William Landay Quotes

The interior of a teenager’s mind is an endless war between Stupid and Clever.

William Landay

Clever, War, Teenager

William Landay (2012). “Defending Jacob: A Novel”, p.211, Delacorte Press

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An emotion is a thought, yes, an idea, but it is also a sensation, an ache in your body. Desire, love, hate, fear, repulsion - you feel these things in your muscle and bones, not just in your mind.

William Landay

Hate, Ideas, Desire Love

William Landay (2012). “Defending Jacob: A Novel”, p.209, Delacorte Press

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Predisposition is not predestination.

William Landay

Predestination

William Landay (2012). “Defending Jacob: A Novel”, p.195, Delacorte Press

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Genes are not simple triggers. No one is hardwired to commit murder or any other crime. Our actions are always the result of stupendously complex gene-environment interactions, and environment is likely to remain the more important influence by far.

William Landay

Simple, Important, Our Actions

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There is no absolute beginning to any story, after all. There is only the moment you begin watching.

William Landay

Stories, Moments, Absolutes

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But sometimes you can't figure everything out because you can't ever really understand other people. You can't understand why they do what they do. You just have to accept a little mystery, Ben. People are mysterious, the world is mysterious. You can't know everything. You're not supposed to. This isn't a history book. It's just the world. It's a messy place.

William Landay

Book, People, World

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no one worth knowing can be quite known, no one worth possessing can be quite possessed

William Landay

Knowing, Possessing, Possessed

William Landay (2012). “Defending Jacob: A Novel”, p.125, Delacorte Press

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Good stories are driven by conflict, tension, and high stakes.

William Landay

Stories, Conflict, Driven

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You know, being confident isn't the same as being right.

William Landay

Be Confident, Knows

"Defending Jacob: A Novel". Book by William Landay, 2012.

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There are many more ways to be attractive than to be beautiful.

William Landay

Beautiful, Way, Attractive

"Mission Flats: A Novel". Book by William Landay, 2003.

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You can write a great book and be ignored. Literary history is full of classics that were under-appreciated in their own time.

William Landay

Book, Writing, Ignored

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Damage hardens us all. It will harden you too, when it finds you—and it will find you

William Landay

Damage

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The rest-the vast majority, tens of thousands of days-are unremarkable, repetitive, even monotonous. We glide through them then instantly forget them. We tend not to think about this arithmetic when we look back on our lives. We remember the handful of Big Days and throw away the rest.
We organize our long, shapeless lives into tidy little stories...But our lives are mostly made up of junk, of ordinary, forgettable days, and 'The End' is never the end.

William Landay

Thinking, Long, Looks

William Landay (2012). “Defending Jacob: A Novel”, p.381, Delacorte Press

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Crime and legal stories, broadly speaking, are just where my interest happens to lie.

William Landay

Lying, Stories, Crime

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the act does not create guilt unless the mind is also guilty.

William Landay

Mind, Guilt, Doe

William Landay (2012). “Defending Jacob: A Novel”, p.129, Delacorte Press

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Well, I outline fanatically. I am a long thinker and a slow writer, though I am trying to get faster.

William Landay

Long, Trying, Faster

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When I was 30 or so - by that time I had become an assistant D.A. - I decided I would try to write a novel. To be clear: I did not decide to become a novelist. Honestly, it never crossed my mind that I could actually earn a living as a professional novelist.

William Landay

Writing, Mind, Trying

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At some point as adults we cease to be our parents' children and we become our children's parents instead.

William Landay

Children, Parent, Adults

William Landay (2012). “Defending Jacob: A Novel”, p.71, Delacorte Press

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I'm a bit of a tech geek myself.

William Landay

Geek, Bits

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We move through time like a man in a rowboat, looking back even as we move forward.

William Landay

Moving, Men, Rough Times

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I can't say that I ever actually decided to become a writer. It kind of snuck up on me.

William Landay

Kind, Decided, I Can

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I am interested in computers and technology, and art, photography, and design.

William Landay

Photography, Art, Technology

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I don't ever write with a particular audience in mind. I just write books that please me.

William Landay

Book, Writing, Please Me

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Probably careful plotting reflects my personality. I am meticulous by nature. I can't imagine speed-writing anything that happens to pop into my head.

William Landay

Writing, Personality, Imagine

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I love sports, as all Bostonians seem to. I love books and movies, as all writers seem to.

William Landay

Sports, Book, Bostonians

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William Landay

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Born: 1963
Occupation: Novelist
Cite this Page: Citation

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