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Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

Book by Anne Lamott · 16 quotes · Writing, Ifs, People

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Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life Quotes

“The writer is a person who is standing apart, like the cheese in 'The Farmer in the Dell' standing there alone but deciding to take a few notes. You’re outside, but you can see things up close through your binoculars. Your job is to present clearly your viewpoint, your line of vision. Your job is to see people as they really are, and to do this, you have to know who you are in the most compassionate possible sense. Then you can recognize others.”

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“Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a shitty first draft. I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to die. The truth is that you will die anyway and that a lot of people who aren't even looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they're doing it.”

PeopleIfsThinkingWritingFirstsEnoughWholeRunningDiesBeliefFunVoiceEnemyFeetTruth IsStonesObstaclesWhole LifeInsaneHittingTough TimesBetter Than YouPerfectionismObsessiveOppressorsStepping Stones
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“The society to which we belong seems to be dying or is already dead. I don't mean to sound dramatic, but clearly the dark side is rising. Things could not have been more odd and frightening in the Middle Ages. But the tradition of artists will continue no matter what form the society takes. And this is another reason to write: people need us, to mirror for them and for each other without distortion-not to look around and say, 'Look at yourselves, you idiots!,' but to say, 'This is who we are.”

PeopleNeedsWritingLooksMeanHas BeensMatterReasonSeemsAgeFormArtistSoundSidesDarkMiddleDyingTraditionMirrorsNo Matter WhatIdiotOddDramaticRisingWho We AreFrighteningMiddle AgesDark SideDistortion
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“I took notes on the people around me, in my town, in my family, in my memory. I took notes on my own state of mind, my grandiosity, the low self-esteem. I wrote down the funny stuff I overheard. I learned to be like a ship's rat, veined ears trembling, and I learned to scribble it all down.”

PeopleMindSelfStatesStuffMemoriesMy OwnSelf EsteemLowsMy FamilyEarsTownsNotesShipsEsteemState Of MindRatsLow Self EsteemTremblingScribblesFunny Stuff
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“Most people's intuitions are drowned out by folk sayings. We have a moment of real feeling or insight, and then we come up with a folk saying that captures the insight in a kind of wash. The intuition may be real and ripe, fresh with possibilities, but the folk saying is guaranteed to be a cliche, stale and self-contained.”

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“I still encourage anyone who feels at all compelled to write to do so. I just try to warn people who hope to get published that publication is not all it is cracked up to be. But writing is. Writing has so much to give, so much to teach, so many surprises. That thing you had to force yourself to do - the actual act of writing - turns out to be the best part. It's like discovering that while you thought you needed the tea ceremony for the caffeine, what you really needed was the tea ceremony. The act of writing turns out to be its own reward.”

PeopleGivingFeelsWritingTryingStillsTurnsForceTeachNeededSurpriseRewardsTeaBeing The BestDiscoveringCompelledCeremonyPublicationCrackedCaffeineTea Ceremony
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“Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life Besides, perfectionism will ruin your writing, blocking inventiveness and playfulness and life force (these are words we are allowed to use in California).”

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“Jealousy is such a direct attack on whatever measure of confidence you’ve been able to muster. But if you continue to write, you are probably going to have to deal with it, because some wonderful, dazzling successes are going to happen for some of the most awful, angry, undeserving writers you know-people who are, in other words, not you.”

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“Writing and reading decrease our sense of isolation. It's like singing on a boat during a terrible storm at sea. You can't stop the raging storm, but singing can change the hearts and spirits of the people who are together on that ship”

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