If to live is to progress, if you are lucky, from foolishness to wisdom, then to write novels is to broadcast the various stages of your foolishness. – Jane Smiley
Is human nature basically good or evil? No economist can embark upon his profession without considering this question, and yet they all seem to. And they all seem to think human nature is basically good, or they wouldnt be surprised by the effects of deregulation. – Jane Smiley
Somehow, knowing that Alzheimers is coming mocks all ones aspirations – to tell stories, to think through certain issues as only a novel can do, to be recognised for ones accomplishments and hard work – in a way that old familiar death does not. – Jane Smiley
In December 1998, I considered myself an expert on love. I was almost a year into a relationship, one that had grown more slowly than I had wished, but once it flowered it was much more stimulating than any marriage or relationship I had known. – Jane Smiley