Bernard Malamud

I write a book or a short story three times. Once to understand her, the second time to improve her prose, and a third to compel her to say what it still must say.

It was all those biographies in me yelling, 'We want out. We want to tell you what we've done to you.

Once you've got some words looking back at you, you can take two or three — or throw them away and look for others

Where there's no fight for it there's no freedom. What is it Spinoza says? If the state acts in ways that are abhorrent to human nature it's the lesser evil to destroy it.

All men are Jews, though few men know it.

Life responds to one's moves with comic counterinventions.

Without heroes we would all be plain people and wouldn't know how far we can go.

Life is a tragedy full of joy.