Quotes from Daniel Handler

I write every day weekdays for about 5 hours, mostly longhand on legal pads. It has gotten neither harder nor easier, sadly or happily.

Blank paper has always inspired me.

I'm always interested to see what films are made of books. I kind of don't participate as a filmgoer in any kind of debate about what's better, the book or the movie. So I think it's interesting when people want to do it.

You see failed vocabulary in the adult world so often, and it's often because once you reach a certain age you're kind of embarrassed to go look up a word if you don't know what it means.

I like writing for movies. It's nice to be alone working on fiction in your room, and then it's nice to be in a room with a bunch of people working on a movie.

I can't think of a story that doesn't have something terrible in it. Otherwise, it's dull. So when I embarked into the world of picture books, my first thought was to do something about the dark.

The difference between a house and a home is like the difference between a man and a woman-- it might be embarrassing to explain, but it would be very unusual to get them confused.

Life isn't fair," he said, in his undisguised voice, and for once the Baudelaire orphans agreed with every word the man said.

Never mind what my name is," the man said. "No one can pronounce it anyway. Just call me Sir.

Morning is an important time of day, because how you spend your morning can often tell you what kind of day you are going to have.

A good thing to do when one is sitting, eating, and resting is to have a conversation.

I write longhand on legal pads, about half at home and half in cafes. I drink a lot of water and eat a lot of raw carrots.

If you are allergic to a thing, it is best not to put that thing in your mouth, particularly if the thing is cats.

A library is like an island in the middle of a vast sea of ignorance, particularly if the library is very tall and the surrounding area has been flooded.

Are you ready?" Klaus asked finally. "No," Sunny answered. "Me neither," Violet said, "but if we wait until we're ready we'll be waiting for the rest of our lives, Let's go.

No reality has the power to dispel a dream.

Every last souvenir of the love we had, the prizes & the debris of this relationship, like the glitter in the gutter when the parade has passed, all the everything & whatnot kicked to the curb.

But I must admit I miss you terribly. The world is too quiet without you nearby.

I didn't realize this was a sad occasion.

This knowledge sits in my heart, heavy as a paperweight.

Anyone who gives you a cinnamon roll fresh out of the oven is a friend for life.

It is always sad when someone leaves home, unless they are simply going around the corner and will return in a few minutes with ice-cream sandwiches.

The sad truth is the truth is sad.

I stayed there loving you, though the love made me, not sad but I guess melancholy, for a reason I couldn't point to.