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E. L. Doctorow Quotes

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E. L. Doctorow was an American author renowned for his historical novels. His works often use the backdrop of American history to delve into the complexities of human nature. Born on January 6, 1931, Doctorow passed away on July 21, 2015.

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All Writing People World Ifs Ragtime Fiction Knows Book Facts Way Mind Able Endless Feels May Needs Reader Theory Writers And Writing Writing By Writers

Famous E. L. Doctorow Quotes

“It is the immigrant hordes who keep this country alive, the waves of them arriving year after year.... Who believes in America more than the people who run down the gangplank and kiss the ground?”

People Years Believe Country Running America Alive Kissing Wave Immigrants Arriving Horde

Book:Homer & Langley: A Novel

Source: Homer & Langley: A Novel

“An Animated Cartoon Theology: 1. People are animals. 2. The body is mortal and subject to incredible pain. 3. Life is antagonistic to the living. 4. The flesh can be sawed, crushed, frozen, stretched, burned, bombed, and plucked for music. 5. The dumb are abused by the smart and the smart destroyed by their own cunning. 6. The small are tortured by the large and the large destroyed by their own momentum. 7. We are able to walk on air, but only as long as our illusion supports us.”

People Long Body Able Pain Life Is Walks Animal Support Air Subjects Smart Illusion Incredibles Flesh Theology Destroyed Mortals Dumb Burned Cartoon Frozen Cunning Momentum Crushed Animated

Author:E. L. Doctorow

“Planning to write is not writing. Outlining, researching, talking to people about what you're doing - none of that is writing. Writing is writing. Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.”

People Way Writing Whole Night Talking Driving Planning Fog Headlights Outlining

Author:E. L. Doctorow

“A novelist is a person who lives in other people's skins.”

People Writing Persons Skins Novelists

Author:E. L. Doctorow

“History is the present. That's why every generation writes it anew. But what most people think of as history is its end product, myth.”

People Thinking Writing Ends Truth History Generations Products Historical Myth

Author:E. L. Doctorow

“Planning to write is not writing. Outlining, researching, talking to people about what you're doing, none of that is writing. Writing is writing.”

People Writing Inspiration Talking Planning Writers And Writing Writer's Block Writing By Writers Writers Reading Outlining

Book:Conversations with E.L. Doctorow

Source: Conversations with E.L. Doctorow

“In the twentieth century one of the most personal relationships to have developed is that of the person and the state. It's become a fact of life that governments have become very intimate with people, most always to their detriment.”

People Persons States Facts Government Century Intimate Twentieth Century Facts Of Life Personal Relationships

Author:E. L. Doctorow

“Writers are not just people who sit down and write. They hazard themselves. Every time you compose a book your composition of yourself is at stake.”

People Writing Book Down And Stakes Composition Creative Writing Hazards Writing Every Day

Author:E. L. Doctorow

“Most people are quiet in the world, and live in it tentatively, as if it were not their own.”

People Ifs World Quiet

Book:Jack London, Hemingway, and the Constitution: Selected Essays, 1977-1992

Source: Jack London, Hemingway, and the Constitution: Selected Essays, 1977-1992

“And so do people pass out of one's life and all you can remember of them is their humanity, a poor fitful thing of no dominion, like your own.”

People Remember Humanity Poor Like You Dominion

Book:Homer & Langley: A Novel

Source: Homer & Langley: A Novel

“Communists have no respect for people, only for positions.”

People Position Communist No Respect

Book:The Book of Daniel: A Novel

Source: The Book of Daniel: A Novel

“The philosophical conservative is someone willing to pay the price of other people s suffering for his principles.”

People Suffering Pay Principles Willing Philosophical Conservative Conservatism Pay The Price

Book:Citizen Doctorow, Notes on Art & Politics: The Nation Essays 1978-2015

Source: Citizen Doctorow, Notes on Art & Politics: The Nation Essays 1978-2015

“The voice of the Constitution is the inescapably solemn self-consciousness of the people giving the law unto themselves.”

People Giving Self Law Voice Consciousness Constitution Solemn Self Consciousness

Book:Jack London, Hemingway, and the Constitution:: Selected Essays, 1977-1992

Source: Jack London, Hemingway, and the Constitution:: Selected Essays, 1977-1992

“I lived in New York for a couple months. It seemed to me at first an incredibly clean place with well-dressed people and washed cars and bright-painted red-and-yellow streetcars and white buildings.”

People Firsts Wells White Car New York Building Months Couple Red Clean Yellow Well Dressed Red And Yellow

Book:Loon Lake: A Novel

Source: Loon Lake: A Novel

About the Author

Born: January 6, 1931
Died: July 21, 2015
Known for: Author
Quotes: 99

Books & Sources

Homer & Langley: A NovelRelated source material

Jack London, Hemingway, and the Constitution:: Selected Essays, 1977-1992Related source material

The Book of Daniel: A NovelRelated source material

Loon Lake: A NovelRelated source material

Ragtime: A NovelRelated source material

Conversations with E.L. DoctorowRelated source material

Jack London, Hemingway, and the Constitution: Selected Essays, 1977-1992Related source material

Ragtime, The March, and Homer & Langley: Three Bestselling NovelsRelated source material

Creationists: Selected Essays, 1993-2006Related source material

World's Fair: A NovelRelated source material

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