Quotes by Novelists

When writing a novel a writer should create living people; people not characters. A character is a caricature. Ernest Hemingway
Character People Writing Living Caricature Characters Writer Create Should Novel
His talent was as natural as the pattern that was made by the dust on a butterfly's wings. At one time he understood it no more than the butterfly did and he did not know when it was brushed or marred. Ernest Hemingway
Time Natural Made Dust One Time More Wings He Talent Know Understood His Than Did Pattern Butterfly
I know war as few other men now living know it, and nothing to me is more revolting. I have long advocated its complete abolition, as its very destructiveness on both friend and foe has rendered it useless as a method of settling international disputes. Ernest Hemingway
War Me Men Long Few Nothing Living Other Settling Complete Foe Destructiveness Abolition More Both Know Rendered Method Friend Very Revolting Useless International Now Disputes
Fear of death increases in exact proportion to increase in wealth. Ernest Hemingway
Death Wealth Fear Increase Increases Exact Proportion
Wars are caused by undefended wealth. Ernest Hemingway
War Wealth Caused Wars
In the fight between you and the world, back the world. Franz Kafka
You Fight World Back Between
The mediation by the serpent was necessary. Evil can seduce man, but cannot become man. Franz Kafka
Man Evil Become Seduce Cannot Serpent Mediation Necessary Necessary Evil
Atlas was permitted the opinion that he was at liberty, if he wished, to drop the Earth and creep away; but this opinion was all that he was permitted. Franz Kafka
Liberty Drop Earth Atlas He Wished Opinion Permitted Away Creep
It is not necessary that you leave the house. Remain at your table and listen. Do not even listen, only wait. Do not even wait, be wholly still and alone. The world will present itself to you for its unmasking, it can do no other, in ecstasy it will writhe at your feet. Franz Kafka
Alone You World Wait Will Other Table Only Remain Feet Ecstasy House Still Leave Itself Listen Your Even Wholly Present Necessary
There are things which a man is afraid to tell even to himself, and every decent man has a number of such things stored away in his mind. Fyodor Dostoevsky
Man Fear Mind Every Tell Himself His Decent Afraid Decent Man Stored Which Such Things Even Away Things Number
Realists do not fear the results of their study. Fyodor Dostoevsky
Fear Results Study Realists
A real gentleman, even if he loses everything he owns, must show no emotion. Money must be so far beneath a gentleman that it is hardly worth troubling about. Fyodor Dostoevsky
Money Worth Gentleman Beneath Everything Must About Emotion Troubling He Real Loses Owns Far Show Even Hardly
A novel is a work of poetry. In order to write it, one must have tranquility of spirit and of impression. Fyodor Dostoevsky
Work Must Spirit Poetry Write Impression Tranquility Order Novel
She discovered with great delight that one does not love one's children just because they are one's children but because of the friendship formed while raising them. Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Love Friendship Great Delight She Because Does Discovered Just Children Just Because Formed While Them Raising
Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths pure theatre. Gail Godwin
Education Good Theatre Pure Preparation Teaching
For the man sound of body and serene of mind there is no such thing as bad weather; every day has its beauty, and storms which whip the blood do but make it pulse more vigorously. George Gissing
Day Man Every Day Mind Weather Beauty Every Pulse Bad More Bad Weather Make Sound Blood Storms Which Whip Body Serene Thing
To have what we want is riches; but to be able to do without is power. George MacDonald
Power Able Without Want Riches
Walmart's period of explosive growth coincided with decades of wage stagnation and deindustrialization. By applying relentless downward pressure on prices and wages, the company came to dominate both consumer spending and employment in small towns and rural areas across the middle of the country. George Packer
Pressure Country Spending Relentless Rural Rural Areas Small Both Area Prices Consumer Small Towns Towns Period Employment Wage Wages Came Dominate Decades Walmart Middle Stagnation Across Explosive Company Downward Growth Applying
Women love always: when earth slips from them, they take refuge in heaven. George Sand
Love Women Earth Slips Take Always Love Always Refuge Heaven Them
He who draws noble delights from sentiments of poetry is a true poet, though he has never written a line in all his life. George Sand
Life Poet Though Draws Poetry Delights Never He Written Noble True True Poet Line His Sentiments Who
Faith is an excitement and an enthusiasm: it is a condition of intellectual magnificence to which we must cling as to a treasure, and not squander on our way through life in the small coin of empty words, or in exact and priggish argument. George Sand
Life Faith Words Enthusiasm Argument Our Way Must Exact Small Magnificence Through Excitement Empty Cling Condition Intellectual Squander Which Treasure Coin
The beauty that addresses itself to the eyes is only the spell of the moment; the eye of the body is not always that of the soul. George Sand
Soul Eyes Beauty Spell Address Eye Only Always Itself Body Moment
One changes from day to day, and... after a few years have passed one has completely altered. George Sand
Day Few Changes Day-To-Day Altered Passed Years After
As for civil liberties, any one who is not vigilant may one day find himself living, if not in a police state, at least in a police city. Gore Vidal
Day Police Living State Liberties One Day City Find Civil Civil Liberties Police State Himself Least Any May Vigilant Who
Write something, even if it's just a suicide note. Gore Vidal
Suicide Something Write Just Note Even
The unfed mind devours itself. Gore Vidal
Mind Itself
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