32 Harvey Pekar Quotes for You to Enjoy

Harvey Pekar

American Writer

Born: Oct 8, 1939

Died: Jul 12, 2010

Comics Me People Think Work You

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

I guess I wanted to show people, among other things, that you don't have to be a hero to get through cancer. You can be a craven coward and get through. You have to stay on your medication and take your treatments, that's all. Harvey Pekar

You People Coward Cancer Hero Other Guess Stay Through Take Get Wanted Your Show Show People Among Things Medication Treatments

I try and write the way things happen. I don't try and fulfill people's wishes. Harvey Pekar

People Try Way Write Wishes Happen Fulfill Things Things Happen

You can find heroism everyday, like guys working terrible jobs because they've got to support their families. Or as far as humor, the things I see on the job, on the street, are far funnier than anything you'll ever see on TV. Harvey Pekar

You Humor Job Heroism Everyday Jobs TV Find See Guys Support Like Terrible Because Got Families Than As Far As Anything Far Working Ever Street Things Funnier

I write scripts in storyboard fashion using stick figures, and thought balloons and word balloons and captions. Then I'll write descriptions of what scenes should look like and turn it over to the artist. Harvey Pekar

There hasn't been enough change in comics to suit me. I don't know why exactly. Harvey Pekar

Me Change Enough Exactly Know Comics Been Why Suit

I'm always shook up and nervous and I've got the hospital record to prove it. Harvey Pekar

Nervous Record Hospital Always Got Prove Up Shook

Misery loves company. There's a lot to that. Harvey Pekar

Misery Loves Company Misery Lot Loves Company

As a matter of fact, I deliberately look for the mundane, because I feel these stories are ignored. The most influential things that happen to virtually all of us are the things that happen on a daily basis. Not the traumas. Harvey Pekar

Daily Matter Virtually Deliberately Fact Feel Look Most Because Happen Influential Stories Us Ignored Daily Basis Mundane Things Basis

Cleveland has a very bad reputation, but there's a lot of stuff that's left over from when there were very wealthy people - the Art Museum and a world class symphony that's still world class. Harvey Pekar

Art Class People World Reputation World-Class Symphony Bad Wealthy Stuff Over Cleveland Still Were Lot Left Very Museum

I always wanted praise, and I always wanted attention; I won't lie to you. I was a jazz critic, and that wasn't good enough for me. I wanted people to write about me, not me about them. So I thought, 'What could I do? I can't sing, I can't dance, I can't act or anything like that. OK, I can write.' Harvey Pekar

I have to be a freelance writer for the rest of my life, unless I get some kind of real lucky break. But other than that, I'll always have to work. I always worry about whether my stuff is going to get over. Will they like this, will they like that? Harvey Pekar

Life Work Will Rest My Life Freelance Other Unless Worry Kind Some About Writer Stuff Over Like Always Real Than Get Going Break Whether Lucky

I was 16 years old, and I was just flailing around, looking for an interest. I heard, you know, these jazz records. They were modern records, at the time in the '50s, and I realized that I didn't fully get what was going on. But I liked a lot of what I heard. Harvey Pekar

I'd like to see the comics' style expanded. I'd like to see artists synthesize traditional comics arts style with fine-arts styles or whatever. I like to see innovation. I don't like it when an art form becomes stagnant. Harvey Pekar

Art Innovation Style Whatever See Like Styles Becomes Comics Traditional Art Form Artists Arts Form Stagnant

I was sort of on a mission with 'American Splendor.' I wanted to try to prove that comics could do things. I wanted to expand them beyond superheroes and talking animals. And I knew that was going to take a long time. But I just started writing an autobiography about my quotidian life. Harvey Pekar

Life Time Writing Try Long Animals Long Time About Superheroes Could Splendor Take Knew Mission Beyond Sort Talking Prove Comics Expand American Going Just Autobiography Wanted Them Things Started

Of course I don't think I have it made by any means. I'm too insecure, obsessive and paranoid for that. Harvey Pekar

Made Think Too Insecure Paranoid Obsessive Course Any Means

I can't write in a whole lot of different styles, trying to please the highbrows one time and the lowbrows the next. I pretty much have a basic style I employ. Harvey Pekar

Time Style Please One Time Pretty Write Employ Styles Lot Trying Different Much Next Whole Different Styles Basic

I concentrate, more than I think virtually any comic book artist has in the past, on the so-called mundane details of every day life - quotidian life. What happens to a person during a working day, marital relations, and stuff like that. Harvey Pekar

Life Day Every Day Book Past Every Think Relations Virtually Details More Stuff Concentrate Like Comic Comic Book Than Person Any Artist So-Called In The Past Happens Working Working Day Mundane

I'm just tired of people saying I'm a self-hating Jew because I'm critical of Israel or make fun of old Jewish ladies. I do not hate myself. And Jews who criticize Israel aren't necessarily mentally ill. Harvey Pekar

Israel's creation was politically amazing and caused by a number of unusual events. And I understand. For centuries, Jews endured horrible suffering, and like other people, deserve the right to self-determination, but the way Israel is going now frightens me. Jews make awkward colonial overlords. Harvey Pekar

Me Suffering People Events Amazing Creation Other Jews Way Horrible Colonial Like Self-Determination Make Unusual Understand Israel Caused Frighten Going Politically Endured Centuries Now Deserve Right Awkward Number

I think you can find all the elements that you can find in great literature in mundane experiences. Harvey Pekar

Great You Think Find Great Literature Experiences Literature Elements Mundane

The way I write is, I listen to things in my head, and then I copy them down. I memorize conversations and things like that; I seem to be able to do that pretty well. I suppose in that respect there's some improvisation, although I work over the stuff after I've got it down on paper. Harvey Pekar

Work Respect Down Way Paper Memorize Able Some Pretty Seem Write Head Stuff Over Suppose Like Well Although Got Improvisation Listen After Conversations Them Then Things Copy

Everybody's like everybody else, and everybody's different from everybody else. Harvey Pekar

Everybody Everybody Else Else Like Different

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