My New Year’s Eve Toast: to all the devils, lusts, passions, greeds, envies, loves, hates, strange desires, enemies ghostly and real, the army of memories, with which I do battle — may they never give me peace. (New Year's Eve, 1947) Patricia Highsmith More Quotes by Patricia Highsmith More Quotes From Patricia Highsmith My imagination functions much better when I don't have to speak to people. Patricia Highsmith quiet-people communication imagination The first person you should think of pleasing, in writing a book, is yourself. If you can amuse yourself for the length of time it takes to write a book, the publisher and the readers can and will come later. Patricia Highsmith writing book thinking Life is a long failure of understanding ... a long, mistaken shutting of the heart. Patricia Highsmith understanding heart long Everything human is alien to me. Patricia Highsmith aliens humans Each book is, in a sense, an argument with myself, and I would write it, whether it is ever published or not. Patricia Highsmith argument writing book I should love to do a novel, about one abnormal character seeing present-day life, very ordinary life, yet arresting through it, abnormality, until at the end the reader sees, and with little reluctance, that he is not abnormal at all, and that the main character might as well be himself. Patricia Highsmith abnormal ordinary character And no book, and possibly no painting, when it is finished, is ever exactly like the first dream of it. Patricia Highsmith dream book art For neither life nor nature cares if justice is ever done or not. Patricia Highsmith umpires done justice One situation – maybe one alone – could drive me to murder: family life, togetherness. Patricia Highsmith family-life togetherness murder In view of the fact that I surround myself with numbskulls now, I shall die among numbskulls, and on my deathbed shall be surrounded by numbskulls who will not understand what I am saying ... Whom am I sleeping with these days ? Franz Kafka. Patricia Highsmith views sleep facts Every man is his own law court and punishes himself enough. Patricia Highsmith crime law men But there were too many points at which the other self could invade the self he wanted to preserve, and there were too many forms of invasion: certain words, sounds, lights, actions his hands or feet performed, and if he did nothing at all, heard and saw nothing, the shouting of some triumphant inner voice that shocked him and cowed him. Patricia Highsmith light self hands This is what I like, sitting at a table and watching people go by. It does something to your outlook on life. The Anglo-Saxons make a great mistake not staring at people from a sidewalk table. Patricia Highsmith outlook-on-life mistake people How was it possible to be afraid and in love... The two things did not go together. How was it possible to be afraid, when the two of them grew stronger together every day? And every night. Every night was different, and every morning. Together they possessed a miracle. Patricia Highsmith morning night two I have Graham Greene's telephone number, but I wouldn't dream of using it. I don't seek out writers because we all want to be alone. Patricia Highsmith dream want numbers What was it to love someone, what was love exactly, and why did it end or not end? Those were the real questions, and who could answer them? Patricia Highsmith real ends answers It always gets late with you. - Is that a compliment? Patricia Highsmith late compliment I think people often try to find through sex things that are much easier to find in other ways. Patricia Highsmith sex people thinking The kiss became the narrowed center of the still point of the turning world, so that even the park was turning in comparison to the still peace at their lips. Patricia Highsmith parks kissing world Honestly, I don't understand why people get so worked up about a little murder! Patricia Highsmith murder littles people
