Jane Smiley Quotes

A collection of quotes by Jane Smiley.

Jane Smiley is an American novelist acclaimed for her insightful and intricate narratives that explore complex human relationships. Born on September 26, 1949, in Los Angeles, California, Smiley grew up in a small farming community in Missouri. She developed an early passion for literature and went on to pursue her education at Vassar College and later earned her Ph.D. in English from the University of Iowa.

Smiley's writing career took off in 1980 with the publication of her debut novel, "Barn Blind." However, it was her third novel, "The Age of Grief," published in 1987, that garnered critical praise and established her as a notable voice in American literature. Throughout her career, she has explored various genres and themes, from historical novels to family sagas, as well as works focused on rural America.

Smiley is perhaps best known for her epic novel "A Thousand Acres," published in 1991, which reimagines William Shakespeare's play "King Lear" in the context of an Iowa farm family fighting over their land and inheritance. This transformative work earned her the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1992 and solidified her literary reputation.

Over the years, Jane Smiley has remained a prolific author, penning numerous novels, short stories, and essays. Her literary contributions have garnered widespread recognition, including multiple awards and nominations. With her skillful portrayals of human complexities and her ability to tackle diverse subject matters, Smiley continues to captivate readers worldwide with her thought-provoking and emotionally resonant works.

I discovered that the horse is life itself, a metaphor but a

I discovered that the horse is life itself, a metaphor but also an example of life's mystery and unpredictability, of life's generosity and beauty, a worthy object of repeated and ever changing contemplation.

My mom was paranoid about my safety.

My mom was paranoid about my safety.

Mom

There can never be such a thing as a free market, because it

There can never be such a thing as a free market, because it is human nature to cheat, monopolize, and buy off others so as to corner the market.

Nature

Respect and fear are two different things.

Respect and fear are two different things.

Fear

In my experience, there is only one motivation, and that is

In my experience, there is only one motivation, and that is desire. No reasons or principle contain it or stand against it.

Experience

I learned why 'out riding alone' is an oxymoron: An equestri

I learned why 'out riding alone' is an oxymoron: An equestrian is never alone, is always sensing the other being, the mysterious but also understandable living being that is the horse.

Alone

In the traditional urban novel, there is only survival or no

In the traditional urban novel, there is only survival or not. The suburban idea, the conformist idea, that agony can be seen to and cured by doctors or psychoanalysis or self-knowledge is nowhere to be found in the city. Talking is a way of life, but it is not a cure. Same with religion.

Religion

If to live is to progress, if you are lucky, from foolishnes

If to live is to progress, if you are lucky, from foolishness to wisdom, then to write novels is to broadcast the various stages of your foolishness.

Wisdom

In December 1998, I considered myself an expert on love. I w

In December 1998, I considered myself an expert on love. I was almost a year into a relationship, one that had grown more slowly than I had wished, but once it flowered it was much more stimulating than any marriage or relationship I had known.

Marriage

When I came home for the summer after my first year of colle

When I came home for the summer after my first year of college, I told my mother that my best friend and I were driving to California. She laughed out loud - 2,000 miles in a what? Well, my best friend had an old Chevy. What could go wrong?

Home

When a novel has 200,000 words, then it is possible for the

When a novel has 200,000 words, then it is possible for the reader to experience 200,000 delights, and to turn back to the first page of the book and experience them all over again, perhaps more intensely.

Experience

I loved the house the way you would any new house, because i

I loved the house the way you would any new house, because it is populated by your future, the family of children who will fill it with noise or chaos and satisfying busy pleasures.

Future

Mom was a smoker. My grandfather was a smoker. My aunts were

Mom was a smoker. My grandfather was a smoker. My aunts were smokers. My uncles were smokers. I don't know any smokers now, not even my mom.

Mom

I think that the Cold War was an exceptional and unnecessary

I think that the Cold War was an exceptional and unnecessary piece of cruelty.

War

Somehow, knowing that Alzheimer's is coming mocks all one's

Somehow, knowing that Alzheimer's is coming mocks all one's aspirations - to tell stories, to think through certain issues as only a novel can do, to be recognised for one's accomplishments and hard work - in a way that old familiar death does not.

Death

Is human nature basically good or evil? No economist can emb

Is human nature basically good or evil? No economist can embark upon his profession without considering this question, and yet they all seem to. And they all seem to think human nature is basically good, or they wouldn't be surprised by the effects of deregulation.

Nature

There are hundreds of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings around th

There are hundreds of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings around the United States and in other countries, too. Wright lived into his 90s, and one of his most famous buildings, the Guggenheim Museum in New York, was completed just before his death. Wright buildings look like Wright buildings - that is their paradox.

Death

The thing about Republicans is that they don't care so much

The thing about Republicans is that they don't care so much about respect, but they love fear, at least in others.

Fear

English majors understand human nature better than economist

English majors understand human nature better than economists do.

Nature

Vets do what doctors used to - diagnose the injury or the co

Vets do what doctors used to - diagnose the injury or the condition, patch it up as best they can and remind you that these things happen and that in life we are also in the midst of death.

Death