Straczynski Quotes & Sayings

The only thing that I discovered very early on is that, even though we might change schools and cities and towns and states, the books in the library were the same. They had the same covers. They had the same characters. I could go and visit those people in the library as if I knew them. — J. Michael Straczynski

I've written for every medium except poetry, at which I suck. — J. Michael Straczynski

I'm sorry, but anyone who thinks the use of an angelic (or seemingly angelic character), whose likes have been written about for, oh, about 4,000 years, is ripping off Star Trek, has his head so thoroughly up his ass as to have blipped into an entirely new intestinally-based reality and desperately needs to get a wider frame of reference. — J. Michael Straczynski

There's a rule of writing: if everything is funny, nothing is funny; if everything is sad, nothing is sad. You want that contrast. — J. Michael Straczynski

If there's any other message in this to readers, it's in these two characters as icons of hope, that it doesn't make any difference where you come from, or where you went to school, or who you are, there's hope. That a kid from Jersey with Superman as the icon that kept him alive for years would one day end up writing the character is as absoutely unlikely as it is utterly inevitable. And if that's true for me, it's true for you, if you follow your dreams and your passions in full flight.
Don't give up.
No Limits.
It's never too late to learn to fly. — J. Michael Straczynski

Avoid the tyranny of the reasonable voice ... it will guarantee a complacency of never trying anything adventurous ... — J. Michael Straczynski

You can't always relate to the big action things, but you can relate to small moments. — J. Michael Straczynski

I can easily come up with ten really iconic stories/trade paperbacks for Superman, Batman, others ... name me ten equally big, iconic Wonder Woman stories. Much harder. That ain't the character's fault, that isn't sexism, that's just not servicing the character. — J. Michael Straczynski

Writing is the process of asking the next logical question. — J. Michael Straczynski

I think that we are already making steps toward mapping out the brain so we can identify the chemical patterns that create and store memory. — J. Michael Straczynski

I keep waiting for a paradigm shift to happen that will let network and studio execs see that sci-fi is the same as any other genre in terms of how you approach it - logically, character-based, with challenging ideas and forward thinking - but I worry that it might never happen in my lifetime. — J. Michael Straczynski

In every other science fiction series, humans are at the top of the food chain. In the 'Babylon 5' universe, they're in the bottom third. — J. Michael Straczynski

I sometimes find reality far more fantastical and unlikely than what I could just make up. — J. Michael Straczynski

You can only have one voice on set, and that has to be the director. — J. Michael Straczynski

Superhero stories are kind of in my DNA from childhood on, so I think I'm genetically drawn to playing in the genre when the opportunity presents itself. — J. Michael Straczynski

It is imperative for many branches of fundamentalist christianity to constantly feel conspired against ... so they cite humanist manifestos and theosophical societies and concoct these vast and dark organizations that exist nowhere but in the minds of those who conceive these theories. — J. Michael Straczynski

At its heartmeat core, writing is about exploring the questions of your heart on the assumption that what intrigues you, what inflames or amuses or ennobles you, will have the same effect on someone else. It's about taking chances, and taking risks, and pushing yourself to be honest in the issues that present themselves. — J. Michael Straczynski

G'Kar: I believe that when we leave a place, part of it goes with us and part of us remains. Go anywhere in the station when it is quiet, and just listen. After a while, you will hear the echoes of all our conversations, every thought and word we've exchanged. Long after we are gone, our voices will linger in these walls for as long as this place remains. But I will admit that the part of me that is going will very much miss the part of you that is staying. — J. Michael Straczynski

I've changed my mind. I've decided that at the end I want to be cremated and my ashes scattered over someone I don't like. — J. Michael Straczynski

When a book of mine comes out, I instantly go hunting the net, not for praise, but for criticism, because that's how you learn, from people who don't have to be polite to you. — J. Michael Straczynski

Accidents happen. That's what everyone says. But in a quantum universe there are no such things as accidents, only possibilities and probabilities folded into existence by perception. — J. Michael Straczynski

Follow your passion. The rest will attend to itself. If I can do it, anybody can do it. It's possible. And it's your turn. So go for it. It's never too late to become what you always wanted to be in the first place. — J. Michael Straczynski

Life was meant to be lived full measure, flat out, pedal to the metal. Don't live the rest of your life like a Porsche that never leaves the garage because somebody's afraid to scratch it. — J. Michael Straczynski

