Quotes by Writer | Beyond Motive 14/324

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Quotes by Writer

"Language is a virus from outer space."

"Language is a virus from outer space."

William S. Burroughs, American Writer

Language, Space

9

"It is a fraud to borrow what we are unable to pay."

"It is a fraud to borrow what we are unable to pay."

Publilius Syrus, Roman Writer

9

"A small silence came between us, as precise as a picture hanging on the wall."

"A small silence came between us, as precise as a picture hanging on the wall."

Jean Stafford, American Writer

9

"I have read your book and much like it."

"I have read your book and much like it."

Moses Hadas, American Writer

9

"Nothing can be more contrary to religion and the clergy than reason and common sense."

"Nothing can be more contrary to religion and the clergy than reason and common sense."

Voltaire, French Writer

Religion, Commonsense, Nothing, Reason

9

"A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools."

"A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools."

Douglas Adams, English Writer

Design, Mistake, People, Fools

9

"I get up early in the morning, 4 o'clock, and I sit at my desk and what I do is just dream. After three or four hours, that's enough. In the afternoon, I run."

"I get up early in the morning, 4 o'clock, and I sit at my desk and what I do is just dream. After three or four hours, that's enough. In the afternoon, I run."

Haruki Murakami, Japanese Writer

Routine, Dream, Discipline

9

"Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die."

"Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die."

Gilbert K. Chesterton, English Writer

Courage, Contradiction, Desire

9

"Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don't know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!"

"Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don't know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!"

Anne Frank, German Writer

News, Potential

9

"Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly."

"Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly."

M. F. K. Fisher, American Writer

Food, Act, Being, Sharing

9

"Only by living absurdly is it possible to break out of this infinite absurdity."

"Only by living absurdly is it possible to break out of this infinite absurdity."

Julio Cortazar, Argentinian Writer

Absurdity, Infinite, Living

9

"Eroticism is assenting to life even in death."

"Eroticism is assenting to life even in death."

Georges Bataille, French Writer

9

"As for our garments, my Mother did not only delight to see us neat and cleanly, fine and gay, but rich and costly: maintaining us to the heighth of her estate, but not beyond it."

"As for our garments, my Mother did not only delight to see us neat and cleanly, fine and gay, but rich and costly: maintaining us to the heighth of her estate, but not beyond it."

Margaret Cavendish, English Writer

Family, Mother, Delight, Gay

9

"Life is like an onion: you peel off layer after layer and then you find there is nothing in it."

"Life is like an onion: you peel off layer after layer and then you find there is nothing in it."

James Huneker, American Writer

9

"It was luxuries like air conditioning that brought down the Roman Empire. With air conditioning their windows were shut, they couldn't hear the barbarians coming."

"It was luxuries like air conditioning that brought down the Roman Empire. With air conditioning their windows were shut, they couldn't hear the barbarians coming."

Garrison Keillor, American Writer

Society, Windows

9

"The writer of originality, unless dead, is always shocking, scandalous; novelty disturbs and repels."

"The writer of originality, unless dead, is always shocking, scandalous; novelty disturbs and repels."

Simone de Beauvoir, French Writer

Originality, Novelty

9

"Blue Movie was based on an idea that Stanley Kubrick had. Somebody came by one day with some porn footage."

"Blue Movie was based on an idea that Stanley Kubrick had. Somebody came by one day with some porn footage."

Terry Southern, American Writer

Creativity, Idea, Day

9

"I realized that everything important in sci-fi showed up in the magazines first. It's the proving ground for new writers and new ideas."

"I realized that everything important in sci-fi showed up in the magazines first. It's the proving ground for new writers and new ideas."

Orson Scott Card, American Writer

Creativity, Ideas, First, Writers

9

"Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public."

"Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public."

H. L. Mencken, American Writer

Reflection, Public, Taste

9

"Liberalism is a most important by-product of Rationalism, and its origins and ideology must be clearly shown."

"Liberalism is a most important by-product of Rationalism, and its origins and ideology must be clearly shown."

Francis Parker Yockey, American Writer

Politics, Ideology, Liberalism

9

"There is no such whetstone, to sharpen a good wit and encourage a will to learning, as is praise."

"There is no such whetstone, to sharpen a good wit and encourage a will to learning, as is praise."

Roger Ascham, English Writer

Learning, Praise, Will, Wit

9

"People always complain about their memories, never about their minds."

"People always complain about their memories, never about their minds."

Francois de La Rochefoucauld, French Writer

People, Memories

9

"Doyle stokes in a thousand shrewd touches with no effort at all. Wonderful."

"Doyle stokes in a thousand shrewd touches with no effort at all. Wonderful."

Rex Stout, American Writer

9

"Dr. Flint had sworn that he would make me suffer, to my last day, for this new crime against him, as he called it; and as long as he had me in his power he kept his word."

"Dr. Flint had sworn that he would make me suffer, to my last day, for this new crime against him, as he called it; and as long as he had me in his power he kept his word."

Harriet Ann Jacobs, American Writer

Power, Crime, Day, Word

9

"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea."

"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea."

Henry James, American Writer

Life, Ceremony, Tea

9

"It has, therefore, been a favorite boast of the people of Wales and Cornwall, that the original British stock flourishes in its unmixed purity only among them."

