---
title: "Best Donald E. Westlake Sayings"
description: "Donald Westlake was an American writer who authored over one hundred novels and non‑fiction books. Browse 113 Donald E. Westlake quotes."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b008/author-donald-e-westlake-29972.jpg"
---

![Portrait of Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b008/author-donald-e-westlake-29972.jpg)

# Donald E. Westlake

(1933–2008)   Writer   United States

 **113** quotes in **461** categories

Rate this collection:  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

Donald E. Westlake was a writer from the United States, best known for *The Hunter (aka Point Blank and Payback)*.

## Quick Facts About Donald E. Westlake

Born July 12, 1933

Died December 31, 2008

Nationality United States

Profession Writer

Notable works The Hunter (aka Point Blank and Payback)

Known for The Grifters, The Hunter

Spouse Q66591887

## About Donald E. Westlake

He mainly wrote crime fiction, especially comic capers, and sometimes wrote science‑fiction and other types of stories. Westlake created two long‑running series featuring professional criminals: the hard‑boiled Parker and the more humorous John Dortmunder.

## Awards & Honors

Shamus Award Gumshoe Awards Edgar Awards

##  Quotes by Donald E. Westlake · Page 3

> [“But other things had added to Jerry’s present weird mood, his new view of himself as someone who’d suddenly found he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/but-other-things-had-added-to-jerry-s-present-weird-mood-his-new-view/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

[Jerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jerry/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/199/donald-e-westlake-4285_jerry_but-other-things-had-added-to-jerry-s-pr_2951377.jpg)

> [Once he became a series character, I made the conscious choice that he would never act like a series character, never wink…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/once-he-became-a-series-character-i-made-the-conscious-choice-that-he/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/donald-e-westlake-4285_books_once-he-became-a-series-character-i-made_571925.jpg)

> [I don't think I ever have trouble with writer's block. It's different when you make it up as you go - that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/i-don-t-think-i-ever-have-trouble-with-writer-s-block-it-s-different/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

[Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/block/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fea/donald-e-westlake-4285_block_i-don-t-think-i-ever-have-trouble-with-w_2136893.jpg)

> [“They turned and found themselves facing a bullet head on an ICBM body lumpily stuffed into a black shirt and a brown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/they-turned-and-found-themselves-facing-a-bullet-head-on-an-icbm-body/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

[King kong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/king-kong/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea4/donald-e-westlake-4285_king-kong_they-turned-and-found-themselves-facing_3054232.jpg)

> [The only thing I learned from the architecture is keep the bathroom and the kitchen near each other, so you don't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/the-only-thing-i-learned-from-the-architecture-is-keep-the-bathroom/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

[Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa8/donald-e-westlake-4285_architecture_the-only-thing-i-learned-from-the-archit_1420180.jpg)

> [The many magazines, ranging from pulp to slick, that used to serve as both farm teams for writers and lures to readers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/the-many-magazines-ranging-from-pulp-to-slick-that-used-to-serve-as/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/104/donald-e-westlake-4285_books_the-many-magazines-ranging-from-pulp-to_1633973.jpg)

> [“There are no Territories to light out for, not in this century. It was no longer easy to become the new you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/there-are-no-territories-to-light-out-for-not-in-this-century-it-was/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

[Century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/592/donald-e-westlake-4285_century_there-are-no-territories-to-light-out-fo_490066.jpg)

> [A grifter's got an irresistible urge to be the guy who's wise. There's nothin' to whipping a fool. Hell, fools are made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/a-grifter-s-got-an-irresistible-urge-to-be-the-guy-who-s-wise-there-s/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

[Behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behavior/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc6/donald-e-westlake-4285_behavior_a-grifter-s-got-an-irresistible-urge-to_963173.jpg)

> [“Well, you might not think it to look at me,” Dortmunder told him, “but I got a family crest.” “Have you?” “Yeah.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/well-you-might-not-think-it-to-look-at-me-dortmunder-told-him-but-i/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

[Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/252/donald-e-westlake-4285_family_well-you-might-not-think-it-to-look-at-m_361336.jpg)

> [I don't think I would have been a good architect. Really, I have thought about this from time to time, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/i-don-t-think-i-would-have-been-a-good-architect-really-i-have/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

[Architect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architect/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a0/donald-e-westlake-4285_architect_i-don-t-think-i-would-have-been-a-good-a_802340.jpg)

> [“Two solid weeks of beautiful weather. Clear sunny days, low humidity, temperature in the seventies, air so brisk and clean you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/two-solid-weeks-of-beautiful-weather-clear-sunny-days-low-humidity/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

[White light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-light/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a05/donald-e-westlake-4285_white-light_two-solid-weeks-of-beautiful-weather-cle_2331067.jpg)

> [“A lady doctor in the foreground, black horn-rims and white lab coat, suddenly cried, “You people ought to be ashamed of yourselves!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/a-lady-doctor-in-the-foreground-black-horn-rims-and-white-lab-coat/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

[Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/460/donald-e-westlake-4285_humor_a-lady-doctor-in-the-foreground-black-ho_1781966.jpg)

