You can't be happy if you're not tolerably happy with yourself. The addition of friends adds immeasurably to life. Patrick O'Brian addadditionfriend Change image and share on social
When you're taking a fence on a horse, you don't think much; your body does all the thinking, and you're over or you're not over. It's much the same when you are doing a tricky thing with a pen. There are times when I'm writing very, very fast. Patrick O'Brian bodyfastfence share on social
I very much dislike being interviewed by the kind of journalist who tries to dig into your private life. Patrick O'Brian digdislikeinterview Change image and share on social
The first interviews I gave were entirely unpleasant. You have people trying to trip you up with impolite questions that have nothing to do with the books. It's simply vulgar curiosity, and I won't have it. Patrick O'Brian bookcuriositygive share on social
In a day when, if you insulted a man it might cost you your life, you were probably more civil. Patrick O'Brian civilcostday Change image and share on social
I have 60 years of reading to draw upon: naval memoirs, dispatches, the Naval Chronicles, family letters. Patrick O'Brian chronicledispatchdraw Change image and share on social
About my books, that's all that I think the public has, in its normal way, to know. My private life is, by definition, private. Patrick O'Brian bookdefinitionlife Change image and share on social
A freewheeling mind can conceive a virtually infinite number of sequences, but just how that mind picks out and stores those that may perhaps be used later to deal with a given tension, a given situation, is far beyond my understanding. Patrick O'Brian conceivedealfreewheel share on social
Take a newspaper account of Waterloo or Trafalgar, with all the small advertisements: it seems much more real than reading about it in a history book. Patrick O'Brian accountadvertisementbook Change image and share on social
On a ship, everything is enclosed: the people are right on top of each other and can't get up and walk away. Patrick O'Brian enclosepeopleship Change image and share on social