"It has, therefore, been a favorite boast of the people of Wales and Cornwall, that the original British stock flourishes in its unmixed purity only among them."

Thomas Bulfinch, American Writer

People, Favorite, Purity

9

"To know what you prefer instead of humbly saying Amen to what the world tells you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul alive."

"To know what you prefer instead of humbly saying Amen to what the world tells you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul alive."

Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish Writer

Soul, Saying, World

9

"Experience is never limited, and it is never complete; it is an immense sensibility, a kind of huge spider-web of the finest silken threads suspended in the chamber of consciousness, and catching every air-borne particle in its tissue."

"Experience is never limited, and it is never complete; it is an immense sensibility, a kind of huge spider-web of the finest silken threads suspended in the chamber of consciousness, and catching every air-borne particle in its tissue."

Henry James, American Writer

Experience, Consciousness, Sensibility

9

"Do you think that revolutions are made with rose water?"

"Do you think that revolutions are made with rose water?"

Nicolas de Chamfort, French Writer

9

"I never guess. It is a shocking habit destructive to the logical faculty."

"I never guess. It is a shocking habit destructive to the logical faculty."

Arthur Conan Doyle, British Writer

9

"Commerce flourishes by circumstances, precarious, transitory, contingent, almost as the winds and waves that bring it to our shores."

"Commerce flourishes by circumstances, precarious, transitory, contingent, almost as the winds and waves that bring it to our shores."

Charles Caleb Colton, English Writer

Circumstance, Circumstances, Commerce

9

"Deep experience is never peaceful."

"Deep experience is never peaceful."

Henry James, American Writer

Experience, Deep

9

"I teach writing courses and first of all, I teach my students what prosody is."

"I teach writing courses and first of all, I teach my students what prosody is."

Theodore Sturgeon, American Writer

Students, First, Writing

9

"People who cannot recognize a palpable absurdity are very much in the way of civilization."

"People who cannot recognize a palpable absurdity are very much in the way of civilization."

Agnes Repplier, American Writer

People, Civilization, Absurdity

9

"There is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others."

"There is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others."

Niccolo Machiavelli, Italian Writer

9

"I published in 1978 a report on dreams in the Journal of Clinical Psychology. It was the first study of its kind to demonstrate that it is possible for people to make constructive use of their dreams to improve their lives."

"I published in 1978 a report on dreams in the Journal of Clinical Psychology. It was the first study of its kind to demonstrate that it is possible for people to make constructive use of their dreams to improve their lives."

Henry Reed, English Writer

Dream, Dreams, People, First, Psychology

9

"It would be difficult to exaggerate the degree to which we are influenced by those we influence."

"It would be difficult to exaggerate the degree to which we are influenced by those we influence."

Eric Hoffer, American Writer

9

"It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets."

"It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets."

Voltaire, French Writer

Wisdom, Forbidden, Numbers, Sound

9

"Men always do leave off really thinking, when the last bit of wild animal dies in them."

"Men always do leave off really thinking, when the last bit of wild animal dies in them."

David Herbert Lawrence, English Writer

Man, Men, Thinking

9

"Ideas are, in truth, force."

"Ideas are, in truth, force."

Henry James, American Writer

Truth, Ideas, Force

9

"We want to live at any price; so we cannot burden ourselves with feelings which, though they might be ornamental enough in peace-time, would be out of place here."

"We want to live at any price; so we cannot burden ourselves with feelings which, though they might be ornamental enough in peace-time, would be out of place here."

Erich Maria Remarque, German Writer

Peace, Feelings, Burden, Want

9

"The world has always gone through periods of madness so as to advance a bit on the road to reason."

"The world has always gone through periods of madness so as to advance a bit on the road to reason."

Hermann Broch, German Writer

Progress, Madness, Reason, Road, World

9

"What I was chasing in circles must have been the tail of the darkness inside me."

"What I was chasing in circles must have been the tail of the darkness inside me."

Haruki Murakami, Japanese Writer

Struggle, Darkness, Self, Emotion, Fear

9

"Dictionaries are always fun, but not always reassuring."

"Dictionaries are always fun, but not always reassuring."

M. F. K. Fisher, American Writer

9

"If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace."

"If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace."

Thomas Paine, English Writer

Peace, Day, May, Trouble

9

"Listening to a news broadcast is like smoking a cigarette and crushing the butt in the ashtray."

"Listening to a news broadcast is like smoking a cigarette and crushing the butt in the ashtray."

Milan Kundera, Czechoslovakian Writer

Media, Listening, News, Smoking

9

"It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer."

"It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer."

E. B. White, American Writer

Friendship, Friend

9

"It is error only, and not truth, that shrinks from inquiry."

"It is error only, and not truth, that shrinks from inquiry."

Thomas Paine, English Writer

9

"Americans are far more remarkable than we give ourselves credit for. We've been so busy damning ourselves for years. We've done it all, and yet we don't take credit for it."

"Americans are far more remarkable than we give ourselves credit for. We've been so busy damning ourselves for years. We've done it all, and yet we don't take credit for it."

Ray Bradbury, American Writer

Positive, Americans, Credit, Remarkable, Years

9

"Wherever we are, it is our friends that make our world."

"Wherever we are, it is our friends that make our world."

Henry Drummond, Scottish Writer

Friendship, Friends, World

9

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