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Jamaica Kincaid Quotes

None of us seem to think that we should draw a line under what would be a satisfactory amount of wealth Picture Quote #1

The sound of words in a novel is a pretty amazing thing, and I am concerned with the sound of every word I write Picture Quote #1

I think in many ways the problem that my writing would have with an American reviewer is that Americans find difficulty very hard to take. They are inevitably looking for a happy ending Picture Quote #1

I think life is difficult and that’s that. I am not at all - absolutely not at all - interested in the pursuit of happiness. I am not interested in the pursuit of positivity. I am interested in pursuing a truth, and the truth often seems to be not happiness but its opposite Picture Quote #1

In a way, a garden is the most useless of creations, the most slippery of creations: it is not like a painting or a piece of sculpture-it won’t accrue value as time goes on. Time is its enemy’ time passing is merely the countdown for the parting between garden and gardener Picture Quote #1

I come from a little island with the Caribbean Sea on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. I come from, really, nowhere, and for me, the fiction and the nonfiction, creative or otherwise, all come from the same place Picture Quote #1

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One doesn’t have to pursue unhappiness. It comes to you. You come into the world screaming. You cry when you’re born because your lungs expand. You breathe. I think that’s really kind of significant. You come into the world crying, and it’s a sign that you’re alive Picture Quote #1

A psychiatrist once asked me to draw a picture of my family. This is when I was a member of a family of four. I drew the three other people in the family first, bodies and heads. And then, last, I began to draw myself - but gave up Picture Quote #1

The resistance to my work, and to my way of writing, has been there from the beginning. The first things I wrote were these short short stories collected in At the Bottom of the River, and at least three of them are one sentence long. They were printed in The New Yorker, over the objections of many of the editors in the fiction department Picture Quote #1

There are things that make us choose, on certain days, on certain nights, the opposite of love, in all its variations. But I want to acknowledge that with love and hate it’s not simply one or the other. It’s at least two, three, four, five different emotions existing at once, side by side, a broad spectrum of things alive Picture Quote #1

For me, writing isn’t a way of being public or private; it’s just a way of being. The process is always full of pain, but I like that. It’s a reality, and I just accept it as something not to be avoided Picture Quote #1

The sound of words in a novel is a pretty amazing thing, and I am concerned with the sound of every word I write Picture Quote #1

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If you just sit there, and you’re a writer, you’re bound to write crap. A lot of American writing is crap. And a lot of American writers are professionals Picture Quote #1

People only say I’m angry because I’m black and I’m a woman. But all sorts of people write with strong feeling, the way I do Picture Quote #1

I wouldn’t mind being labeled as angry, if it wasn’t used once again to denigrate and belittle Picture Quote #1

The garden has taught me to live, to appreciate the times when things are fallow and when they’re not Picture Quote #1

I used to want to be a backup singer. Not a lead singer, because I really can’t sing Picture Quote #1

It is sad that unless you are born a God, your life,from its very beginning, is a mystery to you Picture Quote #1

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Someone who knew me well once accused me of being unromantic. And that’s probably true: I don’t trust romance Picture Quote #1

I have a sense of destiny because of my mother, who was an extraordinary person but a terrible candidate for mother. She was like the God Cronus, who gave birth to his children in the morning and then ate them at night Picture Quote #1

The people who invented race, who grouped us together as black, were inventing and categorizing their ability to do something vicious and wrong Picture Quote #1

If I describe a person’s physical appearance in my writing, which I often do, especially in fiction, I never say someone is black or white. I may describe the color of their skin - black eyes, beige skin, blue eyes, dark skin, etc. But I’m not talking about race Picture Quote #1

I grew up in a place where books were very, very scarce, and I loved to read. I used to read the writing on my breakfast Ovaltine over and over again because it was in front of me, and I couldn’t help but read anything that was in front of me Picture Quote #1

People think if you describe someone with glistening brown skin you’re writing about race, as if the whole of the African diaspora is in someone’s brown skin Picture Quote #1

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When I start to write something, I suppose I want it to change me, to make me into something not myself Picture Quote #1

Children like their mothers especially to be standing still and watching them, even if they are sleeping. At least that’s how I felt. There’s nothing wrong with the self-interest of children; it’s just the way they are Picture Quote #1

He must have smiled at me, though I don’t really know, but I don’t like to think that I would love someone who hadn’t first smiled at me Picture Quote #1

I like to be in my pajamas all day. Sometimes I don’t wash for days because I like to read and sit around. I like to eat in bed Picture Quote #1

I love planting. I love digging holes, putting plants in, tapping them in. And I love weeding, but I don’t like tidying up the garden afterwards Picture Quote #1

The first step in claiming yourself is anger. You get mad. And you can’t do anything before you get angry. And I recommend getting very angry to everyone, anyone Picture Quote #1

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Friendship Quotes

Motivational Quotes

Inspirational Quotes

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Text Quotes

None of us seem to think that we should draw a line under what would be a satisfactory amount of wealth (Jamaica Kincaid Quotes) The sound of words in a novel is a pretty amazing thing, and I am concerned with the sound of every word I write (Jamaica Kincaid Quotes) I think in many ways the problem that my writing would have with an American reviewer is that Americans find difficulty very hard to take. They are inevitably looking for a happy ending (Jamaica Kincaid Quotes) I think life is difficult and that’s that. I am not at all - absolutely not at all - interested in the pursuit of happiness. I am not interested in the pursuit of positivity. I am interested in pursuing a truth, and the truth often seems to be not happiness but its opposite (Jamaica Kincaid Quotes) In a way, a garden is the most useless of creations, the most slippery of creations: it is not like a painting or a piece of sculpture-it won’t accrue value as time goes on. Time is its enemy’ time passing is merely the countdown for the parting between garden and gardener (Jamaica Kincaid Quotes) I come from a little island with the Caribbean Sea on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other. I come from, really, nowhere, and for me, the fiction and the nonfiction, creative or otherwise, all come from the same place (Jamaica Kincaid Quotes) One doesn’t have to pursue unhappiness. It comes to you. You come into the world screaming. You cry when you’re born because your lungs expand. You breathe. I think that’s really kind of significant. You come into the world crying, and it’s a sign that you’re alive (Jamaica Kincaid Quotes) A psychiatrist once asked me to draw a picture of my family. This is when I was a member of a family of four. I drew the three other people in the family first, bodies and heads. And then, last, I began to draw myself - but gave up (Jamaica Kincaid Quotes) The resistance to my work, and to my way of writing, has been there from the beginning. The first things I wrote were these short short stories collected in At the Bottom of the River, and at least three of them are one sentence long. They were printed in The New Yorker, over the objections of many of the editors in the fiction department (Jamaica Kincaid Quotes) There are things that make us choose, on certain days, on certain nights, the opposite of love, in all its variations. But I want to acknowledge that with love and hate it’s not simply one or the other. It’s at least two, three, four, five different emotions existing at once, side by side, a broad spectrum of things alive (Jamaica Kincaid Quotes) For me, writing isn’t a way of being public or private; it’s just a way of being. The process is always full of pain, but I like that. It’s a reality, and I just accept it as something not to be avoided (Jamaica Kincaid Quotes) The sound of words in a novel is a pretty amazing thing, and I am concerned with the sound of every word I write. (Jamaica Kincaid Quotes) If you just sit there, and you’re a writer, you’re bound to write crap. A lot of American writing is crap. And a lot of American writers are professionals. (Jamaica Kincaid Quotes) People only say I’m angry because I’m black and I’m a woman. But all sorts of people write with strong feeling, the way I do. (Jamaica Kincaid Quotes) I wouldn’t mind being labeled as angry, if it wasn’t used once again to denigrate and belittle. (Jamaica Kincaid Quotes) The garden has taught me to live, to appreciate the times when things are fallow and when they’re not. (Jamaica Kincaid Quotes) I used to want to be a backup singer. Not a lead singer, because I really can’t sing. (Jamaica Kincaid Quotes) It is sad that unless you are born a God, your life,from its very beginning, is a mystery to you (Jamaica Kincaid Quotes) Someone who knew me well once accused me of being unromantic. And that’s probably true: I don’t trust romance. (Jamaica Kincaid Quotes) I have a sense of destiny because of my mother, who was an extraordinary person but a terrible candidate for mother. She was like the God Cronus, who gave birth to his children in the morning and then ate them at night. (Jamaica Kincaid Quotes) The people who invented race, who grouped us together as black, were inventing and categorizing their ability to do something vicious and wrong. (Jamaica Kincaid Quotes) If I describe a person’s physical appearance in my writing, which I often do, especially in fiction, I never say someone is black or white. I may describe the color of their skin - black eyes, beige skin, blue eyes, dark skin, etc. But I’m not talking about race. (Jamaica Kincaid Quotes) I grew up in a place where books were very, very scarce, and I loved to read. I used to read the writing on my breakfast Ovaltine over and over again because it was in front of me, and I couldn’t help but read anything that was in front of me. (Jamaica Kincaid Quotes) People think if you describe someone with glistening brown skin you’re writing about race, as if the whole of the African diaspora is in someone’s brown skin. (Jamaica Kincaid Quotes) When I start to write something, I suppose I want it to change me, to make me into something not myself. (Jamaica Kincaid Quotes) Children like their mothers especially to be standing still and watching them, even if they are sleeping. At least that’s how I felt. There’s nothing wrong with the self-interest of children; it’s just the way they are. (Jamaica Kincaid Quotes) He must have smiled at me, though I don’t really know, but I don’t like to think that I would love someone who hadn’t first smiled at me. (Jamaica Kincaid Quotes) I like to be in my pajamas all day. Sometimes I don’t wash for days because I like to read and sit around. I like to eat in bed. (Jamaica Kincaid Quotes) I love planting. I love digging holes, putting plants in, tapping them in. And I love weeding, but I don’t like tidying up the garden afterwards. (Jamaica Kincaid Quotes) The first step in claiming yourself is anger. You get mad. And you can’t do anything before you get angry. And I recommend getting very angry to everyone, anyone. (Jamaica Kincaid Quotes)

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