Jean M. Auel Quotes & Sayings

Ayla, I looked for you all my life and didn't know I was looking. You are everything I ever wanted, everything I ever dreamed of in a woman, and more. You are a fascinating enigma, a paradox. You are totally honest, open; you hide nothing: yet you are the most mysterious woman I've ever met. — Jean M. Auel

It was a tense moment. If Norg refused them, they would have no choice but to return the long distance back to their cave. It would be a grave breach of propriety, but to allow Ayla entrance would be tantamount to accepting her as a woman of the Clan; at least it would give Brun a clear edge. Norg looked again at his mog-ur, then at the powerful one-eyed man who was The Mog-ur, then back at the man who was leader of the clan ranked first of all the clans. If The Mog-ur said so, what could he do? — Jean M. Auel

flickering lamps scattered here — Jean M. Auel

I probably read 100 times more than I write, but that way when I move my characters through it, I know. — Jean M. Auel

They stared at each other, wanting each other, drawn to each other, but their silent shout of love went unheard in the roar of misunderstanding, and the clatter of culturally ingrained beliefs. — Jean M. Auel

Sometimes women who aren't perfect are more interesting; they've done more, or learned something. — Jean M. Auel

I could write historical fiction, or science fiction, or a mystery but since I find it fascinating to research the clues of some little know period and develop a story based on that, I will probably continue to do it. — Jean M. Auel

The other mammoths were as protective of the dying as they were of newborns, and they gathered around tying to make the fallen one get up. When all was over, they buried the dead ancestor under piles of dirt, grass, leaves, or snow. Mammoths were even known to bury other dead animals, including humans. — Jean M. Auel

You learn to write by writing, and by reading and thinking about how writers have created their characters and invented their stories. If you are not a reader, don't even think about being a writer. — Jean M. Auel

I'm just writing a story that I want to read. — Jean M. Auel

Life sometimes gets in the way of writing. — Jean M. Auel

When you are alone, you have all the time in the world to practice whistling like a bird. When there is no one in the world you can turn to, a horse or .even a lion may give you companionship. When you don't know if there is anyone in the world like you, you seek contact with something living however you can — Jean M. Auel

I can't tell you any more than any other writer can tell you why they write, and I don't know what my influences are. — Jean M. Auel

was dark and no more inviting — Jean M. Auel

She loved him, more than she could ever find words for, but this love he felt for her was not quite the same. It wasn't so much stronger, as more demanding, more insistent. As though he feared he would lose that which he had finally won. — Jean M. Auel

Now the Spirit of the Cave Lion wants me to leave." She looked up at the tall man beside her. "Do you think we'll ever come back?" "No," he said. There was a hollow ring to his voice. He was looking in the small cave, but he was seeing another place and another time. "Even if you go back to the same place, it's not the same. — Jean M. Auel

They stopped for a moment to watch the evening sky transform itself in a show of dazzling radiance as gold transmuted into shades of vermilion that waned into shimmering purple, then darkened to deep blue as the first glittering sky fires appeared. Soon the sooty black night became a backdrop to the multitude of blazing lights that filled the summer sky, with a concentrated accumulation wending its way like a path across the vault above. — Jean M. Auel

A person could resist popular belief and stand up for personal principles, and though there may be consequences, not everything would necessarily be lost. In fact, something important might be gained, if only within oneself. — Jean M. Auel

Ayla should have been the son of my mate. Brun to Broud, Clan of the Cave Bear. — Jean M. Auel

It took some time to gather the research and develop it into the storyline, and to finally finish an origin myth poem that I had been working on for twenty years. — Jean M. Auel

In a world so empty of human life, there was comfort in the thought that an invisible realm of spirits was aware of their existence, cared about their actions, and perhaps directed their steps. Even a stern or inimical spirit who cared enough to demand certain actions of appeasement was better than the heartless disregard of a harsh and indifferent world, in which their lives were entirely in their own hands, with no one else to turn to in time of need, not even in their thoughts. — Jean M. Auel

I have heard Science Fiction and Fantasy referred to as the fiction of ideas, and I like that definition, but it's the mainstream public that chooses my books for the most part. — Jean M. Auel

nightmares of earthquakes, and — Jean M. Auel

I started writing to please myself, a story I would like to read, and that is still true. — Jean M. Auel

figure of the First. — Jean M. Auel

Art was as much in the activity as in the results. Works of art were not just the finished product, but the thought, the action, the process that created them. — Jean M. Auel

