Shelby Foote Quotes

A collection of quotes by Shelby Foote.

Shelby Foote was an American novelist and historian, best known for his monumental work on the American Civil War. He was born on November 17, 1916, in Greenville, Mississippi, and grew up in the Mississippi Delta, which heavily influenced his writing style and subject matter.

Foote studied at the University of North Carolina before temporarily dropping out to become a writer. His first novel, "Tournament," was published in 1949 and received critical acclaim. Over the years, he published several novels and short stories, exploring themes of Southern history and culture.

However, Foote is most renowned for his three-volume narrative history, "The Civil War: A Narrative." This comprehensive work took over 20 years to complete and is considered one of the most authoritative and engaging accounts of the war. Foote's vivid storytelling and deep understanding of the conflict, combined with his meticulous research, earned him widespread acclaim and a dedicated following.

In addition to his writing, Foote often appeared as a guest on television documentaries and served as a consultant on the Civil War miniseries by filmmaker Ken Burns. He also received numerous accolades, including the Jefferson Lecturer in Humanities and the National Book Award Finalist.

Shelby Foote passed away on June 27, 2005, leaving behind a lasting legacy as a highly respected author and historian who contributed immensely to our understanding of the Civil War.

I began the way nearly everybody I ever heard of - I began w

I began the way nearly everybody I ever heard of - I began writing poetry. And I find that to be quite usual with writers, their trying their hand at poetry.

Shelby Foote


People make a grievous error thinking that a list of facts i

People make a grievous error thinking that a list of facts is the truth. Facts are just the bare bones out of which truth is made.

Shelby Foote

Truth People

I think making mistakes and discovering them for yourself is

I think making mistakes and discovering them for yourself is of great value, but to have someone else to point out your mistakes is a shortcut of the process.

Shelby Foote

Great

And I'm a slow writer: five, six hundred words is a good day

And I'm a slow writer: five, six hundred words is a good day. That's the reason it took me 20 years to write those million and a half words of the Civil War.

Shelby Foote

War

I'm crazy about Grant: his character, his nature, his scienc

I'm crazy about Grant: his character, his nature, his science in fighting and everything else. But I don't like the idea that he never accepted the blame for anything, always found someone else to blame for any mistake that was ever made, including blaming Prentiss for Shiloh.

Shelby Foote

Science

Of all the passions of mankind, the love of novelty most rul

Of all the passions of mankind, the love of novelty most rules the mind. In search of this, from realm to realm we roam. Our fleets come loaded with every folly home.

Shelby Foote

Fashion

Longevity conquers scandal every time.

Longevity conquers scandal every time.

Shelby Foote

Time

I think that everything you do helps you to write if you're

I think that everything you do helps you to write if you're a writer. Adversity and success both contribute largely to making you what you are. If you don't experience either one of those, you're being deprived of something.

Shelby Foote

Success

I used to write sonnets and various things, and moved from t

I used to write sonnets and various things, and moved from there into writing prose, which, incidentally, is a lot more interesting than poetry, including the rhythms of prose.

Shelby Foote

Poetry