Quotes by Critics

For even the ordinary well-read person, the French Enlightenment is largely restricted to the three big-name philosophes: Diderot, Rousseau, Voltaire. Michael Dirda
Three Restricted Voltaire French Well-Read Person Ordinary Even Largely Enlightenment
Long ago, I realized that my only talent - aside from the rugged good looks, of course, and the strange power I hold over elderly women - can be reduced to a single word: doggedness. Michael Dirda
Good Strange Women Word Rugged Long Power Single Good Looks Only Over Talent Looks Course Reduced Single Word Hold Elderly Aside Realized
At 17, I traveled to Mexico in a lemon yellow Mustang and saved money by bunking down in cheap, cockroach-infested flophouses. In my early 20s, I went on to thumb rides through Europe, readily sleeping in train stations, my backpack as a pillow. Once I even hunkered down for a night on a sidewalk grate - for warmth - in Paris. Michael Dirda
Money Down Saved Sleeping Sidewalk Once Backpack Stations Paris Through Cheap Thumb Readily Pillow Yellow Mexico Train Lemon Warmth Europe Rides Even Traveled Early Early 20s Night
Many cultures believe that on a certain day - Halloween, the Irish Samhain Eve, Mexico's 'Dia de los Muertos' - the veil between this world and the next is especially thin. Michael Dirda
Day World Halloween Believe Veil Between Los Cultures Mexico Irish Next Certain Many Eve Thin
With any luck, Heaven itself will resemble a vast used bookstore, with a really good cafe in one corner, serving dark beer and kielbasa to keep up one's strength while browsing, and all around will be the kind of angels usually found in Victoria's Secret catalogs. Michael Dirda
Good Strength Beer Cafe Dark Will Luck Corner Secret Bookstore Kind All-Around Angels Vast Catalogs Around Up Itself Any Heaven While Victoria Victorias Secret Really Used Resemble Keep Found Serving
The goal of a just society should be to provide satisfying work with a living wage to all its citizens. Michael Dirda
Work Living Society Citizens Wage Provide Goal Just Should Satisfying Living Wage
Adventurous reading allows one to escape a little from the provincialities of one's home culture and the blinders of one's narrow self. Michael Dirda
Home Culture Reading Self Adventurous Blinders Narrow Escape Little
Writers keep writing and publishers publishing - it never grows boring. Michael Dirda
Writing Boring Writers Never Keep Publishers Grows Publishing
In a single lifetime, roughly from 1865 to 1930, one finds the pioneering and patterning works of modern fantasy, science fiction, children's literature and detective fiction, of modern adventure, mystery and romance. Michael Dirda
Science Single Finds Detective Mystery Lifetime Adventure Science Fiction Pioneering Modern Romance Children Fiction Literature Fantasy Works Roughly
Critics for established venues are vetted by editors; they usually demonstrate a certain objectivity; and they come with known backgrounds and specialized knowledge. Michael Dirda
Knowledge Backgrounds Critics Objectivity Come Known Venues Editors Demonstrate Established Certain Specialized
People who've read my reviews know my tastes, know how I approach a book, know my background. I can write with believable authority. It doesn't mean I'm always right. Michael Dirda
Book People Approach Background Write Know Read Always How Reviews Authority Tastes Mean Believable Right
I think of my own work as part of a decades-long conversation about books and reading with people I will mainly never meet. Michael Dirda
Work Conversation People Will Reading Own Think Meet Books About My Own Never Part Mainly
Books can be a source of solace, but I see them mainly as a source of pleasure, personal as well as esthetic. Michael Dirda
Solace Books Pleasure See Mainly Well Source Personal Them
I'm an appreciator. I love all kinds of books, and I want others to love them, too. Michael Dirda
Love Too Others Books Kinds Want To Love Them
I've always liked an easygoing, colloquial style. I like the kind of reviewer who is essentially a fellow reader, an enthusiast, a fan. Michael Dirda
Style Kind Easygoing Enthusiast Like Liked Fellow Reader Always Reviewer Essentially Fan Who
It's a sad commentary on our time - to use a phrase much favored by my late father - that people increasingly celebrate Christmas Day by going to the movies. Michael Dirda
Sad Christmas Time Day Celebrate People Christmas Day Father Increasingly Late Our Our Time Favored Phrase Commentary Going Movies Much Use
From the late 19th to the early 20th century, the December issue of almost any general-interest magazine regularly featured a holiday horror or two. Michael Dirda
Late Magazine Horror Featured Almost Issue Any December Holiday Century Regularly Early Two
Young people looking for adventure fiction now generally turn to fantasy, but for those of a certain age, the spy thriller has long been the escape reading of choice. Michael Dirda
Age People Long Looking Reading Young Those Thriller Generally Adventure Been Spy Escape Fiction Young People Turn Fantasy Choice Certain Certain Age Now
In my own case, my folks didn't actually object to comics, as many parents did, but they pretty much felt the things were a waste of time. Michael Dirda
Time Parents Own Folks Object Pretty Case My Own Felt Comics Were Did Much Many Waste Waste Of Time Actually Things
Carl Barks was born in Merrill, Oregon, in 1901, grew up in a farming family, and eventually held a number of blue-collar jobs. He knew what it was to be poor and to work hard for a living. Michael Dirda
Work Family Work Hard Living Jobs Born He Knew Up Blue-Collar Grew Poor Oregon Held Bark Hard Farming Eventually Number
Most scholarly books we read for the information or insight they contain. But some we return to simply for the pleasure of the author's company. Michael Dirda
Books Pleasure Insight Some Scholarly Simply Contain Most Return Read Author Information Company
When I was a boy in the late 1950s, the public library refused to stock books by Edgar Rice Burroughs. They were regarded as vulgar, ill-written potboilers. Michael Dirda
Library Late Books Edgar Vulgar Boy Were Stock Refused Regarded Public Rice Public Library
Summertime, and the reading is easy... Well, maybe not easy, exactly, but July and August are hardly the months to start working your way through the works of Germanic philosophers. Save Hegel, Heidegger, and Husserl for the bleaker days of February. Michael Dirda
Reading Philosophers Summertime Way Months Easy Exactly February Through Days Well August July Germanic Maybe Hegel Working Your Works Hardly Start Save
Digital texts are all well and good, but books on shelves are a presence in your life. As such, they become a part of your day-to-day existence, reminding you, chastising you, calling to you. Plus, book collecting is, hands down, the greatest pastime in the world. Michael Dirda
Life Good You Book World Digital Become Down Books Collecting Plus Part Day-To-Day Reminding Well Calling Greatest Shelves Existence Texts Pastime Hands Your Presence
I don't like gross monetary inequities. I firmly believe that the wrong people and the wrong professions are being rewarded, and rewarded absurdly, and that the hardest work the obscenely rich do is ensuring that they preserve their privileges, status symbols, and bloated bank accounts. Michael Dirda
Work People Rich Believe Ensuring Status Wrong Firmly Absurdly Like Bloated Privileges Accounts Bank Rewarded Being Gross Professions Monetary Hardest Symbols Preserve
With the possible exception of steampunk aficionados, many reasonable people must view my fascination with Victorian and Edwardian popular fiction - mysteries, fantasy, and adventure - as eccentric or merely antiquarian. Michael Dirda
People Mysteries Possible Must Eccentric Exception Merely Adventure Edwardian Fiction Victorian Fantasy View Reasonable Many Popular Fascination
Load more quotes
About
Site pages
Top Quotes
Authors
Today's birthdays
Copyright © Quotesia 2025