NITCH

Photo of Anthony Bourdain

Anthony Bourdain // "I used to believe that the human race as a whole was basically a few steps above wolves. That given the slightest change in circumstances, we would all, sooner or later, tear each other to shreds. That we were, at root, self-interested, cowardly, envious and potentially dangerous in groups. I have since come to believe...after many meals with many different people in many, many different places...that though there is no shortage of people who would do us harm, we are essentially good. That the world is, in fact, filled with mostly good and decent people who are simply doing the best they can. Everybody, it turns out, is proud of their food (when they have it). They enjoy sharing it with others (if they can). They love their children. They like a good joke... Sitting at the table has allowed me a privileged perspective and access that others, looking principally for 'the story,' do not, I believe, always get. People feel free, with a goofy American guy who has expressed interest only in their food and what they do for fun, to tell stories about themselves...to let their guard down, to be and to reveal, on occasion, their truest selves... People, wherever they live, are not statistics. They are not abstractions... I’m not saying that sitting down with people and sharing a plate is the answer to world peace. Not by a long shot. But it can’t hurt."

Photo of Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe

Patti Smith (& Robert Mapplethorpe) // "It's a dark period now because everyone is beguiled by fame... I think that true artists just have to keep doing their work, keep struggling, and keep hold of their vision. Because being a true artist is its own reward. If that's what you are, then you're always that. You could be locked away in a prison with no way at all to communicate what's in there, but you're still an artist. The imagination and the ability to transform is what makes one an artist. So young artists who feel overwhelmed by everything have to almost downscale. They have to go all the way to this kernel and believe in themselves, and that's what Robert gave me. He believed in that kernel I had, you know, with absolute unconditional belief. And if you believe it, you'll have that your whole life, through the worst times."

Photo of Mikhail Baryshnikov

Mikhail Baryshnikov // "When I see people on the street, I look at how they walk. It's like a signature, a fingerprint."

Photo of Hermann Hesse

Hermann Hesse // "I live in my dreams...that's what you sense. Other people live in dreams, but not in their own. That's the difference."

Photo of Philippe Petit

Philippe Petit // "I loved those towers and I knew I had to conquer them, if only to inspire people. It was a time in our history when things were not looking so good. And I wanted people to be able to look at the sky again."

Photo of Björk

Björk // "Create a paradise anywhere you go."

Photo of John Lennon

John Lennon // "You're all geniuses and you're all beautiful. You don't need anyone to tell you who you are. You are what you are."

Photo of Leonard Cohen

Leonard Cohen // "I feel most comfortable and most abundant when things are very simple and I know where everything is and there’s nothing around that I don’t need."

Photo of Salvador Dali

Salvador Dali // "I cannot understand why human beings should be so little individualized, why they should behave with such great collective uniformity."

Photo of Stanley Kubrick

Stanley Kubrick // "I've got a particular weakness for criminals and artists. Neither takes life as it is."

Photo of Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou // "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

Photo of Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash // "This morning, with her, having coffee."