Donald Ray Pollock Quotes
'Knockemstiff' is a collection of short stories set in the holler of the same name in southern Ohio where I grew up. I tried to link the stories together through the place and some recurring characters.

Quotes to Explore
-
I used to believe I was going to live forever. And then you suddenly become aware that you're not.
-
You don't have to work hard to bring emotions. It all just comes naturally, you're there living it.
-
V-necks are great because you can get a little fat and you still look kind of good - and I like to get fat sometimes, so it's nice. I like to fluctuate between the world of skinny and fat, so V-necks suit me well.
-
I once went to one of those parties where everyone throws their car keys into the middle of the room. I don't know who got my moped, but I drove that Peugeot for years.
-
I almost took a job in Italy. It was really a great opportunity, but they didn't think I had enough international experience.
-
I live with my mum and my nan. I think I will leave eventually, but not at the moment when they look after me so well. If you came to my house, they'd make you eat something.
-
I'm not a collector. I toss things out all the time.
-
There are so many ebbs and flows in life, but when you're raising small children, your family means everything.
-
I have always enjoyed the company of women and have formed deep and long-lasting friendships with many of them.
-
So I was in America and I thought I'll stick around while I'm here and just see what happens. The next film I did was High Art, so I guess it started with a sort of vague idea but really just a fantasy.
-
I often feel like not writing! Sometimes I overcome it by just sitting there until writing happens. Sometimes I don't write, because books often need periods of percolation.
-
We began intercepting Japanese radio transmissions, which indicated the two forces were very close to each other. We found out later that we were moving in opposite directions and passed each other by 32 miles.
-
Excessive hype, bankruptcy, cash burning like autumn leaves - such is the stuff of short-selling.
-
There are so many women who contributed in a very real way in pushing for the space program during the time in which there was a lot of competition to get into space first, and to know that there were African-American women who were integral in that success is pretty phenomenal.
-
New synthetic substances - steel, concrete, glass - are actively superseding the traditional raw materials of construction.
-
I could play for the worst team if they paid the most... If the last-place team offers $200 million and the first-place team offers $10, I'm going to go for the $200-million no matter what team it was.
-
It's not like I'm starved for company - I have a few very good lady friends - but there's only a certain amount of times a woman wants to see you and never go out for dinner.
-
The utter incompetence of the U.N. is literally incomprehensible.
-
The artists who have inspired me the most in my life are the ones who have really had something to say and stand up for. That, to me, is part of being an artist-having the voice to express things that need to be verbalized and brought to light. Unfortunately, I don't think that's a priority for people, because the few artists who do have the nerve to take a stand for what they believe get shut down in a way.
-
With a 3D printer, you could build your own car, one part at a time. When you were finished, you'd have an automobile that is extremely lightweight because it is made of plastic, which is good because you'd need to carry it because it is made of plastic.
-
When parents tell their children not to congregate on corners, especially in groups, out of fear for them encountering the police, what does that say? We have a trust problem.
-
The thing is, if I try to talk about acting, I come off as moaning. But I'm privileged. I think it's all about control. Acting is vulnerable because you're not in control of anything. You have to give up a lot of your trust; it's up to somebody else what they do with what you've given them.
-
When you work on a pre-existing character, when you end up getting invited to be part of a legacy character like Superman, I don't feel like it would be true to the character if all I did was go in looking to express my own voice.
-
'Knockemstiff' is a collection of short stories set in the holler of the same name in southern Ohio where I grew up. I tried to link the stories together through the place and some recurring characters.