“She could not have created this moment, these lovely faces, these candles flickering, the flash of the silverware, the fragrances of the… — Jane Smiley Copy Share Image
One of the things that Ivar knew about Mrs. Walker was that she would only tell him what she knew if he… — Jane Smiley Copy Share Image
“Daddy thinks history starts fresh every day, every minute, that time itself begins with the feelings he’s having right now. That’s how… — Jane Smiley Copy Share Image
I loved the house the way you would any new house, because it is populated by your future, the family of children… — Jane Smiley Copy Share Image
My great fear is not that I'll run out of ideas. It's that I'll run out of time. — Jane Smiley Copy Share Image
“A moment later, Jackie lifts himself into a canter. It is analyzable - I have seen the picture of how he steps… — Jane Smiley Copy Share Image
Another thing I learned is that novels, even those from apparently distant times and places, remain current and enlightening, and also comforting. — Jane Smiley Copy Share Image
“The real mystery was how your farm bound you to it, so tightly that you would pay any price (literally, in interest)… — Jane Smiley Copy Share Image
“And of course there was no help for it, except recalling bits of conversations she had overheard from time to time about… — Jane Smiley Copy Share Image
Like most of the educated, I do harbor a fondness for the sins of my ignorant past. — Jane Smiley Copy Share Image
All equestrians, if they last long enough, learn that riding in whatever form is a lifelong sport and art, an endeavor that… — Jane Smiley Copy Share Image
Giving his lecture for the third time freed Dr. Lionel Gift from paying much attention to it. He had a naturally expressive… — Jane Smiley Copy Share Image
With any novel that you begin, you can't foresee how difficult or easy it's going to be, and you can't really prepare… — Jane Smiley Copy Share Image
Some novelists are luckier than others in the eras of their formative intellectual years, but all Weltanschauungs return, which means that most novelists have… — Jane Smiley Copy Share Image
There can never be such a thing as a free market, because it is human nature to cheat, monopolize, and buy off others so… — Jane Smiley Copy Share Image
The only siblings I have are half-siblings. My nuclear family would have been an extra-suffocating threesome. Instead, I have an interesting brother and sister,… — Jane Smiley Copy Share Image
How will you know a good farmer when you meet him? He will not ask you for any favors. — Jane Smiley Copy Share Image
You know what getting married is? It's agreeing to taking this person who right now is at the top of his form, full of… — Jane Smiley Copy Share Image
Every first draft is perfect, because all a first draft has to do is exist. — Jane Smiley Copy Share Image
“We watched the swimmers and sunbathers and I thought about this. Had I faced all the facts? It seemed like I had, but actually,… — Jane Smiley Copy Share Image
“They throw themselves on the waters of the world, and they know they will be borne up.” — Jane Smiley Copy Share Image
everything is toxic. That's the point. You can't avoid toxins. Thinking you can is just another symptom of the toxic overload stage. — Jane Smiley Copy Share Image
“Shame is a distinct feeling. I couldn’t look at my hands around the coffee cup or hear my own laments without feeling appalled, wanting… — Jane Smiley Copy Share Image
“She could not have created this moment, these lovely faces, these candles flickering, the flash of the silverware, the fragrances of the food hanging… — Jane Smiley Copy Share Image
Horse racing is really much more intimidating than anything having to do with literature. When I had horses at the racetrack, I would wake… — Jane Smiley Copy Share Image
