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Book Quotes

Why books work the way they do.

This page highlights what books can do that film can't, including slower pacing and quiet stretches, alongside a reminder that some things simply translate poorly to screen. For a companion collection, see Books.

Do you all have a living room floor or a bedroom floor? Then you can write a book.

Quotes by Patricia Reilly Giff

I cannot outline. I do not know what the next thing is going to happen in the book until it comes out of my fingers.

Quotes by Patricia Reilly Giff

Getting to the point where I was ready to write a book has been about a 20-year journey of being, really honestly, too afraid to try - which I think is pretty common for people who are trying to write...

Quotes by Patrick Carman

'Skeleton Creek' is like nothing you've ever read before because it's a book and a movie at the same time.

Quotes by Patrick Carman

There's something really fun about being scared, and I guess that was at least part of why I wanted to film certain scenes from my new book, 'Skeleton Creek.'

Quotes by Patrick Carman

My inspiration for writing is all the wonderful books that I read as a child and that I still read. I think that for those of us who write, when we find a wonderful book written by someone else, we...

Quotes by Patricia MacLachlan

My son jokes with me that he thinks I Google the word 'sad' to come up with book ideas.

Quotes by Patricia McCormick

When I put magic into a book - whether it's a wizard or a crusty old werewolf - I'm asking a reader to swallow a huge leap that is counter to everything he or she knows. An extra big helping...

Quotes by Patricia Briggs

I've had people turn up to book signings with knives, with guns.

Quotes by Patricia Cornwell

I cite in my book countless examples of the foundational documents of the colonial period in America and the writings of the leaders, that this was intended to be a Christian nation.

Quotes by Pat Robertson

'Undertones of War' by Edmund Blunden seems to get less attention than the memoirs of Siegfried Sassoon and Robert Graves, but it is a great book.

Quotes by Pat Barker

I was reading this book called 'Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind.' It's really, really good if you want to believe in that stuff.

Quotes by Parker Posey

My conception of my ideal reader has expanded quite a lot as I've matured: Ultimately when I think of my ideal reader, it's someone who's not sitting down with the intention of automatically arguing with the book: somebody who's going...

Quotes by Paolo Bacigalupi

Writing books is a nice retreat. There's nothing quite like diving into a book for a few hours. That is a big time vacation.

Quotes by Padgett Powell

I think William Trevor is as good as it gets. Whenever I want a book to do exactly what it says it will, I read him.

Quotes by Padgett Powell

I am writing a book more improbable than 'The Interrogative Mood' that I call 'Manifesto'. It's two guys talking who speak artificially conveniently.

Quotes by Padgett Powell

I trust no one - that microphone, that book.

Quotes by Pablo Sandoval

With a young-adult series, you need to get a lot of books out on the market quickly. Teenagers aren't going to wait years and years for the next book.

Quotes by P. C. Cast

A writer is, after all, only half his book. The other half is the reader and from the reader the writer learns.

Quotes by P. L. Travers

For the price of a couple of Happy Meals, you can buy a digital textbook and stop your child from having to carry around a six-pound book.

Quotes by Osman Rashid

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a quote about pacing in books versus other media?
Yes. One quote observes: "In a book, you can kind of take time and have lulls in places." It highlights something books can do that faster-paced formats often can't.
Is there a quote about the difference between books and movies?
Yes - one quote notes that things that might work in a book just do not work in the visual medium of movies. It's a useful reminder that not every story translates directly from page to screen. For more on the reading side of storytelling, browse Books quotes.
Is there a quote about why books offer escapism?
Yes. One quote calls a great book "escapism" and says the artistry and the creativity in a story are better than any drugs. It's a strong statement about the emotional pull of good writing. For more on the community side of reading, see Book Club quotes.
Is there a quote about literature guiding how kids grow up?
Yes - one quote reflects that what sort of person you grow into shouldn't happen by default, which is often exactly what happens to kids, and describes seeing literature as a method of guidance, information, and contemplation. It's a thoughtful take on the role books can play in shaping character. For more on where to find these books, check out Bookstore quotes.
What different things do these "book" quotes celebrate?
The slower pacing only a book allows, the limits of adapting books into movies, books as a form of escapism, and literature's role in shaping how people grow up. If you're touring or exploring more book-related content, Book Tour quotes round things out.

One entry treats a great book as pure escapism, while another argues literature plays a real role in guiding how young people grow up. Explore further with Book Club or Bookstore.