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Quote by Norman Mailer

“I become an actor, a quick-change artist, as if I can trap the Prince of Truth in the act of switching a style.”

Quote by Norman Mailer

Book:Advertisements for Myself

Work

Advertisements for Myself

This book is a compilation of the author's introspective and often humorous essays, exploring themes of self-discovery, personal growth, and the complexities of human nature. more

Author

Norman Mailer was an American novelist, journalist, and essayist renowned for his daring and innovative writing. His works frequently examined the human condition, focusing on the roles of power and violence in society. Mailer's most celebrated novel, 'The Naked and the Dead', was published in 1948 and is regarded as a classic of American literature. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his novel 'The Armies of the Night' in 1968. Mailer's writing style was marked by its vivid descriptions and his readiness to address controversial subjects. more

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“I take it for granted that there's a side of me that loves public action, and there's another side of me that really wants to be alone and work and write. And I've learned to alternate the two as matters develop.”

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Author:Norman Mailer

“It's very bad to write a novel by act of will. I can do a book of nonfiction work that way - just sign the contract and do the book because, provided the topic has some meaning for me, I know I can do it. But a novel is different. A novel is more like falling in love. You don't say, 'I'm going to fall in love next Tuesday, I'm going to begin my novel.' The novel has to come to you. It has to feel just like love.”

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“My mum and I do cardio kickboxing classes together.”

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“Over the years, I've found one rule. It is the only one I give on those occasions when I talk about writing. A simple rule. If you tell yourself you are going to be at your desk tomorrow, you are by that declaration asking your unconscious to prepare the material. You are, in effect, contracting to pick up such valuables at a given time. Count on me, you are saying to a few forces below: I will be there to write.”

Ifs Giving Writing Years Found Given Force Simple Effects Materials Tomorrow Picks Asking Occasions Unconscious Desks Declaration Contracting Count On Me

Author:Norman Mailer

“The essence of spirit ... was to choose the thing which did not better one's position but made it more perilous. That was why the world he knew was poor, for it insisted morality and caution were identical.”

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Book:Existential Errands

Source: Existential Errands

“The Frenchman Jean-PaulSartre ... had a dialectical mind good as a machine for cybernetics, immense in its way, he could peel a nuance like an onion, but he had no sense of evil, the anguish of God, and the possible existence of Satan.”

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Author:Norman Mailer

“The ultimate tendency of liberalism is vegetarianism.”

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“There are two kinds of brave men: those who are brave by the grace of nature, and those who are brave by an act of will.”

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Book:Mind of an Outlaw: Selected Essays

Source: Mind of an Outlaw: Selected Essays

“Persecution was at least a sign of personal interest.”

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Book:The pursuit of humor and other essays

Source: The pursuit of humor and other essays

“The heaviest of burdens is simultaneously an image of life's most intense fullfillment. The heavier the burden, the closer our lives come to the earth, the more real and truthful they become. Conversely, the absolute absence of a burden causes man to be lighter than air, to soar into new heights, take leave of the earth and his earthly being, and become only half real, his movements as free as they are insignificant. What then shall we choose? Weight or lightness?”