Accident is as much a part of fiction as anything else, symbolic of the grace that, along with will, conspires to put words on the page. Mark Helprin accidentconspirefiction Change image and share on social
When I was very young, I used to clean up after my parents. If I stay in a hotel, I make the bed and clean the room when I get up, even the bathroom mirror, for which I carry a tiny bottle of ammonia. Mark Helprin ammoniabathroombed Change image and share on social
The best way to meet a woman is in an emergency situation - if you're in a shipwreck, or you find yourself behind enemy lines, or in a flood. Mark Helprin emergencyenemyfind Change image and share on social
The craftless anarchy of the Beat poets on the one hand, and the extreme control of Henry James on the other, suggest that for most human beings, just as both freedom and discipline are necessary in life, serendipity and design must coexist in a work to make it readable. Mark Helprin anarchybeatbeing share on social
I have to confess that I have so rarely experienced triumph that I cannot claim to know it well enough to judge, but it seems to be at best a momentary joy followed instantly by sadness, and, then, of necessity, by wariness. Mark Helprin claimconfessexperience share on social
I have jumped out of airplanes but I was not technically a paratrooper. I was an infantryman and a night fighter, anti-terrorist. Mark Helprin airplaneantifighter Change image and share on social
Of course, everyone in the New World is an immigrant or a descendant of immigrants, and immigrants have built America and continue to do so. Legal or illegal, they are almost universally good people who work to better their lot and that of their children. Mark Helprin americabuildchild share on social
If it wasn't for music, I would think that love is mortal. Mark Helprin lovemortalmusic Change image and share on social
I have been fighting over commas all my life. Mark Helprin commafightlife Change image and share on social
The greatest fight is when you are fighting in the smoke and cannot see with your eyes. Mark Helprin eyefightgreat Change image and share on social
