First Sentence Quotes

46 quotes by 40 authors

Would there not be the greatest reason to apprehend, that error in the first sentence would be the parent of error in the second sentence?… — Alexander Hamilton
You expect far too much of a first sentence. Think of it as analagous to a good country breakfast: what we want is something simple,… — Larry McMurtry
Starting is hard so I really need to give myself permission to do a bad job. I always give myself leave to write total nonsense… — Ann Brashares
I was on my bus, and on my bus I have a yoga swing. Jennifes comes on, and she goes, ' Hi, Woody, I'm J---… — Woody Harrelson
One should be able to return to the first sentence of a novel and find the resonances of the entire work. — Gloria Naylor
That is what I define as a novel: something that has a beginning, a middle and an end, with characters and a plot that sustain… — Guillermo Cabrera Infante
That of all the several ways of beginning a book which are now in practice throughout the known world, I am confident my own way… — Laurence Sterne
There are only two kinds of math books: Those you cannot read beyond the first sentence, and those you cannot read beyond the first page. — Chen-Ning Yang
If you don't hit a newspaper reader between the eyes with your first sentence, there is no need of writing a second one. — Arthur Brisbane
Look directly into every mirror. Realize our reflection is the first sentence to a story, and our story starts: We were here. — Shane Koyczan
Michael Koryta is that rare author who is at once a compelling story teller and a fantastic writer. From the first sentence of THOSE WHO… — Lisa Unger
Yeah, we don't consider many stupid things. I mean, we get rid of 'em fast...Just getting rid of the nonsense -- just figuring out that… — Warren Buffett
I write the first sentence and trust in God for the next. — Laurence Sterne
The first sentence of a book is a handshake, perhaps an embrace. — Jhumpa Lahiri
A trick I picked up from reading Frank Miller scripts: ... He tended to always start his panel caps sometimes with a general noun and… — Matt Fraction
I remember one occasion when I tried to add a little seasoning to a review, but I wasn't allowed to. The paper was by Dorothy… — Paul Halmos
Today, in the newspapers and magazines, the first sentence is, my restaurant is expensive. — Masa Takayama
All the elements in an advertisement are primarily designed to do one thing and one thing only: get you to read the first sentence of… — Joseph Sugarman
And I don't want to begin something, I don't want to write that first sentence until all the important connections in the novel are known… — John Irving
When I'm sitting at the desk not being able to write line one, it's silence and despair! It's not so easy to put the pen… — Erica Jong

Who Wrote These First Sentence Quotes

40 authors contributed a total of 46 First Sentence Quotes, led by these top contributors: