“I don't see much point in doing things for a pure joke. Every now and then you need a joke, but not so much as the people who spend all their lives constructing joke palaces think you do.” PeopleThinkingNeedsPureJokesNow And ThenPalaces Author:A. S. Byatt
“I cannot bear not to know the end of a tale. I will read the most trivial things – once commenced – only out of a feverish greed to be able to swallow the ending – sweet or sour – and to be done with what I need never have embarked on. Are you in my case? Or are you a more discriminating reader? Do you lay aside the unprofitable?” KnowsNeedsEndsDoneAbleCasesSweetBearsReaderLaysGreedPossessionTalesSourTrivial Things Book:Possession: A Romance Source: Possession: A Romance
“…words have been all my life, all my life--this need is like the Spider's need who carries before her a huge Burden of Silk which she must spin out--the silk is her life, her home, her safety--her food and drink too--and if it is attacked or pulled down, why, what can she do but make more, spin afresh, design anew….” IfsNeedsHas BeensHomeDesignHugeDrinkSafetyBurdenCarrieSpidersSilkFood And Drink Author:A. S. Byatt
“...it is not possible to create the opposite of what one has always known, simply because the opposite is believed to be desired. Human beings need what they already know, even horrors.” KnowsNeedsHumansHuman BeingsKnownHorrorOpposites Author:A. S. Byatt
“What I need to write well is a combination of heat, light and solitude.” NeedsWritingWellsLightSolitudeCombinationHeat Author:A. S. Byatt
