Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
Litigation only makes lawyers fat.
I put my soul into every book I write.
beware of your most implacable enemy-yourself.
I love the sea as much as I love the veldt of Africa.
My father was my god. His approval was so valuable to me.
I read a lot of biographies and books with an African background.
There's nothing so aphrodisiacal for a woman as money and success.
I want to be seen as a good storyteller. I'm a manipulator as well.
What I like about writing is the sense of godlike power it gives you.
I think one of the most poignant things is unrequited love and loneliness.
Literature throws us many great heroes. Real life invariably outdoes them.
I have never had too much trouble for creative ideas to spring up in my mind.
Failure makes success so much sweeter, and allows you to thumb your nose at the crowds.
History is a river that never ends. Today is history, and I am here at the fountainhead.
It's probably true that everyone has a book in them, although it may not be a very good one.
I know it's politically incorrect but I enjoy things like the kick boxing and cock fighting.
You don't turn out as many books as I did then by sitting around, being cozy with the family.
I write my books in my head, and not in a specific study with a view. The view is from my inner eyes.
They do say that socialism is the ideal philosophy-just as long as you have capitalists to pay for it.
There are people out there with an eye on my hard-earned cash who think that I am a pushover. I am not!
They say if you drink Zambezi water with your mother's milk, you are always a slave of Africa, and I am.
My absolute favorite pieces are 'Rhapsody in Blue' and 'Begin the Beguine.' I play these when I am working.
When I vacate this sack of old bones I won't care what you do with it. Bury or burn it but don't make much fuss.
I shot my first lion at the age of 14 when a pride threatened my father's livestock while he was away on holiday.
My first novel was rejected by some of the most eminent publishers in the world. Starting again was a real wrench.
I don't want children. Why should I let some strange little monster into my life to destroy what to me is a perfect set-up?
I grew up in Rhodesia on my father's ranch and every year he used to take us on safari in some remote area of the wilderness.
It's a strange paradox that a man gifted with too many talents can fritter them all away without developing a single one to its full.
I am a closet birdwatcher. I can identify Southern African species, but it irks me I can barely tell a jay from a blackbird in the U.K.
All my characters have got a big slice of me in them. A big piece of me, because it's my dialogue and this is the way I think and talk.
They say I'm worth either €200 million, €100 million, €50 million or €10 million, but that's something between God, the HMRC and myself.
Every time one of my books sells a million copies in paperback, Pan Macmillan gives me a gold statuette of Pan. I have about 20 of them.
I'm a feminist. The women in my books in recent years have been powerful characters and I love to see a woman with a cute bottom walking past.
My mother-in-law speaks not a word of English. I speak not a word of Tajiki. So I smile at her ingratiatingly and she fixes me with a beady eye.
Sometimes it is best for men not to attempt to interfere with destiny. Our prayers can be answered in ways which we do not expect and do not welcome.
My mama loved books; I became fascinated by the wonderful stories that came out of these things she held in her hand - and started to make them up myself.
Despite the fact that I spend a lot of time in London, Switzerland and New York, Africa is the place I know and love best, and my heart will always lie here.
Authors can only soft sell the environment. Create a wonderful story around the environment involving the characters that leaves a lasting impression on the reader's mind.
A cynic had defined aid as simply the system by which poor white people in rich countries gave money to rich black people in poor countries to put into Swiss bank accounts.
As regards to personal safety, you do have to be careful not to put yourself at risk when travelling in South Africa. You don't want to go out exploring at night, for example.
I still get enormous pleasure and a sense of fulfillment out of writing a book that I'm proud of. I see myself as a bit like a jewel-maker who can sit back and admire his work.
Many people have compared me to the Victorian adventure writer, Rider Haggard. I accept that as a compliment. As a boy growing up in Central Africa I read all Haggard's African novels.
I believe that a healthy body breeds a healthy mind. I am 74 years old now and my wife, Niso, is 38 years younger than me. She absolutely insists that I take regular exercise with her.
The best cure for racism is to have somebody shoot at you. Man, it does not matter then what color the arse is that comes to save yours-black or white, you're ready to give it a big fat kiss.
I don't know how many lions and leopards I've shot. I've shot two elephants, which was enough - never again. It's a melancholy and moving thing to hunt an elephant. It's like shooting an old man.
Cape Town's beaches are superb and while the water on the Atlantic side is damn cold, it's very pleasant on the other side. Bring your golf clubs if you play - Cape Town has some fabulous golf courses.
The really disturbing thing about Somalia is that in a country where there are few economic opportunities, pirates are perceived as glamorous and are held in awe by young boys who aspire to their lifestyle.
I've eaten lion, leopard, crocodile, python. I don't recommend lion. It tastes exactly like when a tomcat comes into your house and sprays. Snake and crocodile are great - a cross between lobster and chicken.
The first story I ever sold was to 'Argosy' magazine, which no longer exists. That issue also contained work by several other more celebrated writers, like Ray Bradbury - so I felt I had at least one toe on the ladder.
I hate politics. I like to write about it, but to get involved in it, to try and make a lot of ignorant people do what you want them to do, waste of time. Go and write a book. It's more important and it'll last longer.