> [I've had stuff of mine adapted by other people, so I've come to the conclusion that a movie is a different form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/i-ve-had-stuff-of-mine-adapted-by-other-people-so-i-ve-come-to-the/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

[Adaptation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adaptation/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c65/donald-e-westlake-4285_adaptation_i-ve-had-stuff-of-mine-adapted-by-other_1339718.jpg)

> [“Hispanics have a long tradition of defiance against authority. Come to that, the Irish and Italians and Jews also have a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/hispanics-have-a-long-tradition-of-defiance-against-authority-come-to/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

[Hispanics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hispanics/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10e/donald-e-westlake-4285_hispanics_hispanics-have-a-long-tradition-of-defia_3001754.jpg)

> [One of our continuing myths was summed up in Huckleberry Finn: Our escape, what we think of as our escape, is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/one-of-our-continuing-myths-was-summed-up-in-huckleberry-finn-our/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

[American character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-character/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/104/donald-e-westlake-4285_belief_one-of-our-continuing-myths-was-summed-u_1710205.jpg)

> [The British were doing crime stories first, but the British thing is a very different thing. There, the stories are about restoring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/the-british-were-doing-crime-stories-first-but-the-british-thing-is-a/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

[Break](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b0/donald-e-westlake-4285_break_the-british-were-doing-crime-stories-fir_2701065.jpg)

> [“At the moment, the discussion concerned global warming. “The reason for global warming,” one of them said as Dortmunder leaned his front…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/at-the-moment-the-discussion-concerned-global-warming-the-reason-for/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

[Air conditioner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/air-conditioner/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/966/donald-e-westlake-4285_air-conditioner_at-the-moment-the-discussion-concerned-g_1354419.jpg)

> [A guy named Peter Rabe wrote a batch of books for Gold Medal in the '50s, and he was absolutely the single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/a-guy-named-peter-rabe-wrote-a-batch-of-books-for-gold-medal-in-the/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d54/donald-e-westlake-4285_books_a-guy-named-peter-rabe-wrote-a-batch-of_2462623.jpg)

> [“an old Underwood office machine so big and black and ancient it looked as though it should come with a foreign correspondent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/an-old-underwood-office-machine-so-big-and-black-and-ancient-it/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

[Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ed/donald-e-westlake-4285_computers_an-old-underwood-office-machine-so-big-a_1424115.jpg)

> [I did the first Parker novel, in which he got caught, and the editor at Pocket Books took me to lunch and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/i-did-the-first-parker-novel-in-which-he-got-caught-and-the-editor-at/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/573/donald-e-westlake-4285_books_i-did-the-first-parker-novel-in-which-he_2233315.jpg)

> [“understood that in the business environment it was considered a gesture of civilization to offer the guest something to drink without booze…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/understood-that-in-the-business-environment-it-was-considered-a/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

[Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72c/donald-e-westlake-4285_business_understood-that-in-the-business-environm_1794916.jpg)

> [I also wanted Parker to operate in the Internet age without losing being Parker. He's always operated in the world without really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/i-also-wanted-parker-to-operate-in-the-internet-age-without-losing/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

[Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/448/donald-e-westlake-4285_age_i-also-wanted-parker-to-operate-in-the-i_2125641.jpg)

> [My work schedule has changed over the years. The one constant is, when at work on a novel, I try to work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/my-work-schedule-has-changed-over-the-years-the-one-constant-is-when/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

[Changed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changed/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ca/donald-e-westlake-4285_changed_my-work-schedule-has-changed-over-the-ye_2057661.jpg)

> [Seem to be telling this, but really telling that. Three-dimensional writing, like three-dimensional chess. Nabokov was the other master of that. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/seem-to-be-telling-this-but-really-telling-that-three-dimensional/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

[Chess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chess/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/178/donald-e-westlake-4285_chess_seem-to-be-telling-this-but-really-telli_570397.jpg)

> [“That was the annoying thing about the kid, who was otherwise okay. Every once in a while, he’d get it before anybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/that-was-the-annoying-thing-about-the-kid-who-was-otherwise-okay/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

[Tiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tiny/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/721/donald-e-westlake-4285_quote_that-was-the-annoying-thing-about-the-ki_2046925.jpg)

> [There are a couple of writers I admired who were very good at giving the character's emotion without stating what that emotion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/there-are-a-couple-of-writers-i-admired-who-were-very-good-at-giving/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

[Couple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/couple/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffe/donald-e-westlake-4285_couple_there-are-a-couple-of-writers-i-admired_2441405.jpg)

> [“A friend of mine'll follow him home tonight", Tiny said, "to get me the address. He's on the four to twelve. Around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/a-friend-of-mine-ll-follow-him-home-tonight-tiny-said-to-get-me-the/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

[Disguise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disguise/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/752/donald-e-westlake-4285_disguise_a-friend-of-mine-ll-follow-him-home-toni_3070688.jpg)

> [Those 4 guys in the late 60's who attacked a jewel merchant on New York's West 46th St. on the sidewalk, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/those-4-guys-in-the-late-60-s-who-attacked-a-jewel-merchant-on-new/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