The earth we leave is beautiful and rich; it gave us all we needed for all the generations we have lived. How will you leave it when it is your turn? What can you do? — Jean M. Auel

She lifted the drooping muzzle with both hands ... It was a special embrace saved for special occasions. — Jean M. Auel

I have been a reader of Science Fiction and Fantasy for a long time, since I was 11 or 12 I think, so I understand it and I'm not at all surprised that readers of the genre might enjoy my books. — Jean M. Auel

Serenio had been right, his love was too much for most people to bear. His anger, let loose, could not be contained until it had run its course either. Growing up, he had once wreaked such havoc with righteous anger that he had caused someone serious injury. All his emotions were too powerful. Even his mother had felt forced to put a distance between them, and she had watched with silent sympathy when friends backed off because he clung too fiercely, loved too hard, demanded too much of them. — Jean M. Auel

It's harder to kill people. The empathy is so much stronger that the mind must invent new reasons. But, if we can somehow link it to our own survival, the mind will make the devious twists and turns necessary to rationalize it. We're very good at that. But it changes people. They learn to hate. Your wolf doesn't need to hate what he kills. It would be easier if we could kill without compunction, like your wolf does, but then, we wouldn't be human. — Jean M. Auel

Though my books are written from a historical perspective, I have goon so far back that I am in the realm of prehistorical speculation rather than simple historical fact to weave my stories around. — Jean M. Auel

Countered. I suspect the story was made up by a woman who had a — Jean M. Auel

The difference in the brains of men and women was imposed by nature, and only cemented by culture. — Jean M. Auel

If you want to fall in love, you can't hold everything in. You have to open up, take that risk. You'll be hurt sometimes, but if you don't, you'll never be happy. The one you find may not be the kind of woman you expected to fall in love with, but it wont matter, you'll love her for exactly what she is. — Jean M. Auel

There was a time when the young of many clans joined together to make new clans. — Jean M. Auel

He's part me and part Clan, and so is Ura. Or rather, she's part Oda and part that man who killed her baby. — Jean M. Auel

Roe Deer, when your spirit returns to the Great Earth Mother, thank Her for giving us one of your kind, that we may eat, Jondalar said quietly. — Jean M. Auel

But why should they blame her? They should blame the men who won't let her alone, — Jean M. Auel

Aside from sales, the letters from readers have been primarily positive. — Jean M. Auel

Great Mother!I can't believe it!Now I understand."(Mamut)
"I do not understand," Ayla said — Jean M. Auel

Again Creb grunted. It was the usual noncommittal comment used by men when responding to a woman. It carried only enough meaning to indicate the woman had been understood, without acknowledging too much significance in what she said. — Jean M. Auel

You need no call, you were born to this destiny. But you will be tested. You will cause pain and suffer for it ... — Jean M. Auel

Each book has been different and has been challenging in its own way to write. — Jean M. Auel

From the beginning, the series has been story driven - I began with a story idea - but research feeds it. — Jean M. Auel

Life is neither static nor unchanging. With no individuality, there can be no change, no adaptation and, in an inherently changing world, any species unable to adapt is also doomed. — Jean M. Auel

Nothing works all the time — Jean M. Auel

Brun, this is the man Ayla saw as whole. This is the man who set her standard. This is the man she loves and compares with her son. Look at me, my brother! Did I deserve to live? Does Ayla's son deserve to live less?" The — Jean M. Auel

As Creb looked at the peaceful, trusting face of the strange girl in his lap, he felt a deep love flowering in his soul for her. He couldn't have loved her more if she were his own. — Jean M. Auel

You weren't being punished. You were waiting for me. — Jean M. Auel

I can move my characters through it easily, because I understand the background; I've really studied it. — Jean M. Auel

It's called ergot. Smell — Jean M. Auel

Science Fiction is not just about the future of space ships travelling to other planets, it is fiction based on science and I am using science as my basis for my fiction, but it's the science of prehistory - palaeontology and archaeology - rather than astronomy or physics. — Jean M. Auel

