I'm ashamed and embarrassed to say that I've read very little of David Foster Wallace's work. It's a huge gap in my education, one of many.

- Ben Fountain

Americans are incredibly polite as long as they get what they want.

- Ben Fountain

Late bloomer' is another way of saying 'slow learner.

- Ben Fountain

The smartest thing I did in law school: asking my future wife to go out dancing with me. The smartest thing I did when practicing law: quitting. The …

- Ben Fountain

It took me 10 years to write a story that pleased me - that I could look at after it was published and not cringe.

- Ben Fountain

It is sort of weird being honored for the worst day of your life.

- Ben Fountain

There was no such thing as perfection in this world, only moments of such extreme transparency that you forgot yourself, a holy mercy if there ever w…

- Ben Fountain

The funny thing is, about the time I let go of any aspiration toward worldly success, that's about the time I started writing decent work.

- Ben Fountain

A person deprived of beauty and pleasure puts me in mind of the Haitian notion of a zombie - a person disconnected from his or her soul, a person who…

- Ben Fountain