Quote

First forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you're inspired or not. Habit will help you finish and polish your stories. Inspiration won't. Habit is persistence in practice.

Octavia Butler

Change background

T
T
T

Change font

TAGS & TOPICS

Octavia Butler
First
Inspiration
Dependable
Writing
Practice
Polish
Forget
Sustain
Help
Persistence
Whether
Finish
Helping
Brilliant
Stories
Inspired
Firsts
Habit

More quotes by Octavia Butler

Image
A victim of God may, Through learning adaption, Become a partner of God, A victim of God may, Through forethought and planning, Become a shaper of God. Or a victim of God may, Through shortsightedness and fear, Remain God's victim, God's plaything, God's prey.
Octavia Butler
Image
You are horror and beauty in rare combination.
Octavia Butler
Image
Slavery was a long slow process of dulling.
Octavia Butler
Image
Beware At war Or at peace, More people die Of unenlightened self-interest Than of any other disease
Octavia Butler
Image
Be who you are and not who someone else thinks you ought to be.
Octavia Butler
Image
There is no end To what a living world Will demand of you.
Octavia Butler
Image
Not everyone has been a bully or the victim of bullies, but everyone has seen bullying, and seeing it, has responded to it by joining in or objecting, by laughing or keeping silent, by feeling disgusted or feeling interested.
Octavia Butler
Image
Religion kept some of my relatives alive, because it was all they had. If they hadn't had some hope of heaven, some companionship in Jesus, they probably would have committed suicide, their lives were so hellish.
Octavia Butler
Image
I have a huge and savage conscience that won't let me get away with things.
Octavia Butler
Image
I think climbing mountains or buildings or whatever has been a really good metaphor for finishing my work. Because no matter how tired you get, no matter how you feel like you can't possibly do this, somehow you do.
Octavia Butler
Image
But my problem with fantasy, and horror, and related genres, is that sometimes the problems are illogical.
Octavia Butler
Image
The only black people you found were occasional characters or characters who were so feeble-witted that they couldn't manage anything, anyway. I wrote myself in, since I'm me and I'm here and I'm writing.
Octavia Butler
Image
On the other hand, I was very much interested in the way people behaved, the human dance, how they seemed to move around each other. I wanted to play around with that.
Octavia Butler
Image
No... a novel is a long business. I'm a slow writer, even when I'm doing very well I write slowly.
Octavia Butler
Image
A workshop is a way of renting an audience, and making sure you're communicating what you think you're communicating. It's so easy as a young writer to think you're been very clear when in fact you haven't.
Octavia Butler
Image
Change is the one unavoidable, irresistible, ongoing reality of the universe. To us, that makes it the most powerful reality, and just another word for God. Earthseed: The Books of the Living Lauren Oya Olamina
Octavia Butler
Image
Humans persecute their different ones, yet they need them to give themselves definition and status.
Octavia Butler
Image
The essentials are to learn to shape God with forethought, care, and work to educate and benefit their community, their families and themselves and to contribute to the fulfillment of the Destiny.
Octavia Butler
Image
I was attracted to science fiction because it was so wide open. I was able to do anything and there were no walls to hem you in and there was no human condition that you were stopped from examining.
Octavia Butler
Image
And I have this little litany of things they can do. And the first one, of course, is to write - every day, no excuses. It's so easy to make excuses. Even professional writers have days when they'd rather clean the toilet than do the writing.
Octavia Butler