Robert Harris Quotes

The great thing about being a novelist is that you organize your own day.

Freedom is the basic prerequisite for writing.

Never forget that the truest luxury is imagination, and that being a writer gives you the leeway to exploit all of the imagination's curious intricacies, to be what you were, what you are, what you will be, and what everyone else is or was or will be, too.

If I had my druthers, I wouldn't have anyone's words in my script but my own, but if you want complete autonomy, just stick to novels.

I don't write about anything I don't want to write about. I like to think I could write about anything pretty much that I chose to. I have been asked to write songs about specific things, and I've always been able to come up with the goods.

Every writer loves the idea of being able to go in and fix a problem and then leave without obligation. It's fun!

I've never really felt comfortable co-writing. I usually go at my own speed, you know.

A novelist has a specific poetic license which also applies to his own life.

Any director or writer or artist has the right to do what they want to do - freedom of expression is something I celebrate.

There's a lot of creative freedom. Acting is a whole boatload of fun, but I prefer to do it on my own terms.

I don't understand why one should be one thing or the other. Writing, to me, is writing is writing. It should be a flexible tool. Whatever skills I have, have to work for me; I won't be dictated by them.

I like to reserve the right to write about whatever I like.

Nothing beats novel writing because it's complete expression of you. You just control everything. Not even a movie director has that level of control.

I enjoy total creative control right now. Nobody tells me to make it longer, shorter, better, sexier, more violent, whatever.

Don't let anyone tell you there's only one way to write.

I suppose I have an active imagination, and writing allows me to live it out.

My favorite thing is being able to follow my inspiration, and the freedom of being a writer is hard to beat.

I can really write what I want. I can take time; I can do nothing for a year. That is paradise.

I can be a little messy and wild and carefree with my creativity as a solo artist. In a group, there's a certain structure, and everyone has a part to play, and being a solo artist, I can do as I please.

I have the space and liberty to create.

I feel you should be able to write about whatever you want.

The stuff I'm passionate about is what I write; it isn't multi-million-dollar franchise movies.

That's what I love about writing is you don't need anyone's permission to do it. You can just get up in the morning, grab a pad and pen and start writing.

So okay - there you are in your room with the shade down and the door shut and the plug pulled out of the base of the telephone. You've blown up your TV and committed yourself to a thousand words a day, come hell or high water. Now comes the big question: What are you going to write about? And the equally big answer: Anything you damn well want.

Metallica lives in a little bubble. We just do our own thing. We're not part of any trends or waves or fads. We can just do our own thing, all the time. It's a great luxury. I don't think we were really appreciative of it until recently, and really understood that it is what keeps us alive. It's great to be able to have the freedom to run around and do all this crazy stuff, and at all cost, avoid making another record, just to piss our managers off.