Inspiration for Writers

I'm an unapologetic quote lover. Some people find quotes annoying--in which case you probably shouldn't read any further--but I find them inspiring and motivating. Here are a few of my favorites:

Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.  ~Anton Chekhov

The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say.  ~Anaïs Nin 

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.~ Mark Twain



I'm not a very good writer, but I'm an excellent rewriter.  ~James Michener

If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.  ~Toni Morrison

Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way. ~ E.L. Doctorow

Here are a few that aren't directly writing-related but can easily be applied that way:

A jug fills drop by drop. ~ Buddha (aka a novel is built word by word, although filling a jug certainly seems to be the faster option)


Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing. ~Abraham Lincoln 

Never, never, never give up. ~Winston Churchill

Whether you think you can or think you can't, you are right. ~Henry Ford


Do any of these resonate with you? What's your favorite inspirational quote?