Success was always critical to me. What it meant was winning enough praise and external admiration that I could feel myself to be a logical extension of my Uncle Alex, Uncle Zoli, and my father, in that order.
Michael Korda
Related My uncle was a hero, Lewis Roundtree. He was not even related to me really, but he was always called... ED BRADLEY My uncle was a second father to me. I spent most of my childhood with him. REY MYSTERIO My uncle always said that I could have been a rancher. ROBERT DUVALL My father, obviously, and my mother were inspirations. My uncle, Frank Harper, he was an absolute me... HILL HARPER You can tell your uncle stuff that you could not tell your dad. That is kind of the role of an uncle... DUSTY BAKER I'll never forget that first race. I was nervous and really shaking. Racing is something I always wa... JUSTIN ROSENBOHM With my father and uncle so involved in racing, it was the only thing I ever knew, so I'm sure t... JACQUES VILLENEUVE When I was little, my mother always told me to beware of strangers. Today, I tell my children to bew... PATTY RASE HOPSON 38. “A wet bird never flies at night.” (My grandfather said that to me when I was a child and wa... JAMES C. DOBSON When I was a kid my favorite relative was Uncle Caveman. After school we'd all go play in his cave, ... JACK HANDY I have an uncle who lived to 101, and my father died at 95, so I have a second career ahead of me. ALAN GERRY I was shocked when I heard my uncle, Soo Jo, was looking for me. I didn't expect him to be alive, KIM JONG IL It was my Uncle George who discovered that alcohol was a food well in advance of modern medical thou... P. G. WODEHOUSE I learned from my uncle that jazz, like symphony music, was built to last. DAVID AMRAM It was kind of in the family. I started pitching a little bit and my uncle said I was pretty good. JOCELYN FOREST I miss my aunt and my uncle very much and there are not enough words to express how much they mean t... HEATHER MAZARAKOS My father was a successful real estate developer, and he was a very tough man but a good man. My fat... DONALD TRUMP My favorite uncle died when I was eleven, and that was two months after 9/11, so that was a particul... ADAM SILVERA My uncle called me this morning. When I heard it, it was a total shock. I couldn't believe it. DONNA LAMKIN Having competed themselves, my father and my uncle are very passionate about motorsport, so I inheri... PASTOR MALDONADO Radio was my life growing up. Then, I started in our family band with my uncle, my father, my aunt a... MEGHAN TRAINOR Everybody that I was in school with had an uncle or father in the law, and I started to realize that... JOHN WAYNE My uncle was the town drunk - and we lived in Chicago GEORGE GOBEL My mother died when I was 12, and right after, my dad died in a car crash. I was 15 and had no famil... KAROLYN GRIMES I think I have a good deal of my Uncle Theodore in me, because I could not, at any age, be content t... ELEANOR ROOSEVELT I got into hip hop from my uncle; he was always playing us Kool G Rap and Big Daddy Kane. He was a b... ESTELLE My uncle who helped in a big part of raising me from when I was young, had moved from California, an... THEO ROSSI Normally, it?s not healthy when a father tutors their own adult children. Sid?s sons all called me U... DICK HEIMANN I used to have a silk dressing gown an uncle bought in Japan and when I came downstairs in it, my da... DAVID WALLIAMS My daddy was a minister, my grandfather was a voodoo priest, my uncle was a mason; I was raised with... WYCLEF JEAN The honest reason was my niece and nephew weren't allowed to see Uncle Vin movies, and they're my bi... VIN DIESEL It was my father who taught me to value myself. He told me that I was uncommonly beautiful and that ... DAWN FRENCH I would see these films starring Maria Felix, Lola Flores she was my very favorite. My uncle was the... HOLLY WOODLAWN My last vivid boyhood fright from books came when I was 15; I was visiting my uncle and aunt in Gree... JOHN UPDIKE My uncle, who was a little more flamboyant, always said the guy who dressed the best was Fred Astair... ANDY GARCIA I looked up to my father when I was 7 and 8. I believed it was my calling to be in the big leagues. ... BARRY ZITO My grandfather was a lawyer, my dad was a lawyer, my mum was a lawyer, I got an uncle who's a la... BENICIO DEL TORO