If there is an abiding theme in 'The Pursuit of Happiness,' it is the idea that you come into the world already shaped by other people's past histories. Douglas Kennedy More Quotes by Douglas Kennedy More Quotes From Douglas Kennedy The only time you truly become an adult is when you finally forgive your parents for being just as flawed as everyone else. Douglas Kennedy forgiving adults parent Because there is no meaning to be found in the arbitrary nature of things., It's all random. Just as space is blue. And birds fly through it. Douglas Kennedy space blue bird There is much to be said for solitude. Douglas Kennedy solitude said But what we can never do is change the story that has made us what we are. It's a story completely dictated by the accumulation of life's manifold complexities—its capacity for astonishment and horror, for sanguinity and hopelessness, for pellucid light and the most profound darkness. We are what has happened to us. Douglas Kennedy light darkness profound Tragedy is one of the larger prices we pay for being alive. No one ever sidesteps tragedy. It is always there, shadowing us. Douglas Kennedy alive tragedy pay Success is a very fragile veneer. I get wary of people who embrace celebrity. It ruins people. Douglas Kennedy ruins embrace people We don't like admitting this, but it is a key component of human existence: the fact that life has the potential for things both wondrous and horrific. Douglas Kennedy admitting keys facts I've been known to write on the Underground in London and on the subway in New York. I have two or three cafes in Paris that I go into. I find a corner with a little shade, and I can work. Douglas Kennedy new-york writing two The decision to write full time was made when I was twenty-eight years old and had just had two small plays accepted for BBC Radio. Douglas Kennedy eight writing years I want to be a popular novelist who's also serious, or a serious novelist who's also very accessible. Douglas Kennedy novelists serious want From Graham Greene, I learnt how to be an accessible writer who grapples with our doubts as sentient individuals. Douglas Kennedy individual doubt We all want to fix things. Just as we all believe that so much in life can be rectified. Mend fences, build bridges, reach out, engage in mutual healing. Douglas Kennedy bridges healing believe Words matter, words have import. Douglas Kennedy words-matter imports matter All our stories are simultaneously unique and desperately similar, aren't they? Douglas Kennedy unique stories There were moments when I felt seriously unhinged; when I was convinced that I would never, ever recover from what had happened, when it was absolutely clear to me that life from this point on would be constant agony. Douglas Kennedy agony moments would-be With a novel, no matter where I am in it, I'm fretting about it. Every time I write a book, it starts with great forward momentum. Then there seems to be a period where it slows down a bit, and other things intervene. Then I gain momentum. Douglas Kennedy matter writing book We can rarely tell others what we really think about them--not just because it would so wound them, but also because it would so wound ourselves. Douglas Kennedy wounds thinking We all talk about how much we hate lies. Yet we prefer, so often, to be lied to....because it allows us to dodge all those painful truths we'd rather not hear. Douglas Kennedy dodge hate lying Our family and our country suffered an unspeakable loss due to the inhumanity of one man, we believe in the gentleness that spared his life, but in taming his act of violence, he should not have the opportunity to terrorize again. Douglas Kennedy I do have some love for Douglas Kennedy. Douglas Kennedy