[Abandoned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abandoned/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f6/donald-e-westlake-4285_abandoned_those-4-guys-in-the-late-60-s-who-attack_2628415.jpg)

> [“The way London carries on about the Thames you’d think it was a big deal, including lining it with all their classiest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/the-way-london-carries-on-about-the-thames-you-d-think-it-was-a-big/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

[Big deal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-deal/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/683/donald-e-westlake-4285_big-deal_the-way-london-carries-on-about-the-tham_1861868.jpg)

> [Christmas reminds us we are not alone. We are not unrelated atoms, jouncing and ricocheting amid aliens, but are a part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/christmas-reminds-us-we-are-not-alone-we-are-not-unrelated-atoms/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

[Aggravation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aggravation/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da1/donald-e-westlake-4285_aggravation_christmas-reminds-us-we-are-not-alone-we_2877698.jpg)

> [“Beyond that he was a ghost of Uganda; in this nation of his birth he was under a death sentence for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/beyond-that-he-was-a-ghost-of-uganda-in-this-nation-of-his-birth-he/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

[Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb4/donald-e-westlake-4285_death_beyond-that-he-was-a-ghost-of-uganda-in_1639058.jpg)

> [“a whole lot of ideas isn’t a plan. A plan is a bunch of details that mesh with one another, so you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/a-whole-lot-of-ideas-isn-t-a-plan-a-plan-is-a-bunch-of-details-that/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

[Plan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plan/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/418/donald-e-westlake-4285_plan_a-whole-lot-of-ideas-isn-t-a-plan-a-plan_2902575.jpg)

> [Parker wasn't supposed to be a series. He was supposed to be one book, and if he was only going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/parker-wasn-t-supposed-to-be-a-series-he-was-supposed-to-be-one-book/)

[Donald E. Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/)

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ab/donald-e-westlake-4285_book_parker-wasn-t-supposed-to-be-a-series-he_2348354.jpg)

