57 Claire Messud Quotes for You to Enjoy

Claire Messud

American Novelist

Born: 1966

Life Me People World Writing You

Related authors: Elie Wiesel Ernest Hemingway H. P. Lovecraft James Baldwin John Updike Leo Rosten Nathaniel Hawthorne Richard Bach

There are people who live under the delusion that simply because they will it to be so, it will be so. Claire Messud

People Will Live Simply Delusion Because Who

Rushing around can be a pointless diversion from actually living your life. Claire Messud

Life Living Rushing Diversion Pointless Around Your Actually

Place and displacement have always been central for me. A type of insecurity goes with that: you are always following the cues, like learning the dance steps when the dance is already under way. Claire Messud

Me You Learning Dance Insecurity Type Way Following Steps Like Always Been Goes Place Central Displacement

As any of us approaches middle age, we inevitably come up against our limitations: the realization that certain dearly-held fantasies may not be realized; that circumstances have thwarted us; that even with intention and will we may not be able to set our ship back on the course we'd planned. Claire Messud

Age Will Approaches Back Our Circumstances Able Thwarted Come Course Limitations Inevitably Ship Up Any May Intention Middle Middle Age Against Fantasies Realization Realized Us Certain Planned Even Set

For me, the ages between 9 and 12 were great because it was before you wore any masks, and you had some autonomy in the world. You had some freedom, and you felt you had unlimited ambition. It's when you thought, 'I'm going to write plays. I'm going to be president. I'm going to do this; I'm going to do that.' And then it all falls apart. Claire Messud

Great Freedom Me You World Thought Before Ambition President Unlimited Some Write Had Masks Between Because Felt Were Falls Any Going Autonomy Apart Wore Then Ages Plays

I'm not a writing group member, not a joiner in that way. I don't seek a wide swath of feedback. Claire Messud

Writing Feedback Group Way Member Seek Wide

Yes, writing is essential to me. It's my way of living in the world. Claire Messud

Me Writing World Living Way Yes Essential

I believe that, in an ideal world, writers would feel free to write what matters to them without having to consider success, failure, the market, etc. Claire Messud

Success Failure World Free Matters Believe Consider Market Would Having Write Writers Feel Ideal Ideal World Without Etc Them

I was in my senior year of high school when I read 'Notes From Underground' by Dostoyevsky, and it was an exhilarating discovery. I hadn't known up until that moment that fiction could be like that. Fiction could say these things, could be unseemly, could be unsettling and distressing in that particular way, that immediate and urgent way. Claire Messud

School Year Way Immediate Say High Distressing High School Could Unsettling Particular Like Particular Way Until Underground Read Known Exhilarating Discovery Up Senior Senior Year Fiction Urgent Notes Moment Things

My mother turned 40 in 1973. So in 1970 - when 'The Female Eunuch' came out and Ms. magazine was founded - my mom was 37 with two children, and she was just that little bit too old, and the circumstances of her life were set up in a certain way that for her to fulfill her ambitions and dreams, she would have had to break with the family. Claire Messud

Life Dreams Mom Family Mother Old Ambition Too Way Bit Circumstances Out Would Magazine Had She Female Came Were Up Just Children Break Little Little Bit Turned Fulfill Certain Certain Way Founded Her Two Set

My husband had a stalker, briefly. Claire Messud

Husband Had

We're all living in some state of illusion, even if modestly. Claire Messud

Illusion Living State Some Modestly Even

If you know what you're doing, it's not interesting. It has to be a challenge; it has to seem impossible and urgent to do it. And then you do it. Claire Messud

You Impossible Challenge Seem Know Doing Interesting Urgent Then

We live in a culture that wants to put a redemptive face on everything, so anger doesn't sit well with any of us. But I think women's anger sits less well than anything else. Claire Messud

Anger Culture Women Face Sit Live Think Else Everything Put Well Than Any Anything Wants Anything Else Us Less

It's still unacceptable for women to have negative emotions, especially anger, and I was trying to write against that. Claire Messud

Anger Women Emotions Negative Unacceptable Write Still Trying Against

If you're reading to find friends, you're in deep trouble. Claire Messud

You Trouble Reading Find Friends Deep

When I finish a book, I always fear that I'll never write again. It takes a lot of time. You always think if you could just do something else - but nothing else makes me as happy. Claire Messud

Because we moved so much, I was always having to adapt and work out the lay of the land. So I felt envious of those who did not have to try. Claire Messud

Work Try Those Out Having Lay Envious Because Felt Always Did Moved Land Work Out Much Who Adapt

As a reader, I have always enjoyed 'ranty' books, but they are all written by men. Claire Messud

Men Books Written Reader Always Enjoyed

The Strauss allowed me to be a writer. Without it, 'The Emperor's Children' would not exist. When I received the award, I was teaching, had one baby, and was pregnant with another. There was no time for writing. Claire Messud

Time Me Writing Baby Would No Time Writer Had Allowed Emperor Another Without Exist Children Pregnant Teaching Award Received

Awards bolster your confidence in wonderful ways. But they aren't the world. Claire Messud

Confidence Wonderful World Ways Your Bolster Awards

Henry James and Edith Wharton are huge for me because they gave me a way to understand America while still respecting the European backgrounds of my relatives. Claire Messud

Me Relatives Gave Way Backgrounds Respecting Because Understand Still Huge America James While European Henry Henry James

Writing with kids is an adventure. It seems like someone always has the flu or pink-eye. I mean, you don't even have to be in direct contact with anyone to get pink-eye. But for parents who write, flexibility becomes essential, and as long as I have a pad of paper and a pen, I can write anywhere. Starbucks is fine. Claire Messud

You Writing Flu Long Parents Paper Pen Kids Fine Direct Someone Direct Contact Seems Write Contact Adventure Like Becomes Always Get Essential Anyone Anywhere Mean Pad Flexibility Who Even Starbucks

Claire Messud Quotes

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