often more interesting to talk about it than to actually sit down and do it. – Gore Vidal

The greatest luxury of all is the luxury of being oneself. – Gore Vidal

History is nothing more than a series of lies agreed upon. – Gore Vidal

The secret to success in life is to know something about everything and everything about something. – Gore Vidal

I write for the same reason I breathe – because if I didn’t, I would die. – Gore Vidal

It is not enough to succeed. Others must fail. – Gore Vidal

Money talks, but it rarely makes a good conversationalist. – Gore Vidal

War is never about who is right, only about who is left. – Gore Vidal

The world is a stage, and the play is disaster. – Gore Vidal