Ann Patchett Quotes

Only when one has lost all curiosity about the future has one reached the age to write an autobiography.

As years passed away I have formed the habit of looking back upon that former self as upon another person, the remembrance of whose emotions has been a solace in adversity and added zest to the enjoyment of prosperity.

As I look back over my life, I've been an active person - obviously I was self-absorbed for a period of time.

In youth men are apt to write more wisely than they really know or feel; and the remainder of life may be not idly spent in realizing and convincing themselves of the wisdom which they uttered long ago.

Our lives can only be lived forward and understood backwards. Living a life and understanding it occupy different dimensions.

The older you get, you always learn more. Sometimes it's a process of learning about yourself and what your journey is. Sometimes the process moves forward at a rapid pace in a short amount of time - or moves backwards. And you're like, "Man, I thought I had made so much progress, and now all of a sudden, I'm 10 steps further behind than when I started."

Listen. Your life is happening. You are happening. Think back on your journey. The music of your life.

It's taken me a long time to realize that my own life is far more interesting than any part I'll ever play.

After a long run of almost thirty years, you get to the point where you say, 'These are my concerns.' It's not so much this is what I set out to claim - it is a kind of refrain.

I used to think, 'How can I write my life story? I'm still living it.'

Life experience is not something to be denied, but to be celebrated.

If you really want to know yourself, start by writing a book.

Don't go through life, grow through life.

That's a part of me going back to what I used to do.

When I go back and read my journals or fiction, I am always surprised. I may not remember having those thoughts, but they still exist and I know they are mine, and it's all part of making sense of who I am.

Writing is a really good first step toward that goal of knowing yourself.

I never regret anything. Because every little detail of your life is what made you into who you are in the end.

I feel like I've grown up a bit. I'm a bit more confident, and I've been reading more, and I've had a little more time to myself. I went on this writing trip to gather my thoughts about where and who I am in this world, and why we're all here.

I felt that with 'In A Perfect World' I was still kind of finding myself - not just as a musician, but also in love and in life.

I've had quite a life, when you stop and think about it.

In retrospect, it seems like everything in my life led to me becoming a writer. I just didn't realise it at the time.

It's a beautiful thing at 60 to know who you are.

I'm in a position to look back at my life, and I realized there were a number of experiences that needed to be documented.

I've done a lot of things and I've been a lot of people, but now I've come to realize who I am.

I always write to understand my place in the world. I can see myself and my life unfold on the page, and I can understand my strengths, my weaknesses - I can see where I need to step up a bit.