Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by Anne Lamott

Quote by Anne Lamott

“If you don't believe in God, it may help to remember this great line of Geneen Roth's: that awareness is learning to keep yourself company. And then learn to be more compassionate company, as if you were somebody you are fond of and wish to encourage. I doubt that you would read a close friend's early efforts and, in his or her presence, roll your eyes and snicker. I doubt that you would pantomime sticking your finger down your throat. I think you might say something along the lines of, 'Good for you. We can work out some of the problems later, but for now, full steam ahead!”

Quote by Anne Lamott

Book:Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
Create image

Work

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

This book provides a comprehensive look into the craft of writing, combining practical exercises and personal stories to inspire and instruct readers on the challenges and joys of creative expression. The author shares her experiences and wisdom, offering guidance on overcoming writer's block, structuring narratives, and developing a writing routine. The book also delves into the author's personal journey, illustrating how writing can be a source of both solace and fulfillment in life. more

Author

Anne Lamott
Anne Lamott

Anne Lamott is an American novelist born on April 10, 1954. Her works are known for their humor, directness, and profound emotional depth, primarily exploring themes of family, faith, and self-discovery. more

You May Also Like

“The problem is acceptance, which is something we're taught not to do. We're taught to improve uncomfortable situations, to change things, alleviate unpleasant feelings. But if you accept the reality that you have been given- that you are not in a productive creative period- you free yourself to begin filling up again.”

IfsHas BeensFeelingsProblemRealityGivenSituationAcceptingCreativeAcceptanceTaughtPeriodsUncomfortableProductiveFillingWriter's BlockAlleviateFree YourselfFilling UpUncomfortable Situations
Book:Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
Create image

“The society to which we belong seems to be dying or is already dead. I don't mean to sound dramatic, but clearly the dark side is rising. Things could not have been more odd and frightening in the Middle Ages. But the tradition of artists will continue no matter what form the society takes. And this is another reason to write: people need us, to mirror for them and for each other without distortion-not to look around and say, 'Look at yourselves, you idiots!,' but to say, 'This is who we are.”

PeopleNeedsWritingLooksMeanHas BeensMatterReasonSeemsAgeFormArtistSoundSidesDarkMiddleDyingTraditionMirrorsNo Matter WhatIdiotOddDramaticRisingWho We AreFrighteningMiddle AgesDark SideDistortion
Book:Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
Create image

“[To have Faith in Christ] means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice. Thus if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him. But trying in a new way, a less worried way. Not doing these things in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already. Not hoping to get to Heaven as a reward for your actions, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain way because a first faint gleam of Heaven is already inside you.”

IfsWayTryingFirstsMeanPersonsWould BeActionCertainReligionFaithOrderCoursesHeavenChristChristianityAdviceMereRewardsSavedWorriedObedienceHave FaithTrustedNew WaysGleam
Author:C. S. Lewis
Create image

“I sometimes used to ask myself, what on earth did I love her for? Maybe fore the warm hazel iris of her fluffy eyes, or for the natural side-wave of her brown hair, done anyhow, or again for that movement of her plump shoulders. But, probably the truth was that I loved her because she loved me. To her I was the ideal man: brains, pluck. And there was none dressed better. I remember once, when I first put on that new dinner jacket, with the vast trousers, she clapsed her hands, sank down on a chair and murmured: 'Oh, Hermann...." It was ravishment bordering upon something like heavenly woe.”

MenFirstsSometimesDoneHandsEyeEarthRememberUsedAsksSidesNaturalBrainMovementHairIdealsWaveWarmDinnerShouldersBrownChairsHeavenlyWoeJacketsPluckTrousersFluffyIrisesIdeal ManBrown Hair
Author:Vladimir Nabokov
Create image