Literature Purpose Quotes

Literature is the most agreeable way of ignoring life.

I think it is a quest of literature throughout the ages to describe the human condition.

Children's books aren't textbooks. Their primary purpose isn't supposed to be "Pick this up and it will teach you this." It's not how literature should be. You probably do learn something from every book you pick up, but it might be simply how to laugh.

A book should either allow us to escape existence or teach us how to endure it.

The difference between literature and journalism is that journalism is unreadable and literature is not read.

That is exactly the writer's problem. What does literature stand for in a hungry world?

If there is one thing I hope my books do always and forever, it's that they honor working people.

A children's biography doesn't have to be comprehensive, and it doesn't have to be definitive. It does have to be accurate, to the extent that's possible. And most of all, it has to be a piece of literature, a compelling read. I want the reader to discover the joy of reading.

Literature and fiction are two entirely different things. Literature is a luxury; fiction is a necessity.

You know, gynecology has a role; sex is a gift. And literature is not about sending messages.