## Donald E. Westlake by topic

[Writing (14)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/donald-e-westlake/) [Books (13)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/donald-e-westlake/) [Writer (12)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/donald-e-westlake/) [People (12)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/donald-e-westlake/) [Thinking (11)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/donald-e-westlake/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "ItemList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/#itemlist",
            "name": "Donald E. Westlake Quotes",
            "numberOfItems": 33,
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“But other things had added to Jerry’s present weird mood, his new view of himself as someone who’d suddenly found he was in a six-foot-deep rut when all along he’d thought of himself as sailing.”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Donald E. Westlake"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/but-other-things-had-added-to-jerry-s-present-weird-mood-his-new-view/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/199/donald-e-westlake-4285_jerry_but-other-things-had-added-to-jerry-s-pr_2951377.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/199/donald-e-westlake-4285_jerry_but-other-things-had-added-to-jerry-s-pr_2951377.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/199/donald-e-westlake-4285_jerry_but-other-things-had-added-to-jerry-s-pr_2951377.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“But other things had added to Jerry’s present weird mood, his new view of himself as someone who’d suddenly…” — Donald E. Westlake",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "Once he became a series character, I made the conscious choice that he would never act like a series character, never wink at the reader, never pull his punches. Better for him, better for me.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Donald E. Westlake"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/once-he-became-a-series-character-i-made-the-conscious-choice-that-he/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/donald-e-westlake-4285_books_once-he-became-a-series-character-i-made_571925.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/donald-e-westlake-4285_books_once-he-became-a-series-character-i-made_571925.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/donald-e-westlake-4285_books_once-he-became-a-series-character-i-made_571925.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Once he became a series character, I made the conscious choice that he would never act like a series…” — Donald E. Westlake",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "I don't think I ever have trouble with writer's block. It's different when you make it up as you go - that means you're going to get stuck. I wouldn't call it writer's block, I'd say, \"I don't know where the hell this story is going.\"",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Donald E. Westlake"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/i-don-t-think-i-ever-have-trouble-with-writer-s-block-it-s-different/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fea/donald-e-westlake-4285_block_i-don-t-think-i-ever-have-trouble-with-w_2136893.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fea/donald-e-westlake-4285_block_i-don-t-think-i-ever-have-trouble-with-w_2136893.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fea/donald-e-westlake-4285_block_i-don-t-think-i-ever-have-trouble-with-w_2136893.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“I don't think I ever have trouble with writer's block. It's different when you make it up as you go - that…” — Donald E. Westlake",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“They turned and found themselves facing a bullet head on an ICBM body lumpily stuffed into a black shirt and a brown suit. It was as though King Kong were making a break for it, hoping to smuggle himself back to his island disguised as a human being.”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Donald E. Westlake"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/they-turned-and-found-themselves-facing-a-bullet-head-on-an-icbm-body/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea4/donald-e-westlake-4285_king-kong_they-turned-and-found-themselves-facing_3054232.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea4/donald-e-westlake-4285_king-kong_they-turned-and-found-themselves-facing_3054232.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea4/donald-e-westlake-4285_king-kong_they-turned-and-found-themselves-facing_3054232.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“They turned and found themselves facing a bullet head on an ICBM body lumpily stuffed into a black shirt and…” — Donald E. Westlake",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 5,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "The only thing I learned from the architecture is keep the bathroom and the kitchen near each other, so you don't have to run pipes all over the place.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Donald E. Westlake"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/the-only-thing-i-learned-from-the-architecture-is-keep-the-bathroom/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa8/donald-e-westlake-4285_architecture_the-only-thing-i-learned-from-the-archit_1420180.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa8/donald-e-westlake-4285_architecture_the-only-thing-i-learned-from-the-archit_1420180.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa8/donald-e-westlake-4285_architecture_the-only-thing-i-learned-from-the-archit_1420180.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“The only thing I learned from the architecture is keep the bathroom and the kitchen near each other, so you…” — Donald E. Westlake",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 6,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "The many magazines, ranging from pulp to slick, that used to serve as both farm teams for writers and lures to readers, with hundreds of short stories every month, don't exist. Most of the doors for new people have been sealed.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Donald E. Westlake"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/the-many-magazines-ranging-from-pulp-to-slick-that-used-to-serve-as/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/104/donald-e-westlake-4285_books_the-many-magazines-ranging-from-pulp-to_1633973.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/104/donald-e-westlake-4285_books_the-many-magazines-ranging-from-pulp-to_1633973.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/104/donald-e-westlake-4285_books_the-many-magazines-ranging-from-pulp-to_1633973.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“The many magazines, ranging from pulp to slick, that used to serve as both farm teams for writers and lures…” — Donald E. Westlake",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 7,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“There are no Territories to light out for, not in this century. It was no longer easy to become the new you. New or old, you were already you.”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Donald E. Westlake"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/there-are-no-territories-to-light-out-for-not-in-this-century-it-was/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/592/donald-e-westlake-4285_century_there-are-no-territories-to-light-out-fo_490066.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/592/donald-e-westlake-4285_century_there-are-no-territories-to-light-out-fo_490066.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/592/donald-e-westlake-4285_century_there-are-no-territories-to-light-out-fo_490066.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“There are no Territories to light out for, not in this century. It was no longer easy to become the new you…” — Donald E. Westlake",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 8,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "A grifter's got an irresistible urge to be the guy who's wise. There's nothin' to whipping a fool. Hell, fools are made to be whipped. But to take another pro. Even your partner, who knows you and has his eye on you. That's a score! No matter what happens.