Whenever an encounter between a writer of good will and a regular person of good will happens to touch on the subject of writing, each person discovers, dismayed, that good will is of no earthly use. The conversation cannot proceed.
Annie DillardI had good innings, as the British say. I wrote for 38 years at the top of my form, and I wanted to quit on a high note.
Annie DillardCruelty is a mystery, and the waste of pain. But if we describe a word to compass these things, a world that is a long, brute game, then we bump against another mystery: the inrush of power and delight, the canary that sings on the skull.
Annie DillardPeople who take photographs during their whole vacation won't remember their vacation. They'll only remember what photographs they took.
Annie Dillard