The main thing about the novel that is totally fascinating: It's not possessed by the writer; it's possessed by the reader. Jane Smiley More Quotes by Jane Smiley More Quotes From Jane Smiley Many people, myself among them, feel better at the mere sight of a book. Jane Smiley inspiring inspirational book The body, the mind, and the spirit don't form a pyramid, they form a circle. Each of them runs into the other two. The body isn't below the mind and the spirit; from the point of view it's between them. if you reside too much in the mind, then you get too abstract and cut off from the world. You long for the spiritual life, but you can't get to it, and you fall into despair. The exercise of the senses frees you from abstraction and opens the way to transcendence. Jane Smiley spiritual running fall Every first draft is perfect, because all a first draft has to do is exist. Jane Smiley perfect firsts I loved the house the way you would any new house, because it is populated by your future, the family of children who will fill it with noise or chaos and satisfying busy pleasures. Jane Smiley noise house children I was depressed, but that was a side issue. This was more like closing up shop, or, say, having a big garage sale, where you look at everything you've bought in your life, and you remember how much it meant to you, and now you just tag it for a quarter and watch 'em carry it off, and you don't care. That's more like how it was. Jane Smiley closing-up issues watches But what truly horsey girls discover in the end is that boyfriends, husbands, children, and careers are the substitute-for horses Jane Smiley horse girl children I suspected that there were things he knew that I had been waiting all my life to learn. Jane Smiley waiting A child who is protected from all controversial ideas is as vulnerable as a child who is protected from every germ. The infection, when it comes- and it will come- may overwhelm the system, be it the immune system or the belief system. Jane Smiley may children ideas Candy is my fuel. Ice cream, too. Jane Smiley candy ice-cream fuel Sometimes, a novel is like a train: the first chapter is a comfortable seat in an attractive carriage, and the narrative speeds up. But there are other sorts of trains, and other sorts of novels. They rush by in the dark; passengers framed in the lighted windows are smiling and enjoying themselves. Jane Smiley narrative dark firsts Men are competent in groups that mimic the playground, incompetent in groups that mimic the family Jane Smiley playgrounds groups men Critical thinking is to a liberal education as faith is to religion. ... the converse was true also - faith is to a liberal education as critical thinking is to religion, irrelevant and even damaging. Jane Smiley liberal-education critical thinking Even if my marriage is falling apart and my children are unhappy, there is still a part of me that says, 'God, this is fascinating!' Jane Smiley writing children fall Art doesn't exist if you just do what you're told. It only exists as an exercise of individual taste and freedom. Jane Smiley taste exercise art In every society, the artists will be the ones who set themselves up as contrary to whatever the society expects. Jane Smiley contrary artist Fascination with horses predated every other single thing I knew. Before I was a mother, before I was a writer, before I knew the facts of life, before I was a schoolgirl, before I learned to read, I wanted a horse. Jane Smiley fascination horse mother You know what getting married is? It's agreeing to taking this person who right now is at the top of his form, full of hopes and ideas, feeling good, looking good, wildly interested in you because you're the same way, and sticking by him while he slowly disintegrates. And he does the same for you. You're his responsibility now and he's yours. If no one else will take care of him, you will. If everyone else rejects you, he won't. What do you think love is? Going to bed all the time? Jane Smiley marriage responsibility love Take naps. Often new ideas come together when you are half asleep, but you have to train yourself to remember them. Jane Smiley naps together ideas Some people do wait their whole lives for something, and it's only when that thing arrives that they find out that they've been waiting rather than living. Jane Smiley aging waiting people You cannot be an egomaniac on the horse. If you lose your temper and start beating him, either you will destroy him, or he will destroy you. As soon as you start riding horses seriously, you're being disciplined on a daily basis about how ignorant you are and what there is left for you to learn. Jane Smiley riding ignorant horse
