77 quotes found
“For a long time, they sat without speaking. The air outside was filled with the lilting sound of sparrows, the buzz of traffic on Main Street, and under that the faint lapping of waves on the lakes...”
“If you can't win by reason, go for volume.”
“She meant that they'd never used words like "separation" and "divorce" even in their worst screaming matches. They yelled things like, "You're infuriating!" "You don't think!" "You are the most ann...”
“Sometimes it's better for a struggling writer to stay single, than to keep hearing, "Oh, your a writer, and you need to spend time in writing? Then go marry your writing!”
“Maybe Im strange and perverse, but Ive always thought there was something sexy about a compelling argument.”
“If everyone in New York took sides over these petty, insignificant arguments, no one would have any friends at all.”
“When two warring people face each other, the war of words jumps beyond the subject. The subject remains no more central to the arguments.”
“--and yet, in my heart, I always knew we loved each other, a part of me understanding that the passion with which we hurt each other came from something strong enough to withstand the blows we infl...”
“Do not throw me out. Please.”
“Good editorial writing has less to do with winning an argument, since the other side is mostly not listening, than with telling the guys on your side how they ought to sound when they're arguing.”
“In every argument there is a discovery of truth and a bed of success.”
“Most people are not prepared to have their minds changed," he said. "And I think they know in their hearts that other people are just the same, and one of the reasons people become angry when they ...”
“When you feel like throwing rocks, make sure they're ones no one can throw back.”
“You can measure the happiness of a marriage by the number of scars that each partner carries on their tongues, earned from years of biting back angry words.”
“This is what we do. Not so much argue as joust, in jest. We can't stop pushing and pulling the taffy of words and concepts.”
“Clara shrugged and immediately knew her betrayal of Peter. In one easy movement she'd distanced herself from his bad behavior, even thought she herself was responsible for it. Just before everyone ...”
“Still, we've attempted to argue when necessary; you've got to be able to let loose and even lose your temper a bit if you're finding it hard to breathe. Closeness has to be like running water; it m...”
“When you confidently defend fiction, think about reality also”
“A wise woman knows when to stay silent. However, a wiser woman of faith knows that sometimes words can win the battle, when all odds stand against her.”
“He singled out aspects of Quality such as unity, vividness, authority, economy, sensitivity, clarity, emphasis, flow, suspense, brilliance, precision, proportion, depth and so on; kept each of thes...”