black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

Teach yourself to work in uncertainty.

Bernard Malamud

We didn’t starve but nobody ate chicken unless we were sick or the chicken was.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Poor Poverty Sick
All my life I wanted to accomplish something worthwhile-a thing people will say took a little something.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Accomplishment Littles People
The idea is to get the pencil moving quickly.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Ideas Moving Writing
First drafts are for learning what your story is about.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Draft Firsts Learn Stories
And if at all possible, give order to; but one must not withdraw from the task if he has some small things to offer – he does so at the risk of diminishing his humanity.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Diminishing Humanity Small Some Withdraw
How one works, assuming he’s disciplined, doesn’t matter.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Assuming Discipline Matter Works
First drafts are for learning what your novel or story is about. Revision is working with that knowledge to enlarge and enhance an idea, to re-form it….
BERNARD MALAMUD

Book Firsts Ideas
The purpose of freedom is to create it for others.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Freedom Others Purpose
Tomorrow the world is not the same as today, though God listens with the same ear.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Change Ears World
It was all those biographies in me yelling, ‘We want out. We want to tell you what we’ve done to you.’
BERNARD MALAMUD

Biography Done Want Yelling
The short story packs a self in a few pages predicating a lifetime
BERNARD MALAMUD

Pages Self Stories
We’re persecuted in the most civilized languages.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Civilized Language Persecuted
The first draft of a book is the most uncertain-where you need guts, the ability to accept the imperfect until it is better.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Accept Book Imperfect Uncertain Until
For misery don’t blame God. He gives the food but we cook it.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Blame Giving Misery
Revision is one of the exquisite pleasures of writing.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Pleasure Revision Writing
If your train’s on the wrong track every station you come to is the wrong station.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Stations Track Train

Teach yourself to work in uncertainty.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

Teach yourself to work in uncertainty.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Bernard Malamud Quotes