Quotes by Writer | Beyond Motive 2/436

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Quotes by Writer

"Things will be very bad for Latin America. You only have to consider the ambitions and the doctrines of the empire, which regards this region as its backyard."

"Things will be very bad for Latin America. You only have to consider the ambitions and the doctrines of the empire, which regards this region as its backyard."

Jose Saramago, Portuguese Writer

Character, America, Will

196

"It would have shown people that I was prepared to do that kind of work, although I find myself in a position now where I don't really need to and I could pick and choose the kind of characters I'd like to do."

"It would have shown people that I was prepared to do that kind of work, although I find myself in a position now where I don't really need to and I could pick and choose the kind of characters I'd like to do."

Garth Ennis, Irish Writer

Work, People, Now

196

"It is difficult to understand these people who democratically take part in elections and a referendum, but are then incapable of democratically accepting the will of the people."

"It is difficult to understand these people who democratically take part in elections and a referendum, but are then incapable of democratically accepting the will of the people."

Jose Saramago, Portuguese Writer

People, Elections, Will

196

"I think for a lot of so-called post-colonial peoples, there's a feeling of not being quite legitimate, of not being pure enough."

"I think for a lot of so-called post-colonial peoples, there's a feeling of not being quite legitimate, of not being pure enough."

Jessica Hagedorn, Filipino Writer

Being, Feeling, Post

195

"If you can't pay for a thing, don't buy it. If you can't get paid for it, don't sell it. Do this, and you will have calm and drowsy nights, with all of the good business you have now and none of the bad. If you have time, don't wait for time."

"If you can't pay for a thing, don't buy it. If you can't get paid for it, don't sell it. Do this, and you will have calm and drowsy nights, with all of the good business you have now and none of the bad. If you have time, don't wait for time."

Ernst Fischer, Austrian Writer

Business, Time, Now, Will

193

"I don't know what issues concerning identity have helped contemporary fiction evolve to what it is now. All I know is that the range of voices that are being heard and published is a lot more diverse than when I was coming up."

"I don't know what issues concerning identity have helped contemporary fiction evolve to what it is now. All I know is that the range of voices that are being heard and published is a lot more diverse than when I was coming up."

Jessica Hagedorn, Filipino Writer

Being, Fiction, Identity, Now

193

"You will never win if you never begin."

"You will never win if you never begin."

Helen Rowland, American Writer

193

"The youth is the hope of our future."

"The youth is the hope of our future."

Jose Rizal, Filipino Writer

Hope, Future, Youth

191

"The key factor is whether the agent is a member of the Association of Authors' Representatives, which screens its members and requires them to uphold a Canon of Ethics."

"The key factor is whether the agent is a member of the Association of Authors' Representatives, which screens its members and requires them to uphold a Canon of Ethics."

Richard Curtis, New Zealander Writer

Publishing, Ethics, Key, Newzealander

190

"For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move."

"For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move."

Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish Writer

189

"Is not the whole world a vast house of assignation of which the filing system has been lost?"

"Is not the whole world a vast house of assignation of which the filing system has been lost?"

Quentin Crisp, English Writer

188

"Courts of law, and all the paraphernalia and folly of law cannot be found in a rational state of society."

"Courts of law, and all the paraphernalia and folly of law cannot be found in a rational state of society."

Robert Owen, Welsh Writer

Society, Folly, Law, State

186

"I didn't want the headache of having a publisher reviewing everything I wrote in advance."

"I didn't want the headache of having a publisher reviewing everything I wrote in advance."

Mark Millar, Scottish Writer

184

"A promise is a direction taken, a self-limitation of choice. As Odo pointed out, if no direction is taken, if one goes nowhere, no change will occur. One's freedom to choose and to change will be unused, exactly as if one were in jail, a jail of one's own building, a maze in which no one way is better than any other."

"A promise is a direction taken, a self-limitation of choice. As Odo pointed out, if no direction is taken, if one goes nowhere, no change will occur. One's freedom to choose and to change will be unused, exactly as if one were in jail, a jail of one's own building, a maze in which no one way is better than any other."

Ursula K. Le Guin, American Writer

Freedom, Promise, Choice, Direction

184

"I was born in ancient times, at the end of the world, in a patriarchal Catholic and conservative family. No wonder that by age five I was a raging feminist - although the term had not reached Chile yet, so nobody knew what the heck was wrong with me."

"I was born in ancient times, at the end of the world, in a patriarchal Catholic and conservative family. No wonder that by age five I was a raging feminist - although the term had not reached Chile yet, so nobody knew what the heck was wrong with me."

Isabel Allende, Chilean Writer

Age, Family, Conservative, End

184

"Simplicity, clarity, singleness: These are the attributes that give our lives power and vividness and joy as they are also the marks of great art. They seem to be the purpose of God for his whole creation."

