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Quote by George Saunders

“We try, we fail, we posture, we aspire, we pontificate - and then we age, shrink, die, and vanish.”

Quote by George Saunders

Author

George Saunders

George Saunders, born on December 2, 1958, is an American writer known for his unique humor and profound insights. His works, primarily short stories, have gained widespread recognition and have been honored with numerous literary awards, including the Pulitzer Prize. more

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“When I write I know that I'm going to have to produce 40 percent more than I need.”

Knows Needs Writing Produce Percent

Author:George Saunders

“For me, the game would be to assume a very intelligent reader who can extrapolate a lot from a little. And that's become my definition of art; to get that pitch just right, where I can put a hint on page three, and the reader's ears go up a bit, as opposed to dropping it all on the first page.”

Firsts Littles Art I Can Would Be Three Games Bits Reader Pages Ears Intelligent Assuming Definitions Dropping Hints

Author:George Saunders

“The artist's job, I think, is to be a conduit for mystery. To intuit it, and recognize that the story-germ has some inherent mystery in it, and sort of midwife that mystery into the story in such a way that it isn't damaged in the process, and may even get heightened or refined.”

Thinking Way May Stories Jobs Artist Process Mystery Inherent Refined Germs Midwife

Author:George Saunders

“When you read a short story, you come out a little more aware and a little more in love with the world around you. What I want is to have the reader come out just 6 percent more awake to the world.”

World Want Littles Stories Reader Percent Awake Short Story

Author:George Saunders

“You don't want to be that parent - the one who dresses his kid in a cloth sack when all the other kids are in Armani cloth sacks - especially in a time like ours, when materialism is not only rampant and ascendant but is fast becoming the only game in town.”

Want Kids Games Parent Becoming Towns Dresses Materialism Armani

Author:George Saunders

“I think fiction isn't so good at being for or against things in general - the rhetorical argument a short story can make is only actualized by the accretion of particular details, and the specificity of these details renders whatever conclusions the story reaches invalid for wider application.”

Thinking Stories Fiction Particular Argument Details Conclusion Application Short Story Rhetorical Specificity

Author:George Saunders

“I was trained in seismic prospecting. We'd drill a deep hole and put dynamite in the bottom and blow it up remotely, which would give you a cross-sectional picture of the subsurface, which tells you where to drill.”

Giving Crosses Bottom Blow Holes Drills Dynamite Prospecting

Book:Tenth of December

Source: Tenth of December

“It would be so weird if we knew just as much as we needed to know to answer all the questions of the universe. Wouldn't that be freaky? Whereas the probability is high that there is a vast reality that we have no way to perceive, that's actually bearing down on us now and influencing everything.”

Ifs Knows Way Reality Would Be Universe Answers Influence Needed Perceive Probability Freaky

Book:Tenth of December

Source: Tenth of December

“My habit would have been to veer towards the dark - to prove I was something; edgy, or maybe to prove that I was cognisant of the dark side. Now, with age and confidence, I can say, yeah, that's true, but I am cognisant of the fact that people can do things well. And can be more loving than you expect.”

People Wells Has Beens I Can Facts Age Sides Can Do Dark Habit Prove Yeah Dark Side Edgy

Author:George Saunders

“So for me the approach has become to go into a story not really sure of what I want to say, try to find some little seed crystal of interest, a sentence or an image or an idea, and as much as possible divest myself of any deep ideas about it. And then by this process of revision, mysteriously it starts to accrete meanings as you go.”

Want Trying Littles Ideas Stories Process Interest Approach Sentences Seeds Crystals Revision

Author:George Saunders