31 Alice McDermott Quotes for You to Enjoy

Alice McDermott

American Writer

Born: Jun 27, 1953

Language Life Me Think Time You

Related authors: Dale Carnegie Denis Waitley Dr. Seuss H. L. Mencken Napoleon Hill Ray Bradbury W. E. B. Du Bois William Arthur Ward

What interests me is whatever it is that allows the heart to continue to yearn for something the intelligence knows is impossible to have: a lost love, a shelter from life's blows, the return of a time past, even a connection to the dead. Alice McDermott

At the beginning of every semester, I ask my graduate students whether there is something I should read that will help me understand their work. Alice McDermott

Work Me Will Beginning Every Something Students Read Understand Semester Graduate Graduate Students Whether Ask Should Help

The thing that fiction can do is look from the inside out rather than from the outside in. Even memoir leaves me somewhat frustrated. I think now we need a poet to uncover what isn't on the surface. Alice McDermott

I think 'Charming Billy' ultimately is a novel about faith and what we believe in and, above all, what we choose to believe in. Alice McDermott

Faith Believe Think About Above Charming Ultimately Choose Billy Novel

I think place and time for me is often a matter of convenience, something I can use to another end rather than something I'm trying to define because it's somehow fascinating to me in itself. It's more what the place can do for the larger goals I have for the work. Alice McDermott

Work Time Me Goals Matter Think Define Somehow Something Rather More Another Because End Itself Than Trying Often Convenience Place Use Fascinating Larger

I've got to hear the rhythm of the sentences; I want the music of the prose. I want to see ordinary things transformed not by the circumstances in which I see them but by the language with which they're described. That's what I love when I read. Alice McDermott

Love Music Language Circumstances See Prose Read Got Hear Want Ordinary Which Rhythm Transformed Ordinary Things Them Sentences Things

I was one of those kids who always wrote. Alice McDermott

Those Kids Wrote Always Who

I learned really early on that I had to treat it as if it were a real job. This might be my middle class background - the Irish work ethic, which isn't quite the same as the Protestant work ethic - but still, it's, 'Get a job and show up every day. Be there. And don't complain. Who do you think you are: you're nobody special; go to work.' Alice McDermott

Work Day You Class Every Day Treat Job Every Think Complain Background Had Nobody Learned Protestant Real Still Go Were Real Job Up Irish Get Same Quite Middle Middle Class Which Might Work Ethic Ethic Really Show Special Who Early

I'm very conscious of trying to make something epic out of something small and ordinary. Alice McDermott

Out Something Small Make Very Trying Ordinary Epic Conscious

Loss is inevitable - you have to be blind or naive to think otherwise. Alice McDermott

You Inevitable Think Otherwise Naive Blind Loss

For me, having characters who are part of a faith then allows me to talk about how that faith either works or fails them without having to attack the institution. Alice McDermott

Faith Me Characters About Having Attack Part Fails Institution Talk Without How Either Them Then Who Works

I do have friends in Pittsburgh, and I had some wonderful experiences there. Alice McDermott

Wonderful Some Had Friends Experiences Pittsburgh

I believed in fictional characters as if they were a part of real life. Poetry was important, too. My parents had memorized poems from their days attending school in New York City and loved reciting them. We all enjoyed listening to these poems and to music as well. Alice McDermott

Life Music School Listening Parents Important Real Life Too Reciting Characters City Poems Poetry Had Part Attending New Days Well Real Were York New York New York City Loved Fictional Them Believed Enjoyed

Those of us who know the transporting wonder of a reading life know that it little matters where we are when we talk about books or meet authors or bemoan the state of publishing because when we read, we are always inside, sheltered in that interior room, that clean, well-lighted, timeless place that is the written word. Alice McDermott

Life Interior Word Reading Matters State Meet Books Those Inside About Clean Written Written Word Know Talk Read Because Always Sheltered Timeless Wonder Authors Where Place Little Room Us Transporting Who Publishing

Some readers sort of suspect that you have another book that you didn't publish that has even more information in it. I think that readers sort of want to be taught something. They have this idea that there's a takeaway from a novel rather than just the being there, which I think is the great, great pleasure of reading. Alice McDermott

Great You Book Reading Publish Think Pleasure Some Something Rather More Great Pleasure Idea Sort Readers Another Than Suspect Just Taught Being Want Information Which Being There Even Novel

I guess I cringe when the discussion leads to, rather than books and sentences and characters and the stuff that writers are supposed to be concerned with, how to have an online presence and how many followers you have on Twitter. That stuff always makes me uncomfortable. Alice McDermott

Me You Twitter Guess Books Cringe Characters Followers Online Rather Uncomfortable Writers Stuff Leads Supposed Concerned Makes Always How Than Discussion Sentences Many Presence

I wouldn't want to tweet to anyone who would be interested in my tweets. Alice McDermott

Would Would-Be Want Anyone Interested Who Tweet Tweets

I like that original romance of having a pen and a legal pad and going anywhere in the world and being able to write a novel with just those two things. Alice McDermott

Legal World Pen Those Able Having Write Like Going Just Romance Being Anywhere Pad Original Novel Things Two

My children have gone to Catholic school... Part of their whole education is talking about the inner life and looking at your life, even though you're only 15 or 16 - thinking about your mortality, thinking about the value of your life, thinking about your obligations. Alice McDermott

Life Education You Obligations School Value Looking Gone Thinking Though About Only Part Mortality Catholic Talking Catholic School Children Your Whole Even Inner Inner Life

Alice McDermott Quotes

No more Alice McDermott quotes