You can't have an up without a down, a right without a left, a back without a front - or a happy without a sad. Harlan Coben More Quotes by Harlan Coben More Quotes From Harlan Coben When you like something and you're pretty good at it and you can make a living doing it, you don't ask why. You just count your blessings and go with it. Harlan Coben you-re-pretty like-something blessing I'd never had money growing up, and it's never been that important to me, except maybe to take our kids on a nice vacation or something like that. Harlan Coben growing-up nice kids I'm thinking of taking up golf, but the idea of spending time with golfers frightens me. Harlan Coben golf ideas thinking An hour before his world exploded like a ripe tomato under a stiletto heel, Myron bit into a fresh pastry that tasted suspiciously like urinal cake. Harlan Coben tomatoes cake world Getting into a fight with a popular senior. Pissing off a school teacher and the local chief of police. Hanging with two major-league losers." She slapped my back. "Welcome to high school. Harlan Coben senior teacher school I love stories. When I'm writing, what I pretend subconsciously is that we're cavemen, we're sitting around the fire, and I'm telling you stories. If I bore you, you're probably going to pick up a big club and hit me over the head. Harlan Coben bores-you fire writing Man plans. God laughs. Harlan Coben plans laughing men Painful memories didn't just ease back in-they shoved the door open hard, all of them and all at once Harlan Coben ease doors memories You want this so badly—this second chance, this chance at real redemption—that you can’t see the truth. Harlan Coben second-chance redemption real The most annoying and full- of- crap thing a writer says is, I write only for myself, I don't care if anyone reads it. A writer without a reader doesn't exist. Harlan Coben annoying care writing You know, people call mystery novels or thrillers 'puzzles.' I never understood that, because when I buy a puzzle, I already know what it is. It's on the box. And even if I don't, if it's a 5,000-piece puzzle of the 'Mona Lisa', it's not like I put the last piece in and go, 'I had no idea it's the 'Mona Lisa'!' Harlan Coben lasts people ideas In the end, we know what makes us happy. We also know what makes us unhappy. That's the irony. We know and yet we still mess it up. That's part of the human condition, no, and why we need to work on it. Harlan Coben irony unhappy needs That's what a good crime novelist - any good novelist - should do with you: play with your perceptions while showing you everything in plain sight. Harlan Coben perception sight play I don't necessarily love the sports per se, I love the stories behind them. Also in a kind of perverse way I like to study what it does to us, why we care so much. It's caring about something that's utterly meaningless. Harlan Coben caring doe sports I've never chased the dollar, I've always chased the reader's heart. I love having more readers. The more people who read it, the more thrilled I am. Harlan Coben dollars heart people I'm the Jerry Lewis of crime fiction. Harlan Coben crime-fiction crime fiction The muse is not an angelic voice that sits on your shoulder and sings sweetly. The muse is the most annoying whine. The muse isn't hard to find, just hard to like - she follows you everywhere, tapping you on the shoulder, demanding that you stop doing whatever else you might be doing and pay attention to her. Harlan Coben voice might attention I'm a little bit of a control freak. Harlan Coben bits freak littles A trial is two narratives competing for your attention. Harlan Coben trials attention two I would never write a memoir, because it would be too boring. Harlan Coben boring would-be writing
