James Jones Quotes

I'm simply trying to tell the truth about human behaviour as I see it.

Human beings are unable to be honest with themselves about themselves. They cannot talk about themselves without embellishing

Geese are but Geese tho' we may think 'em Swans; and Truth will be Truth tho' it sometimes prove mortifying and distasteful.

Although human beings are incapable of talking about themselves with total honesty, it is much harder to avoid the truth while pretending to be other people. They often reveal much about themselves in a very straightforward way. I am certain that I did. There is nothing that says more about its creator than the work itself.

If a person is to get the meaning of life he must learn to like the facts about himself -- ugly as they may seem to his sentimental vanity -- before he can learn the truth behind the facts. And the truth is never ugly.

Never underestimate people. They do desire the cut of truth.

People hear that and say I'm being modest, but I am not a modest person, but I have to be truthful about what I'm doing and what I'm doing is channeling.

I never write to disappear and escape. The truth is exactly the opposite. Most people strike me as escaping and disappearing in one way or another - into their jobs, their daily routines, their delusions about themselves and others.

I am determined to live without illusions. I want to look at reality straight. Without hiding.

The most valuable thing I can share is the importance of living in truth. Sometimes, facing those truths can actually be your worst fear.

Nature never deceives us; it is we who deceive ourselves.

I'm not going to pretend I'm some saint, because I'm not.

I'm just writing about people. People are dark and complicated. I'm trying to tell the truth; that's all that I do.

Basically, I think that there are some characters that you can just allow the truth of your character as a human being in your real life to come through.

We cannot forever hide the truth about ourselves, from ourselves.

I come out of real life.

Do I have more depth than I'm given credit for? No!

Balthazar Balsan is not a self-portrait. If he was, I'd have made the character more flattering.

I'm not lying to myself like most people.

A truth that disheartens because it is true is of more value than the most stimulating of falsehoods.

There's a certain point, when you're writing autobiographical stuff, where you don't want to misrepresent yourself. It would be dishonest.

The more horrible the truth that you admit, the better you connect. You have to tell the truth.

People see us as no better than we are.

Nothing is so difficult as not deceiving oneself

We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.