Marianne Moore Quotes

When you write ,it's like braiding your hair. Taking a handful of coarse unruly strands and attempting to bring then unity.

I had novels to write, so I wrote them.

I never had the dream to be a great designer. My focus was just to do beautiful things.

I love to write.

Other musicians are basically personalities who want to make a name for themselves. All I do is sing old songs in the best way I can. What else is there to know? If you were a blacksmith, what would people need to know about you other than whether you can make a good horseshoe?

When I set out to write 'Sanctus,' all I wanted to do was craft a piece of high quality entertainment.

I'm clearly not a writer, but I'm always a fan of them.

I wrote a novel, so now they can call me a novelist. I tell stories; that's it.

Writing is the starting point from which all goodness (and crappiness) flows.

The author must keep his mouth shut when his work starts to speak.

[On writing:] The most egotistic of occupations, and the most gratifying while it lasts.

To write is human, to edit is divine.

I love writing. I like reading, other people, not myself.

I'm far less a leader than a writer.

All I'm about is just the pen.

I'm not "filled with my art". I ain't got no art. I've got only a kind of craftsman's skill, and make stories as I make biscuits or embroider underwear or wrap up packages.

[Writing is like fishing]. You don't bow because you made the fish. That's the difference. If you know that, then you bow for your labor.You crafted, you worked, you put in those hours so that you could catch that fish. But you didn't make that fish. You just caught the fish. That will help you stay humble and bow for the right reason and be very lucid about the work you do.

The search for the word gets no easier but nobody else is going to write your novel for you.

I am not an artist. I am a craftsman.

The few words of a title are the hardest words for any author to come up with.

You become a great writer by writing.

Reading is probably what leads most writers to writing.

As writers, it is our job not only to imagine, but to witness.

As a writer, you need a strong sense of self-belief. And when it comes to writing, I've always had that.

I don't find myself interesting as a person and the details I find boring, quite frankly. You could sum it up in a few words or sentences really: came from nothing. Self-educated. Luck. Energy. Curiosity. Ambition. That's it. Nothing at all can illuminate the work as far as I can tell.