April 26: Notable Births, with Quotes
Explore memorable and revealing quotes from public figures, past and present, who were born on April 26.
Jet Li, actor and martial artist (April 26, 1963–present)
“Usually action films have a formula: Like a guy, his father and mother are masters, then you learn martial arts then you try to revenge and kill the bad guy.” —Jet Li
Hahn, Lorraine. “Jet Li Interview Transcript.” CNN, January 29, 2003, https://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/01/29/talkasia.li.script/.
“I remember 10 years ago I promised my wife say if we have fallen in love for 10 years then we will get married. If you have children, I will stop all my work until the baby comes. So, I keep my promise, about a year, I can’t make movie. I think I am a traditional man. We do what we have promised.” —Jet Li
Hahn, Lorraine. “Jet Li Interview Transcript.” CNN, January 29, 2003, https://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/01/29/talkasia.li.script/.
Giorgio Moroder, composer and producer (April 26, 1940–present)
“Maybe that’s why I make good club music – because I don’t go to clubs!” —Giorgio Moroder
Iqbal, Nosheen. “Giorgio Moroder: ‘I don’t even like dancing.’” The Guardian, February 9, 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/feb/09/giorgio-moroder-live-tour-europe-interview-donna-summer.
“I learned a little about music, I play a little, I play enough to compose; but with a computer, if you make a mistake you just redo it as often as you need. I could never play live what we have the musicians doing on stage or in the studio.” —Giorgio Moroder
Iqbal, Nosheen. “Giorgio Moroder: ‘I don’t even like dancing.’” The Guardian, February 9, 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/feb/09/giorgio-moroder-live-tour-europe-interview-donna-summer.
Carol Burnett, comedian and actor (April 26, 1933–present)
“I had a lot of laughs with my grandmother and my mother. They had great senses of humor.” —Carol Burnett
Gross, Terry and Bianculli, David. “Carol Burnett On Her Signature Ear Pull And Accessing A Wide Audience.” NPR, November 27, 2020, https://www.npr.org/2020/11/27/938874420/carol-burnett-on-her-signature-ear-pull-and-accessing-a-wide-audience.
I feel sorry for some people in the business and performers – because I can relate to that – that are just getting started and another cut off at the knees because of the pandemic. I was lucky enough to have been in the right place at the right time, and so I feel very fortunate. I was still working before COVID hit.” —Carol Burnett
Gross, Terry and Bianculli, David. “Carol Burnett On Her Signature Ear Pull And Accessing A Wide Audience.” NPR, November 27, 2020, https://www.npr.org/2020/11/27/938874420/carol-burnett-on-her-signature-ear-pull-and-accessing-a-wide-audience.
I.M. Pei, architect (April 26, 1917–May 16, 2019)
“It is good to learn from the ancients. I’m a bit of an ancient myself. They had a lot of time to think about architecture and landscape. Today, we rush everything, but architecture is slow, and the landscapes it sits in even slower. It needs the time our political systems won’t allow.” —I.M. Pei
Glancey, Jonathan. “IM Pei 2010 interview: ‘Wow! Perhaps I’m not so ancient after all.’” The Guardian, February 28, 2010, https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2010/feb/28/im-pei-architecture-interview.
“I liked the America of Bing Crosby, Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton – it was all a dream, of course, but a very alluring dream for a young man from Canton.” —I.M. Pei
Glancey, Jonathan. “IM Pei 2010 interview: ‘Wow! Perhaps I’m not so ancient after all.’” The Guardian, February 28, 2010, https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2010/feb/28/im-pei-architecture-interview.
Artemus Ward (aka Charles Farrar Browne), humor writer (April 26, 1834–March 6, 1867)
“I haven’t distinguished myself at all as an artist—but I have always been more or less mixed up with Art. I have an uncle who takes photographs—and I have a servant who—takes anything he can get his hands on.” —Artemus Ward
Browne, Charles Farrar. “The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Complete Works of Artemus Ward, by Charles Farrar Browne (AKA Artemus Ward).” Project Gutenberg, August 4, 2012, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/6946/6946-h/6946-h.htm.
“I can’t sing. As a singist I am not a success. I am saddest when I sing. So are those who hear me. They are sadder even than I am.” —Artemus Ward
Browne, Charles Farrar. “The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Complete Works of Artemus Ward, by Charles Farrar Browne (AKA Artemus Ward).” Project Gutenberg, August 4, 2012, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/6946/6946-h/6946-h.htm.
John James Audubon, artist and naturalist (April 26, 1785–January 27, 1851)
“One of the most extraordinary things among all these adverse circumstances was that I never for a day gave up listening to the songs of our birds, or watching their peculiar habits, or delineating them in the best way that I could; nay, during my deepest troubles I frequently would wrench myself from the persons around me, and retire to some secluded part of our noble forests; and many a time, at the sound of the wood-thrush’s melodies have I fallen on my knees, and there prayed earnestly to our God.” —John James Audubon
Audubon, Maria R. “The Project Gutenberg EBook of Audubon and his Journals, Volume I (of 2).” Project Gutenberg, June 12, 2012, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/39975/39975-h/39975-h.htm.
“I know I am not a scholar, but meantime I am aware that no man living knows better than I do the habits of our birds; no man living has studied them as much as I have done, and with the assistance of my old journals and memorandum-books which were written on the spot, I can at least put down plain truths, which may be useful and perhaps interesting, so I shall set to at once.” —John James Audubon
Audubon, Maria R. “The Project Gutenberg EBook of Audubon and his Journals, Volume I (of 2).” Project Gutenberg, June 12, 2012, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/39975/39975-h/39975-h.htm.
“Oh! that I had been flogged out of this miserable shyness and mauvaise honte when I was a youth.” —John James Audubon
Audubon, Maria R. “The Project Gutenberg EBook of Audubon and his Journals, Volume I (of 2).” Project Gutenberg, June 12, 2012, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/39975/39975-h/39975-h.htm.
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