I'll tell ya this: I come from an educated family. My father was an attorney representing blue c... JOE PISCOPO His father was an ass and he is an ass. I imagine sooner than I should like I shall be playing uncle... T.A. MILES I believe very deeply in my soul that God paired me and my father purposely and that he knew that my... MAYSOON ZAYID My father was a gruff Irishman who was unable to express feelings and always insisted we be tough. B... MIKE FARRELL One of the first things I remember was going ramp digging with my dad and uncle. JIM MEADOWS I gave myself permission to feel and experience all of my emotions. In order to do that, I had to st... IYANLA VANZANT (Marty) and I were really close. He wasn't just my uncle. He raised me ever since I was a baby. I wa... ALLISON SHARP Around 17 to 20 years, I became, myself, a poacher. And I wanted to do it, because - I believed - to... CORNEILLE EWANGO I begged and begged, and my uncle gave me his old turntables. It was one hi-fi and one old Stereo La... JAMIE XX I always dream of being a millionaire like my uncle!... He's dreaming too. ABOUT LIFE I’m your uncle?” Oh. So that’s what was bothering him. Izzy could have done a lot o... G.A. AIKEN I was definitely incredibly close to my dad, in a way that was all-encompassing. I am close to my mu... NATASHA RICHARDSON The pressure was on me to perform because I was making a comeback to Test cricket, and here I scored... FAISAL IQBAL My uncle Lionel ended up being a bug guy at 20th Century Fox, which my father had been - and, of cou... THOMAS NEWMAN Not really. When I came on my recruiting trip, he told me I was going to wear the number. My uncle a... MIKE GARRETT Growing up, I would say, when we were racing go-karts back in the day, it was always our uncle. We w... AMBER COPE And if my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle. TIFFANIE DEBARTOLO My uncle was an Elvis impersonator - his name was Perry, and he went by 'Elvis Perry' - and ... RYAN GOSLING I was very fortunate to have some great mentors. A father that was always in my life set the example... LARRY FITZGERALD After Chris' funeral I decided to grow my hair. Then a month later my uncle died of cancer. That was... CHADD LITTLE My father was always slightly bemused by my success. Although he knew that I had reasonable intellig... TERRY WOGAN Congo, my country, has the largest forest in Africa, maybe the second-largest in the world. I was bo... CORNEILLE EWANGO My life's experiences, I've always had, my uncle used to call it antenna. I know what's ... TERRENCE HOWARD It's my name on the ballot, and it's me running this race. I'm the one doing this. Not m... JOSEPH P. KENNEDY III My uncle's dying wish - he wanted me on his lap. He was in the electric chair. RODNEY DANGERFIELD It was very painful combing my hair. My grand-uncle was a Pentecostal bishop, and he was very strict... GRACE JONES All I could do was pump my Michael Jordan fist, ... You know, when Michael Jordan hit that last shot... RONALD ALLEN My dream was bigger than anything else. My fight and me wanting to fulfill what I wanted to be in li... ALLEN IVERSON I hoped my solitude would help me reclaim my innocence, remember who I’d been, to find who I wante... ASPEN MATIS My father told me once that we are on earth to learn. God wants us to receive everything that life w... AMY HARMON Since my subjects have always been my sensations, my states of mind and the profound reactions that ... FRIDA KAHLO The male role models I had all seemed to have been in the military. My father served in the army. My... KEVIN POWERS To us younger cousins who were born after the war, Uncle Hoyle was this mythical uncle that we all k... DALE UPCHURCH James reared up from his bed and threw himself into Uncle Jem’s arms. He had heard some people fou... CASSANDRA CLARE My aunt and uncle would come over when my mom was making this, or we would go over there when they w... MANISH DAYAL I have not been a good father, but no father has loved his children more. Like my father, I decided ... B. B. KING He should be OK, ... He was in the Marines. My dad was in the Navy. My auntie and uncle, they were i... BYRON SANDERS My father had played the guitar when he was young, and my uncle Jack had worked for Kalamazoo, befor... PETE TOWNSHEND My dad played baseball and my uncle and pretty much everybody, so I was brought up