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Donald E. Westlake"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/a-grifter-s-got-an-irresistible-urge-to-be-the-guy-who-s-wise-there-s/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc6/donald-e-westlake-4285_behavior_a-grifter-s-got-an-irresistible-urge-to_963173.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc6/donald-e-westlake-4285_behavior_a-grifter-s-got-an-irresistible-urge-to_963173.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc6/donald-e-westlake-4285_behavior_a-grifter-s-got-an-irresistible-urge-to_963173.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“A grifter's got an irresistible urge to be the guy who's wise. There's nothin' to whipping a fool. Hell…” — Donald E. Westlake",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 9,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“Well, you might not think it to look at me,” Dortmunder told him, “but I got a family crest.” “Have you?” “Yeah. And it’s got a motto on it.” “I am anxious to hear this motto.” “Quid lucrum istic mihi est.” Mr. Hemlow squinted; the red-headed hawk in flight. “I’m afraid my Latin is insufficient for that.” “What’s in it for me,” Dortmunder translated.”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Donald E. Westlake"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/well-you-might-not-think-it-to-look-at-me-dortmunder-told-him-but-i/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/252/donald-e-westlake-4285_family_well-you-might-not-think-it-to-look-at-m_361336.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/252/donald-e-westlake-4285_family_well-you-might-not-think-it-to-look-at-m_361336.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/252/donald-e-westlake-4285_family_well-you-might-not-think-it-to-look-at-m_361336.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Well, you might not think it to look at me,” Dortmunder told him, “but I got a family crest.” “Have you?”…” — Donald E. Westlake",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 10,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "I don't think I would have been a good architect. Really, I have thought about this from time to time, and I might have wound up like my father, who never did find that which he could devote his life to. He sort of drifted from job to job. He was a traveling salesman, he was a bookkeeper, he was an office manager, he was here, there, there. And however enthusiastic he was at the beginning, his job would bore him. If I hadn't had the writing, I think I might have replicated what he was doing, which would not have been good.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Donald E. Westlake"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/i-don-t-think-i-would-have-been-a-good-architect-really-i-have/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a0/donald-e-westlake-4285_architect_i-don-t-think-i-would-have-been-a-good-a_802340.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a0/donald-e-westlake-4285_architect_i-don-t-think-i-would-have-been-a-good-a_802340.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a0/donald-e-westlake-4285_architect_i-don-t-think-i-would-have-been-a-good-a_802340.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“I don't think I would have been a good architect. Really, I have thought about this from time to time, and I…” — Donald E. Westlake",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 11,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“Two solid weeks of beautiful weather. Clear sunny days, low humidity, temperature in the seventies, air so brisk and clean you could read E PLURIBUS UNUM on a dime across the street. Clear cloudless nights, temperature in the fifties, the sky a great soft raven’s breast, an immense bowl of octopus ink salted with a million hard white crystalline stars and garnished with a huge moon pulsing with white light. It was disgusting.”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Donald E. Westlake"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/two-solid-weeks-of-beautiful-weather-clear-sunny-days-low-humidity/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a05/donald-e-westlake-4285_white-light_two-solid-weeks-of-beautiful-weather-cle_2331067.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a05/donald-e-westlake-4285_white-light_two-solid-weeks-of-beautiful-weather-cle_2331067.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a05/donald-e-westlake-4285_white-light_two-solid-weeks-of-beautiful-weather-cle_2331067.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Two solid weeks of beautiful weather. Clear sunny days, low humidity, temperature in the seventies, air so…” — Donald E. Westlake",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 12,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“A lady doctor in the foreground, black horn-rims and white lab coat, suddenly cried, “You people ought to be ashamed of yourselves! Do you realize what you're doing to the reality concepts we're trying to instill in these people? How do you expect them to differentiate between illusion and reality when you do something like this ?””",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Donald E. Westlake"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/a-lady-doctor-in-the-foreground-black-horn-rims-and-white-lab-coat/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/460/donald-e-westlake-4285_humor_a-lady-doctor-in-the-foreground-black-ho_1781966.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/460/donald-e-westlake-4285_humor_a-lady-doctor-in-the-foreground-black-ho_1781966.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/460/donald-e-westlake-4285_humor_a-lady-doctor-in-the-foreground-black-ho_1781966.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“A lady doctor in the foreground, black horn-rims and white lab coat, suddenly cried, “You people ought to be…” — Donald E. Westlake",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 13,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "I've had stuff of mine adapted by other people, so I've come to the conclusion that a movie is a different form from a novel and there is no such thing as a true adaptation. You have to adapt to this other thing and do it right. But that voice of the original should somehow still be there, and the original intent should still be there. So if the original writer saw the movie, the writer would say, \"Well, that's not what I wrote, but that's what I meant.\" And if you can do that, I think you've done your job as a screenwriter.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Donald E. Westlake"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/i-ve-had-stuff-of-mine-adapted-by-other-people-so-i-ve-come-to-the/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c65/donald-e-westlake-4285_adaptation_i-ve-had-stuff-of-mine-adapted-by-other_1339718.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c65/donald-e-westlake-4285_adaptation_i-ve-had-stuff-of-mine-adapted-by-other_1339718.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c65/donald-e-westlake-4285_adaptation_i-ve-had-stuff-of-mine-adapted-by-other_1339718.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“I've had stuff of mine adapted by other people, so I've come to the conclusion that a movie is a different…” — Donald E. Westlake",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 14,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“Hispanics have a long tradition of defiance against authority. Come to that, the Irish and Italians and Jews also have a long tradition of defiance against authority. Thinking it over, everybody has a long tradition of defiance against authority. (Except the Germans, of course.)”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Donald E. Westlake"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/hispanics-have-a-long-tradition-of-defiance-against-authority-come-to/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10e/donald-e-westlake-4285_hispanics_hispanics-have-a-long-tradition-of-defia_3001754.