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In a society like this there is no negotiation, no discussion, except to tell you that power can crush you any time they want — not only you, your whole family and all people like you.

Ai Weiwei

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Ai Weiwei
Age: 67
Born: 1957
Born: May 18
Architect
Consultant
Contemporary Artist
Designer
Film Director
Human Rights Activist
Painter
Photographer
Sculptor
Social Activist
Peking
Wei-wei Ai
Weiwei Ai
Ai Wei Wei
Society
Family
Tell
Power
Whole
Negotiation
Time
Crush
Like
Discussion
People
Except

More quotes by Ai Weiwei

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I am very much interested in the so-called useless object. I mean, it takes perfect craftsmanship, beautiful material carefully measured and crafted, but at the same time it’s really useless.
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For all the tough talk about China during the presidential debates, Romney and Obama evaded any mention of China's suspect human rights record, corruption, and rule of law. By not tackling these controversial topics, the candidates are protecting a strategic partnership with China at the expense of essential human values and beliefs.
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Creativity is the power to act.
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The purpose of art is the fight for freedom.
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If we all say the same thing, then I think the government has to listen. But because no one is saying it, I become singled out, even though what I'm saying is common sense. It's very essential values that we all have to protect. But in Chinese society, people are giving up on protecting these values.
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I always admire writers. My father was a writer, a poet. I always admire people who can clearly state their mind.
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The misconception of totalitarianism is that freedom can be imprisoned. This is not the case. When you constrain freedom, freedom will take flight and land on a windowsill.
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To call yourself a Chinese artist or woman artist or African artist reflects a certain kind of condition. To me, that is not necessary.
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You can never know what is and what is not powerful, but you can always find out what the powerful people are scared of. A state like China looks so powerful, but they are so scared of the Internet, so the Internet is more powerful than them.
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Politics is like air and water. And you know if there is bad politics. Everyone is polluted. Everyone is unhealthy. See the people walking on the street: how they act.
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After I came back [to China], there was still a long period of time when I felt I had nothing to do.
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Measuring national prestige by gold medals is like using Viagra to judge the potency of a man.
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Life is never guaranteed to be safe, so we better use it while we are still in good condition.
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The whole attitude of society has become much more open and realistic. They realize that the only way to make a more democratic and free society is to let different opinions come out.
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The [China] government has improved in the last years. Of course, the structure is still the same there's still a one-party system and strong censorship.
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Art should live in the heart of the people. Ordinary people should have the same ability to understand art as anybody else. I don't think art is elite or mysterious.
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Warhol influenced me because of his writing. If I had never read his writings and interviews, I would never have understood his work.
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I never really read Allen Ginsberg poetry, even though I have a book he gave me.
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If there's the right condition, I always want to express the concept or ideas in a very independent way.
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Behind every political deal in this country, the first casualties are always the ordinary people, who are barely treated as human.
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