Quotes by Novelists

My teacher Tom Spanbauer, the man who got me started writing in his workshop, used to say: 'Writers write because they weren't invited to a party.' That always struck so true, and people always nod their heads when they hear that. Especially writers. Chuck Palahniuk

Teacher Me Man People Writing Party Say Struck Write Writers True Invited Nod Heads Because Always Got Were Hear His Used Who Workshop Tom Started

To be honest, I hate silence. Chuck Palahniuk

Silence Hate To Be Honest Honest

The only difference between suicide and martyrdom is press coverage. Chuck Palahniuk

Suicide Press Only Martyrdom Only Difference Between Coverage Difference

Your birth is a mistake you'll spend your whole life trying to correct. Chuck Palahniuk

Life You Mistake Birth Spend Correct Trying Your Whole

Place and displacement have always been central for me. A type of insecurity goes with that: you are always following the cues, like learning the dance steps when the dance is already under way. Claire Messud

Me You Learning Dance Insecurity Type Way Following Steps Like Always Been Goes Place Central Displacement

I live in words. I like looking at things, but I don't have a strong visual imagination. Colm Toibin

Words Strong Looking Live Imagination Visual Like Things

I have a good poker face because I am half-dead inside. Colson Whitehead

Good Face Inside Poker Because Am

Traveling is seeing; it is the implicit that we travel by. Cynthia Ozick

Travel Seeing Implicit Traveling

I feel as much of a stud as... I can't come up with a metaphor. That's how lacking in studliness I am. Dan Wakefield

Stud Feel Come How Am Metaphor Up Lacking Much

Most people associate reading with laying on the beach. They don't see that it's crucial for a democracy! David Baldacci

Democracy People Reading See Beach Laying Crucial Most Associate

I've never flown a kite. David Benioff

Kite Never Flown

It was an instinct to put the world in order that powered her mending split infinitives and snipping off dangling participles, smoothing away the knots and bumps until the prose before her took on a sheen, like perfect caramel. David Leavitt

World Before Took Mending Perfect Split Put Prose Powered Instinct Like Knots Until Sheen Off Bumps Order Away Her

Witches are the kind of more traditional, home and family, craft people - so they're the ones who are making things; crocheting shawls and things like that. But then they also have that slightly confident, dangerous, edge. I always see them as having very extreme hair, either amazingly beautiful straight hair or kind of wild. Deborah Harkness

Beautiful Home Family People Dangerous Hair Edge Wild Extreme Slightly Kind See Having More Like Witches Also Always Making Traditional Amazingly Very Craft Confident Either Straight Them Then Who Things

The priceless galaxy of misinformation called the mind. Djuna Barnes

Mind Priceless Misinformation Galaxy

I quit my job just to quit. I didn't quit my job to write fiction. I just didn't want to work anymore. Don DeLillo

Work Job Write Quit Just Want Anymore Fiction

Sometimes you can do all the right things and not succeed. And that's a hard lesson of reality. Donna Tartt

You Reality Sometimes Lesson Right Things Succeed Hard Hard Lesson Right Things

The fact is we can only love what we know personally. And we cannot know much. In public affairs, in the rebuilding of civilization, something less dramatic and emotional is needed, namely tolerance. E. M. Forster

So, two cheers for Democracy: one because it admits variety and two because it permits criticism. E. M. Forster

Democracy Criticism Admit Variety Cheers Because Permits Two

We are willing enough to praise freedom when she is safely tucked away in the past and cannot be a nuisance. In the present, amidst dangers whose outcome we cannot foresee, we get nervous about her, and admit censorship. E. M. Forster

Freedom Censorship Nervous Past Enough Dangers We Cannot Willing Outcome Admit About She Safely Praise Foresee Get Tucked In The Past Cannot Amidst Whose Away Her Present Nuisance

Most quarrels are inevitable at the time; incredible afterwards. E. M. Forster

Time Inevitable Incredible Most Quarrels Afterwards

Two cheers for Democracy; one because it admits variety, and two because it permits criticism. E. M. Forster

Democracy Criticism Admit Variety Cheers Because Permits Two