John O'Hara Quotes

• Becoming the reader is the essence of becoming a writer.

  John O'Hara

  Writing, Essence, Becoming

  11 Copy quote

• Socially, I never belonged to any class, rich or poor. To the rich I was poor, and to the poor I was poor pretending to be like the rich.

  John O'Hara

  Rich Or Poor, Class, Pretending

  John O'Hara (1967). “The Instrument”

  8 Copy quote

• Hot lead can be almost as effective coming from a linotype as from a firearm.

  John O'Hara

  Health, Hot, Firearms

  John O'Hara (1977). “"An artist is his own fault": John O'Hara on writers and writing”, Southern Illinois University

  10 Copy quote

• Never play cards with a man named Doc, and never eat at a place called Mom's.

  John O'Hara

  Mom, Men, Play

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• In every marriage the wife has to keep her mouth shut about at least one small thing her husband does that disgusts her.

  John O'Hara

  Marriage, Husband, Wife

  John O'Hara (1934). “Appointment in Samarra”

  9 Copy quote

• An artist is his own fault.

  John O'Hara

  Artist, Faults

  John O'Hara (2013). “The New York Stories”, p.15, Penguin

  11 Copy quote

• But whats the use of being old if you cant be dumb?

  John O'Hara

  Dumb, Use, Cant

  1940 Pal Joey, ch.1.

  11 Copy quote

• Much as I like owning a Rolls-Royce, I could do without it. What I could not do without is a typewriter, a supply of yellow second sheets and the time to put them to good use.

  John O'Hara

  Typewriters, Yellow, Use

  14 Copy quote

• George Gershwin died on July 11, 1937, but I don’t have to believe it if I don’t want to.

  John O'Hara

  Believe, July, Want

  9 Copy quote

• They say great themes make great novels

  John O'Hara

  Theme, Novel, Great Novels

  John O'Hara (1977). “"An artist is his own fault": John O'Hara on writers and writing”, Southern Illinois University

  7 Copy quote

• Our story opens in the mind of Luther L. (L for LeRoy) Fliegler, who is lying in his bed, not thinking of anything, but just aware of sounds, conscious of his own breathing, and sensitive to his own heartbeats. Lying beside him is his wife, lying on her right side and enjoying her sleep.

  John O'Hara

  Lying, Book, Sleep

  John O'Hara (2013). “Appointment in Samarra: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)”, p.15, Penguin

  9 Copy quote

• When Caroline Walker fell in love with Julian English she was a little tired of him. That was in the summer of 1926, one of the most unimportant years in the history of the United States, and the year in which Caroline Walker was sure her life had reached a pinnacle of uselessness.

  John O'Hara

  Summer, Tired, Years

  John O'Hara (2013). “Appointment in Samarra: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)”, p.79, Penguin

  7 Copy quote

• Book reviewers are little old ladies of both sexes.

  John O'Hara

  Sex, Book, Writing

  9 Copy quote

• The trouble is people leave too much to luck. They get married and then trust to luck. They should be sure in the first place.

  John O'Hara

  People, Luck, Too Much

  10 Copy quote

• They say great themes make great novels. but what these young writers don't understand is that there is no greater theme than men and women.

  John O'Hara

  Men, Young Writers, Theme

  John O'Hara (1977). “"An artist is his own fault": John O'Hara on writers and writing”, Southern Illinois University

  5 Copy quote

• Illinois is a state of suspended animation and the people live in hibernation from Oct. to whenever it ever gets warmer.

  John O'Hara

  Illinois, People, Hibernation

  1940 Pal Joey, ch.9.

  12 Copy quote

• Well, men go to musicals. Women are the ones that buy the tickets for plays.

  John O'Hara

  Men, Play, Tickets

  6 Copy quote

• So who's perfect? ... Washington had false teeth. Franklin was nearsighted. Mussolini had syphilis. Unpleasant things have been said about Walt Whitman and Oscar Wilde. Tchaikovsky had his problems, too. And Lincoln was constipated.

  John O'Hara

  Tchaikovsky, Perfect, Syphilis

  9 Copy quote

• I can get very depressed by a review that is unfair, unreasonable, and totally destructive.

  John O'Hara

  Unfair, Reviews, Unreasonable

  4 Copy quote

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