Ann Richards Quotes

Ann Richards Quotes Ann Richards was governor of Texas from 1991-1995. When Ann Richards was elected State Treasurer in 1982, she was the first woman elected to statewide office in Texas since Ma Ferguson. Richards was reelected in 1986, unopposed, and then ran for governor in 1990. She came to national prominence with a keynote speech at the 1988 Democratic National Convention. In her 1994 reelection campaign, she lost to George W. Bush, the son of the presidential candidate shed skewered in 1988. Selected Ann Richards Quotations Im not afraid to shake up the system, and the government needs more shaking up than any other system I know. I have very strong feelings about how you lead your life. You always look ahead, you never look back. The here and now is all we have, and if we play it right its all well need. I have always had the feeling I could do anything and my dad told me I could. I was in college before I found out he might be wrong. They blame the low income women for ruining the country because they are staying home with their children and not going out to work. They blame the middle income women for ruining the country because they go out to work and do not stay home to take care of their children. I feel very strongly that change is good because it stirs up the system. I did not want my tombstone to read, She kept a really clean house. I think Id like them to remember me by saying, She opened government to everyone. Ive always said that in politics, your enemies cant hurt you, but your friends will kill you. Teaching was the hardest work I had ever done, and it remains the hardest work I have done to date. Let me tell you, sisters, seeing dried egg on a plate in the morning is a lot dirtier than anything Ive had to deal with in politics. Power is what calls the shots, and power is a white male game. If you think taking care of yourself is selfish, change your mind. If you dont, youre simply ducking your responsibilities. Im really glad that our young people missed the Depression, and missed the great big war. But I do regret that they missed the leaders that I knew. Leaders who told us when things were tough, and that we would have to sacrifice, and these difficulties might last awhile. They didnt tell us things were hard for us because we were different, or isolated, or special interests. They brought us together and they gave us a sense of national purpose. [1988 keynote address, Democratic National Convention] I have a real soft spot in my heart for librarians and people who care about books. You can put lipstick and earrings on a hog and call it Monique, but its still a pig. Women elected Bill Clinton this time. He acknowledges it, the country acknowledges it, and the columnists acknowledge it, and when you have that kind of political clout, you can effect change and do it well. And Im real proud to have been a part of that. I get a lot of cracks about my hair, mostly from men who dont have any. Let me tell you that I am the only child of a very rough-talking father. So dont be embarrassed about your language. Ive either heard it or I can top it. The public does not like you to mislead or represent yourself to be something youre not. And the other thing that the public really does like is the self-examination to say, you know, Im not perfect. Im just like you. They dont ask their public officials to be perfect. They just ask them to be smart, truthful, honest, and show a modicum of good sense. I believe in recovery, and I believe that as a role model I have the responsibility to let young people know that you can make a mistake and come back from it. There is a lot more to life than just struggling to make money. I thought I knew Texas pretty well, but I had no notion of its size until I campaigned it. Women, it was painfully clear, werent going to be allowed to use their brains and I certainly wanted to use mine. [Ive] been tested by fire and the fire lost. I hope all the WASP present and past will fly high on wings of our pride in their service ... you have my profound gratitude for the legacy you have given to us and the legacy you pass on to young women today. [about the Women Airforce Service Pilots] I believe Mama would have liked to have had more children, but times were hard and I was the only one. Daddy had the fear maybe that fear is indigenous to the Depression generation that he wouldnt be able to afford all the things he wanted to give me, and he wanted to give me everything hed never had. So they never had another child. Poor George, he cant help it. