Everything a writer learns about the art or craft of fiction takes just a little away from his need or desire to write at all. In the end he knows all the tricks and has nothing to say.

Quote by Raymond Chandler

Topics: Raymond Chandler Quotes

I think a man ought to get drunk at least twice a year just on...

I think a man ought to get drunk at least twice a year just on...

Chess is the most elaborate waste of human intelligence outside of an advertising agency.

Chess is the most elaborate waste of human intelligence outside of an advertising agency.

Television is just one more facet of that considerable segment of our society that never...

Television is just one more facet of that considerable segment of our society that never...

However toplofty and idealistic a man may be, he can always rationalize his right to...

However toplofty and idealistic a man may be, he can always rationalize his right to...

It is not a fragrant world.

It is not a fragrant world.

If my books had been any worse, I should not have been invited to Hollywood,...

If my books had been any worse, I should not have been invited to Hollywood,...

That's one thing I like about Hollywood. The writer is there revealed in his ultimate...

That's one thing I like about Hollywood. The writer is there revealed in his ultimate...

He looked about as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a slice of angel food.

He looked about as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a slice of angel food.

At least half the mystery novels published violate the law that the solution, once revealed,...

At least half the mystery novels published violate the law that the solution, once revealed,...

Most critical writing is drivel and half of it is dishonest. It is a short...

Most critical writing is drivel and half of it is dishonest. It is a short...

Alcohol is like love. The first kiss is magic, the second is intimate, the third...

Alcohol is like love. The first kiss is magic, the second is intimate, the third...

The moment a man begins to talk about technique that's proof that he is fresh...

The moment a man begins to talk about technique that's proof that he is fresh...

A good story cannot be devised; it has to be distilled.

A good story cannot be devised; it has to be distilled.

She gave me a smile I could feel in my hip pocket.

She gave me a smile I could feel in my hip pocket.

I do a great deal of research - particularly in the apartments of tall blondes.

I do a great deal of research - particularly in the apartments of tall blondes.

I regard psychiatry as fifty percent bunk, thirty percent fraud, ten percent parrot talk, and...

I regard psychiatry as fifty percent bunk, thirty percent fraud, ten percent parrot talk, and...

If you liked a book, don't meet the author

If you liked a book, don't meet the author

The remarkable thing about Shakespeare is that he really is very good, in spite of...

The remarkable thing about Shakespeare is that he really is very good, in spite of...

As for literature, thefts cannot harm it, while the lapse of ages augments its value

As for literature, thefts cannot harm it, while the lapse of ages augments its value

What matters in literature in the end is surely the idiosyncratic, the individual, the flavor...

What matters in literature in the end is surely the idiosyncratic, the individual, the flavor...