Best Elmore Leonard Quotes
- If work was a good thing, the rich would have it all and not let you do it. All
- I think any writer is a fool if he doesn't do it for money. There needs to be some kind of incentive in addition to… Action
- Everyone has his own sound. I'm not going to presume how to tell anybody how to write. Anybody
- I do have fun writing, and a long time ago, I told myself, 'You got to have fun at this, or it'll drive you nuts.' Ago
- I don't get in a position to be frightened. I don't do anything dangerous, and I always pay my bills. Always Pay
- I don't have any of the modern stuff. I don't have e-mail. I don't have a computer! Any
- I get letters. I get several a week, I think. A lot of people want a picture, a lot of people just want an autograph. Autograph
- I got halfway through 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.' I don't get it at all. What's the big thrill? It's boring. All
- I have fun writing. I don't make it a chore. I don't have to struggle with it. Chore
- I left advertising as fast as I could in 1961. And I haven't ever thought about going back. Advertising
- I never see my bad guys as simply bad. They want pretty much the same thing that you and I want: they want to be… Bad
- I once saw Dizzy Gillespie at a live show, and it made me want to go home immediately and start writing. Dizzy
- I still read Hemingway. I still read his short stories because they're so good. He doesn't waste any words. Any
- I used to be able to write five pages a day, every day, no problem. Now a good day is five or four pages, and… Able
- I want the reader to know what's going on. So there's never a mystery in my books. Book
- I'm not going to write for posterity. I'm going to write to make a buck. Buck
- My characters have to talk, or they're out. They audition in early scenes. If they can't talk, they're given less to do, or thrown out. Audition
- My purpose is to entertain and please myself. I feel that if I am entertained, then there will be enough other readers who will be… Entertain
- Really, when I write a book I'm the only one I have to please. That's the beauty of writing a book instead of a screenplay. Beauty
- To me, a book is a book, an electronic device is not, and love of books was the reason I started writing. Book
- To me, writing is the most fun. It's not always fun, but finally when you make it come out the way you want, it's then… Always Fun
- A friend of mine who is in the publishing business knew I was writing a book, and he said, 'Have you said anything yet about… Anything Yet
- If you take a few days to write an outline, you're just making up scenes that you think will work, that you think will be… Better
- Skip the boring parts. Boring
- I'm very much aware in the writing of dialogue, or even in the narrative too, of a rhythm. There has to be a rhythm with… Aware