Philip Roth

"We are always looking for something to ease our anxiety."

"The ability to delude yourself is a wonderful thing sometimes."

"I think of myself as a serious writer with a sense of humor."

"Every act of writing is an act of rebellion."

"Art is supposed to awaken and provoke thought."

"You know what? We're all just making it up as we go along."

"Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence."

"Revenge is the most human of all human impulses."

"The private way is the only way out in America now."

"Writers want to be praised for their books, not for their bank accounts."

"To be honest about one's experience is a radical act."

"The best and most honest criticism comes from those who love you."

"Art means something is happening in the work."

"Time is the killer of all things."

"We cannot live only for ourselves—a thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men."

"Obsession is the wellspring of human achievement."

"The greatest thing about books is that they allow you to live multiple lives."

"A writer must avoid easy answers and comfortable truths."

"Ambition without talent is like a ship without a rudder."

"The past is really the only thing that anyone really has."

"Restraint and freedom are interdependent."

"To be a writer is to be somewhat of a con artist."

"You must protect what makes you different."

"The contradiction is only a conflict if you believe it to be."

"Everything I wrote was an effort to understand myself."

"Betrayal is the deepest cut because it comes from someone you trusted."

"A writer is someone who has taught their mind to misbehave."

"The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong in the broken places."

"You can't write about life until you've lived it."

"The shame of being human is that we forget so easily."