John Grisham Quotes - Page 3

In one long glorious acknowledgment of failure, he laid himself bare before God.

I didn't dare think of the future; the past was still happening.

I don't even know what a serious literary critic is.

Prisons are hate factories, Pastor, and society wants more and more of them.

There are few things in life worse than a long-winded lawyer.

Ten years from now I plan to be sitting here, looking out over my land. I hope I'll be writing books, but if not, I'll be on my pond fishing with my kids. I feel like the luckiest guy I know.

You need some coffee, don't you?" "Yes, I've only had a gallon.

After I'd been a lawyer for about five or six years, I started playing around with fiction.

I still enjoy the process of writing. If I ever feel like I am going through the motions because I can sell anything at this level, I hope that somebody, somewhere who I trust will tell me to take a break and stop because it's sounding old. But so far, I don't feel like I'm boring anyone.

I don't feel stupid, just inadequate. After three years of studying the law, I'm very much aware of how little I know.

I looked at her and tried to speak, but all I could think about was how shocked she'd be if I said what I was thinking.

I can't change overnight into a serious literary author. You can't compare apples to oranges. William Faulkner was a great literary genius. I am not.

One thing that drives me nuts... well, let me ask you, when writers write do they not use quotation marks anymore?

I learned that lesson a long time ago. When you write popular fiction, you're going to get bashed by critics.

You burn a man's pickup, and he's ready for war.

We learned after the first semester in law school that it's best never to discuss exams. If notes are compared afterwards, you become painfully aware of things you missed.

I don't want to force my politics on my readers.

The good thing about writing fiction is that you can get back at people.

And they drank heavily, partied with great enthusiasm, and relished the drug culture; they moved in and out and slept around, and this was okay because they defined their own morality. They were fighting for the Mexicans and the redwoods, dammit! They had to be good people!

Every morning I wake at 6am or 6.30am, champing at the bit.

Stephen King told me a long time ago, when he gave me some advice about the movies. He said to take the money up front and expect it to be something different than the book and if you don't like that don't deal with Hollywood. But if you take the money, shut up and don't criticize the film because you sold it. The movie doesn't change a word of the book.

Keeping a guy in prison costs 50,000 bucks a year. Executing one costs a couple million.

I always do book signings with the same blue pen. That way, if I add a personalised message to a book I've already signed, it'll be in the same colour as my signature.

The company later went broke, and of course all blame was directed at the lawyers. Not once did I hear any talk that maybe a trace of mismanagement could in any way have contributed to the bankruptcy.

There is no devious and dangerous life. I've lived a charmed life, especially in the last thirty years since I've started publishing. I've won the lottery. And I keep winning it every year and I am so fortunate to do something I thoroughly enjoy and still enjoy after a bunch of books.