A couple years ago, the novelist Russell Banks told me he was reading the ancient Greek historian Herodotus. I asked why. He said, 'Because I've always wanted to and am tired of having my reading assigned.' I thought it was… — Richard Russo Copy Share Image
Have you ever noticed that when people use the expression 'I have to say', what follows usually needn't be said? — Richard Russo Copy Share Image
“The problem with the contemplative life was that there was no end to contemplation, no fixed time limit after which thought had to be… — Richard Russo Copy Share Image
“That, very simply, was what adulthood must be all about—acquiring the skill to bury things more deeply. Out of sight and, whenever possible, out… — Richard Russo Copy Share Image
“Miles couldn't help admiring women for their ability to dismiss the evidence of their senses. If that's what explained it. If it wasn't simply… — Richard Russo Copy Share Image
That afternoon I came to understand that one of the deepest purposes of intellectual sophistication is to provide distance between us and our most… — Richard Russo Copy Share Image
“Lucy, who apparently had no idea his girlfriend's father held him in such low regard, agreed with Noonan that he was pushing the envelope,… — Richard Russo Copy Share Image
Movies have to handle time very efficiently. They're about stringing scenes together in the present. Novels aren't necessarily about that. — Richard Russo Copy Share Image
When authors who write literary fiction begin to write screenplays, everybody assumes that's the end. Here's another who's never going to write well again. — Richard Russo Copy Share Image
“There was something about spending money they didn't really have that made him optimistic about more coming in.” — Richard Russo Copy Share Image
Some authors have a very hard time understanding that in order to be faithful to the spirit of the book, it's almost always impossible… — Richard Russo Copy Share Image
HBO is really famous for hiring good people and staying out of their way until they ask for help, or need it. And that… — Richard Russo Copy Share Image
I don't think there's a shortage of material in the world. Or in my head. I just pray for continued good health, because I've… — Richard Russo Copy Share Image
Where was the middle ground between a sense of adventure and just plain sense? — Richard Russo Copy Share Image
