Catherynne M. Valente Quotes

I have found that I am not a space where people want to live, at least not without decorating first.

People have to find their rhythm. Some people have need for more contact and time together and some people need more space.

Don't waste your energy trying to convince people to understand you. Your time is too valuable to try to prove yourself to people.

Friendship is a difficult, dangerous job. It is also (though we rarely admit it) extremely exhausting.

Each time I think I've created time for myself, along comes a throwback to disrupt my private space.

I really want that there should be love and respect between me and Ranbir, but at the same time, I want that there should be some kind of distance - that I can see you, but I can't feel you.

Whatever kind of introvert you are, some people will find you 'too much' in some ways and 'not enough' in others.

Sometimes, keeping track of people. It's always a weird combination of worrying so much about the outside world, and not... you have to be more aware of the inner circle, the folks that matter.

I am no longer going to become a fictional character to please people. That's too much work.

I do have personal relationships with a lot of "fans," in quotations. I answer all my mail, I get emails from fans, and I try to answer them all. That's important to me, but occasionally there's the thing where people basically ask me to write book reports for them, and I don't have that kind of time. I feel like there's a certain sexism involved, like because I'm a woman I'm supposed to constantly be like giving to everybody.

I've heard some pretty bad things in my life. I'm just one of those people I've gotten to a point where I don't want to be rude, but if it's uninvited attention from people it's like, "Thank you, but no." I'm going to shut you down right away.

I have wrangles with Facebook, entered fictitious trips because I can't get the map to get off my page, don't want people to know where I live. It is possible to carve out a space that's your own.

It's frustrating me - that booty is gonna sag at some point. And if you allow enough people to come inside your physical space, they leave traces.

You want attention, you want support, you want to be treated properly, and I don't wanna have to go anywhere and teach people how to treat me.

There are so many people pulling at me at one time - some want the business, some want my love, some just want my support, just to be there or to acknowledge them the same way I used to. To be able to figure that out is an ongoing process, because there's always another show, another album, another moment that I don't want to miss. But I'm pacing myself. I hope the powers that be keep me on a straight course.

…God, it’s over. Takumi, you gotta stop stealing other people’s problems and get some of your own.

Some people need a huge amount of attention, and they are worthy of that attention, and they're still exhausting.

I still live my life the way that I want to live it, and people are very respectful of my space, but they also want to chat, and I quite like chatting.

How you get work done is by exploiting yourself and your feelings, and sometimes people get in the way.

For a lot of people, you get cramped making decisions together and living together and every other thing that starts to happen. I just think you have to be vigilant in the relationship to carve out space for yourself. And a lot of that requires knowing what you need and communicating that to your partner, which is hard.

When I first started writing, a friend said I should be careful because I'm letting people know how to reach right in and play with my workings. And they do!

I use visual perception as a way of bringing people into my space.

Don't seem to he on the lookout for crows, else you'll set other people watching.

If you mind your own business, you'll stay busy all the time.

Don't worry about my life, worry about why you're worried about my life!