Iain Banks Quotes & Sayings (Page 2)

“Science fiction is trying to find alternative ways of looking at realities.”

“You have to have something worth saying and then the ability to say it- writing's a double skill, really.”

“Most mainstream male fiction is littered with heroines, and female characters are basically so great, you want to fall in love with them.”

“I love writing and can't imagine not being able to do it. I want an easy life and if it had been difficult I wouldn't be doing it. I do admire writers who do it even though it costs them.”

“I still have some of my old University essays, and I do still have my drawing book from primary year seven.”

“As long as a film stays unmade, the book is entirely yours, it belongs to the writer. As soon as you make it into a film, suddenly more people see it than have ever read the book.”

“Science fiction has its own history, its own legacy of what's been done, what's been superseded, what's so much part of the furniture it's practically part of the fabric now, what's become no more than a joke... and so on. It's just plain foolish, as well as comically arrogant, to ignore all this, to fail to do the most basic research.”

“Technology determines the possibilities of society. It doesn't matter whether you start out from a fascist state or a communist state or a free-market state.”

“In theory, I work an eight-hour day and a five-day week which means I can socialise with my pals who mostly have normal jobs like teaching and computer programming.”

“A lot of what the 'Culture' is about is a reaction to all the science fiction I was reading in my very early teens.”