77 Joyce Carol Oates Quotes for You to Enjoy

Myself Good Book Own Independent Out Objectively My Own Disappointing Make Reader Opinion His Review Text Effort Committed Form Might Turns Including Her Present Number

Before you can write a novel you have to have a number of ideas that come together. One idea is not enough. Joyce Carol Oates

You Together Before Enough Write Idea Come Ideas Novel Number

Except that awards are competitive, which is a negative thing, they are wonderful for singling out deserving individuals and bringing their work to the attention of many potential readers who might otherwise have been totally unaware of them. Joyce Carol Oates

Work Wonderful Negative Otherwise Out Unaware Totally Potential Except Attention Individuals Readers Singling Been Which Them Might Who Many Awards Deserving Thing Bringing Competitive

To be Jewish is to be specifically identified with a history. And if you're not aware of that when you're a child, the whole tradition is lost. Joyce Carol Oates

History You Lost Identified Tradition Child Whole Aware Specifically Jewish

I can't say I was a very successful sorority girl. Joyce Carol Oates

Girl Say Very Successful

Like most people, I can be very easily hurt. Joyce Carol Oates

Hurt People Easily Like Most Very

My grandmother could never have written a memoir, so 'The Gravedigger's Daughter' is a homage to her life, and to the lives of other young women of her generation, which are so rarely articulated. Joyce Carol Oates

Life Generation Women Daughter Young Other Memoir Rarely Could Never Written Articulated Which Young Women Grandmother Homage Lives Her

We are stimulated to emotional response, not by works that confirm our sense of the world, but by works that challenge it. Joyce Carol Oates

World Challenge Sense Our Response Emotional Stimulated Confirm Works

I haven't the faintest idea what my royalties are. I haven't the faintest idea how many copies of books sold, or how many books that I've written. I could look these things up; I have no interest in them. I don't know how much money I have. There are a lot of things I just don't care about. Joyce Carol Oates

Money Care Sold Books About No Interest Could Written Idea Know Look How How Much How Much Money Lot Up dont Care Just Interest Them Much Many Things Copies Royalties

Henry James's later works would have been better had he resisted that curious sort of self-indulgence, dictating to a secretary. The roaming garrulousness of ordinary speech is usually corrected when it's transcribed into written prose. Joyce Carol Oates

Better Later Secretary Corrected Would Had He Written Prose Roaming Sort Been Curious James Ordinary Works Henry Resisted Speech

I remember once asking Grandma about a book she was reading, a biography of Abraham Lincoln, and how she answered me: this was the first conversation of my life that concerned a book, and 'the life of the mind' - and now, such subjects have become my life. Joyce Carol Oates

Life Me Conversation Book Remember Mind My Life First Reading Become Once About Abraham Abraham Lincoln She Concerned Answered How Lincoln Subjects Grandma Asking Now Biography

Any kind of creative activity is likely to be stressful. The more anxiety, the more you feel that you are headed in the right direction. Easiness, relaxation, comfort - these are not conditions that usually accompany serious work. Joyce Carol Oates

As soon as I moved to Princeton in 1978, I became fascinated by local history, much of it Revolutionary War-era; and I became fascinated by the presidency of Woodrow Wilson at Princeton University. Joyce Carol Oates

History Princeton Presidency Local Wilson Soon Became Revolutionary Moved Woodrow Woodrow Wilson Much Fascinated University

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