89 Quotes by Roddy Doyle

She’s a pot-of-tea-before-I-say-boo-to-you woman. There’s always a pile of warm teabags in the sink when I come down, like what a horse would leave behind.

Head in the book. Nose sliding down the valley between the pages.

If you are a writer you’re at home, which means you’re out of touch. You have to make excuses to get out there and look at how the world is changing.

When I’m writing I just think there’s only the page and me and nobody else.

I knew all the books in the house. I knew their shapes and smells. I knew what pages would open if I held them with the spine on the ground and let the sides drop. I knew all the books but I couldn’t remember the name of the one on my head.

I had to make sure I kept an eye on the real world.

When I started writing full time I had not long stopped being a teacher and when at last I had a full day to write, I would put music on and wonder to myself - am I allowed to do this? Then I thought: 'I am control of this and no one is telling me what I can do.'

Schools don't really allow failure and yet it's a valid part of any endeavour, not just writing.