Wein Quotes & Sayings

My father brought me my first stack of comics, when I was seven years old and in the hospital. I was not a well child. And that's where my love for comics began. — Len Wein

A whore, we've established that, filthy, it goes without saying, but whatever else the hell I am, I AM NOT ENGLISH. — Elizabeth Wein

These are just stories, you know. They are part of what we are, but they are not the real thing. All this year I've been thinking, What would White Raven do? And today, every time I thought it, I just didn't care what White Raven would do. So today I've just done what I would do. I've just done what I think is right. I'm not going to stop making up stories. But I'm thinking now that they aren't just for pretending to be someone else, someone more exciting, someone braver than you really are. They are not always jut a maze to get lost in so you can run away from life. They can just as well be maps to help you navigate. — Elizabeth Wein

I had been in France less than 48 hours before that obliging agent of yours had to stop me being run over by a French van full of French chickens because I'd looked the wrong way before crossing the street. Which shows how cunning the Gestapo are. This person I've pulled from beneath the wheels of certain death was expecting traffic to travel on the left side of the road. Therefore she must be British, and is likely to have parachuted into Nazi-occupied France out of an Allied plane. I shall now arrest her as a spy. — Elizabeth Wein

When I got my first glimpse of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, my breath caught. In that single instant, he was Wolverine. — Len Wein

A woman did that. — Elizabeth Wein

I think jazz and comic books are probably the two uniquely American art forms. — Len Wein

Hope is the most treacherous thing in the world. It lifts you and lets you plummet. But as long as you're being lifted you don't worry about plummeting. — Elizabeth Wein

So, I have no sense of direction. In some of us it is a TRAGIC FLAW, and — Elizabeth Wein

FLY THE PLANE, MADDIE. — Elizabeth Wein

Taran. We go down fighting. — Elizabeth Wein

I was a very sickly kid. While I was in the hospital at age 7, my Dad brought me a stack of comic books to keep me occupied. I was hooked. — Len Wein

Things became more civilized all of a sudden. Coffee does that. Or maybe it is women who do that. — Elizabeth Wein

I've had editors over the years who couldn't find a clue if it was stapled to their butt. — Len Wein

I'm a neurotic New York Jew by birth. Creating characters is second nature to me. — Len Wein

Maddie took the top of her egg off. The hot bright yolk was like summer sun breaking through cloud. The first daffodil in the snow. A gold sovereign wrapped in a white silk handkerchief. She dipped her spoon in it and licked it. — Elizabeth Wein

The quick, sudden terror of exploding bombs is not the same as the never-ending, bone-sapping fear of discovery and capture. It never goes away. There isn't ever any relief, never the possibility of an 'All Clear' siren. You always feel a little bit sick inside, knowing the worst might happen at any moment. — Elizabeth Wein

The fuss made over the chickens at the checkpoints is not to be believed. Unlike me they had their own papers. — Elizabeth Wein

Everything I know about passive resistance I learned from Micheline. She always appeared to be doing exactly as she was told, but everything she did took twice as long as it should have. — Elizabeth Wein

It's impossible to stall a Lizzie. — Elizabeth Wein

More than anything else, I think, Maddie went to war on behalf of the Holy Island seals. — Elizabeth Wein

Lord of the Rings, I think, is far and away the most brilliantly done stuff. — Len Wein

The curse of comic book adaptations, when I was younger, was that the director or producer would go, "Don't worry about it, it's just a comic book." — Len Wein

But she did it. Because you do. It is incredible what you do, knowing you have to. A — Elizabeth Wein

Sometimes I feel as if the only thing I can do is write. It helps me think. — Elizabeth Wein

When you're speaking very articulately and you're poised and you hold yourself well, that to me seems to indicate a certain way of being in life. You're in a certain place. And, whenever you break up with someone of many years, you tend to go down spiraling out of control, down some rabbit hole of sorts. — Daryl Wein

High time they put the RAF in kilts. — Elizabeth Wein

But while they stayed down, rolling around and trying to kill each other, Em jumped to her feet.
Her costumes sometimes have little finishing touches that no one can see. She hadn't told me about this one. — Elizabeth Wein

