Ann Patchett Quotes

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 lived that life for real, so to talk about it was like a joke, you know what I mean?

I made the choice long ago to write about real life. And life is both serious and funny.

When I look back at my life now, I'm not amazed by what I did at 16 to 21.

Humor is always more interesting when it comes from someone who's had more than, like, five experiences.

I just use my life story as a kind of device on which to hang comic observations. It's not my interest or instinct to tell the world anything pertinent about myself or my family.

I'm not sure whether I've been happy. After my last book tour, I sat on my balcony with a cup of tea. I thought: 'You can't rewind the movie. I've spent more than half my life in the Middle East. There have been great moments of horror and depression and loneliness.'

I think comedy stems from being honest, often painfully so. I hope I can achieve that perspective in my own life and also have fun.

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

When I was right out of college, I felt competitive with some of the guys in my class over career stuff. It's funny now to think about it - that a friend getting a job or something had anything to do with me... I think that my relationship with my wife has played a pivotal role in the chilling out of Aaron.

People come up to me and say, 'Can I just thank you for writing my life?' And I reply, 'I'm glad someone else is as idiotic as I am.'

My life has really been about writing, though some think it's all about once having been in a ball dress and having an odd life and marrying all the time. But it's the writing that's always been the point.

I look at old performance videos now, and it's really funny - I thought I was such a gangster!

I think a lot of humor is about distracting yourself. Pretend you're not trying to make it funny. Because for some reason the effort to be funny smells like sulphur in our culture.

A humorist is a person who feels bad, but who feels good about it.

I laugh at what I used to think was cool when I was growing up. In all seriousness, I thought having braces was cool.

I think I've lived a pretty hard life. What I mean by hard is that... I've been kind of reckless with things. I'm a passionate person. I'm a super passionate person. I think there's definitely been sorrow in my life, good and bad. I think it comes through. I hope it comes through in my writing because to me that's what artistry is.

I don't just try to be funny.

In my personal life, I'm a comic novel. But then, so are we all, because we're human beings.

I think for all of us, as we age, there are always a few moments when you are shocked.

I was a very self-righteous 15-25 year old. Anyway, I wake up every morning and thank God I'm not a kid anymore.

I've always had a sick sense of humor, and I've always wanted that to permeate the music because I don't take myself seriously. I take the music seriously, but I know I'm not God's gift to anyone except my mom.

I write funny. If I can make my wife laugh, I know I'm on the right track.

I'm always writing and reflecting on life. I want to suck it all in.

The words come from here. From memories, from dreams, from people I've known. I'm always writing and reflecting on life. I want to suck it all in.