The first of my father's illusions was that bears could survive the life led by human beings; the second was that human beings could survive a life in hotels.
John IrvingAnd I don't want to begin something, I don't want to write that first sentence until all the important connections in the novel are known to me. As if the story has already taken place, and it's my responsibility to put it in the right order to tell it to you.
John IrvingWhat has been violated here is your freedom of choice, and every woman's freedom of choice, too.
John IrvingEvery American should be forced to live outside the United States for a year or two. Americans should be forced to see how ridiculous they appear to the rest of the world! They should listen to someone else's version of themselves--to anyone else's version! Every country knows more about America than Americans know about themselves! And Americans know absolutely nothing about any other country!
John Irving