Holes in the memory. You grab on to some things, others have completely disappeared. Paul Auster More Quotes by Paul Auster More Quotes From Paul Auster Guilt kept me going. It was impossible not to blame myself for what had happened, but even guilt was a comfort. It was a human feeling, a sign that I was still attached to the same world that other men lived in. Paul Auster guilt feelings men Money, of course, is never just money. It's always something else, and it's always something more, and it always has the last word. Paul Auster last-words courses lasts How is it possible for someone who believes that the world was created in six days to have a rational conversation with me, who doesnt believe that, about other possibilities? Paul Auster six believe world Some like to think that a keen appreciation of art can actually make us better people - more just, more moral, more sensitive, more understanding. Perhaps that is true - in certain rare, isolated cases. Paul Auster appreciation art thinking The moon people do not eat by swallowing food but by smelling it. Their money is poetry - actual poems, written out on pieces of paper whose value is determined by the worth of the poem itself. Paul Auster swallowing moon people A here exists only in relation to a there, not the other way around. There's this only because there's that; if we don't look up, we'll never know what's down. Think of it, boy. We find ourselves only by looking what we're not. You can't put your feet on the ground until you've touched the sky. Paul Auster feet boys thinking I'm really trying to dredge up what one might call intellectual and moral material. For example, when do you realize that you are an American? What age does that happen to you? When do you realize what religion your parents practice? When does it all become conscious? I was interested in exploring all of that. Paul Auster parent intellectual practice Writing is such a strange, utterly mysterious process. First, there was nothing; then, suddenly, there was something. I don't know where thoughts are born. Where the hell does it come from? I don't know. I really don't know. Paul Auster doe writing firsts You tend to feel very hurt when people attack you and feel indifferent when you get praise. You think, 'Of course they like it. They should like it.' Paul Auster hurt people thinking Writing has always had a tactile quality for me. It's a physical experience. Paul Auster tactile quality writing Nobody asks you to do this. The world out there is not panting after another novelist. We choose it Paul Auster novelists writing world Money's important. Everyone cares about money. And when you don't have money, money becomes the overriding obsession of your life. Paul Auster care obsession important Some things get written more quickly than others, but I can't really measure degrees of difficulty. Paul Auster difficulty degrees written I'm generous. I give good tips. It's just - the way I live my life, ironically enough, is: I don't want anything. I'm not a consumer. I don't crave objects. Paul Auster want giving way I think I hate cynicism more than anything else. It's the curse of our age, and I want to avoid it at all costs. Paul Auster hate age thinking I never experiment with anything in my books. Experimentation means you don't know what you're doing. Paul Auster experiments mean book I like the sound a typewriter makes. Paul Auster typewriters sound I can never say 'why' about anything I do. I suppose I can say 'how' and 'when' and 'what.' But 'why' is impenetrable to me. Paul Auster i-can I barely can go shopping for clothes. I find it difficult to walk into stores. The whole thing bores me so much. Paul Auster stores shopping clothes For some reason, all my characters come to me with their names attached to them. I never have to search for the names. Paul Auster names reason character