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10e/donald-e-westlake-4285_hispanics_hispanics-have-a-long-tradition-of-defia_3001754.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10e/donald-e-westlake-4285_hispanics_hispanics-have-a-long-tradition-of-defia_3001754.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Hispanics have a long tradition of defiance against authority. Come to that, the Irish and Italians and Jews…” — Donald E. Westlake",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 15,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "One of our continuing myths was summed up in Huckleberry Finn: Our escape, what we think of as our escape, is that we can always light out for the territories. Well, we really can't, not anymore, but that's part of the American character - that belief that at any moment, I could just drop the coffee cup and disappear. And it makes for a different self-image and a different story, in a way.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Donald E. Westlake"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/one-of-our-continuing-myths-was-summed-up-in-huckleberry-finn-our/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/104/donald-e-westlake-4285_belief_one-of-our-continuing-myths-was-summed-u_1710205.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/104/donald-e-westlake-4285_belief_one-of-our-continuing-myths-was-summed-u_1710205.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/104/donald-e-westlake-4285_belief_one-of-our-continuing-myths-was-summed-u_1710205.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“One of our continuing myths was summed up in Huckleberry Finn: Our escape, what we think of as our escape…” — Donald E. Westlake",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 16,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "The British were doing crime stories first, but the British thing is a very different thing. There, the stories are about restoring a break in the fabric of society. The American thing has never been worrying about breaks in the fabric of society, but about people doing their job, whether it's police procedurals or criminals or whatever.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Donald E. Westlake"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/the-british-were-doing-crime-stories-first-but-the-british-thing-is-a/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b0/donald-e-westlake-4285_break_the-british-were-doing-crime-stories-fir_2701065.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b0/donald-e-westlake-4285_break_the-british-were-doing-crime-stories-fir_2701065.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b0/donald-e-westlake-4285_break_the-british-were-doing-crime-stories-fir_2701065.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“The British were doing crime stories first, but the British thing is a very different thing. There, the…” — Donald E. Westlake",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 17,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“At the moment, the discussion concerned global warming. “The reason for global warming,” one of them said as Dortmunder leaned his front against the bar somewhere down to the right of them, “is air conditioners.”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Donald E. Westlake"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/at-the-moment-the-discussion-concerned-global-warming-the-reason-for/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/966/donald-e-westlake-4285_air-conditioner_at-the-moment-the-discussion-concerned-g_1354419.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/966/donald-e-westlake-4285_air-conditioner_at-the-moment-the-discussion-concerned-g_1354419.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/966/donald-e-westlake-4285_air-conditioner_at-the-moment-the-discussion-concerned-g_1354419.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“At the moment, the discussion concerned global warming. “The reason for global warming,” one of them said as…” — Donald E. Westlake",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 18,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "A guy named Peter Rabe wrote a batch of books for Gold Medal in the '50s, and he was absolutely the single largest influence on writing style. I was completely in love with the way the man wrote.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Donald E. Westlake"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/a-guy-named-peter-rabe-wrote-a-batch-of-books-for-gold-medal-in-the/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d54/donald-e-westlake-4285_books_a-guy-named-peter-rabe-wrote-a-batch-of_2462623.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d54/donald-e-westlake-4285_books_a-guy-named-peter-rabe-wrote-a-batch-of_2462623.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d54/donald-e-westlake-4285_books_a-guy-named-peter-rabe-wrote-a-batch-of_2462623.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“A guy named Peter Rabe wrote a batch of books for Gold Medal in the '50s, and he was absolutely the single…” — Donald E. Westlake",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 19,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“an old Underwood office machine so big and black and ancient it looked as though it should come with a foreign correspondent attached.”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Donald E. Westlake"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/an-old-underwood-office-machine-so-big-and-black-and-ancient-it/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ed/donald-e-westlake-4285_computers_an-old-underwood-office-machine-so-big-a_1424115.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ed/donald-e-westlake-4285_computers_an-old-underwood-office-machine-so-big-a_1424115.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ed/donald-e-westlake-4285_computers_an-old-underwood-office-machine-so-big-a_1424115.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“an old Underwood office machine so big and black and ancient it looked as though it should come with a…” — Donald E. Westlake",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 20,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "I did the first Parker novel, in which he got caught, and the editor at Pocket Books took me to lunch and said, 'Is there any way that this guy could get away at the end, and you could do three books a year for us?' And I said, 'I think so.'",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Donald E. Westlake"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/i-did-the-first-parker-novel-in-which-he-got-caught-and-the-editor-at/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/573/donald-e-westlake-4285_books_i-did-the-first-parker-novel-in-which-he_2233315.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/573/donald-e-westlake-4285_books_i-did-the-first-parker-novel-in-which-he_2233315.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/573/donald-e-westlake-4285_books_i-did-the-first-parker-novel-in-which-he_2233315.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“I did the first Parker novel, in which he got caught, and the editor at Pocket Books took me to lunch and…” — Donald E. Westlake",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 21,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“understood that in the business environment it was considered a gesture of civilization to offer the guest something to drink without booze in it, and probably a hostile act to refuse it, so he said, “Seltzer, yeah, sounds good.”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Donald E. Westlake"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/understood-that-in-the-business-environment-it-was-considered-a/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72c/donald-e-westlake-4285_business_understood-that-in-the-business-environm_1794916.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72c/donald-e-westlake-4285_business_understood-that-in-the-business-environm_1794916.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72c/donald-e-westlake-4285_business_understood-that-in-the-business-environm_1794916.