P. D. James
P. D. James
Phyllis Dorothy James, Baroness James of Holland Park, OBE, FRSA, FRSL, known as P. D. James, was an English crime writer. She rose to fame for her series of detective novels starring police commander and poet Adam Dalgliesh...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionNovelist
Date of Birth3 August 1920
P. D. James quotes about
confusing identity senses
Absolute nakedness was intrusive, confusing to the senses. Paradoxically, it both revealed and diminished identity.
night two sailing
Not so much two ships passing in the night as two ships sailing together for a time but always bound for different ports.
country cities office
Any visitor to an historic country town or city quickly becomes aware in his or her peregrinations that the most attractive houses in the centre are invariably the offices of lawyers.
moments eternal-life eternal
We can experience nothing but the present moment, live in no other second of time, and to understand this is as close as we can get to eternal life.
dream writing style
Don't just plan to write - write. It is only by writing, not dreaming about it, that we develop our own style.
eye writing voice
Learn to write by doing it. Read widely and wisely. Increase your word power. Find your own individual voice though practicing constantly. Go through the world with your eyes and ears open and learn to express that experience in words.
eye mass-extinction light
Of the four billion life forms which have existed on this planet, three billion, nine hundred and sixty million are now extinct. We don't know why. Some by wanton extinction, some through natural catastrophe, some destroyed by meteorites and asteroids. In the light of these mass extinctions it really does seem unreasonable to suppose that Homo sapiens should be exempt. Our species will have been one of the shortest-lived of all, a mere blink, you may say, in the eye of time.
sex would-be world
If our sex life were determined by our first youthful experiments, most of the world would be doomed to celibacy. In no area of human experience are human beings more convinced that something better can be had only if they persevere.
funny-friendship war forgiving
We English are good at forgiving our enemies; it releases us from the obligation of liking our friends.
writing world language
We who write in English are fortunate to have the richest and most versatile language in the world. Respect it.
breathing metaphysical speculation
Metaphysical speculation is about as pointless as a discussion on the meaning of one's lungs. They're for breathing.
alzheimers tragedy disease
The great tragedy of Alzheimer's disease, and the reason why we dread it, is that it leaves us with no defence, not even against those who love us.
new-experiences people mind
Open your mind to new experiences, particularly to the study of other people. Nothing that happens to a writer – however happy, however tragic – is ever wasted.
retirement people unemployment
Work did bestow dignity, status, meaning. Wasn't that why people dreaded unemployment, why some men found retirement so traumatic?