James Salter Quotes & Sayings (Page 2)

“Every nation feels itself to be superior, but in America it's a jaunty feeling, and in some cases a rather ominous one among the super-patriots.”

“Happiness is often at its most intense when it is based on inequality.”

“In a certain sense, a writer is an exile, an outsider, always reporting on things, and it is part of his life to keep on the move. Travel is natural.”

“Like books you will never have the chance to read, there are languages you do not know, and you're not going to get a chance to learn, so you'll never really know what was written, only the approximation.”

“Man was very fortunate to have invented the book. Without it, the past would completely vanish, and we would be left with nothing, we would be naked on earth.”

“The writing is really important in books that affect me. I read for the writing. The story is usually of less interest to me. It's the words that break your heart.”

“There is no situation like the open road, and seeing things completely afresh. I'm used to traveling. It's not a question of meeting or seeing new faces particularly, or hearing new stories, but of looking at life in a different way. It's the curtain coming up on another act.”

“A name, of course is like a piece of clothing, isn't it? It gives you an impression right away.”

“My ideal is a book that is perfect on every page, that gives you tremendous aesthetic joy on every page. I suppose I am trying to write such a book.”

“West Pointers tend to be rigorously honest - more than necessary, in my view.”