In these litigious times, if you're a beginner, it's becoming harder and harder to get your work to the people who might actually be able to hire you. — Len Wein

I am like a ruined piece of parchment scrawled over and over again with your name, so many times it has become illegible. — Elizabeth Wein

There's glory and honour in being chosen. But not much room for free will — Elizabeth Wein

There is only one reason I did not go down in flames over the Angers, and that is because I knew I had Julie in the back. Would never have had the presence of mind to put that fire out if I hadn't been trying to save her life. — Elizabeth Wein

Never be embarrassed by the things you cannot do. Be embarrassed by the things you can do and don't do well. — Len Wein

Don't you ever do that to me."
"You know you'll never make as much of a fool of yourself as Horatio Augustus. So I won't have to. — Elizabeth Wein

I am no longer afraid of getting old. Indeed I can't believe I ever said anything so stupid. So childish. So offensive and arrogant.
But mainly, so very, very stupid. I desperately want to grow old. — Elizabeth Wein

When you're flying, the changing balance of lift and weight pulls you up or down. But another pair of forces pulls you forward or backward through the air: thrust and drag. Thrust is the power that pulls the kite forward - you run with it to get it up in the air. You have to have thrust to create lift. Drag is there because your kite's surfaces push against the air and slow the kite down. Drag doesn't pull you out of the sky; it makes you fly more slowly. — Elizabeth Wein

I've always thought of myself as an organic writer, rather than a cerebral one. I feel my way along as I go, hoping I'll get to the place I intend to reach. — Len Wein

It all depends on which side of the desk you're sitting on. — Len Wein

I'm not interested in selling out my career for a big paycheck. I would love to live a little more comfortably, but it is very important for me to try and maintain my soul and integrity as a filmmaker in as big of a way as possible. — Daryl Wein

Here he comes, moving among the enemies all on his own. Do you see? He acts alone, but he is not alone. He has an army behind him, also, my army; and with our lives we will fight to defend him. — Elizabeth Wein

In trust and wisdom you can be as far superior to anyone as you dare make yourself. — Elizabeth Wein

We are a sensational team — Elizabeth Wein

I consider myself the luckiest man in the world. I have spent a lifetime doing what I love. — Len Wein

Doing the thing you are scared of is much harder than not being afraid of anything. It is easy to be brave. It is not so easy to be scared and do a brave thing anyway. — Elizabeth Wein

You just have to be careful with Momma for a while," Teo told me. "She's broken. Like a jug with a broken handle that you try to glue back together. It looks all right, and it'll still hold water. It's still a good jug. But you better not ever try to pick it up by the handle. You have to wait for the glue to dry, and even then it might not hold. — Elizabeth Wein

I think every time you take a female character, a black character, a Hispanic character, a gay character, and make that the point of the character, you are minimalizing the character, — Len Wein

I think women become more wrapped up emotionally in men when sex is involved. And I think men have a much easier time of having innocuous, meaningless sex for pleasure. It's just how we're built genetically. — Daryl Wein

Here's a list of some of the folks who have written Swamp Thing over the years: Alan Moore, Len Wein, Scott Snyder, Brian K Vaughan, Joshua Dysart, Rick Veitch, Grant Morrison, Mark Millar. That's not even a full list, but you see my point - ol' Swampy has had some seriously brilliant people behind the keyboard in his time. — Charles Soule

But a part of me lies buried in lace and roses on a riverbank in France-a part of me is broken off forever. A part of me will be unflyable, stuck in the climb. — Elizabeth Wein

She tried not to think about what it would be like running across the airfield to the radio room an hour from now, under fire. But she did it. Because you do. It is incredible what you do, knowing you have to. — Elizabeth Wein

She whispered, 'C'etait la Verite?' Was that Verity? Or perhaps she just meant, Was that the truth? Was it true? Did any of it really happen? Were the last three hours real? 'Yes,' I whispered back. 'Oui. C'etait la verite. — Elizabeth Wein

