Roddy Doyle quotes

Roddy Doyle is an Irish novelist and screenwriter, renowned for his vivid portrayals of Dublin life. His works, including "The Commitments" and "Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha," often capture the humor and hardships of working-class families. He continues to influence contemporary literature with his unique voice and storytelling. Here are 30 of his quotes:

If there is a heaven, Jane Austen is sitting in a small room with Mother Teresa and Princess Diana, listening to Duran Duran, forever. If there's a hell, she's standing. (Roddy Doyle)
When I was growing up, the exam system didn't allow you to write fiction, so you never did. View quote
Roddy Doyle
I tend to plan as I write. And I want to leave myself open and the character open to keep on going until it seems to be the time to stop. View quote
Roddy Doyle
Good ideas are often murdered by better ones. View quote
Roddy Doyle
It was a sign of growing up, when the dark made no more difference to you than the day. View quote
Roddy Doyle
It's a big con job. We have sold the myth of Dublin as a sexy place incredibly well; because it is a dreary little dump most of the time. View quote
Roddy Doyle
I'm going to sound like an old man but at my age, it's lovely doing something that you've never done before. View quote
Roddy Doyle
One day at a time, sweet Jesus. Whoever wrote that one hadn't a clue. A day is a fuckin' eternity. View quote
Roddy Doyle
I see people in terms of dialogue and I believe that people are their talk. View quote
Roddy Doyle
When you grow up on an island, what matters is how you stand to the sea. View quote
Roddy Doyle
I do enjoy Gothic fiction or books about zombies if they are well written and I like vampires. (Roddy Doyle)
Sometimes adults seem as though they have cut a chord from being a child. View quote
Roddy Doyle
I've been asked why does Ireland produce so many great musicians, and the answer is it doesn't. When you count the great musicians Ireland has given the world in the last 20 years, you can do it on one hand. View quote
Roddy Doyle
My novels come from within me; they are things I feel I want to do. View quote
Roddy Doyle
Some of the people who look the most normal are probably the maddest people trying to look normal. View quote
Roddy Doyle
If you're from Dublin, for example, chances are you live with your family, if you're lucky enough to, right up to the mid-20s. And most of the people I know, when they finally sort of set off on their own, they don't stray all that far. View quote
Roddy Doyle
I like naming characters. View quote
Roddy Doyle
It's great meeting children because you never know what they will say. View quote
Roddy Doyle
My parents were sixty years married. View quote
Roddy Doyle
It's hard for me to measure them, or to assess my books because I'm so close to them. View quote
Roddy Doyle
No matter how close to personal experience a story might be, inevitably you are going to get to a part that isn't yours and, actually, whether it happened or not becomes irrelevant. It is all about choosing the right words. (Roddy Doyle)
When I'm writing I just think there's only the page and me and nobody else. View quote
Roddy Doyle
The problem with being Irish... is having 'Riverdance' on your back. It's a burden at times. View quote
Roddy Doyle
If you are a writer you're at home, which means you're out of touch. You have to make excuses to get out there and look at how the world is changing. View quote
Roddy Doyle
Schools don't really allow failure and yet it's part of any endeavour, not just writing. View quote
Roddy Doyle

Roddy Doyle

Roddy Doyle - Image
Photo: Christoph Rieger, CC BY-SA 4.0
Occupation: Irish Novelist
Born: May 8, 1958
Quotes count: 30

Related authors

Joseph O'Connor  8 
Novelist
Alan Parker  15 
British Director
Edna O'Brien - thumbnail
Edna O'Brien  47 
Irish Novelist
Nick Hornby - thumbnail
Nick Hornby  117 
English Writer
Anne Enright - thumbnail
Anne Enright  70 
Irish Author
David Almond - thumbnail
David Almond  22 
British Author
Stephen Frears - thumbnail
Stephen Frears  8 
English Director
Maeve Binchy  73 
Irish Novelist
Colm Meaney - thumbnail
Colm Meaney  11 
Irish Actor
John Banville - thumbnail
John Banville  131 
Irish Novelist