Writer’s block is only a failure of the ego. Norman Mailer More Quotes by Norman Mailer More Quotes From Norman Mailer Crude thoughts and fierce forces are my state. I do not know who I am. Nor what I was. I cannot hear a sound. Pain is near that will be like no pain felt before. Norman Mailer pain who-i-am sound The novelist ... must live in paranoia and seek to be one with the world; he must be terrified of experience and hungry for it; he must think himself nothing and believe he is superior to all. Norman Mailer believe world thinking Writing can wreck your body. You sit there on the chair hour after hour and sweat your guts out to get a few words. Norman Mailer after-hours sweat writing MIke Lee writes with honesty, penetration, wit and the ability to surprise the reader with an unexpected turn from time to time that enriches the experience. Norman Mailer unexpected honesty writing You do not really wish to hear more of the Battle of Kadesh. Let me say only that human fat, gorged in considerable quantity, has an intoxicating effect. I became ... drunk. Norman Mailer drunk battle wish I would introduce myself if it were not useless. The name I had last night will not be the same as the name I have tonight. For the moment, then, let me say that I am thinking of Sam Slovoda. Norman Mailer names night thinking A high church for the true mediocre. Norman Mailer syndicate mediocre church The sole virtue of losing your short-term memory is that it does free you to be your own editor. Norman Mailer editors doe memories Movies are more likely than literature to reach deep feelings in people. Norman Mailer literature feelings people When a novel comes, it's a grace. Something in the cosmos has forgiven you long enough so that you can start. Norman Mailer cosmos grace long The sense of a long last night over civilization is back again. Norman Mailer night civilization long No physical activity is so vain as boxing. A man gets into the ring to attract admiration. In no sport, therefore, can you be more humiliated. Norman Mailer boxing sports men Dying can't be all that difficult-up to now everyone has managed to do it. Norman Mailer difficult dying Only another writer can know how much damage writing a novel can do to you. It's an unnatural activity to sit at a desk and squeeze words out of yourself. Norman Mailer desks damage writing Television is coitus interruptus brought into aesthetics. Norman Mailer aesthetics television To know what you want to say is not the best condition for writing a novel. Novels go happiest when you discover something you did not know you knew: an insight into one of your opaque characters, a metaphor that startles you... a truth... that used to elude you. Norman Mailer elude-you writing character The way you write affects what you say. Norman Mailer writing way Patterned after an Italian Renaissance palace, it is 88 times as large and one millionth as valuable to the continuation of man. that Pentagon of traveling salesmen. Norman Mailer palaces italian men The greater the power of any subjective state, the more total is a Romantic's assumption that everyone understands exactly what he is about to do, therefore waste not a moment by stopping to tell them. Norman Mailer stopping assumption waste What's the use of being a writer if you can't irritate a great many people? Norman Mailer great-men use people
