Richard North Patterson Quotes

No one should be judged by the worst moment of his life.

The rulings of the past do not always apply in the present.

Aggressiveness is good in a combat leader. Combining that with ambition and insecurity becomes more problematic.

Writing seems like the only job where what you think and feel really matters.

Problem was that we could make things worse but we couldn't make anything better.

The business of writing is empathising with situations that aren't your own.

I was 29 when I wrote my first novel. But I was 45 when I quit for good. I was a 16-year overnight success.

The manuscript you submit [should not] contain any flaws that you can identify - it is up to the writer to do the work, rather than counting on some stranger in Manhattan to do it for him.

Morally repugnant and tactically stupid are a lousy combination.

The only judgment that truly matters is the final judgment.

he knew that men were too complex to be defined by the worst moment in their lives

his legacy, if there is one, is that I try to do my best to see people whole, for who they are and what they've been through. especially those who matters to me