Quotes from Isaac Bashevis Singer

We write not only for children but also for their parents. They, too, are serious children.

The very essence of literature is the war between emotion and intellect, between life and death. When literature becomes too intellectual - when it begins to ignore the passions, the emotions - it becomes sterile, silly, and actually without substance.

When a day passes, it is no longer there. What remains of it? Nothing more than a story. If stories weren't told or books weren't written, man would live like the beasts, only for the day.

The pessimism of the creative person is not decadence but a mighty passion for the redemption of man.

What nature creates has eternity in it.

Sometimes you have the feeling that some little imp is standing behind you and dictating to you, but he gives it to you slowly, drop by drop.

One can find in the Yiddish tongue and in the Yiddish spirit expressions of pious joy, lust for life, longing for the Messiah, patience and deep appreciation of human individuality.

As long as people will shed the blood of innocent creatures there can be no peace, no liberty, no harmony between people. Slaughter and justice cannot dwell together.

There will never be any peace in the world as long as we eat animals.

We must believe in free will, we have no choice.

In the history of old Jewish literature there was never any basic difference between the poet and the prophet. Our ancient poetry often became law and a way of life.

If you keep saying things are going to be bad you have a good chance of being a prophet.

If you keep on saying things are going to be bad you have a good chance of being a prophet.

But if we have people who have the power to tell a story, there will always be readers.

How can we speak of right and justice if we take an innocent creature and shed its blood? How can we pray to God for mercy if we ourselves have no mercy? Nobel laureate in literature.

In God's mill even chaff becomes flour.

If there would come a voice from God saying, 'I'm against vegetarianism!' I would say, 'Well, I am for it!' This is how strongly I feel in this regard.

We are all God's creatures-that we pray to God for mercy and justice while we continue to eat the flesh of animals that are slaughtered on our account is not consistent.

They still believe in God, the family, angels, witches, goblins, logic, clarity, punctuation, and other obsolete stuff.

God is a writer and we are both the heroes and the readers.

God gave us so many emotions, and so many strong ones. Every human being, even if he is an idiot, is a millionaire in emotions.

What's the good of not believing? Today it's your wife you don't believe; tomorrow it's God Himself you won't take stock in.

All that God does is for the good.

Literature is the memory of humanity.