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“understood that in the business environment it was considered a gesture of civilization to offer the guest…” — Donald E. Westlake",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 22,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "I also wanted Parker to operate in the Internet age without losing being Parker. He's always operated in the world without really being with the world, and cyberspace means that the rest of us are more and more living the same way.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Donald E. Westlake"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/i-also-wanted-parker-to-operate-in-the-internet-age-without-losing/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/448/donald-e-westlake-4285_age_i-also-wanted-parker-to-operate-in-the-i_2125641.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/448/donald-e-westlake-4285_age_i-also-wanted-parker-to-operate-in-the-i_2125641.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/448/donald-e-westlake-4285_age_i-also-wanted-parker-to-operate-in-the-i_2125641.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“I also wanted Parker to operate in the Internet age without losing being Parker. He's always operated in the…” — Donald E. Westlake",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 23,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "My work schedule has changed over the years. The one constant is, when at work on a novel, I try to work seven days a week, so as not to lose touch with that world. Within that, I'm flexible on hours and output.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Donald E. Westlake"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/my-work-schedule-has-changed-over-the-years-the-one-constant-is-when/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ca/donald-e-westlake-4285_changed_my-work-schedule-has-changed-over-the-ye_2057661.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ca/donald-e-westlake-4285_changed_my-work-schedule-has-changed-over-the-ye_2057661.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ca/donald-e-westlake-4285_changed_my-work-schedule-has-changed-over-the-ye_2057661.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“My work schedule has changed over the years. The one constant is, when at work on a novel, I try to work…” — Donald E. Westlake",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 24,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "Seem to be telling this, but really telling that. Three-dimensional writing, like three-dimensional chess. Nabokov was the other master of that. You could learn something from Nabokov on every page he ever wrote.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Donald E. Westlake"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/seem-to-be-telling-this-but-really-telling-that-three-dimensional/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/178/donald-e-westlake-4285_chess_seem-to-be-telling-this-but-really-telli_570397.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/178/donald-e-westlake-4285_chess_seem-to-be-telling-this-but-really-telli_570397.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/178/donald-e-westlake-4285_chess_seem-to-be-telling-this-but-really-telli_570397.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Seem to be telling this, but really telling that. Three-dimensional writing, like three-dimensional chess…” — Donald E. Westlake",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 25,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“That was the annoying thing about the kid, who was otherwise okay. Every once in a while, he’d get it before anybody else got it, and when he got it, he got it. So Tiny said to him, “If you got it, give it to us.”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Donald E. Westlake"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/that-was-the-annoying-thing-about-the-kid-who-was-otherwise-okay/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/721/donald-e-westlake-4285_quote_that-was-the-annoying-thing-about-the-ki_2046925.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/721/donald-e-westlake-4285_quote_that-was-the-annoying-thing-about-the-ki_2046925.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/721/donald-e-westlake-4285_quote_that-was-the-annoying-thing-about-the-ki_2046925.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“That was the annoying thing about the kid, who was otherwise okay. Every once in a while, he’d get it before…” — Donald E. Westlake",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 26,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "There are a couple of writers I admired who were very good at giving the character's emotion without stating what that emotion was. Not saying \"He was feeling tense,\" instead saying, \"His hand squeezed harder on the chair arm,\" as if staying outside the guy. I wanted to try doing that. I wanted to have a really emotional story in which the characters' emotions are never straight - out told to you, but you get it.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Donald E. Westlake"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/there-are-a-couple-of-writers-i-admired-who-were-very-good-at-giving/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffe/donald-e-westlake-4285_couple_there-are-a-couple-of-writers-i-admired_2441405.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffe/donald-e-westlake-4285_couple_there-are-a-couple-of-writers-i-admired_2441405.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffe/donald-e-westlake-4285_couple_there-are-a-couple-of-writers-i-admired_2441405.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“There are a couple of writers I admired who were very good at giving the character's emotion without stating…” — Donald E. Westlake",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 27,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“A friend of mine'll follow him home tonight\", Tiny said, \"to get me the address. He's on the four to twelve. Around one, I'll put on a ski mask and go to that guy's house and put his head in his holster.\" \"A ski mask,\" Dortmunder echoed. He was thinking how much good a ski mask would do to disguise this monster. In order to be effectively disguised, Tiny would have to put on, at a minimum, a three-room apartment.”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Donald E. Westlake"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/a-friend-of-mine-ll-follow-him-home-tonight-tiny-said-to-get-me-the/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/752/donald-e-westlake-4285_disguise_a-friend-of-mine-ll-follow-him-home-toni_3070688.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/752/donald-e-westlake-4285_disguise_a-friend-of-mine-ll-follow-him-home-toni_3070688.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/752/donald-e-westlake-4285_disguise_a-friend-of-mine-ll-follow-him-home-toni_3070688.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“A friend of mine'll follow him home tonight\", Tiny said, \"to get me the address. He's on the four to twelve…” — Donald E. Westlake",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 28,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "Those 4 guys in the late 60's who attacked a jewel merchant on New York's West 46th St. on the sidewalk, so they could steal his jewel-filled station wagon, which they abandoned 2 blocks later because none of them could drive a stick shift. Where would I be without such people?",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Donald E. Westlake"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/those-4-guys-in-the-late-60-s-who-attacked-a-jewel-merchant-on-new/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f6/donald-e-westlake-4285_abandoned_those-4-guys-in-the-late-60-s-who-attack_2628415.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f6/donald-e-westlake-4285_abandoned_those-4-guys-in-the-late-60-s-who-attack_2628415.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f6/donald-e-westlake-4285_abandoned_those-4-guys-in-the-late-60-s-who-attack_2628415.