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Ali Smith Quotes


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Quotes by Ali Smith

Showing 1-10 of 49 Quotes by Ali Smith

Nothing is harmful to literature except censorship, and that almost never stops literature going where it wants to go either, because literature has a way of surpassing everything that blocks it and growing stronger for the exercise.

~Ali Smith

Topics: Almost Because Blocks Censorship Either Everything Except Exercise Go Going Growing Harmful Literature Never Nothing Stops Stronger Wants Way Where

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I'm blessed in my good friends, and some of them happen to be writers, though that's almost never what our friendships are about. And every writer I've ever read, living or dead, has in one way or another helped and inspired. I have a feeling it's important not to mix the two up.

~Ali Smith

Topics: About Almost Another Blessed Dead Ever Every Feeling Friends Friendships Good Good Friends Happen Helped Important Inspired Living Mix Never One Way Our Read Some Them Though Two Up Way Writer Writers

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I have a theory, now - that the whole of the Renaissance was peopled with girls dressed as boys so they could make art.

~Ali Smith

Topics: Art Boy Could Dressed Girl Make Now Renaissance Theory Whole

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I grew up completely alone but with all the comforts of knowing I had a cushioning family structure around me - and yet I could free myself from it.

~Ali Smith

Topics: Alone Around Comforts Could Family Family Structure Free Grew Had Knowing Me Myself Structure Up

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We'd never expect to understand a piece of music on one listen, but we tend to believe we've read a book after reading it just once.

~Ali Smith

Topics: After Believe Book Expect Just Listen Music Never Never Expect Once Piece Read Reading Tend Understand

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Every great narrative is at least two narratives, if not more - the thing that is on the surface and then the things underneath which are invisible.

~Ali Smith

Topics: Every Great Invisible Least More Narrative Narratives Surface Then Thing Things Two Underneath Which

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The rhythmical unit of the syllable is at the back of all of it - the word, the phrase, the sentence, the syntax, the paragraph, and the way the heart moves when you read it.

~Ali Smith

Topics: Back Heart Moves Paragraph Phrase Read Sentence Syllable Syntax Unit Way Word You

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It's the word 'artful'; it's such a great word, with its dark and its light side, its art and its cunning, the craft and the crafty of it - I've been preoccupied with the word 'artful' and the twin notions of 'cornucopia' and 'pickpocket' it suggests for quite some time.

~Ali Smith

Topics: Art Been Craft Crafty Cunning Dark Great Light Notions Preoccupied Quite Quite Some Time Side Some Time Twin Word

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People tend to see modernism as the opposite of a celebration. They see it as a fracturing and an art built round an absence, but it's really a celebration of our existence.

~Ali Smith

Topics: Absence Art Built Celebration Existence Modernism Opposite Our People Really Round See Tend

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I had a job, I got ill, I left the job to get better, and while I was getting better, I wrote some stories. I sent them to some publishers and the fifth one who replied said they'd take them. Then they went bankrupt. Then that bankrupt publisher got bought by a bigger firm. Story: in the end is the beginning, and in the beginning is the end.

~Ali Smith

Topics: Bankrupt Beginning Better Bigger Bought End Fifth Firm Get Getting Getting Better Got Had Ill In The Beginning In The End Job Left Publisher Publishers Replied Said Sent Some Stories Story Take Them Then While Who Wrote

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Biography

Nationality: Scottish

Type: Writer

Born: Unknown

Links

Find Ali Smith on Amazon

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