Tim O'Brien quotes

Laughter does not deny pain. Laughter - like a wail - acknowledges and replies to pain. (Tim O'Brien)
Storytelling is the essential human activity. The harder the situation, the more essential it is. View quote
Tim O'Brien
My life is storytelling. I believe in stories, in their incredible power to keep people alive, to keep the living alive, and the dead. View quote
Tim O'Brien
For me, the way to approach a subject such as Vietnam is through storytelling. View quote
Tim O'Brien
War is a fundamental aspect of human existence. It's good to know what war entails and what the human sacrifice is. View quote
Tim O'Brien
They carried all they could bear, and then some, including a silent awe for the terrible power of the things they carried. View quote
Tim O'Brien
Inside I feel much like a 12-year-old or a 17-year-old who knows big words. View quote
Tim O'Brien
I live in my head all day long and the world is a little dreamy. View quote
Tim O'Brien
I did not set out to write another novel. One day I sat down with the thought of trying my hand at a piece of nonfiction, a personal memoir of youth, but over the next several weeks, without intending it, the work began evolving into what has become 'Tomcat in Love.' View quote
Tim O'Brien
Life is never all one thing. It bounces around. Certainly, my own life has. View quote
Tim O'Brien
It's very hard to articulate the things that are important about writing. (Tim O'Brien)
Everyone acts stupid at some time in order to be loved. View quote
Tim O'Brien
Fiction, maybe art in general, is a tentative, uncertain enterprise; it's not science, it's an exploration, but you never find much in the way of answers. View quote
Tim O'Brien
The goal, I suppose, any fiction writer has, no matter what your subject, is to hit the human heart and the tear ducts and the nape of the neck and to make a person feel something about the characters are going through and to experience the moral paradoxes and struggles of being human. View quote
Tim O'Brien
A true war story is never moral. View quote
Tim O'Brien
Did I choose this life of illusion? Don't be mad. My bed was made, I just lied in it. View quote
Tim O'Brien

Tim O'Brien

Tim O'Brien - Image
Photo: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0
Occupation: American Author
Born: October 1, 1946
Quotes count: 16