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Those 4 guys in the late 60's who attacked a jewel merchant on New York's West 46th St. on the sidewalk, so…” — Donald E. Westlake",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 29,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“The way London carries on about the Thames you’d think it was a big deal, including lining it with all their classiest buildings, such as Parliament. San Francisco, the wind-up toy of cities, never gets over its Bay, and Venice is so much in love with its Bay that it’s sinking into it. New York is full”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Donald E. Westlake"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/the-way-london-carries-on-about-the-thames-you-d-think-it-was-a-big/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/683/donald-e-westlake-4285_big-deal_the-way-london-carries-on-about-the-tham_1861868.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/683/donald-e-westlake-4285_big-deal_the-way-london-carries-on-about-the-tham_1861868.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/683/donald-e-westlake-4285_big-deal_the-way-london-carries-on-about-the-tham_1861868.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“The way London carries on about the Thames you’d think it was a big deal, including lining it with all their…” — Donald E. Westlake",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 30,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "Christmas reminds us we are not alone. We are not unrelated atoms, jouncing and ricocheting amid aliens, but are a part of something, which holds and sustains us. As we struggle with shopping lists and invitations, compounded by December's bad weather, it is good to be reminded that there are people in our lives who are worth this aggravation, and people to whom we are worth the same. Christmas shows us the ties that bind us together, threads of love and caring, woven in the simplest and strongest way within the family.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Donald E. Westlake"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/christmas-reminds-us-we-are-not-alone-we-are-not-unrelated-atoms/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da1/donald-e-westlake-4285_aggravation_christmas-reminds-us-we-are-not-alone-we_2877698.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da1/donald-e-westlake-4285_aggravation_christmas-reminds-us-we-are-not-alone-we_2877698.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da1/donald-e-westlake-4285_aggravation_christmas-reminds-us-we-are-not-alone-we_2877698.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Christmas reminds us we are not alone. We are not unrelated atoms, jouncing and ricocheting amid aliens, but…” — Donald E. Westlake",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 31,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“Beyond that he was a ghost of Uganda; in this nation of his birth he was under a death sentence for the simple crime of having lived. And he was the ghost of his father's dream of security and continuity, there was no security, and this age was the enemy of continuity. Every man stands on the freight-car roof. We fall and fall, our feet planted on the solid surface, and the only question is how long before we hit.”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Donald E. Westlake"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/beyond-that-he-was-a-ghost-of-uganda-in-this-nation-of-his-birth-he/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb4/donald-e-westlake-4285_death_beyond-that-he-was-a-ghost-of-uganda-in_1639058.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb4/donald-e-westlake-4285_death_beyond-that-he-was-a-ghost-of-uganda-in_1639058.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb4/donald-e-westlake-4285_death_beyond-that-he-was-a-ghost-of-uganda-in_1639058.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Beyond that he was a ghost of Uganda; in this nation of his birth he was under a death sentence for the…” — Donald E. Westlake",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 32,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“a whole lot of ideas isn’t a plan. A plan is a bunch of details that mesh with one another, so you go from this step to this step like crossing a stream on a lot of little boulders sticking out, and never fall in. Ideas without a plan is usually just enough boulders to get you into the deep part of the stream, and no way to get back.”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Donald E. Westlake"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/a-whole-lot-of-ideas-isn-t-a-plan-a-plan-is-a-bunch-of-details-that/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/418/donald-e-westlake-4285_plan_a-whole-lot-of-ideas-isn-t-a-plan-a-plan_2902575.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/418/donald-e-westlake-4285_plan_a-whole-lot-of-ideas-isn-t-a-plan-a-plan_2902575.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/418/donald-e-westlake-4285_plan_a-whole-lot-of-ideas-isn-t-a-plan-a-plan_2902575.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“a whole lot of ideas isn’t a plan. A plan is a bunch of details that mesh with one another, so you go from…” — Donald E. Westlake",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 33,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "Parker wasn't supposed to be a series. He was supposed to be one book, and if he was only going to be in one book, I didn't worry about it. And then an editor at Pocket Books said \"Write more books about him.\" So I didn't go back at that point and give him a first name. If I'd known he would've been a series, I would've done two things differently. First, I would've given him a first name because that means for 27 books, I've had to find some other way to say, \"Parker parked the car.\"",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Donald E. Westlake"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-westlake/parker-wasn-t-supposed-to-be-a-series-he-was-supposed-to-be-one-book/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ab/donald-e-westlake-4285_book_parker-wasn-t-supposed-to-be-a-series-he_2348354.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ab/donald-e-westlake-4285_book_parker-wasn-t-supposed-to-be-a-series-he_2348354.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ab/donald-e-westlake-4285_book_parker-wasn-t-supposed-to-be-a-series-he_2348354.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Parker wasn't supposed to be a series. He was supposed to be one book, and if he was only going to be in one…” — Donald E. Westlake",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "Person",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/#person",
            "name": "Donald E. Westlake",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/",
            "image": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b008/author-donald-e-westlake-29972.jpg",
            "description": "Donald Westlake was an American writer who authored over one hundred novels and non‑fiction books."
        },
        {
            "@type": "ProfilePage",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/page/3/#webpage",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/page/3/",
            "name": "Donald E. Westlake",
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "mainEntity": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/#person"
            },
            "primaryImageOfPage": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/199/donald-e-westlake-4285_jerry_but-other-things-had-added-to-jerry-s-pr_2951377.jpg"
            },
            "description": "Donald Westlake was an American writer who authored over one hundred novels and non‑fiction books. Browse 113 Donald E. Westlake quotes.",
            "breadcrumb": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/page/3/#breadcrumb"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/page/3/#breadcrumb",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Authors",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/authors/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Donald E. Westlake",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-e-westlake/page/3/"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```