The only siblings I have are half-siblings. My nuclear family would have been an extra-suffocating threesome. Instead, I have an interesting brother… — Jane Smiley Brother Copy Share Image
Another thing he told his customers was that one of the great accounting unknowns of the modern age was how to value… — Jane Smiley Accounting Copy Share Image
When a novel has 200,000 words, then it is possible for the reader to experience 200,000 delights, and to turn back to… — Jane Smiley Again Copy Share Image
In many ways, being honest about 'Huckleberry Finn' goes right to the heart of whether we can be honest about our heritage… — Jane Smiley Being Copy Share Image
I have noticed before that there is a category of acquaintanceship that is not friendship or business or romance, but speculation, fascination. — Jane Smiley Business 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 Art 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 Overload Copy Share Image
Fascination with horses predated every other single thing I knew. Before I was a mother, before I was a writer, before I… — Jane Smiley Facts Copy Share Image
'Ape House' is an ambitious novel in several ways, for which it is to be admired, and it is certainly an easy… — Jane Smiley Ambitious Copy Share Image
In December 1998, I considered myself an expert on love. I was almost a year into a relationship, one that had grown… — Jane Smiley December Copy Share Image
“Everyone starved. Starvation is a potent weapon, and the Bolsheviks are happy to wield it. The cheapest way to get rid of… — Jane Smiley Dictatorship Copy Share Image
A child who is protected from all controversial ideas is as vulnerable as a child who is protected from every germ. The… — Jane Smiley Belief Copy Share Image
There are five things that societies do: They reproduce; they produce food; they organize themselves in terms of law; they organize themselves… — Jane Smiley Art Copy Share Image
In the traditional urban novel, there is only survival or not. The suburban idea, the conformist idea, that agony can be seen… — Jane Smiley Agony Copy Share Image
I readily admit it is easy to make of horses what we will. Silent, in some ways reserved, they allow us to… — Jane Smiley Degrees Copy Share Image
There is a sociology of horses, as well as a psychology. It is most evident in the world of horse racing, where… — Jane Smiley Evident Copy Share Image
Americans took a great deal too much credit for creating wealth, when most of the time they had really just been living… — Jane Smiley Bounty Copy Share Image
'The Good Soldier' is an odd and maybe even unique book. That it is a masterpiece, almost a perfect novel, comes as… — Jane Smiley Almost Copy Share Image
There are several methods for introducing your children to driving, and all of them are bad. Probably the worst is to put… — Jane Smiley Bad Copy Share Image
“Had I faced all the facts It seemed like I had but actually you never know just by remembering how many there… — Jane Smiley Facing life Copy Share Image
Critical thinking is to a liberal education as faith is to religion. ... the converse was true also - faith is to… — Jane Smiley Converses Copy Share Image
“Well, being a perfectionist seems okay from the outside, but a perfectionist never enjoys anything, no matter how well it goes, because… — Jane Smiley Perfection Copy Share Image
Vets do what doctors used to - diagnose the injury or the condition, patch it up as best they can and remind… — Jane Smiley Best Copy Share Image
The main thing about the novel that is totally fascinating: It's not possessed by the writer; it's possessed by the reader. — Jane Smiley Books 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… — Jane Smiley Books Copy Share Image
I spent part of my college years in a Marxist commune. I was not a Marxist. I wasn't even pretending to be… — Jane Smiley College Copy Share Image
Whatever you love is beautiful; love comes first, beauty follows. The greater your capacity for love, the more beauty you find in… — Jane Smiley Beautiful Copy Share Image
It once amused me that it took me three tries to pass my driver's test and that my driving instructor told my… — Jane Smiley Amused Copy Share Image
We sort of read two or three big newspapers but we don't get the flavor of the local events, the local news… — Jane Smiley Big Copy Share Image
The essence of charity ... was not deciding what others needed and giving it to them, but giving them what they wanted. — Jane Smiley Charity Copy Share Image
Even if my marriage is falling apart and my children are unhappy, there is still a part of me that says, 'God,… — Jane Smiley Children Copy Share Image
“She chewed the tender meat and sucked out the juices and felt the sauce coat her tongue and roll down her throat.… — Jane Smiley Chewed Copy Share Image
“She knew one of the great family truths, that aunts always help, whilr moms always think it would be good for you… — Jane Smiley Aunts Copy Share Image
Ignorance is a self-generating state of mind; one of its characteristics is that it doesn't recognize itself as ignorance. — Jane Smiley Characteristics Copy Share Image
In every society, the artists will be the ones who set themselves up as contrary to whatever the society expects. — Jane Smiley Art Copy Share Image
Eavesdrop and write it down from memory - gives you a stronger sense of how people talk and what their concerns are.… — Jane Smiley Concern Copy Share Image
Before I write a novel, images float around in my head that work like icons - they are meaningless in themselves, but… — Jane Smiley Around Copy Share Image
“In her minds eye she sat there, in the domesticated golden sunlight on the velvet sofa, lapped around by carpets and books… — Jane Smiley Books Copy Share Image
I was an only child. I've known only children. From this experience, I do believe that the children should outnumber the parents. — Jane Smiley Believe Copy Share Image
I discovered that the horse is life itself, a metaphor but also an example of life's mystery and unpredictability, of life's generosity… — Jane Smiley Beauty Copy Share Image
