Lionel Shriver

So many stories are determined before they start.

— Lionel Shriver

Time itself made all things rare.

— Lionel Shriver

“Beware of what "everybody says".”

— Lionel Shriver

“...violence is anything an airplane can do to a cloud”

— Lionel Shriver

A boy is a dangerous animal.

— Lionel Shriver

We probably give newspaper columnists too much weight.

— Lionel Shriver

Certainly, critics are not all created equal.

— Lionel Shriver

Life's most underrated emotion is self-pity.

— Lionel Shriver

Few Amazon punters will explore a book with the depth of an 800-word review.

— Lionel Shriver

I was born after the heavy spade work of female emancipation was done.

— Lionel Shriver

Writers who take on polarising issues are apt to step on a few toes.

— Lionel Shriver

“For Celia, her whole surround was animate, and each tapioca lump had a dense, nauseating little soul.”

— Lionel Shriver

“...I long ago gave up defending humanity. It's beyond me on most days to defend myself.”

— Lionel Shriver

“You were patient, but I worried that your very patience tempted Kevin to try it.”

— Lionel Shriver

Expectations are dangerous when they are both too high and unformed.

— Lionel Shriver

Only a country that feels invulnerable can afford political turmoil as entertainment.

— Lionel Shriver

“We shared a sympathetic look, mutually marveling that kids who commit grown-up crimes still have their little-boy sweet tooth.”

— Lionel Shriver

The Web, the great time-killer that had replaced conspicuously passive television with its seductive illusion of productivity.

— Lionel Shriver

“We white folks cling to such an abiding sense of entitlement that when things go amiss, we cannot let go of this…

— Lionel Shriver

'The Feminine Mystique' goads me to gratitude that, thanks to forerunners like Betty Friedan, I've had the opportunity to pursue a career.

— Lionel Shriver

“Just cause you get used to something doesn't mean you like it." He added, snapping the magenta, "You're used to me.”

— Lionel Shriver

“What did I expect, that you would wrap my rib cage with those enormous hands in which horses must be measured, lifting…

— Lionel Shriver

But what's so great about being a perfectionist?... You do all this work, and then the stuff you've made just pisses you…

— Lionel Shriver

“I was reminded of the time I got a free upgrade to first class, where I sat right next to Sean Connery.…

— Lionel Shriver

“We agreed that whether we became parents would be 'the single most important decision we would ever make together.' Yet the very…

— Lionel Shriver

“It was peculiar how the more you got to know someone, the more you grew to appreciate how little you knew, how…

— Lionel Shriver

“She loved him, but that wasn't good enough. The word "love" was required to cover such a range of emotions that it…

— Lionel Shriver

Edith Wharton was a natural story-teller. As plots do in real life, hers flow directly from character. Her prose is so effortlessly…

— Lionel Shriver

“His face churned. That was the point, before he said a word, that he broke her heart. The contortion of those muscles…

— Lionel Shriver

History is made of empires, and the United States was by far and away the greatest, richest, and fairest empire that had…

— Lionel Shriver

“...Remember that nutty little story I told you about the first time I ever went overseas for my junior year abroad at…

— Lionel Shriver

We are not attracted to people because they are virtuous. In fact, there's something a little creepy about people who are too…

— Lionel Shriver

“My story is about all I got to my name right now, and that's why I feel robbed. But a story's a…

— Lionel Shriver

Now, bitterly, with one sweep of the front door, the compassion was spent. To the degree that Lawrence's face was familiar, it…

— Lionel Shriver

“Couples stray,” said Edgar. “Part of the breaking-in process.” “Not breaking in, breaking.” Nicola differed sharply. “You can glue people together again.…

— Lionel Shriver

“I did feel a concentrated dislike for those boys, who couldn't submit to the odd faithless girlfriend, needling classmate, or dose of…

— Lionel Shriver

“All these men afraid of bein’ crowded, ain’t they? They need all this room, they afraid some woman gonna crawl in their…

— Lionel Shriver

“I am a wordy writer, and often churn out pages on end without advancing the plot a jot. Hence I try to…

— Lionel Shriver

I realize it's commonplace for parents to say to their child sternly, 'I love you, but I don't always like you.' But…

— Lionel Shriver

“What would I like to get away from? Complexity. Anxiety. A feeling I've had my whole life that at any given time…

— Lionel Shriver