A.D. Aliwat

“There really is nothing like firsthand knowledge if it’s mine.”

“You can’t spell American without “I can.”

“Even more than music, rock-and-roll is sex.”

“An important part of being an alpha is to be hateful and calculating, but to appear just inconsiderate. You need to put in effort to get what you want, but people will push back if they think you’re doing something maliciously. If they believe you just don’t know any better, are just kind of a selfish dick and they got in the way of that, rather than thinking they were a target, then you can get away with a lot more, and from then on they either avoid you or accept you as a force of nature.”

“Since humans are social animals, you’re basically only as good as your reputation.”

“I hate pretty much everyone almost as much as I love myself.”

“Rock stars have many of the same qualities as athletes—millions for doing what they love, fans, easy pussy, fame, status, the ability to do whatever they want when they want. While what they do is still cool, the main difference is that it’s less masculine. You connect with your fans in this intense, intimate, emotional way that is less about you and more about them, how you make them feel. When you’re an athlete, it’s all about you. They cheer you on. When you make music, you cheer them on, provide the soundtrack to their little lives, and all they do is cheer you back to say “Thanks.”

“I know my kids will be incredible, just not as great as me.”

“Really, the definition of what makes us “human” confuses me. Showing “humanity” is like this synonym for “treating others kindly” or “like you want to be treated” or whatever, when that isn’t really human at all. Whoever came up with that definition is a real scammer, and a real genius. More than anything else, humans have been terrible to each other throughout history, and this is still the way it works today and will continue to work. It’s how we’re wired. I have “human understanding”; that’s it.”

“Where wealth and status are concerned, shit isn’t supposed to be hard. Ivies are known for “grade inflation”—though there is a lot of work, the reward for a mediocre job at completing it is still usually an A. In any given corporation, the higher the role and pay, the less that person actually does. CEOs who get fired for sucking at their jobs and losing a shit-ton of money are often given multi-million dollar “golden parachutes.” It was kinda the same with this frat; we were the best, so we did the least.”

“You can be whoever you want to be. Sometimes all it takes is a little inspiration and effort.”

“Sometimes it’s nice to remember the little things.”

“Polarization breeds respect..”