--- title: "5 Fragments Quotes By James Salter" description: "5 Fragments quotes by James Salter. Plus more from James Salter and more Fragments sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d18/james-salter-2584_born_there-is-no-complete-life-there-are-only_648846.jpg" --- > [There is no complete life. There are only fragments. We are born to have nothing, to have it pour through our hands.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/there-is-no-complete-life-there-are-only-fragments-we-are-born-to/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d18/james-salter-2584_born_there-is-no-complete-life-there-are-only_648846.jpg) > [“There is no complete life. There are only fragments. We are born to have nothing, to have it pour through our hands.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/there-is-no-complete-life-there-are-only-fragments-we-are-born-to-2/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/139/james-salter-2584_complete-life_there-is-no-complete-life-there-are-only_809627.jpg) > [“Certain things I remember exactly as they were. They are merely discolored a bit by time, like coins in the pocket of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/certain-things-i-remember-exactly-as-they-were-they-are-merely/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b4c/james-salter-2584_old-news_certain-things-i-remember-exactly-as-the_842805.jpg) > [The myriad past, it enters us and disappears. Except that within it, somewhere, like diamonds, exist the fragments that refuse to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/the-myriad-past-it-enters-us-and-disappears-except-that-within-it/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cf/james-salter-2584_collecting_the-myriad-past-it-enters-us-and-disappe_1124263.jpg) > [I write down portions, maybe fragments, and perhaps an imperfect view of what Im hoping to write. Out of that, I keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/i-write-down-portions-maybe-fragments-and-perhaps-an-imperfect-view/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/832/james-salter-2584_down_i-write-down-portions-maybe-fragments-an_1152076.jpg) ## Other authors on Fragments ## More by James Salter > [It seems to me that literature is giving way a little bit to the immediacy of other diversions, other forms of entertainment. What will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/it-seems-to-me-that-literature-is-giving-way-a-little-bit-to-the/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [Women fall in love when they get to know you. Men are just the opposite. When they finally know you they're ready to leave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/women-fall-in-love-when-they-get-to-know-you-men-are-just-the/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [Not necessarily narrow so much as impatient, intense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/not-necessarily-narrow-so-much-as-impatient-intense/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [I write in longhand. I am accustomed to that proximity, that feel of writing. Then I sit down and type.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/i-write-in-longhand-i-am-accustomed-to-that-proximity-that-feel-of/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [A writer writes a book. People read it. You don't know what they're reading, really. You read a review and think, "That is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/a-writer-writes-a-book-people-read-it-you-don-t-know-what-they-re/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [“Strauss’s, for instance, which begins in the heavens. The artist doesn’t ascend to glory, he appears in it, he already has it and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/strauss-s-for-instance-which-begins-in-the-heavens-the-artist-doesn-t/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [Normally, what you’re envious of is a book, not a writer: standards, ideas, levels … almost nonexistent things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/normally-what-you-re-envious-of-is-a-book-not-a-writer-standards/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [Sometimes I write with a particular person in mind. I think it's fair to say that I write for a perceptive reader. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/sometimes-i-write-with-a-particular-person-in-mind-i-think-it-s-fair/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [Lots of scripts are written and not made, even scripts that people want to make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/lots-of-scripts-are-written-and-not-made-even-scripts-that-people/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [I'd given up everything to be a writer, and if I didn't then go on to do that - to write - then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/i-d-given-up-everything-to-be-a-writer-and-if-i-didn-t-then-go-on-to/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [“One should not believe too easily in a life which can easily vanish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/one-should-not-believe-too-easily-in-a-life-which-can-easily-vanish/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [“Life is separated by scars, like the rings in the inside of a tree.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/life-is-separated-by-scars-like-the-rings-in-the-inside-of-a-tree/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [“Dean is still asleep. His clothes are strewn about. The shutters are closed. He never dreams. He’s like a dead musician, like a spent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/dean-is-still-asleep-his-clothes-are-strewn-about-the-shutters-are/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [The dreams are the skeleton of all reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/the-dreams-are-the-skeleton-of-all-reality/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [There came a time when I felt I was not going to be satisfied with life unless I could write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/there-came-a-time-when-i-felt-i-was-not-going-to-be-satisfied-with/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fragments/james-salter/#itemlist", "name": "5 Fragments Quotes By James Salter", "numberOfItems": 5, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is no complete life. 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