"I don't believe in the so-called Olympic spirit. I speak from personal experience. When China hosted the Games, it failed to include the people. The event was constructed without regard for their joy.“


-Ai Weiwei

posted in experience


I don't believe in the so-called Olympic spirit. I speak from personal experience. When China hosted the Games, it failed to include the people. The event was constructed without regard for their joy.

Other Quotes You Might Like

Discover more inspiring quotes from our collection

"As a person, I was born to give out my opinions. By giving out my opinions, I realize who I am. As long as I can communicate, I'm not so lonely. If I cannot travel, or do art, or have company, if they take away all my belongings, it doesn't matter at all."

-Ai Weiwei

travelView Quote
"China has not established the rule of law and if there is a power above the law there is no social justice. Everybody can be subjected to harm. I'm just a citizen: my life is equal in value to any other. But I'm thankful that when I lost my freedom so many people shared feelings and put such touching effort into helping me."

-Ai Weiwei

thankfulView Quote
"The 'Bird's Nest' National Stadium, which I helped to conceive, is designed to embody the Olympic spirit of 'fair competition.' It tells people that freedom is possible but needs fairness, courage and strength."

-Ai Weiwei

strengthView Quote
"Police in China can do whatever they want after 81 days in arbitrary detention you clearly realise that they don't have to obey their own laws. In a society like this there is no negotiation, no discussion, except to tell you that power can crush you any time they want - not only you, your whole family and all people like you."

-Ai Weiwei

societyView Quote
"If we all say the same thing, then I think the government has to listen. But because no one is saying it, I become singled out, even though what I'm saying is common sense. It's very essential values that we all have to protect. But in Chinese society, people are giving up on protecting these values."

-Ai Weiwei

societyView Quote
"The Chinese art world does not exist. In a society that restricts individual freedoms and violates human rights, anything that calls itself creative or independent is a pretence. It is impossible for a totalitarian society to create anything with passion and imagination."

-Ai Weiwei

societyView Quote

More Quotes About experience

Explore other inspiring quotes in this category

"It evolved from my experience in the fifties, growing up during the McCarthy era, and hearing a lot of assumptions that America was wonderful and Communism was terrible."

-Warren Farrell

experienceView Quote
"I feel responsible that everyone has a really wonderful experience and to do the best work possible, and to always know my lines and to always be on time and to bring a level to the show in terms of quality that other people will follow."

-Julianna Margulies

experienceView Quote
"Acting is not a mystery. There's nothing that I know that other actors don't know. We all act, we're all actors, we all know the same thing. The only thing that separates us is experience."

-Vincent D'Onofrio

experienceView Quote
"Many children are natural fantasists, I think, perhaps because their imaginations have yet to be clobbered into submission by experience."

-David Mitchell

experienceView Quote
"I got pregnant at 40 by surprise. It's funny, because when we found out we were pregnant, I said, 'Okay, let's experience that.' You just have to just go with it because it's rare."

-Julianna Margulies

experienceView Quote
"At our best, it's a good experience but we do 22 episodes a year, so there are some clunkers."

-Vincent D'Onofrio

experienceView Quote