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I came back [to Beijing ] because that's the only time I had an excuse to come back, or otherwise I would never have a reason to come back.

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
Reason
Come
Never
Would
Beijing
Time
Excuse
Otherwise
Came
Back

More quotes by Ai Weiwei

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I don't personally feel any association with a kind of culture related to state, or culture related to power, which I think is always disgusting.
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I never think any place is better than others.
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It's always the rich and there's plenty to waste, yet still China has a lot of people living in very spare, poor conditions.
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I think optimism is whether you are still exhilarated by life, whether you are curious, whether you still believe there is possibility.
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New York was not a romantic city at [80th]. Nobody knows who you are and you don't have to care about anybody else. It's a very cold city, I should say.
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The relationship between the Chinese government and me is like a Cold War.
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Censorship is saying: I'm the one who says the last sentence. Whatever you say, the conclusion is mine. But the internet is like a tree that is growing. The people will always have the last word – even if someone has a very weak, quiet voice. Such power will collapse because of a whisper.
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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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If Shakespeare were alive today, he might be writing on Twitter.
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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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Being an artist is more of a mindset, a way of seeing things it is no longer so much about producing something.
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We live in changing times, and many people experience the challenges that come with it. In the face of uncertain futures, no one will know what to expect.
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As a total activity - I practice curating, art, architecture, writing, and publishing all together. I still act as a living creature.
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It became like a symbolic thing, to be “an artist.” After Duchamp, I realized that being an artist is more about a lifestyle and attitude than producing some product.
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Man has a tendency to try to give clear reasons to be rational, but often you can see how all those reasons are not convincing and turn out to be a big nonsense.
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Civilization has evolved toward more acceptance, understanding and tolerance of global thinking. If we accept differences, our creativity booms. It makes life much more colorful. It also makes humanity much more safe. If we see pureness somewhere as something to be desired, the trouble starts.
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Twitter is most suitable for me. In the Chinese language, 140 characters is a novella.
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I think the pearls - one is a necklace, and another you have five hundred pounds of pearls, which may be one million pearls in a bowl - really show a kind of [society] condition.
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A small act is worth a million thoughts.
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To the media, I have become a symbolic figure, critical of China. According to the government, I am a dangerous threat.
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