Pankaj Mishra Quotes
Local markets for literary fiction remain underdeveloped; the metropolis often holds out the only real possibility of a professional writing career.
Quotes to Explore
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Once you research an idea, you begin to develop a perspective. Writing about anything in public, often in real time, has helped fashion my views.
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I promised my mom that if, after a year of putting 150 percent into my career it didn't work out, I would go back to school. I never did go back.
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I've got plenty of quirks. I go to an office early in the morning. Early in the morning is really good writing time. I take anywhere between six to eight showers a day. I'm not exaggerating. I'm not a germaphobe: it's all about a fresh start.
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We want our students to graduate from high school, but we want them to graduate with a plan, whether it's college or career.
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I read my books to writing workshops and friends, and I'm often focussed just on keeping them entertained. I never think about marketing at all.
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I started submitting stories for publication when I was about 15, but it was many years before I sold anything. I don't make my living writing science fiction, so in that sense, I'm still not a pro.
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I sail, run dogs, ride horses, play professional poker and tell stories about the stuff I've been through. And I'm still a romantic; I still want Bambi to make it out of the fire.
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The only thing that is real is the being in you that is going to die.
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I am proud of my career.
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I love writing songs.
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I'm a stand-up comic. I'm always doing dates; it's just that, if I'm working on a project or I'm busy, I can't get out on the road or book any shows. Since the beginning of my career, I'm usually out for at least 10-15 dates throughout the year. If I have time, then I try to get at least 30-40 dates.
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When I'm writing, I'm just in it and trying to figure out what seems best.
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Writing is a solitary journey, so I am always excited to go out on book tour and meet readers one-on-one.
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A failure is not always a mistake, it may simply be the best one can do under the circumstances. The real mistake is to stop trying.
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I always say that people should not rush to change religions. There is real value in finding the spiritual resources you need in your home religion.
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The thing that makes writing so difficult is you don't have the element of serendipity. At least with a photograph, you can set up the camera, and something might happen. You might be a lousy photographer, but you can get a good picture if you just take enough of them.
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Variety improves the things that we do too often, but it rules the things that we don't do often enough.
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Discomfort levels in our societies are rising, or so it would seem. In theory, we invoke diversity and tolerance. But in real life, we raise our hackles and withdraw into ourselves.
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So, I don't work in terms of real time. I don't work in a timely fashion.
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I taught at the FBI for four decades - how to think outside of the box and deal with social engineering.
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We want spiritual principles to be more than beautiful abstractions; we want them to actually transform our lives.
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Writing can sometimes be exploitative. I like to take a few steps of remove in order to respect the privacy of the subject. If readers make the link, they have engaged with the poem.
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It was the height of the Depression, and suddenly I am earning pots of money.
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Local markets for literary fiction remain underdeveloped; the metropolis often holds out the only real possibility of a professional writing career.
