29 David Mitchell Quotes for You to Enjoy

David Mitchell

English Novelist

Born: Jan 12, 1969

Become Language Me People Think You

Related authors: Aldous Huxley Charles Dickens E. M. Forster J. R. R. Tolkien Thomas Hardy William Golding William Makepeace Thackeray

Sometimes I think that creativity is a matter of seeing, or stumbling over, unobvious similarities between things - like composing a fresh metaphor, but on a more complex scale. David Mitchell

Creativity Sometimes Matter Think Complex Scale Composing Seeing Similarities More Between Over Stumbling Like Fresh Metaphor Things

If the human condition were the periodic table, maybe love would be hydrogen at No. 1. Death would be helium at No. 2. Power, I reckon, would be where oxygen is. David Mitchell

Love Death Power Reckon Would Would-Be Table Hydrogen Periodic Were Condition Human Maybe Oxygen Where Human Condition Helium

In the 1970s and 1980s there was so little decent fiction for young people, but we're now in a golden age that shows no sign of fading. Philip Pullman, J. K. Rowling, Lemony Snicket are only three of the best known among a good number of equals. David Mitchell

My books are anti-absolutist and deeply distrustful of any religious stance that precludes the validity of any other. David Mitchell

Other Validity Books Religious Any Stance Deeply

You can't be a part-time Richard Dawkins. David Mitchell

You Part-Time Richard

I don't have problems starting writing. I have problems stopping. I'm one of the last dads to arrive at school to collect the kids, because I want to get this paragraph just right. David Mitchell

Writing School Problems Kids Collect Paragraph Because Arrive Get Just Stopping Want Dads Right Last Starting

I often lose myself in the Sudoku-like challenges of making a book work. David Mitchell

Work Myself Challenges Book Lose Making Often

People like to say that East Asians in general, and Japanese in particular, are not very expressive: there's that term 'inscrutable.' But often, Europeans just don't get the Asian codes. Believe me, the message is being expressed OK. David Mitchell

Me People Believe Say OK East Inscrutable General Term Particular Like Message Very Get Often Just Being Japanese Asian Asians Europeans Expressed Codes Expressive

A life can get knocked into a new orbit by a car crash, a lottery win or just a bleary-eyed consultant giving bad news in a calm voice. David Mitchell

Life News Win Car Giving Calm Bad Bad News Voice Consultant Knocked New Lottery Get Orbit Just Crash

When I was about 14, in about 1984, I decided to become a great poet. Faber & Faber was going to publish me, and when Ted Hughes read my first anthology he would invite me to Yorkshire for meat pies and mentorship. David Mitchell

Great Me Poet First Become Publish Would About He Invite Read Anthology Hughes Yorkshire Going Decided Meat Ted

There's a disease that young writers are susceptible to, which is, I will do this because I can - hubris, I suppose - without stopping to work out why. David Mitchell

Work Will Young Out Writers Suppose Because Without Hubris Disease Susceptible Stopping Which Young Writers Work Out Why

I still haven't quite got used to eating live fish. David Mitchell

Live Eating Got Still Fish Quite Used

'Y' is about the weakest letter of all. 'Y' can't make up its mind if it's a vowel or a consonant, can it? David Mitchell

Mind Weakest About Vowel Make Make Up Up Letter

For me, novels coalesce into being, rather than arrive fully formed. David Mitchell

Me Rather Arrive Than Being Formed Fully Novels

Perhaps all human interaction is about wanting and getting. David Mitchell

About Perhaps Getting Human Interaction Wanting

I think it's natural for youth to be drawn to newness: The world is still new for them. David Mitchell

Youth Natural World Think Drawn New Still Newness Them

I think the story is the most ancient form of human entertainment. David Mitchell

Entertainment Think Ancient Most Human Form Story

When I talk about my artist parents, people imagine a bohemian environment and think, 'Aha, so that's where he gets it from!' But we were as white, straight, and middle-class as the next family on our white, straight, middle-class housing estate. David Mitchell

Writers are so used to books being optioned and then the movie never happens. David Mitchell

Books Writers Never Being Movie Happens Then Used

The words 'maybe' and 'perhaps' are literally the same - the flavor is the same, the educational level is the same. But you just know when to use maybe and when to use perhaps. I think it's because of this: You get to know the tastes or musical tastes of words themselves, and this informs your choice, whether you use them or not. David Mitchell

You Words Think Musical Perhaps Know Because Educational Get Same Tastes Maybe Just Literally Whether Informs Flavor Them Themselves Choice Use Your Level

I'm not from a milieu where high-register language or philosophical ideas were welcome. David Mitchell

Welcome Language Philosophical Ideas Were Where Milieu

Your environment affects you wherever you are. David Mitchell

You Environment Affects Wherever Your

A novelist needs to know his own strong points and weak points. David Mitchell

Needs Strong Own Weak Points Know His Novelist

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