Home / Authors / Richard Yates

Richard Yates

Richard Yates Quotes

Novelist

Richard Yates (1926-1992) was an American novelist renowned for his unflinching portrayals of suburban American life and the disillusionment of the post-war middle class. His debut novel "Revolutionary Road" (1961) is now considered a classic of American literature. A World War II veteran, Yates wrote with raw honesty about the broken American Dream and the quiet desperation of ordinary lives. Though underappreciated during his lifetime, his work influenced generations of writers and gained recognition after his death.

Filter quotes by topic

All Ifs People Men Knows Might Grief Thinking Wanted Honest Said

Famous Richard Yates Quotes

“A man could rant and smash and grapple with the State Police, and still the sprinklers whirled at dusk on every lawn and the television droned in every living room.”

Men Stills States Rooms Television Police Living Room Lawns Dusk Rant

Author:Richard Yates

“...you found you were saying yes when you meant no, and “We’ve got to be together in this thing” when you meant the very opposite ... and then you were face to face, in total darkness, with the knowledge that you didn’t know who you were. And how could anyone else be blamed for that?”

Knows Together Faces Found Darkness Opposites Face To Face Saying Yes Found You

Author:Richard Yates

“In avoiding specific goals he had avoided specific limitations. For the time being the world, life itself, could be his chosen field.”

World Goal Fields Chosen Limitation Avoiding Avoided World Life Specific Goals

Author:Richard Yates

“Your cowardly self-delusions about “love” when you know as well as I do that there’s never been anything between us but contempt and distrust and a terrible sickly dependence on each other’s weakness- that’s why. That’s why I couldn’t stop laughing about the Inability to Love, and that’s why I can’t stand to let you touch me, and that’s why I’ll never again believe in anything you think, let alone anything you say”

Thinking Knows Believe Wells I Can Self Laughing Terrible Weakness Delusion Contempt Dependence Distrust Inability Cowardly Touch Me Self Delusion Inability To Love

Author:Richard Yates

“You're painfully alive in a drugged and dying culture.”

Culture Alive Dying

Author:Richard Yates

“Do you know what the definition of insane is? Yes. It’s the inability to relate to another human being. It’s the inability to love.”

Knows Humans Human Beings Definitions Insane Relate Do You Know Inability Inability To Love

Book:Revolutionary Road

Source: Revolutionary Road

“Hopeless emptiness. Now you've said it. Plenty of people are onto the emptiness, but it takes real guts to see the hopelessness.”

People Said Real Plenty Revolutionary Emptiness Guts Hopeless Hopelessness

Author:Richard Yates

“It's a disease. Nobody thinks or feels or cares any more; nobody gets excited or believes in anything except their own comfortable little God damn mediocrity.”

People Thinking Feels Believe Littles Care Disease Comfortable Excited Selfishness Damn Mediocrity No One Cares

Book:Revolutionary Road

Source: Revolutionary Road

“You want to play house, you got to have a job. You want to play very nice house, very sweet house, then you got to have a job you don't like. Great. This is the way ninety-eight-point-nine per cent of the people work things out, so believe me, buddy, you've got nothing to apologize for.”

People Way Want Believe Play Jobs House Nice Sweet Eight Nine Cents Believe In Me Apologizing Ninety Buddy Very Nice Very Sweet Nice House Ninety Eight

Author:Richard Yates

“He knew it was possible for shame to be nursed and doctored like an illness, if you wanted to keep it separate from the rest of your life, but that didn't mean there'd be any way to keep from knowing it was there.”

Ifs Way Mean Wanted Knowing Shame Illness Nurse Rest Of Your Life

Author:Richard Yates

“It haunted him all night, while he slept alone; it was still there in the morning, when he swallowed his coffee and backed down the driveway in the crumpled old Ford. And riding to work, one of the youngest and healthiest passengers on the train, he sat with the look of a man condemned to a very slow, painless death. He felt middle-aged.”

Men Looks Stills Night Felt Morning Middle Train Coffee Sat Riding All Night Passengers Middle Aged Painless Driveway

Book:Revolutionary Road

Source: Revolutionary Road

“If you haven't written a novel by the time you're forty you never will!”

Ifs Novel Written Havens Forty

Author:Richard Yates

“Anybody's marriage might benefit from an occasional embargo on talk.”

Might Benefits Occasional Embargo

Author:Richard Yates

“Acting might bring on emotional exhaustion, but writing tired your brains out. Writing led to depression and insomnia and walking around all day with a haggard look.”

Writing Looks Might Acting Brain Emotional Walking Tired Insomnia Exhaustion Haggard

Author:Richard Yates

About the Author

Born: February 3, 1926
Died: November 7, 1992
Known for: Novelist
Quotes: 64

Related Topics

Ifs People Men Knows Might Grief Thinking Wanted Honest Said

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

Revolutionary RoadRelated source material

Cold Spring HarborRelated source material

Eleven Kinds of LonelinessRelated source material

The Collected StoriesRelated source material

The Easter ParadeRelated source material

Young Hearts CryingRelated source material

A Good School: A NovelRelated source material

The Collected Stories of Richard YatesRelated source material

Similar Authors

Sarah DessenBrowse related quotes
David LevithanBrowse related quotes
Jodi PicoultBrowse related quotes
C. S. LewisBrowse related quotes
Kristen StewartBrowse related quotes
Chuck KlostermanBrowse related quotes
Julia QuinnBrowse related quotes
Benjamin CarsonBrowse related quotes
Madonna CicconeBrowse related quotes
Charles BukowskiBrowse related quotes