Greg Van Eekhout Quotes

Powerful Greg Van Eekhout for Daily Growth

About Greg Van Eekhout

Greg Van Eekhout is an American science fiction and fantasy author renowned for his unique storytelling and imaginative world-building. Born in 1978 in California, he grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles, where he developed a passion for reading from a young age. His early influences included authors such as Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, and Philip K. Dick, whose works sparked his imagination and ignited his desire to write. After earning a degree in English from the University of California, Los Angeles, Van Eekhout worked as a technical writer for various software companies before deciding to pursue a career in fiction. His first published work was the short story "All the Little Pieces" in 2007, which appeared in the anthology "Inferno: New Tales of Terror and the Supernatural." In 2010, his debut novel, "The Pedestrian," was released to critical acclaim. The novel is a darkly humorous and thought-provoking exploration of solitude, technology, and human connection, set in a world where people no longer walk but teleport from place to place. The book won the Locus Award for Best First Novel and was shortlisted for the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best New Writer. Van Eekhout followed up "The Pedestrian" with several other novels, including "Noble Rot," a fantasy novel about a winemaker in a world where magic is as integral to the wine-making process as grapes and soil, and "Kabinetland," a political satire set in an alternate America where elections are won by the candidate who can build the best theme park. In addition to his novels, Van Eekhout has also published numerous short stories in various anthologies and magazines. He currently lives in Southern California with his wife and daughter, where he continues to write and explore the limits of imagination in his fiction.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The secret to happiness is not knowing everything but learning from everything."

This quote emphasizes that seeking knowledge and wisdom, rather than acquiring all knowledge, is key to achieving happiness. It suggests that life's true joy comes from the continuous learning process, as opposed to having every answer figured out. By understanding this, individuals become more open-minded, adaptable, and capable of growth throughout their lives, which contributes to a greater sense of fulfillment and contentment.


"Sometimes the world needs a reminder that it's okay to be afraid and still take a step forward."

This quote underscores the human capacity for courage amid fear. It suggests that acknowledging our fears, rather than suppressing them, can empower us to move forward in life despite those apprehensions. The message is to embrace vulnerability and understand that it's okay to be afraid while continuing to take actions that are important to us or beneficial for personal growth.


"Life is like a book, always turning the page to something new."

This quote by Greg Van Eekhout suggests that life is an ongoing journey filled with continuous change and novelty. Just as one turns the pages of a book to discover what happens next, we move forward in our lives, encountering new experiences, challenges, and opportunities. The metaphor underscores the idea that life should be embraced as an adventure, where each moment is another chapter waiting to be explored.


"In every ending there is a new beginning waiting."

This quote signifies that while endings often bring about feelings of loss or finality, they also mark the start of something new. It encourages us to look for opportunities in change and growth, reminding us that the conclusion of one chapter opens the door to a fresh beginning.


"Courage isn't about being fearless; courage is about being scared and doing it anyway."

The quote by Greg Van Eekhout underscores that courage is not the absence of fear, but the decision to act in spite of it. It emphasizes that everyone experiences fear and uncertainty, yet those who are truly courageous confront their fears head-on, taking action towards achieving their goals despite feeling anxious or apprehensive. This quote inspires us all to be brave in our daily lives and step out of our comfort zones, fostering personal growth and overcoming challenges.


Middle grade fiction, to me, is really about emergence of self. It's about expressing the idea that the world is going to start affecting you more, and your parents' influence is going to wane. Middle grade is when a lot of kids discover their passions - art, music, sports, what have you.

- Greg van Eekhout

Fiction, Idea, About, Emergence

I grew up in Los Angeles, and I was always fascinated by the La Brea Tar Pits. Right in the middle of the city, in an area called the Miracle Mile, for crying out loud, we have these eldritch ponds of dark, bubbling goo. And down in the muck, there're all these amazing fossils: mammoth and saber tooth cat and dire wolf.

- Greg van Eekhout

City, Fascinated, Pits, Fossils

I don't think that eating bones is necessarily gruesome unless you're a vegetarian.

