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Bobbie Ann Mason Quotes

Powerful Bobbie Ann Mason for Daily Growth

About Bobbie Ann Mason

Bobbie Ann Mason (born October 31, 1940) is an acclaimed American novelist and short story writer, recognized as a leading figure in the Southern Gothic literary tradition. Born in Monroe County, Kentucky, Mason grew up in a small town, which would later serve as inspiration for many of her works. She studied at Northern Kentucky University before earning her MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa. Mason's early works, such as the short story "Shiloh" (1982), showcased her knack for capturing the lives of ordinary people in rural America. This story won the O. Henry Award and was included in her debut collection, "Shiloh and Other Stories" (1983). The collection earned Mason widespread recognition and cemented her status as a prominent voice in American literature. In 1986, Mason published her first novel, "In Country," which tells the story of a young woman who visits Vietnam to learn about her father's experiences during the war. The book was a critical success, earning Mason the National Book Award and catapulting her into the national spotlight. Mason continued to write novels, including "The Middle Space" (1987) and "Feather Crowns" (1993), as well as collections of short stories. Her works often explore themes of home, memory, and the impact of popular culture on small-town America. Mason's writing style is characterized by her vivid descriptions, witty dialogue, and poignant insights into human nature. Throughout her career, Bobbie Ann Mason has received numerous awards and honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. Her work continues to resonate with readers and critics alike, making her one of America's most celebrated contemporary writers.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"I think I am more myself when I'm writing than at any other time."

The quote suggests that for Bobbie Ann Mason, the act of writing allows her to express her true self authentically and genuinely. Writing can serve as a form of self-discovery, enabling individuals to explore their thoughts, emotions, and identity in a way that might not be possible in other aspects of life. This resonates with many writers who find solace, expression, and self-understanding through the written word.

"Some places leave their mark on you, like a scar. They stay in your memory until they become part of you."

This quote suggests that certain experiences or locations can have a profound, lasting impact on an individual, much like a physical scar leaves a permanent imprint. These memorable places are not just forgotten after we've moved on; instead, they remain etched in our minds, eventually becoming intertwined with our very identity. The quote beautifully captures the idea that some experiences shape us, making them indelible parts of who we are.

"Life is too short to be small."

This quote by Bobbie Ann Mason encourages a person not to limit themselves or their potential, emphasizing that life's briefness should motivate one to pursue growth, ambition, and fulfillment rather than remaining confined or restricted in any way. It suggests that everyone has the capacity for greatness and self-realization, and that these opportunities should be seized instead of being held back by fear or doubt.

"In every place we know there are secret understanding, hidden pacts, bonds and communions; communities that are formed because people believe in the same things or worship the same idols."

This quote by Bobbie Ann Mason suggests that shared beliefs, values, interests, or ideals create unspoken connections between individuals, forming hidden 'communities' or 'cliques'. These communities can be found anywhere, from geographical locations to online platforms. It emphasizes the importance of shared understanding in forging bonds, and underscores the idea that our personal idols or beliefs often play a significant role in defining our social circles.

"Everyone has a story to tell. It's just a question of finding your own voice."

This quote emphasizes the idea that each person has a unique narrative or experience to share, and it is essential for everyone to find their distinctive voice to express that story effectively. Finding one's voice means not only developing communication skills but also understanding one's identity, perspectives, values, and emotions to convey authenticity and resonate with others. This process can be a journey of self-discovery, reflection, and growth for individuals. By sharing our stories, we contribute to the collective human experience and foster empathy, understanding, and connection among people.

Writing a novel about World War II and the French Resistance was a challenge both sobering and thrilling.

- Bobbie Ann Mason

War, About, World War, Thrilling

I grew up on popular music, and rock-and-roll expresses very deep feelings of those people who don't have a lot.

- Bobbie Ann Mason

Deep, Very, Expresses, Rock-And-Roll

With the accent, it's an internal dialogue that Southerners have with themselves. We kind of carry around that shame, that feeling of being inferior to the North. I think I did lose some of the accent for a while. Because when I was a graduate student, I was terrified at having to get up in front of a roomful of smart New York kids.

- Bobbie Ann Mason

Shame, Some, Internal, Southerners

Writing about where I was from and the people I knew was not something that would have occurred to me early on, because like so many Southerners of that period - the Sixties - I rejected those things when I went north.

- Bobbie Ann Mason

About, Rejected, North, Southerners

I rejected the traditional notion of 'women's work,' but I never thought of my early ambitions in a feminist way, exactly. Primarily I rebelled against apathy and limited education. I was rejecting a whole way of life that I thought trapped everyone.

- Bobbie Ann Mason

Education, Thought, Rejected, Feminist

My father had all these great names for our cows. Bossy and Daisy and Petunia and Turnip. One of my jobs was to round up the cows before milking. I'd go out back with the dog and bring them in.

- Bobbie Ann Mason

Father, Bring, Before, Bossy

Reading is so private, and it is often a reader's habit to finish a book, close the covers, and plunge into the next one without a backward glance.

