If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.
James A. Michener
An age is called Dark not because the light fails to shine, but because people refuse to see it.
James A. Michener
Character consists of what you do on the third and fourth tries.
James A. Michener
For this is the journey that men and women make, to find themselves. If they fail in this, it doesn’t matter much else what they find.
James A. Michener
I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions.
James A. Michener
I think the crucial thing in the writing career is to find what you want to do and how you fit in. What somebody else does is of no concern whatever except as an interesting variation.
James A. Michener
I was a Navy officer writing about Navy problems and I simply stole this lovely Army nurse and popped her into a Navy uniform, where she has done very well for herself.
James A. Michener
I was brought up in the great tradition of the late nineteenth century: that a writer never complains, never explains and never disdains.
James A. Michener
I’m not a very good writer, but I’m an excellent rewriter.
James A. Michener
If a man happens to find himself, he has a mansion which he can inhabit with dignity all the days of his life.
James A. Michener
It takes courage to know when you ought to be afraid.
James A. Michener
Russia, France, Germany and China. They revere their writers. America is still a frontier country that almost shudders at the idea of creative expression.
James A. Michener
Scientists dream about doing great things. Engineers do them.
James A. Michener
The arrogance of the artist is a very profound thing, and it fortifies you.
James A. Michener
The permanent temptation of life is to confuse dreams with reality. The permanent defeat of life comes when dreams are surrendered to reality.
James A. Michener
The really great writers are people like Emily Bronte who sit in a room and write out of their limited experience and unlimited imagination.
James A. Michener
There are no insoluble problems. Only time-consuming ones.
James A. Michener
They were a group of two dozen nurses completely surrounded by 100,000 unattached American men.
James A. Michener
“If your book doesn’t keep you up nights when you are writing it, it won’t keep anyone up nights reading it.”
— James A. Michener
“Public libraries have been a mainstay of my life. They represent an individual’s right to acquire knowledge; they are the sinews that bind civilized societies the world over. Without libraries, I would be a pauper, intellectually and spiritually.”
— James A. Michener
“[Very rich people] with brains make a great effort to hold on to every penny they have while preaching to the general population that freedom and dignity and patriotism are possible only under their protection; in this way they elicit the support of the very people they hold in subjection.”
— James A. Michener
James A. Michener – February 3, 1907 to October 16, 1997
He was associated with University of Texas at Austin, and is buried in Austin, Texas.
James A. Michener – Academy of Achievement
James A. Michener – Wikipedia
Brainy Quote
Wikiquote
Great Quote
Good Reads
“If your book doesn’t keep you up nights when you are writing it, it won’t keep anyone up nights reading it.”
— James A. Michener
As one who has stayed up nights reading books, this really got to me.
As for discipline, Pellora, I have ended up not doing much today. I got hooked on some crazy crime tv and all of a sudden it was too late to go to the office. I have a load of laundry in, picked up my mail and have collected some of the trash for pickup on Monday morning.
The tv turned out to be interesting. The first was a recap of a Missouri story in which an 11-year-old was kidnapped and when he was discovered his kidnapper had another young boy with him–one who had been kidnapped years before. The show was filmed several years later and the older boy and his family were quite candid in discussing their story(ies).
The second was a double murder in Nebraska. A couple was shot on Easter night. A nephew was taken into custody and they got a taped confession and he implicated a cousin on the other side of his family. The two were arrested and held for trial (Nebraska has the death penalty). The cousin professed to be innocent. A ring was logged as evidence in the home and when the police traced it, the ring had been sent to a Walmart in Wisconsin. The couple named on the ring were no longer a couple and the ring had been discarded in the guy’s truck. Said truck was stolen and eventually recovered in Louisiana. A young man and a 17-year-old girl were identified as the truck thieves. Brought in for questioning, they eventually gave statements. After police showed the young woman pictures from Nebraska, she mentioned the bar where the cousin worked and identified his picture. Turns out she was just trying to please the police.
When that story was knocked down, that young man was released from jail. The gracious DA noted that there was no statute of limitations on murder and they could get him later.
Eventually a tape of the nephew who had confessed was released to the defense (months later) showing him the second day recanting the confession. He was a bit slow and had been trying to give the detectives what they wanted. A clue on the original interrogation tape was at one point the detective said, “Stand up and be a man” and the young man started to physically stand up.
Interesting development in the case is the head CSI investigator is now in jail for not logging evidence properly. Also a filter paper had mistakenly (giving the benefit of the doubt) transferred blood from the crime scene to a car which supposedly had been driven by the (false) killers that night.
Did I say I like crime stories? Luckily I have not allowed myself to be sucked into CSI stories. I had a hard enough time breaking the Hill Street BLues and Law and Order habits.
“I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions.”
James A. Michener
“I think the crucial thing in the writing career is to find what you want to do and how you fit in. What somebody else does is of no concern whatever except as an interesting variation.”
