Wells Quotes (page 261)
In my case, if I start out by thinking about the plot, things don't go well. Small points, such as my impression of what is likely to occur, do come to mind, but I let the rest of the story take its own course. I don't want to spend as long as two years writing a story whose plot I already know.
Haruki Murakami
Ghastly," continued Marvin, "it all is. Absolutely ghastly. Just don't even talk about it. Look at this door," he said, stepping through it. The irony circuits cut in to his voice modulator as he mimicked the style of the sales brochure. " 'All the doors in his spaceship have a cheerful and sunny disposition. It is their pleasure to open for you, and their satisfaction to close again with the knowledge of a job well done.' " As the door closed behind them it became apparent that it did...
Douglas Adams
In the art of literature there are two contending parties. Those who aim to tell stories that are more or less well thought out, and those who aim at beautiful language, beauty of form. This contest may last a very long time; each side has a fifty-fifty chance. Only the poet can rightfully demand that verse be beautiful and nothing but.
Paul Gauguin
Kate saith the world is void of might. Kate saith the men are gilded flies. Kate snaps her fingers at my vows; Kate will not hear of lovers sighs. I would I were an armed knight, Far-famed for well-won enterprise, And wearing on my swarthy brows. The garland of new-wreathed emprise. For in a moment I would pierce. The blackest files of clanging fight, And strongly strike to left and right, In dreaming of my lady's eyes. O, Kate loves well the bold and fierce; But none are bold enough for...
Alfred Lord Tennyson
That Lady Russell of steady age and character, and extrememly well provided for, should have no thought of a second marriage needs no apology to the public, which is rather apt to be unreasonalbly discontented when a woman 'does' marry again, than when she does not, but Sir William's continuing in singleness requires explanation.
Jane Austen
That's what the leadership was teaching me, day by day: that the self-interest I was supposed to be looking for extended well beyond the immediacy of issues, that beneath the small talk and sketchy biographies and received opinions, people carried with them some central explanation of themselves. Stories full of terror and wonder, studded with events that still haunted or inspired them. Sacred stories.
Barack Obama
Human beings look separate because you see them walking about separately. But then we are so made that we can see only the present moment. If we could see the past, then of course it would look different. For there was a time when every man was part of his mother, and (earlier still) part of his father as well, and when they were part of his grandparents. If you could see humanity spread out in time, as God sees it, it would look like one single growing thing--rather like a very complicated...
C. S. Lewis
The novelist with Christian concerns will find in modern life distortions which are repugnant to him, and his problem will be to make these appear as distortions to an audience which is used to seeing them as natural; and he may well be forced to take ever more violent means to get his vision across to this hostile audience. When you can assume that your audience holds the same beliefs you do, you can relax a little and use more normal ways of talking to it; when you have to assume that it...
Flannery O'Connor
Dear lou, we learned so much. I realize we wont be able to talk for some time, And I understand that as I do you. The long distance thing was the hardest, And we did as well as we could. We were together during a very tumultuous time in our lives. I will always have your back and be curious about you, About your career, Your whereabouts.
Alanis Morissette