John Irving Quotes
Watch out for people who call themselves religious; make sure you know what they mean-make sure they know what they mean!
Quotes to Explore
-
I write in a small office at home.
-
I think it's flattering when people say I'm a role model, but I don't think I am. It depends on your outlook on the word 'role model.' I'm not perfect or anything. I just consider it a great compliment.
-
No sensible author wants anything but praise.
-
It angers me when sustainability gets used as a buzz word. For 90 percent of the world, sustainability is a matter of survival.
-
So long as you do not achieve social liberty, whatever freedom is provided by the law is of no avail to you.
-
Skysurfing is skydiving with a board on the feet. You can imagine with this big surface of a skysurfing board, there is a lot of force, a lot of power. Of course, I can use this power, for example, for nice spinning - we call it 'helicopter moves.'
-
Each of our 900 shows so far was different - maybe that's what makes the fans come back to our gigs time and again. And that they're always part of the show. Phish concerts are a communal experience.
-
When I won the belt, it was kind of a precedent... The only Canadian to have ever held it.
-
I am hopeful that no one will forget what happened in Bosnia.
-
There are moments when I am really not happy with how I look, or I think it would be an easy way out to try and do the conventionally attractive thing. But part of it is that I don't have the energy to put on, like, makeup. If people want to do that, that's fine. But I've learned that it's not for me.
-
The natural flights of the human mind are not from pleasure to pleasure, but from hope to hope.
-
I want to have an impact on my son.
-
I don't expect to live forever, but I do intend to hang on as long as possible.
-
I usually get up between 7 A.M. and 8 A.M., have coffee, and go right to work. It's really important not to get sidetracked in the morning so I'm still in that dreamy state for my writing.
-
Those who promise us paradise on earth never produced anything but a hell.
-
I love to read poetry but I haven't written anything that I'm willing to show anybody.
-
Yes, my mom does keep making references to marriage, like all mothers do, but it's only in a lighter mood... she just jokes.
-
All that a critic, as critic, can give poets is the deadly encouragement that never ceases to remind them of how heavy their inheritance is.
-
Human beings are natural mimickers. The more you're conscious of the other side's posture, mannerisms, and word choices - and the more you subtly reflect those back - the more accurate you'll be at taking their perspective.
-
It's easier to make negative attacks and simplistic slogans in social media than it is to communicate complex policies.
-
I think novels - or any art form - can have a powerful impact on people's perceptions of race, particularly if they draw attention to the absurd inconsistencies and stereotypes we all carry around with us and don't want to think about.
-
Hereditary succession to the magistracy is absurd, as it tends to make a property of it; it is incompatible with the sovereignty of the people.
-
You write three pages over six hours, and you don't feel like you've gotten anywhere, but if you've done a beautiful metaphor or a lovely sentence, or you finally got to some moment you wanted, then that's worth it. Then you can close your computer and get a little relief.
-
Watch out for people who call themselves religious; make sure you know what they mean-make sure they know what they mean!
