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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.

I wrote my first book when I was 15 years old. And my second book '1,2,3 Publish Me!' shows everyone how writing a book is done in just the three secret editing levels I discovered!

Quotes by Manika

I had kept notes during my cancer treatment, but I wasn't sure what my outcome was going to be. A part of me wasn't sure if I would make it into a book. If it was going to be morbid,...

Quotes by Manisha Koirala

When a movie based on a book comes out, people always say that the book is always better than the movie. So I'm always interested in reading the book, too.

Quotes by Mannie Fresh

I get most of my reading done whenever I'm in the airport waiting on a flight, have some time to kill, and I have a book with me.

Quotes by Mannie Fresh

I remember going into a bookshop, and the only book I saw with a black child on the cover was 'A Thief in the Village' by James Berry, and I thought, 'Is this still the state of publishing?' Then I...

Quotes by Malorie Blackman

Be kind and considerate with your criticism... It's just as hard to write a bad book as it is to write a good book.

Quotes by Malcolm Cowley

I can ask for a £25,000 advance, but then you spend a year writing the book, and £25,000 is a loan against sales, and you can easily spend five years earning out. So that's £25,000 for six years.

Quotes by Mal Peet

After being rejected for years, I found a publisher for 'Keeper,' and it won prizes, and then I had to write a second and a third book because I kept taking the money and spending it.

Quotes by Mal Peet

When a writer declares that his first book is his best, that is bad. I progress successively from book to book.

Quotes by Mahmoud Darwish

This object that we hold in our hands, a book... that tactile pleasure, it's just not going to go away.

Quotes by Maggie Stiefvater

When I was really little, my favorite book was 'The BFG'. I read it - my teacher in, like, first grade read it to us. I love that book.

Quotes by Madison Pettis

Sometimes we misunderstand what films can do. We just throw a whole book in there, with people just talking, talking, and talking. The picture can tell, the frame can tell.

Quotes by Mads Mikkelsen

If David Bowie wants, I'll put him in my phone book.

Quotes by Mads Mikkelsen

I really love poetry. I'm a big E.E. Cummings fan and a big Walt Whitman fan, and I have a big book of poetry.

Quotes by Mae Whitman

When I first read the scenes I got to audition, I just could tell there was obviously something there. The writing speaks for itself, but also it's just the fact that 'The Handmaid's Tale' is such an amazing story. I...

Quotes by Madeline Brewer

The best book, like the best speech, will do it all - make us laugh, think, cry and cheer - preferably in that order.

Quotes by Madeleine Albright

They put it on the page because it sounded good or it looked good or they read it in a book somewhere that this is how you structure a script or something, and they just don't get it. It's surprising.

Quotes by Macaulay Culkin

I've written a lot of books in my time, and to write a book about Joe McCarthy and have some of the major media paying attention, I'm not used to that.

Quotes by M. Stanton Evans

In February of this year I returned to China to research my next book. The authorities know about the novels of mine that have been published in the west, including the latest one, Beijing Coma, about a student shot in...

Quotes by Ma Jian

While I was writing 'Stick Out Your Tongue' in Beijing, the police began knocking on my door again. As soon as I finished the book, I moved to Hong Kong so that I could work undisturbed on my next novel.

Quotes by Ma Jian

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.