The Great Writers' Quote Thread

Discussion in 'General Writing' started by Lucas, Aug 5, 2013.

  1. Selbbin

    Selbbin The Moderating Cat Staff Contributor Contest Winner 2023

    Joined:
    Oct 16, 2012
    Messages:
    5,160
    Likes Received:
    4,243
    Location:
    Australia
    This sums it up for me:

    “Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand.”
    —George Orwell
     
  2. Selbbin

    Selbbin The Moderating Cat Staff Contributor Contest Winner 2023

    Joined:
    Oct 16, 2012
    Messages:
    5,160
    Likes Received:
    4,243
    Location:
    Australia
    “When writing a novel a writer should create living people; people, not characters. A character is a caricature.”
    —Ernest Hemingway
     
  3. outsider

    outsider Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2012
    Messages:
    997
    Likes Received:
    641
    Location:
    Glasgow, Scotland
    'I enjoy the freedom of the blank page.' - Irvine Welsh.
     
    Krispee, Rani99 and Oscar Leigh like this.
  4. DeadMoon

    DeadMoon The light side of the dark side Contributor

    Joined:
    Dec 7, 2014
    Messages:
    817
    Likes Received:
    519
    Location:
    fargo, ND
    I represent to you all the sins you have never had the courage to commit. -Oscar Wilde
     
    Oscar Leigh and Lifeline like this.
  5. Jack Asher

    Jack Asher Banned Contributor

    Joined:
    Sep 4, 2013
    Messages:
    3,545
    Likes Received:
    2,083
    Location:
    Denver
    Call. Oscar Wilde never ate anyone.
     
    SethLoki and Oscar Leigh like this.
  6. Buttered Toast

    Buttered Toast Active Member

    Joined:
    May 22, 2016
    Messages:
    109
    Likes Received:
    68
    I'm not sure if he is a great writer but a quote from 'The Highest' Buddhist Wisdom 'when you become enlightened, when your good deeds overcome bad, you will illuminate the world as the moon does when it breaks free from the clouds'
     
    Komposten likes this.
  7. jonahmann

    jonahmann Active Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2014
    Messages:
    119
    Likes Received:
    44
    Location:
    Australia
    GENE SISKEL
    Any topic can be done well.
     
    Oscar Leigh likes this.
  8. joeh1234

    joeh1234 Active Member

    Joined:
    Jun 10, 2016
    Messages:
    138
    Likes Received:
    93
    There is a lot of pages to go through hear, so not sure if someone else has said it but Hunter S Thompson is one of my favourite writers. And I initially thought the writers quotes was quotes from his books as I was going to post one from fear and loathing about a watermark where the wave broke. But as it is about writers on writing heres one from HST
    “As things stand now, I am going to be a writer. I'm not sure that I'm going to be a good one or even a self-supporting one, but until the dark thumb of fate presses me to the dust and says 'you are nothing', I will be a writer.”
     
  9. PBNJDraftNumbA

    PBNJDraftNumbA Member

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2016
    Messages:
    95
    Likes Received:
    51
    "I think people become consumed with selling a book when they need to be consumed with writing it."
    Ann Patchett
    Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/writing.html
     
    Krispee and Oscar Leigh like this.
  10. rider1046

    rider1046 New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2016
    Messages:
    4
    Likes Received:
    10
    Location:
    SE Missouri
    "Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere." - Anne Lamott

    "Don't worry. You'll figure it out - you always do. Just keep writing." - Don't know who said this but I have it posted over my desk, along with the quote from Anne Lamott.
     
  11. bonijean2

    bonijean2 Ancient Artists And Storytellers Rock

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2016
    Messages:
    244
    Likes Received:
    132
    Location:
    Pacific Northwest USA
    Writing is an exploration. You start with nothing and learn as you go.

