Diaries 1969-1979 Quotes

“I am very cautious of people who are absolutely right, especially when they are vehemently so.”
― Michael Palin, Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years

“As I work in the afternoon on committing to paper some of my morning's thoughts, I find myself just about to close on the knotty question of whether or not I believe in God. In fact I am about to type, 'I do not believe in God', when the sky goes black as ink, there is a thunderclap and a huge crash of thunder and a downpour of epic proportions. I never do complete the sentence.”
― Michael Palin, Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years

“I enjoy writing, I enjoy my house, my family and, more than anything I enjoy the feeling of seeing each day used to the full to actually produce something. The end.”
― Michael Palin, Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years

“[There] are people who make a complete and utter mockery of 'democracy' and 'equality' - they're the casualties of the primitive rules of competition which run our society, and the welfare state just keeps them alive. That's all.”
― Michael Palin, Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years

“My parents have been married forty-two years. I wonder how many of those were happy.”
― Michael Palin, Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years

“It was a strange feeling going into a church I did not know for a service that I did not really believe in, but once inside I couldn't help a feeling of warmth and security. Outside there were wars and road accidents and murders, striptease clubs and battered babies and frayed tempers and unhappy marriages and people contemplating suicide and bad jokes, but once in St. Martin's there was peace. Surely people go to church not to involve themselves in the world's problems but to escape from them.”
― Michael Palin, Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years

“A good day's filming at last... John Horton's rabbit effects are superb. A really vicious white rabbit, which bites Sir Bor's head off. Much of the ground lost over the week is made up. We listen to the Cup Final in between fighting the rabbit -- Liverpool beat Newcastle 3-0.”
― Michael Palin, Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years

“Before entering our room we had to remove our shoes. Here Ken and myself made what I expected to be the first of many faux pas. After taking our shoes off, we noticed some oriental style slippers nearby and presumed that we ought to put these on in true Japanese style. Grumbling that they were all too small, we eventually selected two pairs and were tottering to our room when one of the Japanese ‘attendants’ – it wouldn’t be quite right to call them ‘waitresses’ – stopped us excitedly and told us to take off the shoes. Then we realised the awful truth – that they belonged to people already eating there.”
― Michael Palin, Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years

“They are trying their best to indict a young generation, who seem to be setting a triumphant example to the older generation – an example of how to enjoy oneself, something which most Englishmen don’t seem really capable of, especially the cynical pressmen of the News of the World. It’s all very sad.”
― Michael Palin, Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years

“Denis O’B rings to say that the first-week take at the Plaza is £40,000. ‘Forty thousand pounds!’ Denis incredulates in tones of almost religious fervency. It is impressive and has beaten the previous highest-ever take at the Plaza (which was for Jaws) by £8,000, with seven fewer performances. So all the publicity has had maximum effect.”
― Michael Palin, Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years

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― Michael Palin, Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years

“Standards of food and television are appallingly low, and yet there are lots of both. Yet the standards of kindliness and consideration amongst the people are high – though they are sometimes made fools of by their over-sufficiency. See the size of so many over-fed citizens of all ages. Human incarnations of the economy of waste.”
― Michael Palin, Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years

“Human incarnations of the economy of waste.”
― Michael Palin, Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years

“Then all the world and his dog either rang or turned up.”
― Michael Palin, Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years

“The world makes sense this Sunday morning.”
― Michael Palin, Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years

“The first taste of the real joys of filming. As Eric puts it in his letter from France which arrived today … ‘Up early to be carried around by talkative drivers to wrong locations in time to get into the wrong costume and be ready to wait for five or six hours for a couple of seconds’ appearance on celluloid.’ It’s not as much fun as that yet.”
― Michael Palin, Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years

“Another fine, sunny day. Into Prince Walter outfit. Sat around outside the hotel thus attired, read Raymond Chandler, wrote postcards and confused the tourists – who start to appear in droves at about 11.30, are everywhere like insects, and like them, disappear in the cool of the evening. Filmed beside a lake. Eric played his guitar, the crate of beer was kept warm in the water of the lake, and Connie Cleese raped me (on film). What more could a man want of the day?”
― Michael Palin, Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years

“In fact I am about to type ‘I do not believe in God’, when the sky goes black as ink, there is a thunderclap and a huge crash of thunder and a downpour of epic proportions. I never do complete the sentence.”
― Michael Palin, Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years

“A thought struck me as I left – the bags in which you are given food at McDonald’s are almost identical in texture, shape and size with the vomit bags tucked in the seat pockets of aircraft.”
― Michael Palin, Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years

“The Cleese Theory of Convenience. I think, roughly précised, it means that everyone will do only what’s most convenient for them – and if you want things done your way you must not appear too agreeable or easy to please, or you will be the victim of other people’s desire for convenience.”
― Michael Palin, Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years

“Christopher said to himself that only those who are capable of silliness can be called truly intelligent.”
― Michael Palin, Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years

“We may not have a 1984 like George Orwell’s, but if the Tories have their way we will be a very carefully controlled society indeed. All very sad, especially as Labour and the left are muddleheaded and ideologically dogmatic.”
― Michael Palin, Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years

“He has had more hallucinations recently. He talks about ‘When that man was in the kitchen …’ and so on. Recently he locked the door in the evening, in case ‘those men’ got in. He knows by their accents that they are quite cultured, and they are apparently friendly, but it is frightening that they should be so real to him.”
― Michael Palin, Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years