Anyone who sets foot into the 'Watchmen' universe and isn't just a little nervous should be given a few days of electroshock therapy. I've always considered 'Watchmen' to be one of the best graphic novels ever written, and when it came out back in 1986 I was as blown away as everyone else. Just masterful. — J. Michael Straczynski

There are those who seem to feel they have no choice about being jerks in the present because they had a crappy childhood. Well, that's the definition of childhood; nobody gets out alive. You either get stronger from what you experience, or you turn it into a crutch, an excuse, a dodge. — J. Michael Straczynski

When writers don't know what to do with a character, they build up the supporting cast and universe to kind of hide that fact. After a while, you can no longer see the character for the underbrush. When that happens, you need to bring out the weed-whacker to clear some of that away so you can focus on the main character. — J. Michael Straczynski

If every violent program in the nation were blipped off the air for 48 hours, and replaced by reruns of the 'Donna Reed Show', there would not be one less death in South Central LA. At most you'd have several more incidents of people shooting out their TVs. — J. Michael Straczynski

You know, I used to think it was awful that life was so unfair. Then I thought, wouldn't it be much worse if life were fair, and all the terrible things that happen to us come because we actually deserve them? So, now I take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe. — J. Michael Straczynski

You should do what you enjoy doing, what brings you passion. As kids, we spontaneously sing and dance and tell stories, and along the way, someone comes and says, 'No. You shouldn't be doing that.' And we slowly begin to unlearn our passions. I think you have to hold on to those things. — J. Michael Straczynski

I'm delirious with joy. It proves that if you confront the universe with good intentions in your heart, it will reflect that and reward your intent. Usually. It just doesn't always do it in the way you expect. — J. Michael Straczynski

To me, science fiction is about the sense of mystery, the sense of awe. Not 'shock and awe', just 'awe.' — J. Michael Straczynski

I like to consider my mind an open door. It's just not a revolving door. — J. Michael Straczynski

For me, there's nothing sexier than a woman who can argue me into the ground and outsmart me ... a woman who knows her own mind and isn't afraid to speak it. — J. Michael Straczynski

To understand this whole area, you have to stop thinking like a viewer and start thinking like a network programming exec. — J. Michael Straczynski

The thing about denying someone their voice in this life is that it tends to come out in death. — J. Michael Straczynski

If sacred places are spared the ravages of war ... then make all places sacred. And if the holy people are to be kept harmless from war ... then make all people holy. — J. Michael Straczynski

I used to wonder which would be harder: having no one to believe in you or someone who believes in you so much that their love could burn you to the ground. Someone who knows you can give more than you think you can. Not just love. Ferocity. — J. Michael Straczynski

Understanding is a three edged sword: your side, their side, and the truth. — J. Michael Straczynski

WE HAVE A WHOLE DEPARTMENT THAT LOOKS AFTER HAPPY COINCIDENCES — J. Michael Straczynski

Words have power. Names are power. Never give that shit away for free. — J. Michael Straczynski

Even as I think these words for the first time, the me who is my future self is remembering me thinking these words for the first time. — J. Michael Straczynski

When it comes down to it, the reason that science fiction endures is that it is, at its core, an optimistic genre. What it says at the end of the day is that there is a tomorrow, we do go on, we don't extinguish ourselves and leave the planet to the cockroaches. — J. Michael Straczynski

I don't need to write comics for a living. I have movies and TV for that. I write comics for one reason and one reason only: I love comics. I love the form, the structure, the storytelling process, I love everything about it. — J. Michael Straczynski

Angels can't enter hell unless a demon holds open the door, and demons can't enter heaven without an angel's say-so. — J. Michael Straczynski

I also like to look at the dynamic that takes place between religion and science because, in a way, both are asking the same questions: Who are we? Where do we come from? Why are we here? Where are we going? The methodologies are diametrically opposed, but their motivation is the same; the wellspring is the same in both cases. — J. Michael Straczynski

I was very clear that I wanted to keep 'Thor' out of the rest of the Marvel universe for no less than the first six issues. And the success of the book, I think, speaks well to that decision. — J. Michael Straczynski

Ask ten different scientists about the environment, population control, genetics and you'll get ten different answers, but there's one thing every scientist on the planet agrees on. Whether it happens in a hundred years or a thousand years or a million years, eventually our Sun will grow cold and go out. When that happens, it won't just take us. It'll take Marilyn Monroe and Lao-Tzu, Einstein, Morobuto, Buddy Holly, Aristophanes .. and all of this .. all of this was for nothing unless we go to the stars. — J. Michael Straczynski