- Bobbie Ann Mason

Next, Private, Reader, Glance

The small family farm is dying; people's lives are being dislocated.

- Bobbie Ann Mason

Small, Dying, Lives, Family Farm

I often say flippantly that the short story is... shorter; you can be done with it more easily. It's much less of a commitment of time and energy than a big project like a novel or long nonfiction book.

- Bobbie Ann Mason

Book, Project, Big, Nonfiction

Mama was a natural cook. At harvest time, she would whip up a noontime dinner for the men in the field: fried chicken with milk gravy, ham, mashed potatoes, lima beans, field peas, corn, slaw, sliced tomatoes, fried apples, biscuits, and peach pie.

- Bobbie Ann Mason

Chicken, Corn, Potatoes, Sliced

I have heard from many readers since 'The Girl in the Blue Beret' came out. The story of my airline pilot, former B-17 bomber pilot Marshall Stone, on his search to find the people who helped him during World War II has struck a chord.

- Bobbie Ann Mason

Him, Bomber, World War, Stone

My father-in-law was a pilot. During World War II, he was shot down in a B-17 over Belgium. With the help of the French Resistance, he made his way through Occupied France and back to his base in England.

- Bobbie Ann Mason

Through, Back, Father-In-Law, French

My father-in-law, Barney Rawlings, spent a couple of months hiding out in France in 1944, frantically memorizing a few French words to pass himself off as a Frenchman, but his ordeal had not inspired in me any action until I started taking a French class.

- Bobbie Ann Mason

Father-In-Law, Couple, Had, Barney

Writers want to be reread. They want to think that their words don't just flash by but deserve some reflection.

- Bobbie Ann Mason

Think, Deserve, Some, Flash

I'm not very articulate. The reason I write is because I don't talk.

- Bobbie Ann Mason

Reason, Very, I Write, Articulate

We had a cistern for water. My grandmother churned butter and made lye soap. She and my mother did the washing in a wash kettle outdoors, using a fire to heat the water. That's the way they did the wash until the 1950s.

- Bobbie Ann Mason

Heat, Butter, Using, Kettle

Most of the time I was in the Northeast, I lived in the country, and I think that helped me to discover my material for writing.

- Bobbie Ann Mason

Think, Discover, Country, Northeast

Rock and roll is about desire, about wanting something better. I think my characters all want something better. My understanding of the rock and roll dream is that a kid in an isolated place or a small town or an underprivileged world could transcend it somehow.

- Bobbie Ann Mason

Small, Wanting, I Think, Transcend

The farm is one field to the east of the railroad track that used to connect New Orleans with Chicago. The track runs beside Highway 45, an old U.S. route that unites Chicago with Mobile, Alabama.

- Bobbie Ann Mason

New, Railroad, Alabama, Runs

'In Country' was also made into a film, which opened the story up to a broader audience.

- Bobbie Ann Mason

Country, Audience, Which, Broader

I read many riveting escape-and-evade accounts of airmen and of the Resistance networks organized to hide them and then send them on grueling treks across the Pyrenees to safety. But it was the people I met in France and Belgium who made the period come alive for me. They had lived it.

- Bobbie Ann Mason

Alive, Networks, Had, Accounts

During the Cold War, workers proudly contributed to national defense, but the carelessness and haste in handling toxic waste created a nightmare of pollution for subsequent generations.

- Bobbie Ann Mason

Toxic, Waste, Created, Cold War

Some people will stay at home and be content there. Others are born to run. It's that conflict that fascinates me.

- Bobbie Ann Mason

Born, Will, Some, Fascinates

When I was growing up on our 53-acre dairy farm, we were obsessed with food; it was the center of our lives. We planted it, grew it, harvested it, peeled it, cooked it, served it, consumed it - endlessly, day after day, season after season.

- Bobbie Ann Mason

Consumed, Endlessly, Planted, Season

Working with food was fraught with anxiety when I was a girl. Like all farmers, we were at the mercy of the weather, and we lived in fear of crop failure.

- Bobbie Ann Mason

Farmers, Like, Fraught, Mercy

In the 1980s, Vietnam emerged in our culture as a legitimate and compelling topic for discussion rather than something to be hidden in shame.

- Bobbie Ann Mason

Shame, Hidden, Rather, 1980s

Physicists must feel they are in the most exciting field in the world. Their minds must be afire.

- Bobbie Ann Mason

World, Minds, Most, Physicists

My mother watched the skies at evening for a portent of the morrow. A cloud that went over and then turned around and came back was an especially bad sign.

- Bobbie Ann Mason

Bad, Over, Turned, Evening

I used my NEA fellowship to write my novel, 'In Country,' which was published by Harper & Row in 1985.

- Bobbie Ann Mason

Country, Used, Which, Row

The way I see it, a clever cat prowls but calls home occasionally.

- Bobbie Ann Mason

Clever, See, Calls, Occasionally

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