early, at a young... ERIC SOGARD I spent most summers here and my uncle, John Kovach, was a teaching pro at Manor Valley Golf Course ... JASON GORE I always wanted to be a surgeon, because I had a lot of admiration for my father, who is also a surg... MAGDI YACOUB I had a Ford F-250. It was a big ol' farm truck, but it wasn't a rig. That's about the b... NATHAN FILLION I was always afraid of dying. Always. It was my fear that made me learn everything I could about my ... CHUCK YEAGER I had convinced my father to let me pursue this career, and I passionately wanted it. And here was t... GEORGE TAKEI Johnny Mercer was my father's best friend and became mine as well. And Harold Arlen, whom I woul... MARGARET WHITING I only hope to do well enough before I die to have a house as big as my rich Uncle Ed and Aunt Carol... PAT CONROY I always thought of myself as a kind of literary bureaucrat. And that was never going to be enough f... MICHAEL KORDA My father was frightened of his mother. I was frightened of my father and I am damned well going to ... KING GEORGE V I had a wonderful contact, especially with Uncle Bert who was an angel and led the whole group over ... DIAN FOSSEY But all at once I realized that it was not my success God had used to enable me to help those in thi... CHARLES W. COLSON I was a hostess in a restaurant in New York when I was 21, and I was too good of an employee. I was ... EMILY DESCHANEL What makes a man's 80 year-old Irish uncle skip like a little boy? "Me Father is very fond of me! JOHN ORTBERG JR. As I flew back from New Zealand to bury my mother, it occurred to me that no matter how harrowing he... JAMES NESBITT You know, my mum's always encouraged me and never made my gender an issue, I guess. She brought ... PALOMA FAITH As she stood in the darkened room and watched my sister and father, I knew one of things that heaven... ALICE SEBOLD My parents had torn through my innocence and left me with a tar-like substance that was corrupting w... J.D. STROUBE Her uncle approached me and said I should think about getting Marlene on the team because she was ju... JOAN JOYCE I learned to ride a ten-speed when I was 4 or 5. My uncle gave me the bike, hand-me-down, and everyo... JAY-Z Realisation’ means it is an experience. Outside forces cannot make me feel successful. I have to f... SHIV KHERA Fortunately, as it pertains to guns, my dad and uncle introduced me to guns the way it needs to be d... TED NUGENT I just shot my uncle. SCOTT HILL And therefore, Uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that... CHARLES DICKENS I was always here for you,you knew you could count on me and trust me blindly, and you knew that I w... MICHAEL HAYSSUS
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MICHAEL DIAMOND The sport of shooting is my life. MICHAEL DIAMOND Becoming an Olympian is the ultimate reward for any athlete. MICHAEL DIAMOND Honestly achieved results surpass all others. MICHAEL DIAMOND I find that it's best to take one step at a time and cross each bridge as they come to you. MICHAEL STUHLBARG I hate leg exercises. I hate one-legged squats. I hate the hurdles and the split squats. I hate all ... MICHAEL STRAHAN It is no small thing for an American to be able to go into a fast-food restaurant and to buy a doubl... MICHAEL POLLAN Sometimes we spend more efforts with people that are strangers in terms of making an impression than... MICHAEL DOUGLAS Growing up, there was only classical music on BBC Radio. We had to listen to the American Forces Net... MICHAEL CAINE I'm just like anyone. I cut and I bleed. And I embarass easily. MICHAEL JACKSON What modern humans need help with is escaping from the despair of politics, commerce and media, esca... 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MICHAEL SHOWALTER Let's not pretend that abortion isn't about the mass slaughter of innocents. MICHAEL ASTON Access to books and the encouragement of the habit of reading: these two things are the first and mo... MICHAEL MORPURGO Perhaps it is partly that we need to love books ourselves as parents, grandparents and teachers in o... MICHAEL MORPURGO War continues to divide people, to change them forever, and I write about it both because I want peo... MICHAEL MORPURGO The big relationships you make in your life are with those that you love and if things do go wrong t... MICHAEL MORPURGO I was rather a poor student, too easily distracted - did a lot of gazing out of windows, fine for tr... MICHAEL MORPURGO We all know that the great memories of our childhood are the little triumphs - it doesn't really... MICHAEL MORPURGO By the time I sit down and face the blank page I am raring to go. I tell it as if I'm talking to... 