Wilbur Smith Quotes

A collection of quotes by Wilbur Smith.

Wilbur Smith is a renowned South African novelist, best known for his gripping adventure novels set in Africa. He was born on January 9, 1933, in Broken Hill, Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia). Smith was raised in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and later moved to South Africa, where he studied at Rhodes University.

In 1964, Smith published his first novel, "When the Lion Feeds," which quickly gained commercial success and established his reputation as a leading writer of adventure fiction. He is admired for his ability to beautifully describe the African landscape, combining vivid storytelling with meticulously researched historical backgrounds.

Smith's novels often delve into themes of colonialism, exploring the complex relationships between different cultures and the African continent's tumultuous past. Some of his most popular works include "The Sound of Thunder," "River God," and "The Seventh Scroll." Throughout his career, Smith has written numerous bestselling novels, many of which have been adapted into successful films and television series.

With over 40 published novels, Wilbur Smith has sold millions of copies worldwide and has been translated into multiple languages. His writing career spans five decades, and he continues to captivate readers with his vivid storytelling and larger-than-life characters. N/A

I have been blessed in many ways, and one of those is to hav

I have been blessed in many ways, and one of those is to have been born in Africa, for me a great treasure house of stories. I have been researching it since my infancy reading about it, talking to men and women who have spent their lives in this land, living it as I have and loving it as I do. I write almost entirely from my own experience.

Experience

I wanted to be a great white hunter, a prospector for gold,

I wanted to be a great white hunter, a prospector for gold, or a slave trader. But then, when I was eight, my parents sent me to a boarding school in South Africa. It was the equivalent of a British public school with cold showers, beatings and rotten food. But what it also had was a library full of books.

Food

My mother-in-law speaks not a word of English. I speak not a

My mother-in-law speaks not a word of English. I speak not a word of Tajiki. So I smile at her ingratiatingly and she fixes me with a beady eye.

Smile

The first novel I wrote was a monster - clocking in at 180,0

The first novel I wrote was a monster - clocking in at 180,000 words - but it died a death, a death it deserved. It was called 'The Gods First Make Mad.' It was a good title, but it was the only good thing about the book. I didn't let that put me off.

Death

I think money is essential to happiness and right now I woul

I think money is essential to happiness and right now I wouldn't want to be anyone other than Wilbur Smith - I've had a fantastic life, rewarded far more heavily than I deserve. Maybe I'd like to be J. K. Rowling, but I'll settle for second best.

Happiness

Nothingever happened on this globe, for good, at which some

Nothingever happened on this globe, for good, at which some people did not have their fill of laughter in the onset; and knowing that such as these would be blind anyway, he thought it quite as well that they should wrinkle up their eyes in grins, as have a malady in the less attractive forms.

Charles Dickens

Dad

There's nothing so aphrodisiacal for a woman as money and su

There's nothing so aphrodisiacal for a woman as money and success.

Success

I hate politics. I like to write about it, but to get involv

I hate politics. I like to write about it, but to get involved in it, to try and make a lot of ignorant people do what you want them to do, waste of time. Go and write a book. It's more important and it'll last longer.

Politics

I'm not a prophet I can only use historical reality to come

I'm not a prophet I can only use historical reality to come to a view of the future, and my view is that Africa will return to being African and not European. The advent of colonialism was foreign to the country itself, but it will return to what it was before the Europeans arrived.

Future