I'm still a fanboy geek. I always will be. In many ways, if my work still resonates with the audience, it's because I'm still writing from the point of view of the fan, so I'm geeked out constantly. — Len Wein

Teach your boy to fly, and he will be safe from spears and antique rifles." "I don't want him to go to war at all!" "When it comes, you will have no choice. The only way to save him is to lift him above the crowd. — Elizabeth Wein

But people need lift, too. People don't get moving, they don't soar, they don't achieve great heights, without someone buoying them up. — Elizabeth Wein

I try not to violate what came before me and to leave lots of wiggle room for those who will follow. — Len Wein

KISS ME, HARDY! Kiss me, QUICK! — Elizabeth Wein

You know, it set you at war with yourself. — Elizabeth Wein

Mary Queen of Scots had a little dog, a Skye terrier, that was devoted to her. Moments after Mary was beheaded, the people who were watching saw her skirts moving about and they thought her headless body was trying to get itself to its feet. But the movement turned out to be her dog, which she had carried to the block with her, hidden in her skirts. Mary Stuart is supposed to have faced her execution with grace and courage (she wore a scarlet chemise to suggest she was being martyred), but I don't think she could have been so brave if she had not secretly been holding tight to her Skye terrier, feeling his warm, silky fur against her trembling skin. — Elizabeth Wein

Stars poked through like holes in the cloth of the sky and shed no light on anything. — Elizabeth Wein

History has a way of coming back to you. In the case of Janis Joplin appearing at the festival in 1968, her performance affected the life of a Bostonian who is now a member of the Newport Festivals Foundation Board of Directors. Ward Mooney was so affected and emotionally involved in Janis' performance at Newport, that when he heard the festival was going nonprofit, he knew wanted to become a part. Janis was beautiful, gracious and respectful, and the power of her Newport performance continues to live on. — George Wein

A writer writes. Period. No matter if someone is buying your work or not. — Len Wein

(I really would like to catapult myself back there in time and kick my own teeth in.) — Elizabeth Wein

Would the Holy One, Blessed is he, dispense judgment without justice? But we may say that he whom God loves will be chastised. For since the day the Holy Temple was destroyed, the righteous are seized by death for the iniquities of the generation — Berel Wein

It is so hard trying to say what you mean. — Elizabeth Wein

Please come back soon. The window is always open. — Elizabeth Wein

Queenie was devoted to careless name-dropping, scattering the details of her privileged upbringing without the faintest hint of modesty or embarrassment (though, after a while Maddie began to realize she only did it with people she liked or people she detested
those who didn't mind and those she didn't care about
anyone in between, or who might have been offended, she was more cautious with). — Elizabeth Wein

Black Dove, let's write. Let's work on a story. Let's work on Glassland."
"Make me a prisoner in the Fortress of Clarity."
"Got to rescue you. — Elizabeth Wein

If you've already worked in some capacity or done any internships, your contacts are everybody you've met in your work plus all your personal contacts. If you haven't been employed yet, you still have plenty of contacts. "Take out your college yearbook," says Wein. "Who sat next to you in class? Who do you know that's gone into the field you're interested in? You don't have to know them well to put them on the list." You'd also include any contacts your parents have, friends of your parents, people you met on family vacations, even kids you knew in summer camp. — Kate White

Where I fail in accuracy, I hope I make up for it in plausibility. — Elizabeth Wein

He just put his hand through the bulkhead, exactly as she'd done, and squeezed my shoulder. He has very strong fingers.
And he kept his hand there the whole way home, even when he was reading the map and giving me headings.
So I am not flying alone now after all. — Elizabeth Wein

She gave me a dirty look. Then she broke into the bubbly champagne laugh. She turned and ran, limping but steady. She laughed over he shoulder, letting out the line as I held the kite above my head.
"Run with me, Rose," she cried. — Elizabeth Wein

Rhode Island has become a second home to me after being involved in its cultural life for over 61 years. I look upon it as a privilege to be inducted into the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame. — George Wein

