Quotes by John Updike

Sex is like money; only too much is enough.

Perfectionism is the enemy of creation, as extreme self-solicitude is the enemy of well-being.

The stripped and shapely Maple grieves The ghosts of her Departed leaves. The ground is hard, As hard as stone. The year is old, The birds are flown.

The crooked little tomato branches, pulpy and pale as if made of cheap green paper, broke under the weight of so much fruit; there was something frantic in such fertility, a crying-out like that of children frantic to please.

Rain is grace; rain is the sky condescending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life.

Any activity becomes creative when the doer cares about doing it right, or doing it better.

Writing and rewriting are a constant search for what it is one is saying.

Suspect each moment, for it is a thief, tiptoeing away with more than it brings.

Vagueness and procrastination are ever a comfort to the frail in spirit.

Possession diminishes perception of value, immediately.