But when did you see her, talk to me? When did you see her go into the cave? Why did you threaten to strike a spirit? You still don't understand, do you? You acknowledged her, Broud, she has beaten you. You did everything you could to her, you even cursed her. She's dead, and still she won. She was a woman, and she had more courage than you, Broud, more determination, more self-control. She was more man than you are. Ayla should have been the son of my mate. — Jean M. Auel

I really fell in love with Africa. — Jean M. Auel

Ayla, what am I doing wrong?" he asked, standing in front of her, dripping. "It's not you. I'm the one who's doingit wrong." "You're not doing anything wrong." "Yes I am. I've been trying all day to encourage you, but you don't understand Clan gestures. — Jean M. Auel

The empathy and compassion we feel for our own kind is sometimes extended to the rest of the living things on the earth. If we allowed it to keep us from killing a deer, or other animals, we would not live long. The — Jean M. Auel

Illness and accidents were mysterious manifestations of the war of the spirits, fought on the battleground of the body. — Jean M. Auel

South Holding, was the acknowledged leader of the Twenty-ninth Cave, but Summer Camp and — Jean M. Auel

Usually it will be something special or unusual. It may be a stone you have never seen before, or a root with a special shape that has meaning for you. You must learn to understand with your heart and mind, not your eyes and ears; then you will know. But, when the time comes and you find a sign your totem has left you, put it in your amulet. It will bring you luck. — Jean M. Auel

No, my publisher has always done the marketing. — Jean M. Auel

Once I got over feeling sick in the morning, I've been feeling good," Levela said. "Vigorous and strong. Although, lately, I get tired easily. I want to sleep late and take naps in the day, and sometimes if I stand for a long time, my back hurts." "Sounds about right, wouldn't you say," Velima said, smiling at her daughter. "Just the way you are supposed to feel. — Jean M. Auel

I don't know, Jondalar. Maybe you haven't found the right woman. Maybe the Mother has someone special for you. She doesn't make many like you. You are really more than most women could bear. If all your love were concentrated on one, it could overwhelm her, if she wasn't one to whom the Mother gave equal gifts. — Jean M. Auel

I don't write for publishers, certainly not for critics, and not for readers, But I am delighted that so many people have found my books enjoyable and want to continue to read them. — Jean M. Auel

And their memory made them extraordinary. In them, the unconscious knowledge of ancestral behavior called instinct had evolved. Stored in the back of their large brains were not just their own memories, but the memories of their forebears. They could recall knowledge learned by their ancestors and, under special circumstances, they could go a step beyond. They could recall their racial memory, their own evolution. And when they reached back far enough, they could merge that memory that was identical for all and join their minds, telepathically. — Jean M. Auel

Ayla just didn't seem like a woman who was about to join and establish a new hearth with a man she loved. There was no joy, no excitement. Something was missing. Something called Jondalar. — Jean M. Auel

My fiction is reviewed by the mainstream press, by science fiction periodicals, romance magazines, small press publications and various other journals, including some usually devoted to archaeological and other science material. — Jean M. Auel

From the beginning, when I first got an idea for a story and wondered if I could write it, it has always been the story that has driven me. — Jean M. Auel

And that's how I start myself. I usually go back a couple of pages, maybe to the beginning of the chapter, and I start reading. And as I'm reading, I'm tweaking - putting in a different word, changing the syntax, putting that clause over there, you know that sort of thing. — Jean M. Auel

Of the two, I would think of my work as closer to Science Fiction than Fantasy. — Jean M. Auel

You are strong, self-reliant, entirely able to take care of yourself and of me ... You are fearless, courageous; you saved my life, nursed me back to health, hunted for my food, provided for my comfort. You don't need me. Yet you make me want to protect you, watch over you, make sure no harm comes to you. I could live with you all my life and never really know you; you have depths it would take many lifetimes to explore. You are wise and ancient ... and as fresh and young as a woman as ... And you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I love you more than life itself. — Jean M. Auel

I had tears coming out of my eyes. And it was the characters that got me there. — Jean M. Auel

I think of my books as mainstream and that's were most people who read them look for them in book stores. — Jean M. Auel

I had an idea for a story about a young woman who was living with people who were different, not just superficially different - such as hair colour, or eye colour, or skin colour - but different in some significant way. — Jean M. Auel

I'd done so many things I wasn't supposed to do that by then I was ready to try any idea that came to me. — Jean M. Auel

The idea led me into the research, which continues to give me more ideas for the story. — Jean M. Auel