"Simplicity, clarity, singleness: These are the attributes that give our lives power and vividness and joy as they are also the marks of great art. They seem to be the purpose of God for his whole creation."

Richard Holloway, Scottish Writer

Power, Art, God, Purpose

184

"Knowledge has outstripped character development, and the young today are given an education rather than an upbringing."

"Knowledge has outstripped character development, and the young today are given an education rather than an upbringing."

Ilya Ehrenburg, Ukrainian Writer

Education, Knowledge, Development, Character

183

"I'm preparing for a multimedia theater piece, Airport Music, that's coming up in New York City."

"I'm preparing for a multimedia theater piece, Airport Music, that's coming up in New York City."

Jessica Hagedorn, Filipino Writer

183

"Abstention means you stayed at home or went to the beach. By casting a blank vote, you're saying you have a political conscience but you don't agree with any of the existing parties."

"Abstention means you stayed at home or went to the beach. By casting a blank vote, you're saying you have a political conscience but you don't agree with any of the existing parties."

Jose Saramago, Portuguese Writer

Home, Beach, Conscience, Saying

179

"The voice of conscience is so delicate that it is easy to stifle it; but it is also so clear that it is impossible to mistake it."

"The voice of conscience is so delicate that it is easy to stifle it; but it is also so clear that it is impossible to mistake it."

Madame de Stael, French Writer

Mistake, Conscience, Voice

179

"Conceit causes more conversation than wit."

"Conceit causes more conversation than wit."

Francois de La Rochefoucauld, French Writer

Cause, Causes, Conceit, Conversation, Wit

179

"You could cover the whole earth with asphalt, but sooner or later green grass would break through."

"You could cover the whole earth with asphalt, but sooner or later green grass would break through."

Ilya Ehrenburg, Ukrainian Writer

179

"It is reality that awakens possibilities, and nothing would be more perverse than to deny it."

"It is reality that awakens possibilities, and nothing would be more perverse than to deny it."

Robert Musil, Austrian Writer

Nothing, Possibilities, Reality

179

"Peace goes into the making of a poem as flour goes into the making of bread."

"Peace goes into the making of a poem as flour goes into the making of bread."

Pablo Neruda, Chilean Writer

179

"Relativism is neither a method of fighting, nor a method of creating, for both of these are uncompromising and at times even ruthless; rather, it is a method of cognition."

"Relativism is neither a method of fighting, nor a method of creating, for both of these are uncompromising and at times even ruthless; rather, it is a method of cognition."

Karel Capek, Czechoslovakian Writer

Fight, Fighting

176

"Women are oppressed in the east, in the west, in the south, in the north. Women are oppressed inside, outside home, a woman is oppressed in religion, she is oppressed outside religion."

"Women are oppressed in the east, in the west, in the south, in the north. Women are oppressed inside, outside home, a woman is oppressed in religion, she is oppressed outside religion."

Taslima Nasrin, Bangladeshi Writer

Religion, Women, Home, Woman

176

"Everything in the world has its reasons for doing what it does. The wind has its reasons. We just don't notice as we go about our lives. But then, at some point, we are made to notice. The wind envelops you with a certain purpose in mind, and it rocks you. The wind knows everything that's inside you. And not just the wind. Everything, including a stone. They all know us very well. From top to bottom. It only occurs to us at certain times. And all we can do is go with those things. As we take them in, we survive, and deepen."

"Everything in the world has its reasons for doing what it does. The wind has its reasons. We just don't notice as we go about our lives. But then, at some point, we are made to notice. The wind envelops you with a certain purpose in mind, and it rocks you. The wind knows everything that's inside you. And not just the wind. Everything, including a stone. They all know us very well. From top to bottom. It only occurs to us at certain times. And all we can do is go with those things. As we take them in, we survive, and deepen."

Haruki Murakami, Japanese Writer

Nature, Reason, Purpose, Survival

176

"A child learns to discard his ideals, whereas a grown-up never wears out his short pants."

"A child learns to discard his ideals, whereas a grown-up never wears out his short pants."

Karl Kraus, Austrian Writer

Childhood, Ideals

175

"Superstition is to religion what astrology is to astronomy the mad daughter of a wise mother. These daughters have too long dominated the earth."

"Superstition is to religion what astrology is to astronomy the mad daughter of a wise mother. These daughters have too long dominated the earth."

Voltaire, French Writer

Religion, Mother, Daughter, Astrology

175

"Experience is the cane of the blind."

"Experience is the cane of the blind."

Jacques Roumain, Haitian Writer

Experience, Blind

175

"A mind lively and at ease, can do with seeing nothing, and can see nothing that does not answer."

"A mind lively and at ease, can do with seeing nothing, and can see nothing that does not answer."