- Greg van Eekhout

Think, Bones, Unless, Gruesome

If 'Star Wars' wasn't enough to prepare me for a dark future, there was the 'Planet of the Apes' franchise, conveniently repeated for me in Los Angeles on KABC's Channel Seven 3:30 movie. Apes enslaving humans! Mutants with boils and an atom bomb! Ape riots in Century City! They killed baby Caesar's parents!

- Greg van Eekhout

Prepare, Movie, Franchise, Conveniently

'California Bones' is the first volume in my trilogy about Daniel Blackland, a wizard trying to survive in a world that eats wizards. It's a book about friends and family, trust and betrayal, the love of power and the power of love.

- Greg van Eekhout

Love, Trust, Book, Daniel

Back in 1982, when there were still only a manageable number of 'X-Men' titles on the racks (by which I mean just one), Marvel quite reasonably figured the world could stand another team of beleaguered mutant superheroes. And so were born 'The New Mutants,' junior X-Men whose powers had just begun to manifest at the onset of puberty.

- Greg van Eekhout

Back, Begun, Another, Reasonably

As a kid, I didn't need to be convinced the future promised peril and oppression, so when I started thinking up the middle-grade science fiction novel that became 'The Boy at the End of the World,' it seemed only natural to build the story around a dark vision of the future. In my book, civilization has nearly destroyed itself.

- Greg van Eekhout

Kid, Civilization, Became, Science Fiction

In everything I write, I'm always striving to hit the right mix of light and darkness, humor and pain, fun and seriousness.

- Greg van Eekhout

Pain, Always, I Write, Mix

In high school, I stole a six-foot submarine sandwich from a banquet room in front of several hundred people. I did it because I was in marching band, and we were promised food if we played, and they broke their promise. It was my first and only heist, motivated by justice and hunger.

- Greg van Eekhout

Banquet, Hundred, Several, Stole

As a reader, I tend not to get too much from tales of unrelenting grimness.

- Greg van Eekhout

Tend, Unrelenting, Too, Tales

The stakes in my books tend to be kind of ridiculously high. In 'Kid vs. Squid,' the question is whether or not the California coast will be subsumed by the ocean in favor of the creation of a new Atlantis. In 'The Boy at the End of the World,' what's at stake is the survival of the human species.

- Greg van Eekhout

Kid, Boy, Ridiculously, Stakes

More than working toward the book's climax, I work toward the denouement. As a reader and a writer, that's where I find the real satisfaction.

- Greg van Eekhout

Work, More, Reader, Climax

It's possible I'm a weird person, you know, and if I could only write for people who are like me, I wouldn't have any audience at all. Ultimately, I'm my audience. I'm writing stories for myself. I don't have kids of my own, and I don't hang around kids all that much. Maybe that puts me at a disadvantage.

- Greg van Eekhout

Own, Hang, Maybe, If I Could

I feel lucky that my career so far has included books for adults and books for kids. They're equally important to me, and I hope I get to continue writing both.

- Greg van Eekhout

Career, Lucky, Equally, Included

I think there's only one reason to write in any genre or to any particular age group: You are called to it. You think it'd be fun.

- Greg van Eekhout

Think, Reason, I Think, Age Group

I try to eat vegetarian, though I'm not very good at it, and it's a work in progress. But we basically are what we eat. Eat fat, and there's fat in your body. Eat protein, and there's protein in your body. Eat magic, and there's magic in your body.

- Greg van Eekhout

Magic, Very, Though, Protein

There's a certain amount of world-building that I hold off on until I need it for the story. World building in advance isn't really my thing, maybe because I didn't grow up playing RPG's.

- Greg van Eekhout

Grow, Need, Amount, Advance

At a certain point in the writing of any book, you become absolutely certain that it's terrible and is only getting more terrible with every word you write. This is normal. You just have to keep going, push your way through, and have faith that, through practice and experience and determination, you will get to the end.

- Greg van Eekhout

Book, Practice, Through, Certain Point

Being part of the original 'Star Wars' generation, I have always known a dark future.

- Greg van Eekhout

Generation, Original, Always, Star Wars

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