19487 quotes by writers for you to enjoy

Art can do the opposite of glamourise the unattainable: it can show us anew the genuine merit of life as we're forced to lead it. It is advertising for the things we really need. Alain de Botton

Life Art Unattainable Anew Lead Merit Advertising Forced Genuine Opposite Us Really Show Things Need

Growing up in a Canadian household that was more British than Big Ben, I dreamed of flying to England myself and visiting the places my family never tired of talking about. I always woke up before the plane landed. Alan Bradley

Myself Family Tired Big Before Flying Visiting Dreamed About More Never Household Talking Always Woke Up Than Canadian Places Landed Plane England Growing Growing Up British Ben

I was an early reader, and my grandmother, who as a child had been forbidden to read by a father who believed books to be frivolous time-wasters, delighted in putting her favorite volumes into her grandchildren's hands. Alan Bradley

The dedication of Don Winslow's novel 'The Cartel' is nearly two pages long: a list of journalists who were either murdered or 'disappeared' in Mexico between 2004 and 2012 - the period covered in this hugely hypnotic new thriller. Alan Cheuse

Former Dublin newsman Paul Lynch made his debut as a novelist a few years ago with a book called 'Red Sky in Morning,' set in mid-19th century County Donegal, where a rage-driven farmer has committed a murder with devastating results. Alan Cheuse

In 'Shadow Tag,' Erdrich creates scenes from a fictional marriage, that of two American Indians, Irene and her painter husband Gil, that suggest some of the worst psychological torments and stresses of real life. Alan Cheuse

I wish - I wish instead of just recommending these books, I could set them down at your doorstep. The collected stories of John Updike, the second volume of T.C. Boyle's collected stories, and Stanley Crouch's book about the rise and times of our genius saxophone player Charlie Parker. These are deep books, books that you can get lost in. Alan Cheuse

You Book Genius Wish Lost Down Our Books Saxophone Collected John Charlie Charlie Parker About Rise Crouch Parker Could Volume Instead Times Get Just Stories Doorstep Them Your Deep Stanley Player Second Set

Sad to think that we won't have any new stories from John Updike, one of the last century's masters. But so many here in the two volumes of his collected stories, 186 by my count, stories to read, reread, savor over the course of a cold season. Updike's genius in the short form spills out of these many, many pages. Alan Cheuse

Sad Genius Think Cold Savor Out Collected John Count Volumes Over New Read Course Masters His Any Short Form Stories Century Pages Many Season Here Last Two

Since both its national products, snow and chocolate, melt, the cuckoo clock was invented solely in order to give tourists something solid to remember it by. Alan Coren

Remember National Solely Solid Melt Give Something Invented Both Tourists Since Cuckoo Clock Snow Order Chocolate Products

And the thing that I always tried to do with important singers when I met them was to sit down and record everything they knew, give them a first real run-through of their art. Alan Lomax

Art First Important Met Sit Down Everything Tried Record Give Knew Singers Always Real Them Thing

I knew Bobby Dylan back in the days when he lived in the village. He used to come and see me and sing songs for me, saying they ought to go into my next collected book on American folk music. Alan Lomax

Music Saying Me Book Ought Back Collected Folk Folk Music See Songs He Knew Days Come Sing Go American Dylan Bobby Next Used Village Lived

He learned through the way that my father and I felt about his songs, his country songs, that they were great songs. And then he went out and sang them for the audiences that we found, and he found a tremendous reaction to that. Alan Lomax

You could hear him, literally, half a mile away when he opened up. He was at his peak then. He was, naturally, dying to get out of the place he was in, and he recorded for us his appeal for pardon to the governor. Alan Lomax

You Half Out Pardon Recorded Could He Opened Him Hear His Governor Up Get Literally Dying Place Then Us Mile Naturally Appeal Away Peak

Every film is a remake of a previous film, or a remake of a television series that everyone loved in the 1960s, or a remake of a television series that everyone hated in the 1960s. Or it's a theme park ride; it will soon come to breakfast cereal mascots. Alan Moore

If you give me a typewriter and I'm having a good day, I can write a scene that will astonish its readers. That will perhaps make them laugh, perhaps make them cry - that will have some emotional clout to it. It doesn't cost much to do that. Alan Moore

Good Day Me You Good Day Will Typewriter Astonish Laugh Some Cost Give Give Me Having Scene Write Emotional Perhaps Cry Make Readers Clout Them Much

I like Jacques Derrida; I think he's funny. I like my philosophy with a few jokes and puns. I know that that offends other philosophers; they think he's not taking things seriously, but he comes up with some marvellous puns. Why shouldn't you have a bit of fun while dealing with the deepest issues of the mind? Alan Moore

Funny You Jokes Seriously Mind Few Think Other Philosophers Philosophy Bit Puns Some Marvellous He Taking Like Know Dealing Issues Up Offends Jacques While Fun Why Deepest Things

Way back in the day, when I first started and had delusions of adequacy as a cartoonist, I would listen to music. When I switched to a career as a writer, I would try to listen to music, but if the songs had lyrics they would get in the way of the words I was trying to write. So I switched to listening to purely instrumental pieces. Alan Moore

Music Day Words Try Listening First Back Lyrics Way Adequacy Would Cartoonist Purely Write Writer Had Songs Delusions Pieces Instrumental Get Trying Listen Switched Started Career

I don't think any of us grew up into the world we were hoping for or expecting. Alan Moore

World Think Hoping Were Up Expecting Any Grew Us

When alchemists were talking about turning lead to gold, they were talking about turning a leaden consciousness, which most of us exist in during our lives, into a golden consciousness, which is a much better place to be. Alan Moore

Better Our Our Lives About Better Place Lead Most Talking Were Exist Gold Golden Place Which Us Much Turning Lives Consciousness

I really can't be bothered going to a barber. And shaving every morning, that's nightmarish. I spent my teenage years covered in tiny little bits of toilet paper. Alan Moore

Morning Every Teenage Teenage Years Paper Spent Bits Bothered Shaving Covered Years Going Tiny Little Barber Really Toilet Toilet Paper

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