70 Paul Theroux Quotes for You to Enjoy

Paul Theroux

American Novelist

Born: Apr 10, 1941

Life Me People Think Travel You

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

People write about getting sick, they write about tummy trouble, they write about having to wait for a bus. They write about waiting. They write three pages about how long it took them to get a visa. I'm not interested in the boring parts. Everyone has tummy trouble. Everyone waits in line. I don't want to hear about it. Paul Theroux

Waiting People Wait Three Long Trouble Sick Took Everyone Visa Boring About Having Write Parts How Line Hear Waits Get Getting Want Not Interested Interested Bus Them Pages

When I was in the Peace Corps I never made a phone call. I was in Central Africa; I didn't make a phone call for two years. I was in Uganda for another four years and I didn't make a phone call. So for six years I didn't make a phone call, but I wrote letters, I wrote short stories, I wrote books. Paul Theroux

Peace Phone Made Books Corps Phone Call Never Wrote Make Call Another Uganda Years Six Short Africa Stories Short Stories Central Peace Corps Letters Four Two

You can't write about a friend, you can only write about a former friend. Paul Theroux

You About Only Write Friend Former

People who don't read books a lot are threatened by books. Paul Theroux

People Books Threatened Read Lot Who

Many aspects of the writing life have changed since I published my first book, in the 1960s. It is more corporate, more driven by profits and marketing, and generally less congenial - but my day is the same: get out of bed, procrastinate, sit down at my desk, try to write something. Paul Theroux

Life Day Book Writing Try First Sit Down Changed Corporate Marketing Out Something More Write Driven Generally Since Bed Get Same Procrastinate Congenial Aspects Less Many Published Profits Desk

Literary life used to be quite different in Britain in the years I lived there, from 1971 to 1989, because money was not a factor - no one made very much except from U.S. sales and the occasional windfall. Paul Theroux

Life Money Made Except Factor No-One Occasional Because Years Sales Very Quite Different Literary Much Used Lived Britain

When I left Africa in 1966 it seemed to me to be a place that was developing, going in a particular direction, and I don't think that is the case now. And it's a place where people still kid themselves - you know, in a few years this will happen or that will happen. Well, it's not going to happen. It's never going to happen. Paul Theroux

Me You People Will Few Think Kid Case Seemed Direction Never Developing Particular Know Well Still Years Left Going Africa Where Happen Place Themselves Now

I think I understand passion. Love is something else. Paul Theroux

Love Love Is Passion Think Else Something Something Else Understand

I think that love isn't what you think it is when you're in your twenties or even thirties. Paul Theroux

Love You Think Thirties Your Twenties Even

Love doesn't last. Paul Theroux

Love Last

The more you write, the more you're capable of writing. Paul Theroux

You Writing More Write Capable

When I started writing, I did have some idealised notion of my dad as a writer. But I have less and less of a literary rivalry with him as I've gone on. I certainly don't feel I need his approval, although maybe that's because I'm confident that I've got it. Paul Theroux

The pleasure a reader gets is often equal to the pleasure a writer is given. Paul Theroux

Pleasure Given Writer Equal Reader Gets Often

To me, writing is a considered act. It's something which is a great labor of thought and consideration. Paul Theroux

Great Me Writing Thought Consideration Considered Something Labor Which Act

One of the things the 'Tao of Travel' shows is how unforthcoming most travel writers are, how most travelers are. They don't tell you who they were traveling with, and they're not very reliable about things that happened to them. Paul Theroux

You Travel Reliable Tell One Of The Things About Writers Most How Were Very Happened Them Who Shows Travelers Traveling Things

I was raised in a large family. The first reason for my travel was to get away from my family. I knew that I wanted to be a writer, but I didn't want people to ask me questions about it. Paul Theroux

Family Me Travel People First About Writer Knew Questions Get Want Wanted Ask Reason Large Large Family Away Raised

People say writing is really hard. That's very unfair to those who are doing real jobs. People who work in the fields or fix roofs, engineers, or car mechanics. I think lying on your back working under an oily car, that's a job. Paul Theroux

Work People Writing Car Job Unfair Think Lying Back Say Those Jobs People Say Real Doing Very Fix Fields Really Working Your Hard Engineers Who Mechanics

Dentists seem to me very orderly, businesslike people who appear to become somewhat bored with the routine of their work after a period of time. Perhaps I'm wrong. Paul Theroux

Work Time Me People Become Bored Seem Somewhat Wrong Perhaps Period Very Orderly After Who Appear Routine

What strikes me about high-school reunions is the realization that these are people one has known one's whole life. Paul Theroux

Life Me People Strikes About Known Realization Whole

You leave the States, and you see people have bigger problems than you, much worse problems than you. Paul Theroux

You People Problems Worse States See Leave Than Bigger Much

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