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth. [1988 keynote address, Democratic National Convention] I am delighted to be here with you this evening because after listening to George Bush all these years, I figured you needed to know what a real Texas accent sounds like. [1988 keynote address, Democratic National Convention] On How to Be a Good Republican: [excerpts] You have to believe that those privileged from birth achieve success all on their own.You have to be against all government programs, but expect Social Security checks on time.You have to believe...everything Rush Limbaugh says.You have to believe society is color-blind and growing up black in America doesnt diminish your opportunities, but you still wont vote for Alan Keyes.You have to be against government interference in business until your oil company, corporation or Savings and Loan is about to go broke and you beg for a government bailout.You have to believe a poor, minority student with a disciplinary history and failing grades will be admitted into an elite private school with a $1,000 voucher. Most of all, I remember those children in the classrooms and those kids who grabbed me around the knees, and I think of the old people who really need a voice when theyre trapped in wheelchairs in dirty nursing homes. The person in this office really must have a conscience to know that how they direct this government dramatically affects the lives of those people. Jill Buckley on Ann Richards: Shes sort of the female good old boy. You paid the price to some degree. You lost the governorship of Texas because this country still is a little bit schizoid, isn’t it, about the role of women in American politics? [1996 question of newsman Tom Brokaw to Ann Richards] More Womens Quotes: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z Explore Womens Voices and Womens History Womens Voices - About Womens QuotesBiographies of WomenToday in Womens HistoryWomens History Home About These Quotes Quote collection assembled by Jone Johnson Lewis. Each quotation page in this collection and the entire collection  © Jone Johnson Lewis. This is an informal collection assembled over many years. I regret that I am not able to provide the original source if it is not listed with the quote. Citation information:Jone Johnson Lewis. Ann Richards Quotes. About Womens History. URL: http://womenshistory.about.com/od/quotes/a/ann_richards.htm . Date accessed: (today). (More on how to cite online sources including this page)

Biography of Joseph Conrad, Author of Heart of Darkness

Biography of Joseph Conrad, Author of Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad (born Jà ³zef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski; December 3, 1857 - August 3, 1924) was one of the greatest English-language novelists of all time, despite the fact he was born in the Russian Empire to a Polish-speaking family. After a long career in the merchant marine, he eventually settled in England and became one of the most prominent novelists of the early 20th century, writing classics such as Heart of Darkness (1899), Lord Jim (1900), and Nostromo (1904). Fast Facts: Joseph Conrad Full Name: Jà ³zef Teodor Konrad KorzeniowskiOccupation: WriterBorn: December 3, 1857, in Berdychiv, Russian EmpireDied: August 3, 1924, in Bishopsbourne, Kent, EnglandParents: Apollo NalÄ™cz Korzeniowski and Ewa BobrowskaSpouse: Jessie GeorgeChildren: Borys and JohnSelected Works: Heart of Darkness (1899), Lord Jim (1900), Nostromo (1904)Notable Quote: The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; men alone are quite capable of every wickedness. Early Life Joseph Conrads family was of Polish descent and lived in Berdychiv, a city now part of Ukraine and then part of the Russian empire. It is located in a region that the Polish sometimes refer to as the Stolen Lands, since it was taken from the Kingdom of Poland. Conrads father, Apollo Korzeniowski, a writer and political activist, took part in the Polish resistance to Russian rule. He was imprisoned in 1861 when the future author was a young child. The family endured exile to Vologda, three hundred miles north of Moscow, in 1862, and they were later moved to Chernihiv in northeast Ukraine. As a consequence of the familys struggles, Conrads mother, Ewa, died of tuberculosis in 1865. Apollo raised his son as a single father and introduced him to the works of French novelist Victor Hugo and the plays of William Shakespeare. They moved to the Austrian-held section of Poland in 1867 and enjoyed more freedom. Suffering from tuberculosis like his wife, Apollo died in 1869 leaving his son an orphan at age eleven. Conrad moved in with his maternal uncle. He was raised to pursue a career as a sailor. At age sixteen, fluent in French, he moved to Marseilles, France, to look for a career in the merchant marine. Merchant Marine Career Conrad sailed for four years on French ships before joining the British merchant marine. He served for