Explore Quotes by James A. Michener

Very early on in life, I decided the hell with it: material things weren't for me. Christmas would come, and other kids would have all these presents, and it wouldn't bother me a bit.

When I first pitched my Navy tent on the island of Espiritu Santo to the north of Vila, the natives on nearby Malakula were cannibals. Today, they have representation in the United Nations.

If there was a turning point for me, it was 'The Bridges at Toko-Ri.' It is a very fine short novel. But it gave me very little satisfaction. Really. I decided I wasn't going to go down that avenue.

I have only one bit of advice to the beginning writer: Be sure your novel is read by Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Honest to God, I do all the research on these books myself.

If I were a young man today, I might be lured into the moviemaking industry. You can really make a statement there.

I'm just a guy up on a hill writing.

The really great writers are people like Emily Bronte who sit in a room and write out of their limited experience and unlimited imagination.

Whenever I start a book, I swear it's going to be a short one. But then it's, 'Who was his grandfather? And how did he get there in the first place? And what kind of animals is he chasing?'

I know the world of opera so intimately: historical sweep, sharply defined characters, not too rational an explanation of what's going on. It's a feast.

A person on dialysis undergoes very heavy and irritating treatment, and in time, it seems more than you can bear.

My work as a naval officer in World War II enabled me to serve on 49 different South Pacific islands so that I came to know the area about as well as anyone.

I can't remember how old I was, maybe 13, 14, and to see these fellows and hear their stories and to see life come to such a drab ending - my God, a poorhouse in those days was something. You would have to be inert not to respond to it.

America is a nation with many flaws that only the stupid would deny, but with hopes so vast that only the cowardly would refuse to acknowledge them.

Whatever I did, there was always someone around who was better qualified. They just didn't bother to do it.

There are no insoluble problems. Only time-consuming ones.

If you type adeptly with 10 fingers, you're typing faster than your mind is working.

I missed a whole cycle of childhood, but I've never used it as a device for self-pity.

If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.

I attended seminars where many social issues were discussed abstractly, outside the pressures of an immediate situation, and there I developed certain attitudes which permitted me to face the real thing when it came along.

I am the product of the American education system. It is a system that has always been on the lookout for bright boys and girls. It spotted me when I was 14, and I owe a tremendous debt to my alma mater.