Quotes by Joyce Carol Oates


Joyce Carol Oates
(born June 16, 1938)
American author with over 50 novels to her credit, as well as several volumes of poetry, short stories and non-fiction. Oates has also written under the pseudonyms "Rosamond Smith" and "Lauren Kelly."

symbols are inventions

Homo sapiens is the species that invents symbols in which to invest passion and authority, then forgets that symbols are inventions.

— Joyce Carol Oates

a wall of silence

If you are a writer you locate yourself behind a wall of silence and no matter what you are doing, driving a car or walking or doing housework you can still be writing, because you have that space.

— Joyce Carol Oates