Logo - Feel The Words

Author Quotes

Quotes on writing, reviews, and creative control

These quotes capture the author's experience from the inside, including the strange thrill of attending your own book event and the very real Bane of harsh reviews after publication.

I'm going to book-and-author dinners, and I'm the author!

Quotes by William Lashner

An author's characters do what he wants them to do.

Quotes by W. E. B. Griffin

I shall be but a shrimp of an author.

Quotes by Thomas Gray

My neighbors don't care that I'm an author. It's inherently ego-inhibiting.

Quotes by Ryan Holiday

Accident Quotes

I was just delighted to be a legitimate, for-real published author.

Quotes by Paul Harding

Bad reviews are the bane of an author's post-publication existence.

Quotes by Nigel Hamilton

Truth is Mormonism. God is the author of it.

Quotes by Joseph Smith, Jr.

Novels are a kind of experiment in selfhood, for the reader as well as for the author.

Quotes by Jonathan Dee

Call me the author.

Quotes by Joan Didion

Bad Quotes

I became a children's author by accident.

Quotes by Jerry Spinelli

I have no intention of becoming a shorthand author.

Quotes by Isaac Pitman

I want to be an author.

Quotes by Harry Lloyd

I'm the author of several books, including children's books.

Quotes by Eric Metaxas

An author departs, he does not die.

Quotes by Dinah Maria Mulock

Bane Quotes

Choose an author as you choose a friend.

Quotes by Arthur Helps

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Frequently Asked Questions

What creative control do authors have, according to these quotes?
A lot - one states plainly that an author's characters do what the author wants them to do, framing writing as an act of authority over the story.
Is there a self-deprecating quote about being an author?
Yes, one jokingly calls themselves "but a shrimp of an author," downplaying their own stature in a humble, funny way.
What do these quotes say about book reviews?
One calls harsh reviews the biggest downside of publishing a book, acknowledging how much criticism can sting once it's finally out.
Is there a lighter quote about author events?
Yes, one jokes about attending "book-and-author dinners" and being amused to realize they themselves are the author being celebrated.
Do these quotes suggest writing is mostly confident or mostly humble?
It's a mix - one is confident about controlling the story, while others lean humble, especially when facing reviews or describing their own modest talent.

One especially funny line calls the speaker "but a shrimp of an author," a humble, self-deprecating nod to their own place in the literary world - proof confidence isn't Bad to lack.