Greatness is never appreciated in youth, called pride in midlife, dismissed in old age, and reconsidered in death. Because we cannot tolerate greatness in our midst, we do all we can do destroy it. — J. Michael Straczynski

There can always be new beginnings ... even for people like us. — J. Michael Straczynski

We are in a tech-heavy society, plunging headlong into an unknown future. Science fiction is what allows you to stand back and analyze the impact of that and put it in context of how it affects people. — J. Michael Straczynski

There's a lot of comics writers out there whose work I appreciate and who are nice guys. I really want to work with guys I really respect and enjoy. — J. Michael Straczynski

I have this theory that the more important and intimate the emotion, the fewer words are required to express it. For instance in dating: 'Will you go out with me?' Six words. 'I really care for you.' Five words. 'You matter to me' Four words. 'I love you.' Three words. 'Marry me.' Two words. Well, what's left? What's the one most important and intimate word you can ever say to somebody?
'Goodbye ... ' — J. Michael Straczynski

My philosophy: find what it is you want to say, walk in the room, say it, and get the hell out. — J. Michael Straczynski

NEVER SURRENDER DREAMS
If we are to be who we are; if we are to accomplish great things; then we must learn the heart's most essential rule: NEVER SURRENDER DREAMS — J. Michael Straczynski

Again, one of the problems I have with television, as I mentioned before, is it's trivial in many ways, and I think that a lot of folks out there are looking for new metaphors and new ways of thinking about things. — J. Michael Straczynski

I want to have time. When you're doing a monthly book, you're like a man racing after a bus. You're breathless and red-faced. I want to build in quality control. — J. Michael Straczynski

The whole point of having great characters is the opportunity to explore them more deeply with time, re-interpreting them for each new age. — J. Michael Straczynski

You don't buy into huge car chases or sensates or interstellar warfare, but you can buy into a loving relationship or a father-son relationship, and you can buy into the small humor. If you want to make your fiction universal, go small. That's the best way to do it. — J. Michael Straczynski

Never follow somebody else's path; it doesn't work the same way twice for anyone ... the path follows you and rolls up behind you as you walk, forcing the next person to find their own way."" ... If you do not choose to lead, you will forever be led by others. Find what scares you, and do it. And you can make a difference, if you choose to do so. — J. Michael Straczynski

The more important the emotion is, the fewer words required to express it:
Will you go out with me?
I think I like you.
I care for you.
I love you.
Marry me.
Goodbye. — J. Michael Straczynski

We know that if memory is destroyed in one part of the brain, it can be sometimes re-created on a different part of the brain. And once we can unravel that amino chain of chemicals that is responsible for memory, I see no reason why we can't unlock it and, essentially, wipe out what's there. — J. Michael Straczynski

Did Alan Moore get screwed on his contract? Of course. Lots of people get screwed, but we still have Spider-Man and lots of other heroes. — J. Michael Straczynski

I like writing. It's partly control freak, and partly I really like what I do for a living. I have the luckiest job in the world. I can get up every day and do what I love for a living. — J. Michael Straczynski

Stage-persona notwithstanding, I'm extremely shy and quiet. Almost painfully shy. People misinterpret that as being above it all or not interested. — J. Michael Straczynski

Writers write for one reason: to create an emotion in the reader, to reach across and make them feel something. You want a reaction. Yeah, it's nicer when the reaction is to throw flowers than it is to throw brickbats, but you have to accept both equally. — J. Michael Straczynski

Sometimes you can't see what the problem is until you go close, until you look deep inside. It's when you look beyond the edge of what you think you know that you can finally arrive at the truth. — J. Michael Straczynski

Whenever you can bring your chops in as a reporter to unearth a cool story, that's always a good thing. — J. Michael Straczynski

Faith and reason are the shoes on your feet. You can travel further with both than you can with just one. — J. Michael Straczynski

G'Kar: We are all the sum of our tears. Too little and the ground is not fertile, and nothing can grow there. Too much, the best of us is washed away. — J. Michael Straczynski

The quality of our thoughts is bordered on all sides by our facility with language. — J. Michael Straczynski

All you can do is focus on telling the best story you can with compelling characters. If you do it right, it will endure. If you do it wrong, it won't. — J. Michael Straczynski