James A. Michener
And then there is the quote from one of my favorite writers: You can’t fix a blank page.
Betsy, call for delivery of food and give you folks the bill.
And while you are waiting for delivery, let step mom declutter your place.
The dogs think they should have supper before I go outside.
Sigh. Well I guess I can no longer say I’ve never read a word Michener has written.
@ gordon:
This is spot on. Which is good, because I was this close to dropping my C&L RSS feed when Heather did another “we are the base” post. I thought Angry Black Lady took care of that.
I am two steps ahead of the Wisconsin County Clerk when it comes to Access. I just discovered how to reinstate grid lines on my file.
It worked fine at the office but not at my house. Now I believe it will work both places.
Maybe I can do the election file next time.
@ Sharonlee:
12 years ago, I considered changing my career to “talking people off of Access”. You’re probably using it for what it was designed to be (a glorified spreadsheet), but people (including voting machine people) keep believing that because it’s Microsoft and claims to be a database, it must be a database.
Yes, but I can manipulate in access a bit better than excel as long as I am in 2.0. Some of the later greatest weren’t.
On excel now someone has the idea of doing setting for zip codes. Unfortunately the field does not merge properly. I don’t like those kinds of surprises.
and, gordon, it was a woman at a New England firm that traced the ring in my afternoon crime series. The firm was going out of business and she was one of a few employees left. And she took the time to do it. When I heard homicide I knew I had to do it, she said.
Hey y’all! Spent the day putting stuff together. Again. Wrists and hands achy and sore. Again. I just keep telling myself it won’t be much longer
@ madmommy:
Take some Alieve.
And remember that lady who came back at Christmas and wanted the grill. When she comes through, get her to buy one or two.
@ Sharonlee:
The big boss sent me an email wanting at least 4 of the 6 rocking chairs we have (2 finishes) assembled. Right before I started a lady came in and wanted 4 chairs still in the box. I was more than happy to get them, put them on a cart, wheel them out to her car, and load them up. Because it meant I did not have to put them together 
I am going to lose my mind. Is it Tuesdy yet? Can I have my life back?
@ Betsy:
So…I’m gonna guess that mom and dad are a lot easier to live with when they are at least a time zone away from where you are
@ madmommy:
Just hope he doesn’t check inventory and replace the ones that were sold in the box.
Betsy, thoughts are with you. Just make some demands of your own and don’t go with their flow.
Betsy, i’m sorry I didn’t get you an answer to your wildflower question sooner this morning. It is all my fault. They day might have turned out completely different if I had answered in time.
OTOH the wildflower scene is really off this year because of the drought. 
Am I too old to run away from home Madmom?
@ Betsy:
It is a little odd to run away from one’s own home, but there are certain circumstances under which I am sure the jury would find in your favor.
gordon wrote:
Your own fault. The title of the post is not something that James Michener wrote. You could have stopped there and passed on by his wit and thoughtfulness.
sharonlee wrote:
I’m not a very good writer, but I’m an excellent rewriter. James A. Michener
I knew some of the Bumz would appreciate this post. One is on vacation so she’ll just have to see it whenever.
This one reminds me of recent conversations here with regard to the importance of a Library:
Public libraries have been a mainstay of my life. They represent an individual’s right to acquire knowledge; they are the sinews that bind civilized societies the world over. Without libraries, I would be a pauper, intellectually and spiritually. – James A. Michener
And this one is appropriate for current times: An age is called Dark not because the light fails to shine, but because people refuse to see it. – James A. Michener
@ Betsy:
One is never too old to run away from home, in my opinion! I’m sorry that you have to even think it.
The photo I used in the Grist post is by a 20 year old guy over at DeviantArt. He has some amazing “water drop photography” though the one I used might only be a partial water drop photo.
Art imitates Life OR Life Imitates Art
Sharonlee – You like mysteries.
When Michener was writing “Chesapeake”, he rented a house in Bozman, Maryland and went around interviewing older people in the area.
My parents got to spend an afternoon with him and his wife. My sister met him at the univ. of Miami. Michener, Mickey Spillane and my sister were speakers there
that night. I wasn’t living on the Eastern Shore at the time and didn’t get to meet him.
@ Barbara:
Hello Barbara!!
That’s a neat story!
gordon wrote:
Speaking of
Pellora wrote:
I’ve been wandering around the ‘nets, mainly on FB, but also your links, P, while munching on my evening snacks/pseudo supper
Tis time to
The advil kicked in and made my back much happier. I’m also squeaky clean 
Gordon – Is this you? “(While I’m feeling talkative, I’ll advocate for mandatory voting as the simplest axe to cut through the Gordian knot of our political / governmental problems.)”
I think KO is on a roll !! Some
some 
some 
Some 
Good night, Gnome.
I was still cruising the intertoobz and am not back for a smidge, but you are probably clean, fed, read up, and Gone.
See y’all tomorrow.
gnome de plume wrote:
Of course we are! Was there ever a doubt???? No doubting on my part!