He learned how to look at himself from a distance, to see himself first of all as a man among other men, then as a collection of random particles of matter, and finally as a single speck of dustâ€”and the farther he traveled from his point of origin, she said, the closer he came to achieving greatness.

Paul Auster

Paul Auster

Related Quotes

I've always written by hand. Mostly with a fountain pen, but sometimes with a pencil - especially for corrections.

— Paul Auster

AlwaysCorrectionsFountain

Writing has always had that tactile quality for me. It's a physical experience.

— Paul Auster

AlwaysExperienceHad

You see, the interesting thing about books, as opposed, say, to films, is that it's always just one person encountering the book, it's not an audience, it's one to one.

— Paul Auster

AboutAlwaysAudience

When you pick up a book, everyone knows it's imaginary. You don't have to pretend it's not a book. We don't have to pretend that people don't write books. That omniscient third-person narration isn't the only way to do it. Once you're writing in the first person, then the narrator is a writer.

— Paul Auster

BookBooksEveryone

Money's important. Everyone cares about money. And when you don't have money, money becomes the overriding obsession of your life.

— Paul Auster

AboutBecomesCares