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Reading must not be taught simply as a schoo... MICHAEL MORPURGO Encouraging young people to believe in themselves and find their own voice whether it's through ... MICHAEL MORPURGO Something I learn every time I stand in front of a bunch of children, I learn never, never to undere... MICHAEL MORPURGO Always write your ideas down however silly or trivial they might seem. Keep a notebook with you at a... MICHAEL MORPURGO It is really important that focusing on things such as spelling, punctuation, grammar and handwritin... MICHAEL MORPURGO My legacy would be that you don't have to give up anything. You can be chic but have a sense of ... MICHAEL KORS Corn is a greedy crop, as farmers will tell you. MICHAEL POLLAN 'Hamlet' is one of the most dangerous things ever set down on paper. All the big, unknowable... MICHAEL SHEEN One of the most important days of my life was when I learned to ride a bicycle. MICHAEL PALIN The first sign of real obsession with music was with an old wind-up gramophone that mum had thrown o... GEORGE MICHAEL A lot of children are interested in fairies, especially young girls, and Tinker Bell is the ueber-fa... MICHAEL SHEEN Once something is a passion, the motivation is there. MICHAEL SCHUMACHER You use words like 'introvert' and 'extrovert,' various traits of a personality. A l... MICHAEL FASSBENDER No life's worth more than any other, no sister worth less than any brother. MICHAEL FRANTI To be successful you have to be selfish, or else you never achieve. And once you get to your highest... MICHAEL JORDAN Muftis and bishops should be like ripe camembert cheeses - a bit on the nose and not for the faint-h... MICHAEL LEUNIG Practically every movie that shows the pope or even a bishop as a character, and in much of western ... MICHAEL NOVAK I had very little fear about it, but basically, my straight friends talked me out of it. I think the... GEORGE MICHAEL Social media changed Chinese mindset. More and more Chinese intend to embrace freedom of speech and ... MICHAEL ANTI One of the most unusual shuttles operates at the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historic Site in Texas, ... MICHAEL FROME A lot of my success comes from black music. It's something I'm very proud of. MICHAEL BOLTON Black music has increased my enjoyment of what I do. It has increased my range, my ability to reach ... MICHAEL BOLTON The entire business world has figured out how to make huge buckets of money without hiring us to wor... MICHAEL MOORE As a kid, I watched 'Bugs Bunny' cartoons, and for some reason Pepe Le Pew, the indomitable ... MICHAEL PATERNITI I made a very conscious effort to finish 'The Cypress House' before 'So Cold the River... MICHAEL KORYTA The United States contributes to peace in both by serving as a buffer between and among regional pow... MICHAEL MANDELBAUM I used a kind of gray-green early on in my practice for painting steel, to make it look more like it... MICHAEL GRAVES With 'Black Rain,' I spent a lot of time with homicide detectives, and I spent a lot of time... MICHAEL DOUGLAS Never eat broccoli when there are cameras around. MICHAEL STIPE I've always loved going to see Broadway shows. I've seen 'em all: Rent, Chorus Line, Cat... MICHAEL SHOWALTER To this day, I believe the unity of the world's countries in the fight against terror is more powerf... MICHAEL DELONG Talking about Apple v. Microsoft without mentioning the Internet and the browser is like talking abo... MICHAEL ARRINGTON You can't be elected president without passing though Iowa and bowing down before corn-based eth... MICHAEL POLLAN A boundary is really something artificial we made up. The ecosystem and landscape continue. MICHAEL FROME I'm a career Air Force officer. We have a saying in the Air Force: 'If you want people to be... MICHAEL HAYDEN In the last few years, the very idea of telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the trut... MICHAEL MUSTO Life does not happen to us, it happens from us. MICHAEL WICKETT