Jane Smiley Sayings and Quotes

Below you will find our collection of inspirational, wise, and humorous old Jane Smiley quotes, Jane Smiley sayings, and Jane Smiley proverbs, collected over the years from a variety of sources.'

Your sons weren't made to like you. That's what grandchildren are for. Jane Smiley
Candy is my fuel. Ice cream, too. Jane Smiley
The only siblings I have are half-siblings. My nuclear family would have been an extra-suffocating threesome. Instead, I have an interesting brother and sister, in-laws, and darling nephews. Jane Smiley
With horses, familiarity breeds comfort. If you haven't been around horses for a while (or ever), the best thing to do is to go to the racetrack, a horse show, a rodeo, or some other horsey activity, and watch the horses. Familiarize yourself with the way they move and behave themselves. Jane Smiley
An urban novelist never minds a little decay. Jane Smiley
I learned why out riding alone is an oxymoron: An equestrian is never alone, is always sensing the other being, the mysterious but also understandable living being that is the horse. Jane Smiley
All equestrians, if they last long enough, learn that riding in whatever form is a lifelong sport and art, an endeavor that is both familiar and new every time you take the horse out of his stall or pasture. Jane Smiley
Critical thinking is to a liberal education as faith is to religion. ... the converse was true also - faith is to a liberal education as critical thinking is to religion, irrelevant and even damaging. Jane Smiley
I think that the Cold War was an exceptional and unnecessary piece of cruelty. Jane Smiley
The fundamental condition of childhood is powerlessness. Jane Smiley
Everything is toxic. That's the point. You can't avoid toxins. Thinking you can is just another symptom of the toxic overload stage. Jane Smiley
Not every novel that wants to be a tragedy gets to be one. Jane Smiley
Everything is toxic. That's the point. You can't avoid toxins. Thinking you can is just another symptom of the toxic overload stage. Jane Smiley
A love story, at least a convincing one, requires three elements - the lover, the beloved, and the adventures they have together. Jane Smiley
I was an only child. I've known only children. From this experience I do believe that the children should outnumber the parents. Jane Smiley
The fundamental condition of childhood is powerlessness. Jane Smiley
In my experience, there is only one motivation, and that is desire. No reason or principle contain it or stand against it. Jane Smiley
There is no way to tell non-horsey people that the companionship of a horse is not like that of a dog, or a cat, or a person. Jane Smiley