129 Quotes by John Gardner

They watch on, evil, incredibly stupid, enjoying my destruction. 'Poor Grendel's had an accident,' I whisper. 'So may you all.

One must be just a little crazy to write a great novel. One must be capable of allowing the darkest, most ancient and shrewd parts of one’s being to take over the work from time to time.

We know that where community exists in confers upon its members identity, a sense of belonging, and a measure of security. . . . Communities are the ground-level generators and preservers of values and ethical systems.

When I was a child I truly loved: Unthinking love as calm and deep As the North Sea. But I have lived, And now I do not sleep.

The image-managers encourage the individual to fashion himself into a smooth coin, negotiable in any market.

When people are serving, life is no longer meaningless.

Writing a novel is like heading out over the open sea in a small boat. It helps, if you have a plan and a course laid out.

The primary subject of fiction is and has always been human emotion, values, and beliefs.

As a rule of thumb I say, if Socrates, Jesus and Tolstoy wouldn't do it, don't.