“What I saw in Washington that October were a lot of Americans who were genuinely dismayed by what their country was doing… — John Irving Armed forces Copy Share Image
“...I suddenly realized what small towns are. They are places where you grow up with the peculiar-you live next to the strange… — John Irving Commonplace Copy Share Image
“What bothered Ruth was that she needed to be with Rooie again -- just to see, as in a story, what would… — John Irving Copy Share Image
“Of course, everyone is intolerant of something or someone.” — John Irving Intolerance Copy Share Image
I think there is often a 'what if' proposition that gets me thinking about all my novels. — John Irving About Copy Share Image
“JUST THINK OF THIS AS MY LITTLE GIFT TO YOU," says Owen Meany” — John Irving Owen Meany Copy Share Image
I grew up around books - my grandmother's house, where I lived as a small child, was full of books. My father… — John Irving Always Copy Share Image
“That image of how the children can lift Owen over their heads in Sunday school—how he is light enough so they can… — John Irving Children Copy Share Image
There was no manifestation of contemporary culture that did not indicate to my grandmother how steadfast was the nation's decline, how merciless… — John Irving Abandoned Copy Share Image
“The Winkles appeared to greet the morning vigorously. Although Homer had never heard human beings make love, or moose mate, he knew… — John Irving Love Copy Share Image
I feel more a part of the wrestling community than I feel I belong to the community of arts and letters. Why?… — John Irving Art Copy Share Image
“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead …’” Pastor Merrill assured us. “‘For as by a man came death,… — John Irving Copy Share Image
I want to go on being a student," I told him. "I want to be a teacher. I'm just a reader," I… — John Irving Ashamed Copy Share Image
“This mannerism of what he'd seen of society struck Homer Wells quite forcefully; people, even nice people—because, surely, Wally was nice—would say… — John Irving Criticism Copy Share Image
I have learned that the consequences of our past actions are always interesting; I have learned to view the present with a… — John Irving Action Copy Share Image
In an episodic treatment, such as a teleplay is, you have the ability to do what you can do in a novel,… — John Irving Ability Copy Share Image
All the unimaginative assholes in the world who imagine that Shakespeare couldn't have written Shakespeare because it was impossible from what we… — John Irving Deny Copy Share Image
Dan suggested to Owen and me that we were better off to not involve ourselves with Hester. How true! But how we… — John Irving Contact Copy Share Image
Your memory is a monster; it summons with will of its own. You think you have a memory, but it has you. — John Irving Memories Copy Share Image
What is hardest to accept about the passage of time is that the people who once mattered the most to us wind… — John Irving Accepting Copy Share Image
I write very quickly; I rewrite very slowly. It takes me nearly as long to rewrite a book as it does to… — John Irving Book Copy Share Image
“We aren't eccentric, we're not bizarre. To each other, we're as normal and nice as the smell of bread, we were just… — John Irving Family Copy Share Image
If you feel strongly about people having abortions, don't have one. But we are a country - USA - that likes to… — John Irving Abortion Copy Share Image