For me, growing up in a ridiculously poor family living in dead-end neighborhoods, Superman was a deeply personal icon, one that said you can do anything if you put your mind to it. What he stood for formed the core of who I wanted to be as I grew up, and informed how I view the world and my responsibilities to other people. — J. Michael Straczynski

A good story should provoke discussion, debate, argument ... and the occasional bar fight. — J. Michael Straczynski

Not all murder is evil ...
In the right time, the right place, for the right reason
it can be a blessing more profound than any you can imagine — J. Michael Straczynski

On the Internet, inside information is currency, and there will always be counterfeiters among us. — J. Michael Straczynski

If we cannot win, we can at least deprive them of the victory. — J. Michael Straczynski

No dictator, no invader, can hold an imprisoned population by force of arms forever. — J. Michael Straczynski

Budget grows out of the story. If you're writing a story with people caught in an elevator for most of the film, you're pretty sure it won't be a $200 million movie. — J. Michael Straczynski

Sometimes the pain they wish to spare is their own because if you can be convinced to set aside your own dreams, they can remain comfortable with their decision to do the same. — J. Michael Straczynski

I'm all for teaching creation and allowing prayers in schools, as soon as scholars begin teaching Darwinism and geometry in church. — J. Michael Straczynski

Half-way through any big project, everyone forgets what they're doing. — J. Michael Straczynski

I have to move fast, if I hesitate even a second longer, I'll lose focus and be trapped forever in this ... this ... toilet! — J. Michael Straczynski

A story is a story is a story. The only difference is in the techniques you bring to bear. There are always limitations on what you can and can't do. But I enjoy that. Just like when you write a sonnet or haiku, there are rules you have to abide by. And to me, playing within the rules is the fun part. It keeps the brain fresh. — J. Michael Straczynski

As an atheist, I believe that all life is unspeakably precious, because it's only here for a brief moment, a flare against the dark, and then it's gone forever. — J. Michael Straczynski

My house looks like it was decorated by a 14-year old with a platinum American Express card. — J. Michael Straczynski

When the 'Seinfeld' show said it was going to be a show about nothing, everybody said it couldn't - wouldn't work. It did. 'Thor' is about something, about that character finding his destiny, but it's not doing what was expected ... and yet it's doing very well. — J. Michael Straczynski

When I saw Wonder Woman being constantly put in positions where she'd get tied up with her own rope, or held hostage, even as a kid, my reaction was 'C'mon, she's too smart for that.' — J. Michael Straczynski

Every time I got 'Amazing Spider-Man' or 'Fantastic Four' or another book firmly on the rails, we got pulled into some big event book or crossover and it cost momentum and messed badly with the pacing and structure of the book. — J. Michael Straczynski

Growing up as a kid, we moved all over the country on a fairly frequent basis, from New Jersey to Texas, California, Illinois ... we moved 21 times in my first 17 years. — J. Michael Straczynski

The future is all around us, waiting in moments of transition to be born in moments of revelation. No one knows the shape of the future or where it will take us. We know only that it is always born in pain. — J. Michael Straczynski

The past tempts us, the present confuses us, and the future frightens us. And our lives slip away, moment by moment, lost in that vast terrible in-between. But there is still time to seize that one last fragile moment. — J. Michael Straczynski

I'm all for crossovers if they benefit the individual books. — J. Michael Straczynski

To have someone like Clint Eastwood come along and shoot your first draft as written is just any screenwriter's dream. And Clint is very straightforward. If it's good enough to get his attention, it's good enough to produce. — J. Michael Straczynski

When in doubt, blow something up. — J. Michael Straczynski

It is not for the gods to decide whether or not Man exists - it is for Man to decide whether or not the gods exist. — J. Michael Straczynski

If a person with a bullet in Dallas can change the world, imagine a person with an idea could do. — J. Michael Straczynski

What are the purposes and priorities of teaching? ... First, to inspire. Second, to challenge. Third, and only third, to impart information. — J. Michael Straczynski

I'm a big believer in the idea that while we are the sum of our tears, we are also the product of our choices in how we deal with those tears. — J. Michael Straczynski

Wouldn't it be much worse if life really were fair and all the terrible things that happen to us happen because we really deserve them? — J. Michael Straczynski

If your going to have delusions, you might as well go for the really satisfying ones. — J. Michael Straczynski