Imagining something is better than remembering something. John Irving More Quotes by John Irving More Quotes From John Irving You know, everybody dies. My parents died. Your father died. Everybody dies. I'm going to die too. So will you. The thing is, to have a life before we die. It can be a real adventure having a life John Irving realadventurefather Half my life is an act of revision. John Irving halfwritinglife wherever the TV glows, there sits someone who isn't reading. John Irving tvsreading I take people very seriously. People are all I take seriously, in fact. Therefore, I have nothing but sympathy for how people behave - and nothing but laughter to console them with. John Irving laughtersympathypeople A writer's job is to imagine everything so personally that the fiction is as vivid as memories. John Irving writingjobsmemories Religious freedom should work two ways: we should be free to practice the religion of our choice, but we must also be free from having someone else's religion practiced on us. John Irving religiouspracticetwo The desire to never leave your side, the desire to never see you again. The desire to see your face asleep on the pillow beside my face and to see your eyes open in the morning when I lie next to you—just watching you, waiting for you to wake up. John Irving eyemorninglying More than a half, maybe as much as two-thirds of my life as a writer is rewriting. I wouldn't say I have a talent that's special. It strikes me that I have an unusual kind of stamina. John Irving halfspecialtwo He was one of those people things came easily to, but he did little to demonstrate that he deserved to be gifted. John Irving giftedlittlespeople The lie, of course, is more interesting. John Irving courseslyinginteresting Being reviewed is being condescended to by your inferiors. John Irving inferiors They were involved in that awkward procedure of getting to unknow each other. John Irving awkwardproceduresregret Good habits are worth being fanatical about. John Irving good-habitsgenerosityhabit We are formed by what we desire John Irving desire Sigmund Freud was a novelist with a scientific background. He just didn't know he was a novelist. All those damn psychiatrists after him, they didn't know he was a novelist either. John Irving umpiressurfingnovelists I've always been interested in miracles, or the miraculous of the unexplained. I don't scoff at what makes people believe or want to believe. I think I understand the tremendous attraction of the mysteries of the church to the same degree that I understand and appreciate the frustration people feel, especially believers, with the human rule-making arm of the church, with the not-miraculous part of the church - any church. John Irving frustrationbelievethinking You can't say you're going to ban something in the name of good taste, because then you have directed someone to play the role of good-taste police. We - Americans - permit bad taste in this country. In fact, we even encourage it. John Irving namesplaycountry As it was, things went from bad to worse, as they often will when amateurs are involved in an activity that they perform in bad temper – or in a hurry. John Irving bad-temperactivitytemper Safer than we are.” I told Franny. “Safer than love.” “let me tell ya kid,” Franny said to me, squeezing my hand. “Everything’s safer than love. John Irving saidkidshands Everybody dies … The thing is, to have a life before we die. John Irving dies
