Reading time is precious. Don't waste it. Reading bad books, or books that are wrong for a certain time in your life, can dangerously turn you off the activity altogether. Lionel Shriver More Quotes by Lionel Shriver More Quotes From Lionel Shriver Ever since Hiroshima, we've been faced with the depressing fact that you cannot un-invent something. Lionel Shriver cannot something you hiroshima I am hopeful that the concept of 'cultural appropriation' is a passing fad: people with different backgrounds rubbing up against each other and exchanging ideas and practices is self-evidently one of the most productive, fascinating aspects of modern urban life. Lionel Shriver i-am life people ideas Overly vigorous investigations of ominously ill-defined 'bullying' can themselves constitute a form of bullying. Lionel Shriver constitute themselves bullying form In the public mind, an investment banker is no longer conservative; he's a risk taker, a gambler in high stakes, not to mention a thief. These people are dangerous - deliciously so. Lionel Shriver high dangerous mind people Life's most underrated emotion is self-pity. Lionel Shriver self-pity underrated emotion life Reality doesn't have to be plausible. Reality can be as preposterous as it pleases. Lionel Shriver pleases plausible reality I can't be alone among fiction writers in regarding the world, so much weirder than anything we could make up, as beating us at our own game or in racking my brains over what could possibly constitute a contribution when novels pale before the newspaper. Lionel Shriver newspaper alone game world The daughter of an ordained minister, I had been forced to go to church since I was a toddler. I hated church and resented being forced to recite the Apostle's Creed, mumbling, 'I believe... ' when I didn't. Lionel Shriver go daughter church believe The absence of doll babies in my toy chest didn't seriously influence my later decision not to become a mother; rather, I disdained Hasbro's Baby Alive wetting doll because I was already the kind of girl who would grow up to be childless by choice. Lionel Shriver grow girl decision mother In my country, we're sufficiently consumed by the concept of happiness that the right to its pursuit is enshrined in the Declaration of Independence. But what is happiness? Lionel Shriver right independence happiness country The dumbest childhood vow I ever made was to finish every book I started. Lionel Shriver finish childhood made book In the big picture, few of our careers live up to the dreams we nursed when we were young. In fact, one underside of success is that it's nearly always penultimate, and so every accomplishment merely raises the bar. Lionel Shriver picture live dreams success Letting ourselves down in some fashion is such an integral part of daily life that the paucity of literature on the subject is baffling. Lionel Shriver daily down fashion life A smaller waist is not the solution to all your problems. Lionel Shriver waist solution your problems Formal declarations of mistrust, pre-nups are emotionally unfortunate. They overtly plan for failure, and thus involve a jarring cognitive dissonance. Lionel Shriver emotionally plan failure formal In the perfect world, no one would need pre-nups. But all too often, a misty-eyed romancer at the altar transforms into a vengeful, avaricious fiscal predator when the marriage goes south. Lionel Shriver need marriage perfect world In Shaker Heights, Ohio, one of America's first planned communities, order and harmony are prized. Lionel Shriver heights first harmony america Authors are free to ignore their editors' advice. I often avail myself of this veto power - sometimes out of a pigheadedness for which I'll pay the price. Lionel Shriver myself ignore power sometimes Writers who take on polarising issues are apt to step on a few toes. Lionel Shriver step who take toes At the keyboard, unrelenting anguish about hurting other people's feelings inhibits spontaneity and constipates creativity. Lionel Shriver keyboard creativity feelings people
