Quotes by Tracy Kidder

About Tracy Kidder:

John Tracy Kidder is an American writer of nonfiction books. He received the Pulitzer Prize for his The Soul of a New Machine (1981), about the creation of a new computer at Data General Corporation. He has received praise and awards for other works, including his biography of Paul Farmer, a doctor and anthropologist, titled Mountains Beyond Mountains (2003).
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

How to preside over your own internal disorder? Finding the "I" that can represent the pack of you is the first challenge of the memoirist.

Tracy Kidder

When writers stop believing in their own stories, readers tend to sense it.

Tracy Kidder

Paul Farmer has helped to build amazing health care system in one of the poorest areas of Haiti. He founded Partners in Health, which serves the destitute and the sick in many parts of the world from Haiti to Boston and from Russia to Peru.

Tracy Kidder

... "You may not see the ocean, but right now we are in the middle of the ocean, and we have to keep swimming.

Tracy Kidder

What I like about non-fiction is that it covers such a huge territory. The best non-fiction is also creative.

Tracy Kidder

If you had an essentially happy childhood, that tends to dwell with you.

Tracy Kidder

If you live in the same small place long enough, something you don't like is bound to happen.

Tracy Kidder

What interests me is trying to catch the reflection of the human being on the page. I'm interested in how ordinary people live their lives.

Tracy Kidder

People say you can't teach writing, but I think that's nonsense.

Tracy Kidder

I wrote a novel about the combat experiences I didn't have in Vietnam.

Tracy Kidder

I want my prose to be as clear as a pane of glass.

Tracy Kidder

I always want to write something better than the last book.

Tracy Kidder

I think if the writing comes too easily, it shows - it's usually hard to read.

Tracy Kidder

Continuity is one of the things I like about New England.

Tracy Kidder

I do believe that enduring geological features are important, though I don't think I can be clear about exactly why.

Tracy Kidder

In a very basic way, a prominent landmark such as Mt. Holyoke tells you where you are. They let you know that you're not the first person in a place.

Tracy Kidder

The combination of domesticity and wildness - that's a deep expression.

Tracy Kidder

I never planned on doing a book about Paul Farmer or his organization. I met him in Haiti when I was on a magazine assignment. It's almost like his story sort of fell in my lap.

Tracy Kidder

Being a professional writer is not an easy way to make a living.

Tracy Kidder

Outside, the afternoon sun was an orange sliver on an icy horizon.

Tracy Kidder

Author Bio

  • NameTracy Kidder
  • DescriptionWriter
  • BornNovember 12, 1945
  • CountryUnited States Of America
  • ProfessionAuthor
  • WorksThe Soul Of A New Machine; Mountains Beyond Mountains
  • AwardsPulitzer Prize For General Non-Fiction; National Book Award