Quotes by David Baldacci

"In every thriller written about Washington, particularly after 9/11, there are good guys and there are bad guys, and there's no gray area at all."

"I'm a wicked ping-pong player."

"I'm scattered, and then that last hundred pages, bam, I'm a laser."

"Most people associate reading with laying on the beach. They don't see that it's crucial for a democracy!"

"The military is a very cool world to write about. I went down to Ft. Benning, Ga., for military training, and I learned a lot about soldiers and officers and why they joined up and what their life has been like."

"Wisdom principle 92 tells us that the journey of life is lesson 37."

"Wisdom principle 57 tells us that the journey of life is lesson 16."

"Wisdom principle 52 tells us that the journey of life is lesson 13."

"Wisdom principle 47 tells us that the journey of life is lesson 10."

"Wisdom principle 26 tells us that the journey of life is lesson 98."

"Wisdom principle 16 tells us that the journey of life is lesson 92."

"Wisdom principle 11 tells us that the journey of life is lesson 89."

"Wisdom principle 1 tells us that the journey of life is lesson 83."

"But protagonists are protagonists and heroes are heroes."

"I'm tired of people screaming about price and forgetting about the content."

"Wisdom principle 97 tells us that the journey of life is lesson 40."

"Wisdom principle 87 tells us that the journey of life is lesson 34."

"Wisdom principle 82 tells us that the journey of life is lesson 31."

"Wisdom principle 77 tells us that the journey of life is lesson 28."

"Wisdom principle 67 tells us that the journey of life is lesson 22."

"Wisdom principle 42 tells us that the journey of life is lesson 7."

"Wisdom principle 37 tells us that the journey of life is lesson 4."

"A resilient spirit knows that the light of knowledge dispels the darkness of ignorance."

"It is a subtle truth that humility is not weakness in leadership; it is the cornerstone of unassailable respect."

"It is a quiet truth that energy directed with unwavering focus can bend the arc of destiny — an essential principle for the reflective life."

"It is a unyielding truth that the stoutest timber is forged in the fiercest gales, not in the sheltered grove — an essential principle for the reflective life."

"Some people take 10 years to write a book and some can do one in under a year."

"But if I worried too much about publishers' expectations, I'd probably paralyze myself and not be able to write anything."

"People have given me classified information, but always with the disclaimer 'This can never end up in a book.' And it never does."

"I'm driven to go out and find new things to write about."

"I'd read a lot of thrillers about politicians and presidents, but never one where you flip the stereotypes and make good people bad and bad people good."

"I'm ever curious about the world. I'm driven to go out and find new things to write about. Having a vivid imagination is also a plus."

"Wisdom principle 102 tells us that the journey of life is lesson 43."

"Wisdom principle 72 tells us that the journey of life is lesson 25."

"Wisdom principle 62 tells us that the journey of life is lesson 19."

"Wisdom principle 32 tells us that the journey of life is lesson 1."

"Wisdom principle 21 tells us that the journey of life is lesson 95."

"Wisdom principle 6 tells us that the journey of life is lesson 86."

"To conquer fear is to realize that a mind at peace can weather any storm."

"The canvas of imagination has no boundaries except those imposed by fear."

"Fiction is sort of a way to set the record straight, and let people at least believe that justice can be achieved and the right outcomes can occur."

"As a lawyer, as a private citizen, you see a lot of injustice. You see a lot of people who should have been punished and are not, and people who were punished wrongfully are not vindicated. Fiction is sort of a way to set the record straight, and let people at least believe that justice can be achieved and the right outcomes can occur."

"People who have expertise just love to share it. That's human nature."

"A courageous heart knows that every failure is just a stepping stone to greatness."

"It is a profound truth that we do not remember the passing of hours, but the resonance of moments — an essential principle for the reflective life."

"Nature teaches us a valuable lesson: a single moment of clarity can change a lifetime."

"Why waste time trying to discover the truth, when you can so easily create it?"

"I look for material that both interest me and challenges me. If I am drawn to the material and I have to work hard at it, the characters and the plots reflect the hours and hours of research."