Wise Words: Juan Ramon Jimenez

If they give you ruled paper, write the other way.

Wise Words: John Gould

Writing a good essay isn’t that easy. You can’t do it with a pointing stick. I try to make a point obliquely, adroitly, and whenever possible, with humor. It must always be a surprise. The surprise is what makes people laugh.

Wise Words: E. M. Forster

The only books that influence us are those for which we are ready, and which have gone a little further down our particular path than we have yet got ourselves.

Wise Words: John Neal

A certain amount of opposition is a great help to a man. Kites rise against, not with, the wind.

Wise Words: Marie Forleo

When you know what’s important, it’s a lot easier to ignore what’s not.

Wise Words: Barry Lopez

Everything is held together with stories. That is all that is holding us together, stories and compassion.

Wise Words: Elizabeth Benedict

Lessons for writers: First, work like a maniac because no one else will do it for you. Second, know that art matters. Next, understand that fiction is about transformation and that change is possible. And, finally, make the surface of writing lively, fun-filled, and funny, even if the characters are in excruciating pain.

Wise Words: Robert Anton Wilson: problems

We should feel excited about the problems we confront and our ability to deal with them. Solving problems is one of the highest and most sensual of all our brain functions.

Wise Words: Niels Bohr: truth

The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth.

Wise Words: Ann Patchett: writing

[Grace Paley] taught me that writing must not be compartmentalized. You don’t step out of the stream of your life to do your work. Work was the life, and who you were as a mother, teacher, friend, citizen, activist, and artist were all the same person. People like to ask me if writing can be taught, and I say yes. I can teach you how to write a better sentence, how to write dialogue, maybe even how to construct a plot. But I can’t teach you how to have something to say.