Marianne Moore Quotes

I'm a great believer in the novelist being 'on the scene,' reporting, traveling, meeting all sorts of people.

When it comes to people -- don't write about who you know; but what you know of human nature.

But, for instance, when I was awfully young, I read all the Oz books. They were an enormous influence on me.

The key to songwriting is just to be able to observe, and put yourself in situations to be around people, and let those ideas come to you.

I feel like if you read something, and it makes you so curious about a topic that you then go read something else, that's exciting.

I'm just totally fascinated by people.

Behind every writer stands a very large bookshelf.

One can't write without having read - you have to read before beginning to write - and universities offer a very good opportunity to read.

The great thing about journalism is that there is so much exposure to all kinds of people who can turn up later as characters, whether you intend it or not.

I get ideas for my books from people I know and what happens to them, from places I've been and what happens to me, and from things I read.

I'm not sure there's a difference between books that affected the way I see the world and books that influenced me as a writer.

I've always read books and loved human behavior since I was ten or twelve years old. Maybe even that's why I wanted to do comedy.

Read everything! I believe that reading made me a writer.

Anything you read can influence your work, so I try to read good stuff.

I feel like reading really defined me as a writer because I lived my life outside of my own body for so much of my life and I loved it. I've always been a reader. I think living all those stories served me to naturally take that next step to creating.

Books still accomplish miracles; they persuade men.

Couldn't imagine any other way of living, outside of books, outside my work. Which doesn't mean I am not interested in other things, of course - I am interested in many things. But the center, the crux, is always literature.

Without science fiction, without the influence these books have had on me over the years, I'm not sure I would care much about reading or writing today.

I adore Toni Morrison. I think we would all be better writers if we read more of her.

The thing that inspires me most is reading and just observing the people around me. I think those are the two things that make me want to write.

In every writer there is a certain amount of the scavenger.

[To write poems] I think it's important to do research, and research mostly is going to come from books, so all of your reading is potentially helpful to your poetry.

I like to see how people interact with each other and I draw from that. I'm inspired by that.

To be a writer you should read, write and talk to people, hear their knowledge, hear their problems. Be a good listener. The rest will come.

Essentially, I'm, most of all, a writer. So, what makes people tick interests me.