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Prufrock had measured out his life with measuring spoons; Dubin, in books resurrecting the lives of others.

Bernard Malamud

The past exudes legend: one can’t make pure clay of time’s mud. There is no life that can be recaptured wholly; as it was.Which is to say that all biography is ultimately fiction.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Clay Past Recapture Time
There comes a time in a man’s life when to get where he has to go – if there are no doors or windows he walks through a wall.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Men Tattoo Walk Wall Window
Without heroes, we are all plain people and don’t know how far we can go.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Courage Inspirational Inspiring
The short story packs a self in a few pages predicating a lifetime
BERNARD MALAMUD

Pages Self Stories
Charity you can give even when you haven’t got.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Charity Giving Havens
Nationality isn’t soul.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Nation Nationality Soul
One often feels helpless in the face of the confusion of these times, such a mass of apparently uncontrollable events and experiences to live through, attempt to understand.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Apparteally Attempt Confusion Experience Time Uncontrolled
Children were strangers you loved because you could love. If they gave back love when they were grown you were ahead of the game.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Back Children Games Love
Where to look if you’ve lost your mind?
BERNARD MALAMUD

Looks Lost Mind
All men are Jews, though few men know it.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Jew Knows Men
A writer has to surprise himself to be worth reading.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Reading Surprise Worth
The purpose of freedom is to create it for others.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Freedom Others Purpose
I work with language. I love the flowers of afterthought.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Afterthought Flower Language
What suffering has taught me is the uselessness of suffering.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Suffering Taught Uselessness
If the stories come, you get them written, you’re on the right track. Eventually everyone learns his or her own best way. The real mystery to crack is you.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Cracks Eventually Mystery Real Track
We have two lives, the life we learn with and the life we live with after that. Suffering is what brings us toward happiness.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Life Live Suffering Two
Reader, I am myself the subject of my book; you would be unreasonable to spend your leisure on so frivolous and so vain a matter.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Book Frivolous Leisure Matter
The past exudes legend: one can’t make pure clay of time’s mud.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Clay Experience Past
How can we be strangers if we both believe in God?
BERNARD MALAMUD

Believe Both God Stranger
Prufrock had measured out his life with measuring spoons; Dubin, in books resurrecting the lives of others.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Book Inspire Life Resurrecting
Comedy, I imagine, is harder to do consistently than tragedy, but I like it spiced in the wine of sadness.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Sadness Tragedy Wine
First drafts are for learning what your story is about.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Draft Firsts Learn Stories
A man is an island in the only sense that matters, not an easy way to be. We live in mystery, a cosmos of separate lonely bodies, men, insects, stars. It is all loneliness and men know it best.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Insects Loneliness Lonely Matter Men Stars
We can’t all be friends and relatives as the world is; most of us have to be strangers.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Human Relations Stranger World
Writers who can’t invent stories often substitute style for narrative. They remind me of the painter who couldn’t paint people, so he painted chairs.
BERNARD MALAMUD

People Stories Style
I am somewhat of a meliorist. That is to say, I act as an optimist because I find I cannot act at all, as a pessimist.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Confusion Giving Order
To any writer: Teach yourself to work in uncertainty. Many writers are anxious when they begin, or try something new.
BERNARD MALAMUD

Character Discipline Writing

Prufrock had measured out his life with measuring spoons; Dubin, in books resurrecting the lives of others.

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Prufrock had measured out his life with measuring spoons; Dubin, in books resurrecting the lives of others.

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Popular Authors

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