Colson Whitehead Quotes & Sayings

“What isn't said is as important as what is said.”

“I live in Brooklyn. I moved here 14 years ago for the cheap rent. It was a little embarrassing because I was raised in Manhattan, and so I was a bit of a snob about the other boroughs.”

“'Sag Harbor' was a very different book for me. It changed the way I thought about books that I wanted to do.”

“I get invited to do panels with other Brooklyn writers to discuss what it's like to be a writer in Brooklyn. I expect it's like writing in Manhattan, but there aren't as many tourists walking very slowly in front of you when you step out for coffee. It's like writing in Paris, but there are fewer people speaking French.”

“A lot of my writer friends live near me, and that makes people think we just hang around with one another in cafes, trading work and discussing 'Harper's' and what not. But I rarely see them. We're home working.”

“I was inspired to become a writer by horror movies and science fiction.”

“I'm just trying to keep things rich for me creatively and for the readers who follow me.”

“Write what you know.”

“You can't rush inspiration.”

“Early on my career, I figured out that I just have to write the book I have to write at that moment. Whatever else is going on in the culture is just not that important. If you could get the culture to write your book, that would be great. But the culture can't write your book.”