--- title: "5 Begin Quotes By John Irving" description: "5 Begin quotes by John Irving. Plus more from John Irving and more Begin sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94f/john-irving-337_aftermath_titles-are-important-i-have-them-before_313204.png" --- > [Titles are important; I have them before I have books that belong to them. I have last chapters in my mind before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/titles-are-important-i-have-them-before-i-have-books-that-belong-to/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94f/john-irving-337_aftermath_titles-are-important-i-have-them-before_313204.png) > [You don't want to be ungenerous toward people who give you prizes, but it is never the social or political message that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/you-don-t-want-to-be-ungenerous-toward-people-who-give-you-prizes-but/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22a/john-irving-337_begin_you-don-t-want-to-be-ungenerous-toward-p_377431.png) > [I write the last line, and then I write the line before that. I find myself writing backwards for a while, until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-write-the-last-line-and-then-i-write-the-line-before-that-i-find/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee0/john-irving-337_backwards_i-write-the-last-line-and-then-i-write-t_2980245.png) > [I begin with an interest in a relationship, a situation, a character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-begin-with-an-interest-in-a-relationship-a-situation-a-character/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fa/john-irving-337_begin_i-begin-with-an-interest-in-a-relationsh_3009779.png) > [One of the humbling things about having written more than one novel is the sense that every time you begin, that new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/one-of-the-humbling-things-about-having-written-more-than-one-novel/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ee/john-irving-337_about_one-of-the-humbling-things-about-having_3011020.jpg) ## Other authors on Begin ## More by John Irving > [Your memory is a monster; you forget - it doesn't. It simply files things away. It keeps things for you, or hides things from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/your-memory-is-a-monster-you-forget-it-doesn-t-it-simply-files-things/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [Our memory is a monster; you forget it - it does not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/our-memory-is-a-monster-you-forget-it-it-does-not/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [Watch out for people who call themselves religious; make sure you know what they mean––make sure they know what they mean!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/watch-out-for-people-who-call-themselves-religious-make-sure-you-know/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [The desire to never leave your side, the desire to never see you again. The desire to see your face asleep on the pillow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/the-desire-to-never-leave-your-side-the-desire-to-never-see-you-again/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I had been a student in Vienna, and one of the neat little things I had found out was about that zoo. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-had-been-a-student-in-vienna-and-one-of-the-neat-little-things-i/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“God, I think I just hit a high E-flat - and I really held it!" Esmeralda said, after one of her more prolonged orgasms,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/god-i-think-i-just-hit-a-high-e-flat-and-i-really-held-it-esmeralda/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Nostalgia!" Miss Frost cried. "You´re nostalgic!" She repeated. "Just how old are you, William?" She asked. "Seventeen, " I told her. "Seventeen!" Miss Frost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/nostalgia-miss-frost-cried-you-re-nostalgic-she-repeated-just-how-old/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [ “JUST BECAUSE A BUNCH OF ATHEISTS ARE BETTER WRITERS THAN THE GUYS WHO WROTE THE BIBLE DOESN'T NECESSARILY MAKE THEM RIGHT!" \[Owen Meany\] said… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/just-because-a-bunch-of-atheists-are-better-writers-than-the-guys-who/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [It is much easier to be flexible about where a story begins than it ever was for me to change my mind about where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/it-is-much-easier-to-be-flexible-about-where-a-story-begins-than-it/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Only the chicken-lover will understand me. He will give me a kindly look, maybe mildly desirous. His eyes will tell me: You might look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/only-the-chicken-lover-will-understand-me-he-will-give-me-a-kindly/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [You're nice,' Cushie told him, squeezing his hand. 'And you're my oldest friend.' But they both must have known that you can know someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/you-re-nice-cushie-told-him-squeezing-his-hand-and-you-re-my-oldest/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Because of A Prayer for Owen Meany, many of my readers assume I am “religious.” I go to church only occasionally—like a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/because-of-a-prayer-for-owen-meany-many-of-my-readers-assume-i-am/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Did anyone who was in love and was unsatisfied with how he was loved in return ever feel saved?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/did-anyone-who-was-in-love-and-was-unsatisfied-with-how-he-was-loved/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“I TRUST THAT GOD WILL HELP ME, BECAUSE WHAT I’M SUPPOSED TO DO LOOKS VERY HARD.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-trust-that-god-will-help-me-because-what-i-m-supposed-to-do-looks/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/begin/john-irving/#itemlist", "name": "5 Begin Quotes By John Irving", "numberOfItems": 5, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Titles are important; I have them before I have books that belong to them. 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