Irving Stone
Irving Stone
Irving Stonewas an American writer, chiefly known for his biographical novels of noted artists, politicians and intellectuals; among the best known are Lust for Life, about the life of Vincent van Gogh, and The Agony and the Ecstasy, about Michelangelo...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionNon-Fiction Author
Date of Birth14 July 1903
CountryUnited States of America
school thinking important
If it is noticed that much of my outside work concerns itelf with libraries, there is an extremely good reason for this. I think that the better part of my education, almost as important as that secured in the schools and the universities, came from libraries.
men creative force
Do not call yourself old. A man is as old as the creative force within him.
evil action existence
There are neither good nor evil, only the existence and action.
people drug morality
Morality is similar to religion - it is a somniferous drug which blinds people from seeing the squalor of their lives.
mad madmen pleasant
Being mad is even pleasant. But only a madman understands that.
running reading home
Reading is a stout-hearted activity, disporting courage, keenness, stick-to-it-ness. It is also, in my experience, one of the most thrilling and enduring delights of life, equal to a home run, a slam-dunk, or breaking the four-minute mile.
book writing trying
I knew that I had to find out more about van Gogh. Even though I was far too young, and felt I did not have sufficient technique to write a book about Vincent van Gogh, I knew I had to try. If I didn't I would never write anything else.
motivation heart eye
I spend several years trying to get inside the brain and heart of my subjects, listening to the interior monologues in their letters, and when I have to bridge the chasms between the factual evidence, I try to make an intuitive leap through the eyes and motivation of the person I'm writing about.
things-in-life important drink
Pleasure is one of the most important things in life, as important as food or drink.
reading sticks keenness
Reading is a stouthearted activity, disporting courage, keenness, stick-to-it-ness.
morning athlete four
The writer ... an athlete required to break the four-minute mile every morning.
men trying thrill
There is no thrill of mortal danger to surpass that of a lone man trying to create something that never existed before.
artist firsts laborers
To be an artist is first to be a manual laborer.
secret knows
What we know of others is our personal secret.