fifteen more years under the British flag. He eventually rose to the rank of captain. The elevation to that rank came unexpectedly. He sailed on the ship Otago out of Bangkok, Thailand, and the captain died at sea. By the time the Otago arrived at its destination in Singapore, the entire crew except Conrad and the cook were suffering from fever. Photo circa 1960: A bust of Joseph Conrad as a figurehead on the prow of The Joseph Conrad, a training ship built in Copenhagen in 1882. Three Lions / Getty Images The characters in Joseph Conrads writing are mostly drawn from his experiences at sea. Three years of association with a Belgian trading company as captain of a ship on the Congo River led directly to the novella Heart of Darkness. Conrad completed his final long-distance voyage in 1893. One of the passengers on the ship Torrens was 25-year-old future novelist John Galsworthy. He became a good friend of Conrad shortly before the latter began his writing career. Success as a Novelist Joseph Conrad was 36 when he left the merchant marine in 1894. He was ready to seek a second career as a writer. He published his first novel Almayers Folly in 1895. Conrad was concerned that his English might not be strong enough for publication, but readers soon considered his approach to the language as a non-native writer an asset. Conrad set the first novel in Borneo, and his second, An Outcast of the Islands, takes place in and around the island of Makassar. The two books helped him develop a reputation as a teller of exotic tales. That depiction of his work frustrated Conrad, who looked to be taken seriously as a top writer of English literature. Handwritten and typed letter from Joseph Conrad to Ford Madox Ford. Culture Club / Getty Images During the next fifteen years, Conrad published what most consider the finest works of his career. His novella Heart of Darkness appeared in 1899. He followed it with the novel Lord Jim in 1900 and Nostromo in 1904. Literary Celebrity In 1913, Joseph Conrad experienced a commercial breakthrough with the publication of his novel Chance. Today it is not viewed as one of his best works, but it outsold all of his previous novels and left the author with financial security for the rest of his life. It was the first of his novels to focus on a woman as a central character. Conrads next novel, Victory, released in 1915, continued his commercial success. However, critics found the style melodramatic and expressed concern that the authors artistical skills were fading. Conrad celebrated his financial success by building the house he called Oswalds in Bishopsbourne, Canterbury, England. Personal Life Joseph Conrad suffered from a range of physical maladies, most of them due to exposure during his years in the merchant marine. He battled gout and recurrent attacks of malaria. He also struggled occasionally with depression. In 1896, while in the early years of his writing career, Conrad married Jessie George, an Englishwoman. She gave birth to two sons, Borys and John. Joseph Conrad and Family. Time Life Pictures / Getty Images Conrad counted many other prominent writers as friends. Among the closest were future Nobel laureate John Galsworthy, American Henry James, Rudyard Kipling, and collaborator on two novels, Ford Madox Ford. Later Years Joseph Conrad continued to write and publish novels through his final years. Many observers considered the five years after World War I ended in 1919 the most peaceful part of the authors life. Some of Conrads contemporaries pushed for recognition with a Nobel Prize for Literature, but it was not forthcoming. In April 1924, Joseph Conrad turned down the offer of a British knighthood due to his background in Polish nobility. He also turned down offers of honorary degrees from five prestigious universities. In August 1924, Conrad died at his home of an apparent heart attack. He is buried with his wife, Jessie, in Canterbury, England. Legacy Shortly after Joseph Conrads death, many critics focused on his ability to create stories that illuminated exotic locales and to humanize sordid events. Later analysis has focused on deeper elements in his fiction. He often examines the corruption that lies just beneath the surface of otherwise admirable characters. Conrad focuses on fidelity as a crucial theme. It can save the soul and wreak terrible destruction when it is breached. Conrads powerful narrative style and the use of anti-heroes as main characters have influenced a wide range of great writers of the 20th century, from William Faulkner to George Orwell and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. He paved the way for the development of modernist fiction. Source Jasanoff, Maya. The Dawn Watch: Joseph Conrad in a Global World. Penguin Press, 2017.