Quotes by Mickey Spillane

About Mickey Spillane:

Frank Morrison Spillane was an American author of crime novels, many featuring his signature detective character, Mike Hammer. More than 225 million copies of his books have sold internationally.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Guys like you can't escape the city. Hell, you a got a blood contract with this place. You're married to the old girl.

Mickey Spillane

Critics themselves, they used to tear me up.

Mickey Spillane

Hemingway hated me. I sold 200 million books, and he didn't. Of course most of mine sold for 25 cents, but still... you look at all this stuff with a grain of salt.

Mickey Spillane

I know an awful lot of Hollywood people, who are so self-important, I can't understand it.

Mickey Spillane

I started off at the high level, in the slick magazines, but they didn't use my name, they used house names. Anyway, then I went downhill to the pulps, then downhill further to the comics.

Mickey Spillane

I wrote the original Mike Hammer as a comic, Mike Danger.

Mickey Spillane

I'm 82 years old, wherever I go everybody knows me, but here's why... I'm a merchandiser, I'm not just a writer, I stay in every avenue you can think of.

Mickey Spillane

I'm a country boy. I hate New York. But that's where things happen, so I use it as a base for stories, I know enough about it. But I have to keep going back there.

Mickey Spillane

If I need something, I'll invent it.

Mickey Spillane

Imagine this guy hits Mike Hammer over the head with a wooden coathanger and knocks him out. You hit Mike Hammer over the head with a wooden coathanger, he'll beat the crap out of you.

Mickey Spillane

Nobody reads a mystery to get to the middle. They read it to get to the end. If it's a letdown, they won't buy anymore. The first page sells that book. The last page sells your next book.

Mickey Spillane

Now I'm not an author, I'm a writer, that's all I am.

Mickey Spillane

See, heroes never die. John Wayne isn't dead, Elvis isn't dead. Otherwise you don't have a hero. You can't kill a hero. That's why I never let him get older.

Mickey Spillane

Where I am they can smell out a hurricane. My house survived Hurricane Hazel, but it didn't get past Hugo.

Mickey Spillane

I'm a commercial writer, not an author. Margaret Mitchell was an author. She wrote one book.

Mickey Spillane

Nobody reads a book to get to the middle.

Mickey Spillane

Authors want their names down in history; I want to keep the smoke coming out of the chimney.

Mickey Spillane

I read all the time... I read a lot of history books.

Mickey Spillane

My father was Catholic, my mother was Protestant, and because of that I got Christened in both churches, so I've got all these names... but my Dad always called me Mick.

Mickey Spillane

Stephen King. Now I'm not crazy about him, but he's a great a writer.

Mickey Spillane

Author Bio

  • NameMickey Spillane
  • DescriptionAmerican writer
  • BornMarch 9, 1918
  • DiedJuly 17, 2006
  • CountryUnited States Of America
  • ProfessionTelevision Actor; Novelist; Writer