Erskine Caldwell Quotes

• I was not a writer to begin with; I was a listener.

  Erskine Caldwell

  Listeners

  Erskine Caldwell (1988). “Conversations with Erskine Caldwell”, p.181, Univ. Press of Mississippi

  15 Copy quote

• Many Southern writers must have learned the art of storytelling from listening to oral tales. I did. It gave me the knowledge that the simplest incident can make a story.

  Erskine Caldwell

  Art, Southern, Listening

  Erskine Caldwell (1988). “Conversations with Erskine Caldwell”, p.181, Univ. Press of Mississippi

  18 Copy quote

• I think you must remember that a writer is a simple-minded person to begin with and go on that basis. He's not a great mind, he's not a great thinker, he's not a great philosopher, he's a story-teller.

  Erskine Caldwell

  Writing, Thinking, Simple

  Erskine Caldwell (1988). “Conversations with Erskine Caldwell”, p.51, Univ. Press of Mississippi

  17 Copy quote

• Influence is a very tenuous matter. I try to avoid it in every respect. I don't want to be influenced by anybody.

  Erskine Caldwell

  Trying, Want, Matter

  18 Copy quote

• I think acceptance of human rights is going to progress from one day to the next. I don't think there's going to be any violent revolution about the whole thing anywhere. Of course, it looks like it every once in a while. You hear about it on television and in newspapers: riots here and there. But that is a passing phase.

  Erskine Caldwell

  Acceptance, Thinking, Rights

  Erskine Caldwell (1988). “Conversations with Erskine Caldwell”, p.102, Univ. Press of Mississippi

  17 Copy quote

• To me there is no such thing as creative writing. It's either good writing, whatever the subject, or it's not creative.

  Erskine Caldwell

  Writing, Creative, Subjects

  Erskine Caldwell (1988). “Conversations with Erskine Caldwell”, p.185, Univ. Press of Mississippi

  12 Copy quote

• I'm not interested in plots. I'm interested only in the characterization of people and what they do.

  Erskine Caldwell

  People, Plot, Not Interested

  Erskine Caldwell (1988). “Conversations with Erskine Caldwell”, p.182, Univ. Press of Mississippi

  5 Copy quote

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