I think it's bad to talk about one's present work, for it spoils something at the root of the creative act. It discharges the tension.

Quote by Norman Mailer

Topics: Norman Mailer Quotes

The horror of the Twentieth Century was the size of each new event, and the...

The horror of the Twentieth Century was the size of each new event, and the...

Writing books is the closest men ever come to childbearing.

Writing books is the closest men ever come to childbearing.

I don't think life is absurd. I think we are all here for a huge...

I don't think life is absurd. I think we are all here for a huge...

A modern democracy is a tyranny whose borders are undefined; one discovers how far one...

A modern democracy is a tyranny whose borders are undefined; one discovers how far one...

There are four stages in a marriage. First there's the affair, then the marriage, then...

There are four stages in a marriage. First there's the affair, then the marriage, then...

We can never know for certain where our prayers are likely to go, nor from...

We can never know for certain where our prayers are likely to go, nor from...

With the pride of the artist, you must blow against the walls of every power...

With the pride of the artist, you must blow against the walls of every power...

The final purpose of art is to intensify, even, if necessary, to exacerbate, the moral...

The final purpose of art is to intensify, even, if necessary, to exacerbate, the moral...

America is a hurricane, and the only people who do not hear the sound are...

America is a hurricane, and the only people who do not hear the sound are...

Chicago was a town where nobody could forget how the money was made. It was...

Chicago was a town where nobody could forget how the money was made. It was...

You never really know a woman until you meet her in court.

You never really know a woman until you meet her in court.

Culture's worth huge, huge risks. Without culture we're all totalitarian beasts.

Culture's worth huge, huge risks. Without culture we're all totalitarian beasts.

In America few people will trust you unless you are irreverent.

In America few people will trust you unless you are irreverent.

I had a quick grasp of the secret to sanity, it had become the ability...

I had a quick grasp of the secret to sanity, it had become the ability...

It's not a good idea to put your wife into a novel; not your latest...

It's not a good idea to put your wife into a novel; not your latest...

Revolutions are the periods of history when individuals count most.

Revolutions are the periods of history when individuals count most.

You don't know a women till you've met her in court.

You don't know a women till you've met her in court.

Because there is very little honor left in American life, there is a certain built-in...

Because there is very little honor left in American life, there is a certain built-in...

Masculinity is not something given to you, but something you gain. And you gain it...

Masculinity is not something given to you, but something you gain. And you gain it...

There is nothing safe about sex. There never will be.

There is nothing safe about sex. There never will be.