Vidal is being remembered for his wit and wisdom, as fans recall some of the author/playwright's most memorable lines:
- "I've been around the ruling class all my life, and I've been quite aware of their total contempt for the people of the country."
- "The United States was founded by the brightest people in the country - and we haven't seen them since."
- "Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn."
- "The four most beautiful words in our common language: I told you so."
- "Every time a friend succeeds, I die a little."
- "Half of the American people never read a newspaper. Half never vote for president. One hopes it is the same half."
- "I was born a writer. If you're born that, you can't change it. You're going to do it whether you want to or not."
- "The more money an American accumulates, the less interesting he becomes."
Vidal's commentary inspired many of today's writers. At the 2009 National Book Awards ceremony, author Dave Eggers said Vidal "meant everything to me when I was learning how to write and learning how to read. His words, his intellect, his activism, his ability and willingness to always speak up and hold his government accountable, especially, has been so inspiring to me I can't articulate it."
Here's a look at some of the latest Twitter tributes:
The author, playwright, politician and commentator died Tuesday in Los Angeles at age 86 after a bout with pneumonia.
Broadway theaters will dim their marquee lights for one minute at 8 p.m. ET on Friday in memory of Vidal, reports The Associated Press. One of his works, "The Best Man," is currently playing on Broadway. Executive Director Charlotte St. Martin described Vidal's work as "timely and timeless."
"Not to know what happened before one was born is always to be a child."
— Marcus Tullius Cicero, De Oratore, II, c. 80 B. C.
Gore Vidal was our American Cicero. He valiantly stood as our golden shield of republican virtue against the brassy sword of empire yielded by plutocratic militarists and their vulgar plebeians. He was the national conscience, unrelenting in reminding the citizenry of its lost historical memory in this "United States of Amnesia." Something great has gone out of the world with his passing.
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— Marcus Tullius Cicero, De Oratore, II, c. 80 B. C.
Gore Vidal was our American Cicero. He valiantly stood as our golden shield of republican virtue against the brassy sword of empire yielded by plutocratic militarists and their vulgar plebeians. He was the national conscience, unrelenting in reminding the citizenry of its lost historical memory in this "United States of Amnesia." Something great has gone out of the world with his passing.