Dorah Birnbaum Quotes & Sayings

Prediction is the business of prophets, clairvoyants, and futurologists. It is not the business of novelists. A novelist's business is lying.
The weather bureau will tell you what next Tuesday will be like, and the Rand Corporation will tell you what the twenty-first century will be like. I don't recommend that you turn to the writers of fiction for such information. It's none of their business. All they're trying to do is tell you what they're like, and what you're like
what's going on
what the weather is now, today, this moment, the rain, the sunlight, look! Open your eyes; listen, listen. That is what the novelists say. But they don't tell you what you will see and hear. All they can tell you is what they have seen and heard, in their time in this world, a third of it spent in sleep and dreaming another third of it spent in telling lies. [Introduction to The Left Hand of Darkness] — Ursula K. Le Guin

I suddenly realized that there's something about singing hymns with a large group of people that sharpens the senses remarkably. I stored this observation away for later use; it was a jolly good thing to know for anyone practicing the art of detection. — Alan Bradley

A celebrated north country apostle, who, after Calvin had damned ninety-nine in a hundred of mankind, had contrived a scheme for damning ninety-nine in a hundred of the followers of Calvin. — William Godwin

The people in charge can always justify doing terrible things in the name of the greater good. A slaughter here, a little torture there. It becomes moral to do things that would be immoral if an ordinary individual did 'em. — Joe Hill

The essence of man is not what he is, but in what he is able to be. — Abraham Joshua Heschel

In life, you know, they do this in focus groups; if you were in such and such circumstance, what would you do? Well, you never know what you're going do unless you're faced with it. — Viola Davis

You know, sex is actually not so original as the way people love or the stories behind each relationship, which is what you remember. Sex is sex in the end. — Jane Campion

Would you mind getting a picture of us?
"Anything for one of Miss McLachlan's fans."
He looks like the cat that swallowed the canary.
"I take some mighty fine pictures of Miss McLachlan, if I do say so myself. — Georgia Cates

Don't let your fear of failing triumph over the joy of participating. — Marilyn Monroe

Would there be that subtle one-upmanship like there was between mothers? "It's so stressful having a gifted child." What would be the equivalent for a prison wife? "It's such a strain when your husband is a model prisoner! The others are constantly beating him up! — Liane Moriarty

Potential grabs my inner thigh
Yeah, that's how close we are ... — Casey Renee Kiser

I'm the only person you've ever met who has read Longfellow. — Margaret Atwood

'Blues Clues' has been incredibly good to me, and I've been working so hard on it for so long that I take it very personally. I wouldn't want to do anything to jeopardize what so many kids love. So there's a lot of responsibility there. — Steve Burns