Roddy Doyle Quotes & Sayings

“When I was growing up, the exam system didn't allow you to write fiction, so you never did.”

“I'm going to sound like an old man but at my age, it's lovely doing something that you've never done before.”

“I'm not recognised that much. I'm just a bald man in glasses and there's a rash of them in Dublin. It'd be different if I had a mohican.”

“It's a big con job. We have sold the myth of Dublin as a sexy place incredibly well; because it is a dreary little dump most of the time.”

“I tend to plan as I write. And I want to leave myself open and the character open to keep on going until it seems to be the time to stop.”

“If you are a writer you're at home, which means you're out of touch. You have to make excuses to get out there and look at how the world is changing.”

“If you're from Dublin, for example, chances are you live with your family, if you're lucky enough to, right up to the mid-20s. And most of the people I know, when they finally sort of set off on their own, they don't stray all that far.”

“Schools don't really allow failure and yet it's a valid part of any endeavour, not just writing.”

“No matter how close to personal experience a story might be, inevitably you are going to get to a part that isn't yours and, actually, whether it happened or not becomes irrelevant. It is all about choosing the right words.”

“Some of the people who look the most normal are probably the maddest people trying to look normal.”