May 18: Notable Births, with Quotes
Explore memorable and revealing quotes from public figures, past and present, who were born on May 18.
Tina Fey, comedian and actor (May 18, 1970–present)
“Everyone’s parents are Republicans!” —Tina Fey
Winfrey, Oprah. “Oprah Talks to Tina Fey.” Oprah.com, February 2009, https://www.oprah.com/omagazine/oprah-winfrey-interviews-tina-fey/2.
“I studied playwriting and acting, but somehow I knew that serious acting was not really quite what I was intended for.” —Tina Fey
Winfrey, Oprah. “Oprah Talks to Tina Fey.” Oprah.com, February 2009, https://www.oprah.com/omagazine/oprah-winfrey-interviews-tina-fey/2.
Mark Mothersbaugh, singer and composer (May 18, 1950–present)
“With five kids, the way my dad kept everybody under control at dinnertime was by putting a little portable black-and-white TV in the kitchen, and we would just watch and shut up. That’s where I saw the Beatles on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ in 1964. They started playing “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and I lost my mind.” —Mark Mothersbaugh
Minsker, Evan. “Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh on the Music That Made Him.” Pitchfork, May 18, 2020, https://pitchfork.com/features/5-10-15-20/devo-mark-mothersbaugh-music-that-made-him-interview/.
“We thought of Devo like an earwig. I liked the idea of using rock’n’roll to get into people’s heads.” —Mark Mothersbaugh
Minsker, Evan. “Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh on the Music That Made Him.” Pitchfork, May 18, 2020, https://pitchfork.com/features/5-10-15-20/devo-mark-mothersbaugh-music-that-made-him-interview/.
Reggie Jackson, baseball player (May 18, 1946–present)
“I ate dinner almost every night with Willie McCovey, Billy Williams, and Ernie Banks. And they never let me pay. I was only making maybe $10,000 or $20,000 a year, and those guys were always making $100,000.” —Reggie Jackson
Vascellaro, Charlie. “‘The Inequities Still Are Large’: A Conversation With Reggie Jackson on Baseball and Race.” Global Sports Matters, October 6, 2021, https://globalsportmatters.com/opinion/2021/10/06/inequities-still-large-q-and-a-reggie-jackson-baseball-race/.
“I grew up in an era – and I grew up in a family – where I spoke out and said what I felt. I didn’t hold back. When I spoke, I said something with intelligence. I didn’t run my mouth and sound stupid, but I was quick to speak out about racism.” —Reggie Jackson
Vascellaro, Charlie. “‘The Inequities Still Are Large’: A Conversation With Reggie Jackson on Baseball and Race.” Global Sports Matters, October 6, 2021, https://globalsportmatters.com/opinion/2021/10/06/inequities-still-large-q-and-a-reggie-jackson-baseball-race/.
Don Martin, cartoonist (May 18, 1931–January 6, 2000)
“There’s always been physical suffering in comedy,” he once said. “Even ancient clowns kicked each other in the seat of the pants or hit each other over the head. It’s the same thing in our time, just a little stronger.” —Don Martin
The Washington Post. “Don Martin, Former Mad Magazine Cartoonist.” The Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2000/01/08/don-martin-former-mad-magazine-cartoonist/9f74a8c0-c1e6-4494-8b01-48f0b0c1adfe/.
“Is it funny? That’s the only test I know when it comes to cartooning. Not whether it’s sick or whether it’s going to ruin people’s values or morals. You only have to ask a simple question: Is it funny?” —Don Martin
The Washington Post. “Don Martin, Former Mad Magazine Cartoonist.” The Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2000/01/08/don-martin-former-mad-magazine-cartoonist/9f74a8c0-c1e6-4494-8b01-48f0b0c1adfe/.
Pope John Paul II (May 18, 1920–April 2, 2005)
“Your belonging to the Church can find no greater expression or support than by sharing in the Eucharist every Sunday in your parishes. Christ gives us the gift of his body and blood to make us one body, one spirit in him, to bring us more deeply into communion with him and with all the members of his Body, the Church.” —Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II. “Address of John Paul II to the Young People at the Kiel Center.” The Vatican, January 26, 1999, https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/speeches/1999/january/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19990126_stlouis-youth.html.
“Sadly, too many people today are living apart from the light – in a world of illusions, a world of fleeting shadows and promises unfulfilled.” —Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II. “Address of John Paul II to the Young People at the Kiel Center.” The Vatican, January 26, 1999, https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/speeches/1999/january/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19990126_stlouis-youth.html.
Frank Capra, filmmaker (May 18, 1897–September 3, 1991)
“The screen is much freer than when I was making films and I think that is a good thing. We’ll just have to pay more attention to making real, human stories about people—not peep shows.” —Frank Capra
Brown, Emma, et al. “New Again: Frank Capra.” Interview, December 17, 2013, https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/new-again-frank-capra.
“Neither colleges nor anyone else can teach you creativity. They can teach you abilities to work with—you know how to use the gifts you’ve been born with. They can expose you to… look, I’m a living example of getting into films backwards. Merely by accident. Exposure to films and ideas is the best thing that colleges can do.” —Frank Capra
Brown, Emma, et al. “New Again: Frank Capra.” Interview, December 17, 2013, https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/new-again-frank-capra.
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