KeenBrain
KeenBrain
KeenBrain

A. S. Byatt Quotes


Share this page on

Quotes by A. S. Byatt

Showing 1-10 of 65 Quotes by A. S. Byatt

We talk about feelings. And about sex. And about bodies, and their gratification, violation, repair, decoration, deferred, maybe permanently deferred, mortality. Feelings are a bodily thing, and respecting them is called, is, kindness.

~A. S. Byatt

Topics: About Bodies Bodily Decoration Feelings Gratification Kindness Maybe Mortality Permanently Repair Respecting Sex Talk Them Thing Violation

Keywords: None


Suggest an Edit


Cite the source


Save to Favorites


Collect


I am a profound pessimist both about life and about human relations and about politics and ecology. Humans are inadequate and stupid creatures who sooner or later make a mess, and those who are trying to do good do a lot more damage than those who are muddling along.

~A. S. Byatt

Topics: About Along Am Both Creatures Damage Ecology Good Human Human Relations Humans Inadequate Later Life Lot Make Mess More Pessimist Politics Profound Relations Sooner Sooner Or Later Stupid Than Those Trying Who I Am

Keywords: None


Suggest an Edit


Cite the source


Save to Favorites


Collect


The more research you do, the more at ease you are in the world you're writing about. It doesn't encumber you, it makes you free.

~A. S. Byatt

Topics: About Ease Free Makes More Research World Writing You

Keywords: None


Suggest an Edit


Cite the source


Save to Favorites


Collect


Books that change you, even later in life, give you a kind of electrical shock as the world takes a different shape.

~A. S. Byatt

Topics: Books Change Different Electrical Even Give Kind Later Life Shape Shock Takes World You

Keywords: None


Suggest an Edit


Cite the source


Save to Favorites


Collect


As a little girl, I didn't like stories about little girls. I liked stories about dragons and beasts and princes and princesses and fear and terror and the Four Musketeers and almost anything other than nice little girls making moral decisions about whether to tell the teacher about what the other little girl did or did not do.

~A. S. Byatt

Topics: About Almost Almost Anything Anything Beasts Decisions Did Dragons Fear Four Girl Like Liked Little Little Girl Little Girls Making Moral Nice Other Princes Stories Teacher Tell Terror Than Whether

Keywords: None


Suggest an Edit


Cite the source


Save to Favorites


Collect


I acquired a hunger for fairy tales in the dark days of blackout and blitz in the Second World War.

~A. S. Byatt

Topics: Acquired Blackout Blitz Dark Days Fairy Fairy Tales Hunger Second Second World War Tales War World World War

Keywords: None


Suggest an Edit


Cite the source


Save to Favorites


Collect


I think the virtue I prize above all others is curiosity. If you look really hard at almost anybody, and try to see why they're doing what they're doing, taking a dig at them ceases to be what you want to do even if you hate them.

~A. S. Byatt

Topics: Above Almost Anybody Ceases Curiosity Dig Doing Even Hard Hate Look Others Prize Really See Taking Them Think Try Virtue Want Why You I Think

Keywords: None


Suggest an Edit


Cite the source


Save to Favorites


Collect


On buses and trains, I always think about the inexhaustible variety of human genes. We see types, and occasionally twins, but never doubles. All faces are unique, and this is exhilarating, despite the increasingly plastic similarity of TV stars and actors.

~A. S. Byatt

Topics: About Actor Always Buses Despite Doubles Exhilarating Faces Genes Human Increasingly Inexhaustible Never Occasionally Plastic See Similarity Stars Think Trains Tv Twins Types Unique Variety

Keywords: None


Suggest an Edit


Cite the source


Save to Favorites


Collect


You can understand a lot about yourself by working out which fairytale you use to present your world to yourself in.

~A. S. Byatt

Topics: About Fairytale Lot Out Present Understand Use Which Working World You Your Yourself

Keywords: None


Suggest an Edit


Cite the source


Save to Favorites


Collect


The point of painting is not really deception or imitation.

~A. S. Byatt

Topics: Deception Imitation Painting Point Really

Keywords: None


Suggest an Edit


Cite the source


Save to Favorites


Collect


Biography

Nationality: English

Type: Novelist

Born: August 24th, 1936

Links

Find A. S. Byatt on Amazon

Related Authors

Emily Bronte
Anthony Burgess
Charles Dickens
E. M. Forster
Thomas Hardy
Aldous Huxley
William Makepeace Thackeray
J. R. R. Tolkien

Popular Authors

W. Edwards Deming Jimmy Fallon Kevin Gates Vincent Van Gogh Alexander Hamilton Helen Keller George R. R. Martin J. R. R. Tolkien

Change your beliefs...change your life.

Get a related quote or insight every day.

(it's 100% free)

Follow Us On

Today's Birthdays

1694 - Voltaire

1768 - Friedrich Schleiermacher

1787 - Bryan Procter

1863 - Arthur Quiller-Couch

1870 - Alexander Berkman

1886 - Harold Nicolson

1889 - Hugh Kingsmill

1898 - Rene Magritte

1904 - Coleman Hawkins

1907 - Jim Bishop

Birthdays on November 21st
All Birthdays

Popular Topics

Beauty Easter Health Nature Science Teen Thankful Thanksgiving