Jane Austen, British Writer

175

"I had no books at home. I started to frequent a public library in Lisbon. It was there, with no help except curiosity and the will to learn, that my taste for reading developed and was refined."

"I had no books at home. I started to frequent a public library in Lisbon. It was there, with no help except curiosity and the will to learn, that my taste for reading developed and was refined."

Jose Saramago, Portuguese Writer

Home, Books, Curiosity, Help

174

"If you are killed because you are a writer, that's the maximum expression of respect, you know."

"If you are killed because you are a writer, that's the maximum expression of respect, you know."

Mario Vargas Llosa, Peruvian Writer

Expression, Respect

174

"It is a useless life that is not consecrated to a great ideal. It is like a stone wasted on the field without becoming a part of any edifice."

"It is a useless life that is not consecrated to a great ideal. It is like a stone wasted on the field without becoming a part of any edifice."

Jose Rizal, Filipino Writer

174

"Idealism is like a castle in the air if it is not based on a solid foundation of social and political realism."

"Idealism is like a castle in the air if it is not based on a solid foundation of social and political realism."

Claude McKay, Jamaican Writer

Idealism, Realism

173

"I can promise you that women working together - linked, informed and educated - can bring peace and prosperity to this forsaken planet."

"I can promise you that women working together - linked, informed and educated - can bring peace and prosperity to this forsaken planet."

Isabel Allende, Chilean Writer

Peace, Women, Promise, Prosperity

173

"I tend to turn down books originally published as e-books. As for selling books directly to e-book publishers, I would do so only if all traditional publishers had turned them down."

"I tend to turn down books originally published as e-books. As for selling books directly to e-book publishers, I would do so only if all traditional publishers had turned them down."

Richard Curtis, New Zealander Writer

Selling, Books, Newzealander

173

"The studios have been taken over by marketing people and accountants."

"The studios have been taken over by marketing people and accountants."

Joe Eszterhas, Hungarian Writer

People, Marketing

172

"When old people speak it is not because of the sweetness of words in our mouths; it is because we see something which you do not see."

"When old people speak it is not because of the sweetness of words in our mouths; it is because we see something which you do not see."

Chinua Achebe, Nigerian Writer

People, Old, Sweetness, Words

172

"Every time I flicked channels, there I was, talking. I was talking too much and writing too little. So Naomi and I went to Hawaii. The phone was cut off and we lost touch. This gave me the chance to have a good think about my life."

"Every time I flicked channels, there I was, talking. I was talking too much and writing too little. So Naomi and I went to Hawaii. The phone was cut off and we lost touch. This gave me the chance to have a good think about my life."

Joe Eszterhas, Hungarian Writer

Life, Time, Chance, Talking

171

"I just wanted to make sure that what I write is what appears on screen, to not have some idiot change it on its way to the screen."

"I just wanted to make sure that what I write is what appears on screen, to not have some idiot change it on its way to the screen."

Joe Eszterhas, Hungarian Writer

171

"Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy."

"Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy."

Milan Kundera, Czechoslovakian Writer

Ambition, Poor, Sense

171

"To torture a man you have to know his pleasures."

"To torture a man you have to know his pleasures."

Stanislaw Lem, Polish Writer

171

"Writing a book is a very lonely business. You are totally cut off from the rest of the world, submerged in your obsessions and memories."

"Writing a book is a very lonely business. You are totally cut off from the rest of the world, submerged in your obsessions and memories."

Mario Vargas Llosa, Peruvian Writer

Business, Lonely, Memories, Obsessions

171

"My identity is linked to my grandmother, who's pure Filipino, as pure as you can probably get. And that shaped my imagination. So that's how I identify."

"My identity is linked to my grandmother, who's pure Filipino, as pure as you can probably get. And that shaped my imagination. So that's how I identify."

Jessica Hagedorn, Filipino Writer

Imagination, Identity

170

"The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea."

"The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea."

Isak Dinesen, Danish Writer

Cure, Sea, Tears

169

"All the world old is queer save thee and me, and even thou art a little queer."

"All the world old is queer save thee and me, and even thou art a little queer."

Robert Owen, Welsh Writer

Art, Old, World

169

"Only when you are lost can love find itself in you without losing its way."

"Only when you are lost can love find itself in you without losing its way."

Helene Cixous, Algerian Writer

168

"Night was running ahead of itself."

"Night was running ahead of itself."

Jorge Amado, Brazilian Writer

168

"The ideal reasoner, he remarked, would, when he had once been shown a single fact in all its bearings, deduce from it not only all the chain of events which led up to it but also all the results which would follow from it."

"The ideal reasoner, he remarked, would, when he had once been shown a single fact in all its bearings, deduce from it not only all the chain of events which led up to it but also all the results which would follow from it."

Arthur Conan Doyle, British Writer

Events, Fact, Results

168

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