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Gertrude Stein Quotes

Writer

Gertrude Stein, an American writer born on February 3, 1874, and died on July 27, 1946. She is renowned for her unique writing style and her influence on modernist literature.

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Famous Gertrude Stein Quotes

“War is more like a novel than it is like real life and that is its eternal fascination. It is a thing based on reality but invented, it is a dream made real, all the things that make a novel but not really life.”

Made War Real Dream Reality Novel Eternal Real Life Fascination

Author:Gertrude Stein

“A saint a real saint never does anything, a martyr does something but a really good saint does nothing, and so I wanted to have Four Saints who did nothing and I wrote the Four Saints In Three Acts and they did nothing and that was everything. Generally speaking anybody is more interesting doing nothing than doing something.”

Doe Real Wanted Three Interesting Four Saint Martyr Doing Nothing

Book:Everybody's Autobiography

Source: Everybody's Autobiography

“This is the real thing of disillusion that no one, not any one really is believing, seeing, understanding, thinking anything as you are thinking, believing, seeing, understanding such a thing.”

Thinking Believe Real Understanding Seeing Real Things Disillusion

Book:A Stein Reader

Source: A Stein Reader

“Language as a real thing is not imitation either of sounds or colors or emotions it is an intellectual recreation and there is nopossible doubt about it and it is going to go on being that as long as humanity is anything.”

Long Real Humanity Language Sound Emotion Doubt Color Goes On Intellectual Imitation Real Things Recreation

Book:Writings, 1932-1946

Source: Writings, 1932-1946

“... there is no point in being realistic about here and now, no use at all not any, and so it is not the nineteenth but the twentieth century, there is no realism now, life is not real it is not earnest, it is strange which is an entirely different matter.”

Different Real Matter Use Reality Life Is Century Strange Realistic Being Real Realism Earnest Twentieth Century Here And Now No Point

Book:Wars I have seen

Source: Wars I have seen

“There is no real reality to a really imagined life any more.”

Real Reality Literature

Book:The Geographical History of America: Or the Relation of Human Nature to the Human Mind

Source: The Geographical History of America: Or the Relation of Human Nature to the Human Mind

“A virgin a whole virgin is judged made and so between curves and outlines and real seasons and more out glasses and a perfectly unprecedented arrangement between old ladies and mild colds there is no satin wood shining.”

Made Real Whole Seasons Shining Glasses Woods Judged Arrangements Virgins Curves Outlines Unprecedented Old Lady Satin

Book:GERTRUDE STEIN Ultimate Collection: Novels, Short Stories, Poetry, Plays, Memoirs & Essays: Three Lives, Tender Buttons, Geography and Plays, Matisse, Picasso and Gertrude Stein, The Making of Americans, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas…

Source: GERTRUDE STEIN Ultimate Collection: Novels, Short Stories, Poetry, Plays, Memoirs & Essays: Three Lives, Tender Buttons, Geography and Plays, Matisse, Picasso and Gertrude Stein, The Making of Americans, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas…

“After all everybody, that is, everybody who writes is interested in living inside themselves in order to tell what is inside themselves. That is why writers have to have two countries, the one where they belong and the one in which they live really. The second one is romantic, is is separate from themselves, it is not real but it is really there.”

Writing Two Real Country Order Two Countries

Author:Gertrude Stein

“Coffee is real good when you drink it gives you time to think. It's a lot more than just a drink; it's something happening. Not as in hip, but like an event, a place to be, but not like a location, but like somewhere within yourself. It gives you time, but not actual hours or minutes, but a chance to be, like be yourself, and have a second cup.”

Thinking Giving Real Hours Chance Minutes Events Drink Happenings Coffee Cups Hips Being Yourself Location Time To Think Drinking Coffee Tea Coffee Good Coffee

Author:Gertrude Stein

“Writers only think they are interested in politics, they are not really, it gives them a chance to talk and writers like to talk but really no real writer is really interested in politics.”

Thinking Giving Real Chance

Book:How Writing Is Written

Source: How Writing Is Written

“The reason why all of us naturally began to live in France is because France has scientific methods, machines and electricity, but does not really believe that these things have anything to do with the real business of living.”

Believe Doe Real Reason Machines Method France Reason Why Electricity Scientific Method

Author:Gertrude Stein

“A real failure does not need an excuse. It is an end in itself.”

Needs Doe Real Ends Reality Excuse

Author:Gertrude Stein

“I like a thing simple but it must be simple through complication. Everything must come into your scheme, otherwise you cannot achieve real simplicity.”

Real Simple Achieve Simplicity Schemes Complication

Book:A primer for the gradual understanding of Gertrude Stein

Source: A primer for the gradual understanding of Gertrude Stein

“I am writing for myself and strangers. This is the only way that I can do it. Everybody is a real one to me, everybody is like some one else too to me. No one of them that I know can want to know it and so I write for myself and strangers.”

Knows Way Want Writing I Can Real Can Do Stranger I Can Do It Real Ones

Book:Gertrude Stein: Selections

Source: Gertrude Stein: Selections

About the Author

Born: February 3, 1874
Died: July 27, 1946
Known for: Writer
Quotes: 366

Books & Sources

Everybody's AutobiographyRelated source material

Wars I have seenRelated source material

How Writing Is WrittenRelated source material

GERTRUDE STEIN Ultimate Collection: Novels, Short Stories, Poetry, Plays, Memoirs & Essays: Three Lives, Tender Buttons, Geography and Plays, Matisse, Picasso and Gertrude Stein, The Making of Americans, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas…Related source material

Delphi Complete Works of Gertrude Stein (Illustrated)Related source material

A Stein ReaderRelated source material

Selected Writings of Gertrude SteinRelated source material

Writings, 1932-1946Related source material

Last Operas and PlaysRelated source material

Look at Me Now and Here I Am: Writings and Lectures, 1911-1945Related source material

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