I read a lot of books. Here are the books I'm using for my 9/11 project. [Wright gestures to three six-foot-long shelves of books.] As I read them I highlight certain passages. Then I have an assistant write down each quote on an index card and note where it came from.
Lawrence WrightJournalism is a flawed profession, but it has a self-correcting mechanism. The rule of journalism is: talk to everybody.
Lawrence WrightI think when I write movies and plays and books and magazine articles, they're all storytelling, and reality is the common denominator that binds them.
Lawrence WrightPeople often pulled into Scientology want to address personal problems in their life, and Scientology says we have technology that addresses these kinds of problems. Just focusing on the problems and trying to remedy them can be helpful.
Lawrence WrightIt's the hardening of these narratives that makes peace so difficult. If each side can see the narrative, the claims that the other has, then there is a much more likely possibility of making a resolution. But what I see is the opposite. There is a total disclaiming of the validity of the other side, and talk that I find really unsettling, the kind of chatter you get from ultra-right Israelis and Hamas is of annihilation. In that kind of dialogue, there's no way to move toward peace.
Lawrence WrightRadicalism usually prospers in the gap between rising expectations and declining opportunities. This is especially true where the population is young, idle, and bored; where the art is impoverished; where entertainmentโmovies, theater, musicโis policed or absent altogether; and where young men are set apart from the consoling and socializing presence of women.
Lawrence Wright