Wallace Stegner Quotes

A collection of quotes by Wallace Stegner.

Wallace Stegner (1909-1993) was an American writer, historian, and environmentalist. He was born in Lake Mills, Iowa, and grew up in Great Falls, Montana. Stegner's writing often explored themes of nature, the Western landscape, and the complexities of human relationships. He authored numerous novels, including "Angle of Repose" and "The Big Rock Candy Mountain," and his novel "The Spectator Bird" won the National Book Award in 1977. Stegner also co-founded the creative writing program at Stanford University, where he taught for many years. His profound contributions to American literature and environmental conservation continue to resonate today.

No life goes past so swiftly as an eventless one, no clock s

No life goes past so swiftly as an eventless one, no clock spins like a clock whose days are all alike.

Wallace Stegner

Life Time

The flimsy little protestations that mark the front gate of

The flimsy little protestations that mark the front gate of every novel, the solemn statements that any resemblance to real persons living or dead is entirely coincidental, are fraudulent every time. A writer has no other material to make his people from than the people of his experience ... The only thing the writer can do is to recombine parts, suppress some characterisitics and emphasize others, put two or three people into one fictional character, and pray the real-life prototypes won't sue.

Wallace Stegner

Truth Fiction Writing Characters Creative Process Realism

A teacher enlarges people in all sorts of ways besides just

A teacher enlarges people in all sorts of ways besides just his subject matter.

Wallace Stegner

Teacher