Fight with realistic
hope, not to destroy
all the world's wrong,
but to renew its good. — Elizabeth Wein

I had never really thought of myself as a writer; any writing I had done was just to give myself something to draw. — Len Wein

If I am very lucky - I mean if I am clever about it - I will get myself shot. Here, soon. — Elizabeth Wein

You know how sometimes when you come home and you haven't seen a place for so long that it seems unbelievably beautiful, and you want to cry because you love it so much you think it's going to break your heart? I felt like that, too. I am HOME. — Elizabeth Wein

I wish you could go through life without ever caring about anything, without ever getting attached to people and dreams and inaccessible places. It just makes you sad when you can never go back. — Elizabeth Wein

Emmy and I are still Habte Sadek's favorite foreigners, and it is all because I wanted to look at his feet when I was eleven years old! But it never hurts to be polite to people. — Elizabeth Wein

Jamie let go of me. "Shut your mucky gob, man." He stepped close to our fearless leader in the dark, took hold of his jacket by the collar, and in a dead quiet voice that had gone dangerously Scots, threatened heatedly, "Talk like that again wi' these brave lassies listenin' an' Ah'll tear the filthy English tongue frae yer heid, so Ah will. — Elizabeth Wein

Unfortunately, there are writers whose only concern is how good they could make themselves look on a title. — Len Wein

I, of course, took the opportunity to interpose with pigheaded Wallace pride, 'I am not English, you ignorant Jerry bastard, I am a SCOT. — Elizabeth Wein

If you're scared, do something. — Elizabeth Wein

That would be a slow and cruel death," said Gebe Meskal quietly. "He may survive a week on such a regime, but so little of a skin is not sufficient water for a man laboring in the desert."

Telemakos said through his teeth, "It is for a child. — Elizabeth Wein

Julie would have died there. — Elizabeth Wein

We make a sensational team. — Elizabeth Wein

Unless you were doing them a favor by killing them. Then, you'd let them down if you didn't, if you couldn't make yourself. — Elizabeth Wein

The villain is always more entertaining because he has fewer limitations. The hero is bound by honor, by justice and by the law, sometimes. — Len Wein

I don't recognise any of my emotions any more. There's no such thing as plain joy or grief. It's horror and relief and panic and gratitude all jumbled together. — Elizabeth Wein

I would like immortality. — Len Wein

Nothing like an arcane literary debate with your tyrannical master while you pass the time leading to your execution. — Elizabeth Wein

And you know, it was like I was breathing my own self back into me to say these word,s to remember that these things existed
the green trees of the eastern woodland at home in North America, their strong and supple branches, sunlight through the trees. — Elizabeth Wein

Von Loewe really should know me well enough by now to realize that I am not going to face my execution without a fight. Or with anything remotely resembling dignity. — Elizabeth Wein

Whenever I'm looking for actors, I'm always looking for actors who are intelligent and who feel fresh and who feel authentic to the world. — Daryl Wein

When I submitted samples, I had only written stories to give myself something to draw. I was told, "The art is good, but not quite professional yet. But, I like the writing." I've been a writer for almost a half a century. It's very cool. — Len Wein

Follow them," said Goewin, "and listen."

So he did. — Elizabeth Wein

When someone writes to tell me something I've written made them laugh or cry, I've done my job and done it well. The rest is all semantics. — Len Wein

The most unrealistic thing I've ever read in comics is when some group of characters calls themselves the Brotherhood of Evil or the Masters of Evil. I don't believe any character believes their goals to be truly evil. — Len Wein

People who were more concerned with themselves and looking good to their readers then they were with the characters sacrificed a series for the sake of a story. — Len Wein

Sometimes you're not even sure which of your stories were failures. There are things I've written that I thought were complete catastrophes when I finished with them that have gone on to generate some of my most positive feedback. — Len Wein

I am in the Special Operations Executive because I can speak French and German and am good at making up stories, and I am a prisoner in the Ormaie Gestapo HQ because I have no sense of direction whatsoever. — Elizabeth Wein