Moriyama Quotes & Sayings

The Museum is not meant either for the wanderer to see by accident or for the pilgrim to see with awe. It is meant for the mere slave of a routine of self- education to stuff himself with every sort of incongruous intellectual food in one indigestible meal. — Gilbert K. Chesterton

When you consider the opportunity and power He had to really do a job, and then look at the stupid, ugly little mess He made of it instead, His sheer incompetence is almost staggering. — Joseph Heller

When I take photographs, my body inevitably enters a trancelike state. Briskly weaving my way through the avenues, every cell in my body becomes as sensitive as radar, responsive to the life of the streets ... If I were to give it words, I would say: "I have no choice ... I have to shoot this ... I can't leave this place for another's eyes ... I have to shoot it ... I have no choice." An endless, murmuring refrain. — Daido Moriyama

The photographer who attempts to fit happily into the world by using the traditional perspective of the camera will end up falling into the hole of the "idea" he has dug for himself. — Daido Moriyama

Making a definitive declaration of intent or meaning kills the photograph. — Daido Moriyama

When Pandora doesn't pay, and bars don't pay, and weddings don't pay, and nobody buys CDs or shirts or concert tickets or lessons, then the musician can't make a living making music. — Kent Beck

Photography is the act of "fixing" time, not of "expressing" the world. The camera is an inadequate tool for extracting a vision of the world or of beauty. — Daido Moriyama

God has a way of telling you when to change your strings. — Dave Van Ronk

If you're having fun, enjoy it. If you're angry, get angry. And when you want to cry, go ahead and cry your heart out. You'll feel a lot better after a good cry. And then you'll be able to laugh again. — Daisuke Moriyama

It had been nine months since Riko Moriyama and Kevin Day stood in the same room together, nine months since Riko destroyed Kevin's hand, and now they were reunited on live television. The audience cheered their hearts out, delighted by Kathy's surprise, but they weren't quite loud enough to drown out Kevin's soft voice at Neil's side.
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The words sounded like a desperate prayer. — Nora Sakavic

If you were to ask me to define a photograph in a few words, I would say it is a fossil of light and time. — Daido Moriyama

For me, photography is not a means by which to create beautiful art, but a unique way of encountering genuine reality — Daido Moriyama

Most of what I want simply slips away like water flowing through a net, and always what remains are only vague, elusive fragments of images ... that sink into countless strata in my mind. — Daido Moriyama

I wanted to go to the end of photography. — Daido Moriyama

I like to go out to different restaurants in New York. I'm a restaurant junkie. — Amy Carlson

[My] photos are often out of focus, rough, streaky, warped, etc. But if you think about it, a normal human being will in one day perceive an infinite number of images, and some of them are focused upon, others are barely seen out of the corner of one's eye. — Daido Moriyama

I want to take a lot of Nasty photos. — Daido Moriyama

The bottom line is that we have entered an age when local communities need to invest in themselves. Federal and state dollars are becoming more and more scarce for American cities. Political and civic leaders in local communities need to make a compelling case for this investment. — Mick Cornett