Quotes by Novelists

People with courage and character always seem sinister to the rest. Hermann Hesse

Character Courage People Rest Seem Always Sinister

The motto of chivalry is also the motto of wisdom; to serve all, but love only one. Honore de Balzac

Love Wisdom Only Also Motto Chivalry Serve

A mother who is really a mother is never free. Honore de Balzac

Parenting Mother Free Never Really Who

Selfishness is the only real atheism; aspiration, unselfishness, the only real religion. Israel Zangwill

Religion Atheism Only Unselfishness Real Selfishness Aspiration

So comes snow after fire, and even dragons have their ending! J. R. R. Tolkien

Ending Fire Snow After Even Dragons

A pen is to me as a beak is to a hen. J. R. R. Tolkien

Me Pen Hen

All of life is a foreign country. Jack Kerouac

Life Life Is A Country Foreign Foreign Country

Avoid the world, it's just a lot of dust and drag and means nothing in the end. Jack Kerouac

World Dust Nothing Lot End Just In The End Means Avoid Drag

Offer them what they secretly want and they of course immediately become panic-stricken. Jack Kerouac

Become Secretly Immediately Course Offer Want Them

Nothing is more desirable than to be released from an affliction, but nothing is more frightening than to be divested of a crutch. James Baldwin

Affliction Nothing Released More Crutch Than Frightening Desirable

But the relationship of morality and power is a very subtle one. Because ultimately power without morality is no longer power. James Baldwin

Relationship Power Morality Longer Because Without Ultimately Very Subtle

Everybody's journey is individual. If you fall in love with a boy, you fall in love with a boy. The fact that many Americans consider it a disease says more about them than it does about homosexuality. James Baldwin

Love Journey You Fall Everybody Consider Says About More Fact Individual Boy Does Than American Disease Them Many Homosexuality

Be careful what you set your heart upon - for it will surely be yours. James Baldwin

You Heart Will Be Careful Surely Your Yours Set Careful

The reason people think it's important to be white is that they think it's important not to be black. James Baldwin

People Black Important White Think Reason

I am tomorrow, or some future day, what I establish today. I am today what I established yesterday or some previous day. James Joyce

Today Future Day Tomorrow Yesterday Some Previous Am Establish Established

Whatever else is unsure in this stinking dunghill of a world a mother's love is not. James Joyce

Love Family Love Is World Mother Whatever Else Unsure Stinking

I like to see life with its teeth out. Janet Frame

Life Teeth Out See Like

Memories, even bittersweet ones, are better than nothing. Jennifer Armentrout

Memories Better Nothing Bittersweet Than Even

Sometimes, you get tired of fighting. I think you just sort of come to this realization that yes, that you will get tired, but that doesn't mean that you can give up the fight. Jesmyn Ward

Tired You Fight Sometimes Will Fighting Think Give Come Sort Up Yes Get Just Mean Realization

Professionalism in art has this difficulty: To be professional is to be dependable, to be dependable is to be predictable, and predictability is esthetically boring - an anti-virtue in a field where we hope to be astonished and startled and at some deep level refreshed. John Updike

Hope Art Refreshed Field Difficulty Astonished Boring Some Dependable Where Predictability Predictable Deep Professional Professionalism Level Startled