If a novelist tells you something she knows or thinks, and you believe her, that is not because either of you think she is God, but because she is doing her work - as a novelist. A. S. Byatt godnovelisttell Change image and share on social
I think the virtue I prize above all others is curiosity. If you look really hard at almost anybody, and try to see why they're doing what they're doing, taking a dig at them ceases to be what you want to do even if you hate them. A. S. Byatt ceasecuriositydig share on social
Never stop paying attention to things. Never make your mind up finally. Do not hold beliefs. A. S. Byatt attentionbelieffinally Change image and share on social
The point of painting is not really deception or imitation. A. S. Byatt deceptionimitationpaint Change image and share on social
There is a certain aesthetic pleasure in trying to imagine the unimaginable and failing, if you are a reader. A. S. Byatt aestheticfailimagine Change image and share on social
In novels in general - and also on the television - we do live in a world where bodies is what we are. We do not talk about the spirit or the soul, and there is a sense that we no longer talk about beliefs, either Freudian or Marxist. A. S. Byatt beliefbodyfreudian share on social
I'm more interested in books than people, and I always expect everybody else to be, but they're not. A. S. Byatt bookexpectinterest Change image and share on social
I grew up with that completely fictive idea of motherhood, where the mother never strayed from the kitchen. All the women in my books are very afraid that if they do anything with their minds they won't be complete women. I don't think my daughters' generation has that feeling. A. S. Byatt afraidbookcomplete share on social
You learn a lot about love before you ever get there. You learn at least as much about love from books as you do from watching your parents. A. S. Byatt booklearnlot Change image and share on social
I am suspicious of writers who go looking for issues to address. Writers are neither preachers nor journalists. Journalists know much more than most writers about what's going on in the world. And if you want to change things, you do journalism. A. S. Byatt addresschangeissue share on social
