Barthelme Author Quotes & Sayings

A brick could be used to help defeat all incumbent politicians whose last name starts with Brj and anything after that alphabetically. Since people tend to vote for the first one on the ballot, Brick would not only benefit from the stupidity of the citizenry, but the people would benefit by electing the smarter of the two candidates. — Jarod Kintz

Darlin', everyone has scars. — Marguerite Ashton

There is always a journey to take and there is always a final destination to reach. There is always an aim and there is always a focal point, good or bad. Because of where we want to get to, we mind not just our actions, but the reasons behind our actions also! — Ernest Agyemang Yeboah

It's strange. There's your life. You begin it, feeling that it's something so precious and rare, so beautiful that it's like a sacred treasure. Now it's over, and it doesn't make any difference to anyone, and it isn't that they are indifferent, it's just that they don't know, they don't know what it means, that treasure of mine, and there's something about it that they should understand. I don't understand it myself, but there's something that should be understood by all of us. Only what is it? What? — Ayn Rand

You want to help. That's fine but do you know how you want to help? The intent may be good, but without the way, you are lost. — Arnab Ray

It will take time to clear away the wreck. Though old buildings will eventually be replaced by finer ones, the new structures will take years to complete. — Alcoholics Anonymous

Our environment encourages us not to be philosophers but partisans. — William James

Once I had learnt my twelve times table (at the age of three) it was downhill all the way. — Fred Hoyle

This is one of the most crucial things that the newcomer needs to know about Barthelme. Though his stuff is sometimes difficult to puncture, and sometimes difficult to follow, while you're finding your way, he's always grinning at you in a warm and very compassionate way. The reader gets the feeling that the author is a nice man. That he knows when he's being difficult and when he's full of shit. Knows how much of this and how much of that you can actually take. He differs from some of his contemporaries, and from many other forgers of new prose styles, in that he doesn't ever give off the impression that he takes himself overseriously, and he seems genuinely to care whether or not his work is being read by you. He is a social writer. A writer who seems to be in the next room, waiting for you to finish and tell him what you thought. — Donald Barthelme