Quotes About Creativity

Le propre des grands livres est que chaque lecteur en est l'auteur.

If I knew what I was thinking [...] I would never have become a writer.

If a writer manages to be fascinating about his own novels, then there are only two possibilities: either he is merely voicing out loud what he wrote in his book, and he is a parrot; or he is explaining interesting things that he didn't discuss in his book, in which case the book in question is a failure since it does not live up to its claims.

I found out that the question was not 'am I good enough to write?', because of course I am not. The question was, 'am I able to live without writing?'. It is the only question.

De acuerdo que la gramática es esencial, pero sólo si tiene como objeto la escritura: privada de su objetivo, se convierte en un código estéril.

La neuvième de Beethoven serait insoutenable aux oreilles si elle ne comportait des hésitations désespérés ...

La scrittura comincia là dove si ferma la parola, ed è un grande mistero il passaggio dall'indicibile al dicibile.

El hambre epistolar es un arte, y yo aspiro a alcanzar la excelencia.

N'est-il pas réconfortant, pour un vrai, un pur, un grand, un génial écrivain comme moi, de savoir que personne ne me lit ? Que personne ne souille de son regard trivial les beautés auxquelles j'ai donné naissance dans le secret de mes tréfonds et de ma solitude ?

El examen del edificante lenguaje ajeno me llevó a la siguiente conclusión: hablar era un acto tan creativo como destructivo. Era mejor andarse con mucho cuidado con aquel invento.

Cualquiera que viva un infierno durable o pajero puede, para enfrentarse a él, recurrir a la técnica mental más gratificantes de cuantas existen: contarse un cuento.

Il y a une impossibilité tecnique à raconter le sublime. Soit on n'est pas intéressant, soit on est comique.

J'ai beau savoir qu'écrire est dangereux et qu'on y risque sa vie, je m'y laisse toujours prendre.

As she went on with her labour, she became aware that she had Schubert's Erl-King going around in her head. It wasn't the ideal music for the job. Normally, Pannonique programmed her brain to play symphonies that have her the energy indispensable for such physical labour-Saint-Saens, Dvorak-but now that heart-rending Lied stuck in her skull and sapped her strength.

Me atraía la idea de no saber si iba a ver pintura, escultura o una retrospectiva de cachivaches varios. Uno siempre debería acudir a las exposiciones así, por azar, con absoluta ignorancia. Alguien desea mostrarnos algo: eso es lo único que importa.

Aussi je me permets de vous demander quelles sont les pensées et les humeurs d'un grand écrivain qui se sait sur le point de mourir. Silence. Soupir. - Je ne sais pas, monsieur. - Vous ne savez pas? - Si je savais à quoi je pensais, je suppose que je ne serais pas devenu écrivain. - Vous voulez dire que vous écrivez pour savoir enfin à quoi vous pensez? - C'est possible. Je ne sais plus très bien, je n'ai plus écrit depuis si longtemps.

At the age of 15, a teacher had asked me what I wanted to do for a career, and without knowing why or even how I replied that I wanted to be a poet.

Art is the demonstration that the ordinary is extraordinary.

Largely this is a class thing - writers tend to be cosseted little middle-class kiddies who think that the world owes them a royalty cheque. But just doing it - being in your room for years on end, locked in your head, alone with invented ghosts - it weakens and softens the body. And I know I can't just live in my head.

To say that an artist sells out means that an artist is making a conscious choice to compromise his music, to to weaken his music for the sake of commercial gain.

I made a commitment to myself that I'd stick at this and not let weakness in too quickly, that I'd do the best shows I could and make the best songs I can make.

I like songs. It's a weakness that I have.

I'm very domestic; I love cleaning. I love cooking. I like waiting on people. I just like to make things. I don't break that down to be weakness, or the only things women can do, or putting me back 20 years.

I think publishing's strength is also its weakness. It's got such a rich and celebrated history as an industry. For the most part, publishing people are incredibly creative, business is done based on the strength of relationships, and the product being peddled is books.