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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.

Probably not needing to be published would give me more time to think about a book.

Quotes by Kate Atkinson

I usually start writing a novel that I then abandon. When I say abandon, I don't think any writer ever abandons anything that they regard as even a half-good sentence. So you recycle. I mean, I can hang on to...

Quotes by Kate Atkinson

Because I've a track record of talking about books I never write, in Australia they think I'm about to write a book about Jane Austen. Something I said at some festival.

Quotes by Kate Atkinson

Alinsky's 1971 book, 'Rules for Radicals,' is a favorite of the Obamas. Michele Obama quoted it at the Democratic Convention. One Alinsky tactic is to 'Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.' That's what the White House...

Quotes by Karl Rove

I set the goal of getting a book contract by age thirty.

Quotes by Karin Slaughter

For better or worse, we have to bridge this divide between developing cars that drive by the book and cars that drive how you and I drive.

Quotes by Karl Iagnemma

When I was in law school, there was a used book store nearby. I picked up a Harlequin romance and read it. It was stress relieving.

Quotes by Karen Robards

I write the best book that I can write each time.

Quotes by Karen Robards

My method is, I just sit down and write a book.

Quotes by Karen Robards

I feel like writing a book there's always a version in your head that's an amazing version, but then you write the version that you can write.

Quotes by Karen Thompson Walker

I was a book editor for nine years. I'm familiar with the opposite experience, bracing myself for the likelihood that no one would want to publish my book.

Quotes by Karen Thompson Walker

The main issue when it comes to hiring someone from Asia is the language barrier. It's difficult to book someone when they don't speak the language and they can't deliver the lines or even speak to the director. But in...

Quotes by Karen Fukuhara

I have earned wages as a waitress, a nanny, a librarian, a personnel officer, an agricultural laborer, an advertising secretary, a typesetter, a proofreader, a mental-health-care provider, a substitute teacher, and a book reviewer. In and around the edges of...

Quotes by Karen Hesse

The process of writing a book is so removed in my mind from the process of publishing it that I often forget for great stretches that I eventually hope to do the latter.

Quotes by Karen Joy Fowler

Butler's novel 'Kindred' may be the book most widely read by readers outside science fiction; it has been assigned as a text in classrooms and has sold steadily since its publication in 1979.

Quotes by Karen Joy Fowler

After I left the convent, for 15 years I was worn out with religion, I wanted nothing whatever to do with it. I felt disgusted with it. If I saw someone reading a religious book on a train, I'd think,...

Quotes by Karen Armstrong

I don't think people really understood what I did. And you know, in my book, 'A Helluva High Note' deals with my back story, that I was a songwriter, that I spent years trying to hone my craft and being...

Quotes by Kara DioGuardi

My life is an open book. There is nothing to hide here.

Quotes by Karamo Brown

I put my thoughts in a book, which must mean I don't want anyone to read them.

Quotes by Karan Mahajan

When I had worked on my first book, I had readily shown bits and pieces to everyone - for encouragement, to force myself to write.

Quotes by Karan Mahajan

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.