“The most glorious moments in your life are not the so-called days of success, but rather those days when out of dejection and despair you feel rise in you a challenge to life, and the promise of future accomplishments.” FeelsMomentsLiteratureChallengesPromiseBlessingDespairAccomplishmentGloriousAnticipationCongratulations Author:Gustave Flaubert
“I'm an only child so am happy with my own company and I don't really get lonely.” ChildrenMy OwnCompanyLonelyOnly Child Author:Iain Banks
“In so much of politics you're not allowed to disagree with what's been agreed.” Disagree Author:Iain Banks
“Most mainstream male fiction is littered with heroines, and female characters are basically so great, you want to fall in love with them.” WantCharacterFallFictionFemaleFalling In LoveMalesMainstreamHeroinesFemale CharactersWanting To Fall In Love Author:Iain Banks
“Smell is a very animal thing, almost reptilian, where the more cerebral things like reading less so.” ReadingAnimalSmellCerebral Author:Iain Banks
“There is a quite a lot of effort involved but I find action sequences some of the quickest to write and the most fun.” WritingActionFunEffortInvolvedSequence Author:Iain Banks
“Even in my side of the world, I've been in publishing for what, 25 or 26 years, and it's gone from being a gentlemen's club to being a few big players, and it's very corporatised.” WorldYearsBigsSidesGonePlayerClubsGentlemanPublishing Author:Iain Banks
“I don't really do themes. I might accidentally, but themes are an emergent phenomena of the writing of the book, of just trying to get a story out there.” WritingTryingBookStoriesMightTheme Author:Iain Banks
“I love writing and can't imagine not being able to do it. I want an easy life and if it had been difficult I wouldn't be doing it. I do admire writers who do it even though it costs them.” IfsWantWritingAbleEasyDifficultImagineCostAdmireEasy Life Author:Iain Banks
“I remember being shocked when I discovered some of my school pals didn't have books in their homes. I thought it was like not having oxygen, or hot water.” BookHomeSchoolRememberWaterHotShockedOxygenPalsHot Water Author:Iain Banks