James A. Michener Quotes

I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions.

Being goal-oriented instead of self-oriented is crucial. I know so many people who want to be writers. But let me tell you, they really don't want to be writers. They want to have been writers. They wish they had a book in print. They don't want to go through the work of getting the damn book out. There is a huge difference.

If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and avoid the people, you might better stay home.

We seek God so earnestly, Eliav reflected, not to find Him but to discover ourselves.

Public libraries have been a mainstay of my life. They represent an individual's right to acquire knowledge; they are the sinews that bind civilized societies the world over. Without libraries, I would be a pauper, intellectually and spiritually.

I wondered how a man ever got an English girl into bed. What did they do with her hockey stick?

The South Pacific is memorable because when you are in the islands you simply cannot ignore nature. You cannot avoid looking up at the stars, large as apples on a new tree. You cannot deafen your ear to the thunder of the surf. The bright sands, the screaming birds, and the wild winds are always with you.

Rampaging horsemen can conquer; only the city can civilize.

[Very rich people] with brains make a great effort to hold on to every penny they have while preaching to the general population that freedom and dignity and patriotism are possible only under their protection; in this way they elicit the support of the very people they hold in subjection.