Things are going to go wrong, and I think we are false to life if we don’t portray it. But there is also the hope that some lucky clown is going to come along and stumble into the gold mine. And I think you are also entitled to hold out that hope. James A. Michener More Quotes by James A. Michener More Quotes From James A. Michener Millions upon millions of years ago, when the continents were already formed and the principal features of the earth had been decided, there existed, then as now, one aspect of the world that dwarfed all other ... a mighty ocean, resting uneasily to the east of the largest continent, a restless ever-changing, gigantic body of water that would later be described as Pacific. James A. Michener ocean water years Never forget, son, when you represent Texas, always go first class. James A. Michener texas class son I write at eighty-five for the same reasons that impelled me to write at forty-five; I was born with a passionate desire to communicate, to organize experience, to tell tales that dramatize the adventures which readers might have had. I have been that ancient man who sat by the campfire at night and regaled the hunters with imaginative recitations about their prowess. The job of an apple tree is to bear apples. The job of a storyteller is to tell stories, and I have concentrated on that obligation. James A. Michener writing adventure jobs You don't fight to protect warships or old men. Like the book says, you fight to save your civilization. And so often it seems that civilization is composed mainly of the things women and children want. James A. Michener fighting book children I think the crucial thing in the writing career is to find what you want to do and how you fit in. What somebody else does is of no concern whatever except as an interesting variation. James A. Michener careers writing thinking The sense of belonging is one of the great gifts men get in battle. James A. Michener great-gifts battle men First buy a cowboy hat and boots. Then you're on your way to being a Texan. James A. Michener cowboy boots way [The church's] job is to provide permanent solace and spiritual leadership to the people as a whole, whatever their government at the moment, so long as it stays within the bounds of moral decency. James A. Michener government spiritual jobs It is difficult to be king when the gods are changing. James A. Michener difficult kings I was surprised when shortly after New Year's Day of 1983, the Governor of Texas summoned me to his office, because I hadn't been aware that he knew I was in town. James A. Michener new-year texas years A group of two dozen nurses completely surrounded by 100,000 unattached American men. James A. Michener nurse men two About a billion years ago, long before the continents had separated to define the ancient oceans, or their own outlines had been determined, a small protuberance jutted out from the northwest corner of what would later become North America. James A. Michener ocean america years No man leaves where he is and seeks a distant place unless he is in some respect a failure. James A. Michener men It heartens me to think of Verdi who composed thundering operas in his eighties; Michelangelo who did fine work in his ninetieth year, and Titian, who painted better than ever in his one hundredth. James A. Michener work years thinking No invader has ever conquered the heart of Poland, that spirit which is the inheritance of sons and daughters, the private passion of families and the ancient, unbreakable tie to all those who came before. James A. Michener passion daughter heart I wondered how a man ever got an English girl into bed. What did they do with her hockey stick? James A. Michener hockey girl men The most sheer fun I ever had in sports was playing volleyball, a game I commend highly. I understand that an effort is under way to establish a national league of professional volleyball teams, and if you have ever seen the great women's teams of Japan and Russia or the equally good men's teams of Cuba and East Germany, you know how exciting this playground game, which requires so little equipment, can be. James A. Michener volleyball fun sports It was the silent time before dawn, along the shores of what had been one of the most beautiful lakes in southern Africa. James A. Michener southern lakes beautiful In a small Polish farm community, during the fall planting season of 1981, events occurred which electrified the world, sending reverberations of magnitude to capitals as diverse as Washington, Peking and especially Moscow. James A. Michener events community fall The arrogance of the artist is a very profound thing, and it fortifies you. James A. Michener arrogance artist profound
