First Sentence Quotes

46 First Sentence quotes by 40 unique authors

Skill alone cannot teach or produce a great short story, which condenses the obsession of the creature; it is a hallucinatory presence manifest from the… — Julio Cortazar
I shouldn't have said it, but the word slipped out of my mouth as easy as air. it wasn't exactly the kind of work any… — Obert Skye
Convince yourself that you are working in clay, not marble, on paper not eternal bronze: Let that first sentence be as stupid as it wishes. — Jacques Barzun
I sat down and tried to write a story. "Ian MacArthur is a wonderful sweet fellow who wears glasses and peers out of them with… — Stephen Chbosky
I recently forced myself to read a book on quantum physics, just to try and learn something new. I was confused by the middle of… — Stephan Pastis
Being in the mood to write, like being in the mood to make love, is a luxury that isn't necessary in a long-term relationship. Just… — Julia Cameron
Know the story before you fall in love with your first sentence. If you don’t know the story before you begin the story, what kind… — John Irving
Even at the end of the road, read the first sentence, there is a road. Even at the end of the road, a new road… — D. J. MacHale
As I see it, a successful story of any kind should be almost like hypnosis: You fascinate the reader with your first sentence, draw them… — Alan Moore
What's so hard about that first sentence is that you're stuck with it. Everything else is going to flow out of that sentence. And by… — Joan Didion
Here's what I want from a book, what I demand, what I pray for when I take up a novel and begin to read the… — Pat Conroy
The first sentence of every novel should be: Trust me, this will take time but there is order here, very faint, very human. — Michael Ondaatje
Sometime during your life—in fact, very soon—you may find yourself reading a book, and you may notice that a book’s first sentence can often tell… — Daniel Handler
The first sentence of a book is a handshake, perhaps an embrace. Style and personality are irrelevant. They can be formal or casual. They can… — Jhumpa Lahiri
The first sentence of the truth is always the hardest. Each of us had a first sentence, and most of us found the strength to… — David Levithan
The first sentence cant be written until the final sentence is written. — Joyce Carol Oates
The first sentence of a book is a promise. — Barbara Kingsolver
I have a horror of the blank page. I simply cannot write on a blank page or screen. Because once I do, I start to… — Charles Krauthammer
You expect far too much of a first sentence. Think of it as analogous to a good country breakfast: what we want is something simple,… — Larry McMurtry
As soon as I started writing Julia, by which I mean while writing its first sentence, I felt a sudden, reassuring charge of excitement. I… — Peter Straub
The first sentence of every novel should be: Trust me, this will take time but there is order here, very faint, very human. Meander if… — Michael Ondaatje

Who Wrote These First Sentence Quotes

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