    E.L. Doctorow
     
  12. Iain Aschendale

    Iain Aschendale Lying, dog-faced pony Marine Supporter Contributor

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2015
    Messages:
    18,851
    Likes Received:
    35,471
    Location:
    Face down in the dirt
    Currently Reading::
    Telemachus Sneezed
    I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me.
    Hunter S. Thompson
     
    Oscar Leigh and joeh1234 like this.
  13. halisme

    halisme Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Mar 18, 2015
    Messages:
    1,772
    Likes Received:
    1,230
    "Your first draft is just you telling the story to yourself." Terry Pratchett
     
    Krispee, GingerCoffee and Oscar Leigh like this.
  14. Oscar Leigh

    Oscar Leigh Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2016
    Messages:
    8,496
    Likes Received:
    5,120
    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    Link's quote in my sig about characters. He's pretty great.:D
     
  15. Kanine

    Kanine Member

    Joined:
    Jan 15, 2017
    Messages:
    36
    Likes Received:
    7
    Location:
    Pennsylvania, USA
    'Normal is just a word for people who are too afraid to be themselves'
     
    Krispee likes this.
  16. minstrel

    minstrel Leader of the Insquirrelgency Supporter Contributor

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2010
    Messages:
    10,742
    Likes Received:
    9,991
    Location:
    Near Sedro Woolley, Washington
    Please cite the source of the quote. It's one of our rules.

    The rule states "Small sections of copyrighted material may be posted when you cite the original author (fair use) or when it is used with the authors permission."
     
  17. Selbbin

    Selbbin The Moderating Cat Staff Contributor Contest Winner 2023

    Joined:
    Oct 16, 2012
    Messages:
    5,160
    Likes Received:
    4,243
    Location:
    Australia
    “Hey baby, when I write, I’m the hero of my shit.” - Charles Bukowski
     
    Oscar Leigh likes this.
  18. No-Name Slob

    No-Name Slob Member Supporter Contributor

    Joined:
    Jun 3, 2015
    Messages:
    1,272
    Likes Received:
    984
    Location:
    Dallas, Texas
    "Beware of the man who works hard to learn something, learns it, and finds himself no wiser than before."

    - Kurt Vonnegut
     
    Oscar Leigh likes this.
  19. Kanine

    Kanine Member

    Joined:
    Jan 15, 2017
    Messages:
    36
    Likes Received:
    7
    Location:
    Pennsylvania, USA
    Sorry, that's a quote I came up with
     
    Oscar Leigh likes this.
  20. Krispee

    Krispee Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2012
    Messages:
    1,430
    Likes Received:
    1,145
    Location:
    UK
    Another way to put this is: Normal is a word that people use to make you act just like they do.

    I like this one:
    “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.”
    Douglas Adams, The Salmon of Doubt
     
    Bill Chester and Komposten like this.
  21. Albeit

    Albeit Active Member

    Joined:
    Aug 29, 2016
    Messages:
    208
    Likes Received:
    177
    Location:
    Montreal, Québec
    I may have posted one of these quotes somewhere else on WF, but I have been informed that the www is a big place. So here goes :

    "I'll personally bull whip the first bastard who makes fun of human hopelessness."

    Jack Kerouac


    "Being human is a useless passion."

    Jean-Paul Satre


    "Live existentially asshole."

    Me, upon waking up suddenly after a horrific nightmare one morning at 23.

    So ok, I will admit that quotes about the human condition always make me tremble and stop in my tracks when I get all caught up (i.e. lose myself) in a generally mindless regular dumb ass routine. Long live stopping in your tracks.
     
    Last edited: Jan 18, 2017
    Krispee, Oscar Leigh and Kanine like this.
  22. outsider

    outsider Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2012
    Messages:
    997
    Likes Received:
    641
    Location:
    Glasgow, Scotland
    'In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act' - George Orwell
    Strikes a particular resonance in these turbulent political times, I think.
     
    Oscar Leigh, jannert and Cave Troll like this.
  23. Arcadeus

    Arcadeus Senior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 29, 2016
    Messages:
    335
    Likes Received:
    244
  24. Danish Anwer

    Danish Anwer New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2017
    Messages:
    9
    Likes Received:
    8
    Location:
    Karachi
    Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dream.
    Paulo Coelho

    Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love. Rumi
     
    jannert and Oscar Leigh like this.
  25. Genghis McCann

    Genghis McCann Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2015
    Messages:
    136
    Likes Received:
    97
    Location:
    Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
    Appropriate for our time:

    "In war, the truth is so precious that it must be attended by a bodyguard of lies."
    - Winston Churchill

    Good to remember if you're writing about armed conflicts.
     

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice