Life According to Cynthia Ozick

For all of our literature fans out there, odds are that author Cynthia Ozick has a home on your bookshelf. This NEA Big Read author has written novels, short stories, and essays – all of which make it clear she’s honed the art of prose. According to Ozick, she finds daily inspiration from what she does. As she said to NPR, for her, life is all about reading and writing. “I can’t not [write]. What else am I going to do with my life? Writers can’t help themselves,” Ozick says. And we bet you won’t be able to help but be inspired by this collection of Ozick quotes!

Graphic that reads, In books, as in life, there are no second chances. On second thought: it’s the next work, still to be written, that offers the second chance.

Graphic that reads, The imagination is a species of knowledge, knowledge that can take the form of discovery.

Graphic that reads, If we had to say what writing is, we would have to define it essentially as an act of courage.

Graphic that reads, To imagine the unimaginable is the highest use of the imagination.

Graphic that reads, The power of language, it seems to me, is the only kind of power a writer is entitled to.

Graphic that reads, To want to be what one can be is purpose in life.

Want more inspiration from NEA Big Read authors? Here are some quotes from author Marilynne Robinson.

Life According to Cynthia Ozick

Recent Blog Posts

Stay Connected to the National Endowment for the Arts