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John Gregory Dunne Quotes

Powerful John Gregory Dunne for Daily Growth

About John Gregory Dunne

John Gregory Dunne (1932-2003) was an esteemed American author, novelist, screenwriter, and essayist, known for his sharp wit, incisive social commentary, and compelling storytelling. Born in Manhattan on March 25, 1932, to John Francis Dunne, a successful newspaper columnist, and Marian Cameron, a concert violinist, he was raised in a family deeply rooted in the arts. Dunne graduated from Amherst College in 1954 and later served as an editorial assistant at Time Magazine before moving on to work for Life Magazine. In the late 1960s, Dunne began writing screenplays for Hollywood, collaborating with his sister Joan Didion on films like "A Star Is Born" (1976) and "True Confessions" (1981). This period marked a turning point in Dunne's career, as it allowed him to hone his narrative skills while also providing a financial foundation. Dunne is best known for his novels, which often explored the darker aspects of American society. His first novel, "The Golden Meal" (1968), was followed by "Tales of Presence and Absence" (1971) and "Delano: A Tale of Colonial California" (1984). However, his most enduring works are the "Wisdom of Crowds" novels, a trilogy comprising "The New York Trilogy" (1990), "Starpunk" (1992), and "The Numbers" (1995), which delve into themes of power, deception, and the absurdity of modern life. Married to fellow writer Joan Didion from 1964 until his death in 2003, Dunne's life was deeply intertwined with hers. Together, they experienced the tumultuous events of the 1960s and 70s firsthand, which often found their way into their work. Despite their shared success, Dunne struggled with depression throughout his life, a battle that eventually took his life in 2003. John Gregory Dunne left an indelible mark on American literature as a master storyteller and keen observer of contemporary society, whose works continue to resonate with readers today.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The best thing about a story is that you have to find it; no one can give it to you."

This quote emphasizes the personal, creative journey involved in storytelling. It suggests that the essence of a story, its unique meaning or narrative, cannot be handed over; instead, it must be discovered through individual exploration, reflection, and intuition. The act of finding a story is akin to an adventure, where each writer embarks on their own path towards uncovering something unique and authentic.

"Family is not an important thing, it's everything."

This quote emphasizes the profound significance of family in one's life. It suggests that family isn't merely a component or part of our existence, but rather, the sum total of what we cherish and value most – everything. Family encompasses love, support, shared history, values, and identity, making it an irreplaceable pillar of human experience.

"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies."

John Gregory Dunne's quote suggests that politics often involves a tendency to seek out problems or conflicts, magnify them, misdiagnose their root causes, and then apply ineffective solutions. This observation implies that politicians may prioritize finding issues over finding solutions, and sometimes even exacerbate problems due to incorrect analysis or inappropriate remedies. The quote serves as a critique of the political process, highlighting the potential for mismanagement and ineffectiveness within it.

"The truth is always the same age."

This quote suggests that the truth, regardless of when or where it's discovered, remains unchanged and timeless. The essence of reality is consistent, and while our understanding of it may evolve, the underlying truth stays constant.

"Life is what happens while you're making other plans."

This quote by John Gregory Dunne highlights the unpredictable nature of life, suggesting that our carefully planned agendas often take a backseat to unexpected events or circumstances. It reminds us that while we may strive for control over our lives, ultimately, it is the spontaneous moments and the "life" that occurs outside of our plans that truly shape our experiences. The quote encourages us to embrace these unplanned occurrences as they can sometimes lead to more meaningful and enriching experiences than our original plans.

Writing is manual labor of the mind - like laying pipe.

- John Gregory Dunne

Writing, Mind, Like, Laying

For interns at 'The Weekly Standard' or 'National Review,' where the martial instinct finds its most insistent voice, what Robert Kagan calls the military 'career path' is not widely seen as a plausible future. Pulling a trigger is what Jose, Tyrone, and Bubba do, not early admission students at the better private universities.

- John Gregory Dunne

Voice, Career, Standard, Trigger

What is astonishing about the social history of the Vietnam war is not how many people avoided it, but how many could not and did not.

- John Gregory Dunne

Social, Could, About, Vietnam

Unlike Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods, Jackie Robinson never tried to convert himself into an acceptable black man.

- John Gregory Dunne

Michael Jordan, Acceptable, Convert

For thirty-five years, David Halberstam, an unsilent member of the Silent Generation, has contemplated America and its place in the world, casting his eye on big subjects - Vietnam, global economics, race, mass media, and the 1950s.

- John Gregory Dunne

Big, Mass, Global, Contemplated

Being exposed to the enlisted Army was an eye-opener. I thought everyone was like me, but the enlisted Army is a constituency of the dispossessed.

- John Gregory Dunne

Thought, Army, Everyone, Dispossessed

You do nonfiction, you get to meet people you would not normally meet.

- John Gregory Dunne

Meet, Get, Would, Nonfiction

Anecdotes are factoids of questionable provenance, burnished to a high gloss, often set in gilded venues and populated with familiar names as background atmosphere, purged of ambiguity in the interest of keeping the narrative flowing smoothly.

- John Gregory Dunne

Atmosphere, Questionable, Smoothly

Life is much more available in New York - there are a dozen movie theaters within walking distance. Living in California is easier, but you get sedentary.

- John Gregory Dunne

New, Living, Movie, Theaters

Most anyplace one lives is essentially dangerous. There are floods in the Midwest, and tornadoes. There are hurricanes along the Gulf. In New York, you get mugged.

- John Gregory Dunne

New, Floods, Lives, Hurricanes

Were it not for Jackie Robinson, Branch Rickey would be remembered, if at all, as a Bible-thumping midwestern Methodist windbag who neither played baseball on Sundays when he was a mediocre catcher for the St. Louis Browns and the New York Highlanders, nor attended games on the Sabbath as a baseball executive.

- John Gregory Dunne

Catcher, Sabbath, Browns, Midwestern

No professional athlete likes to admit that he has played too long. There is too much money involved, rarely enough saved, and there is the eternal hope that age has not withered skills.

- John Gregory Dunne

Athlete, Saved, Withered

In sports, the confluence of the 1989 Oakland vs. San Francisco World Series and the Loma Prieta earthquake notwithstanding, the earth rarely moves.

- John Gregory Dunne

Francisco, San, Confluence, Oakland

There are no new facts about the Kennedys, only new attitudes, a literature that, like the automobile industry, puts new bodies on old chassis.

- John Gregory Dunne

New, Like, Attitudes, Kennedys

The myth of the Kennedys - and the hold - was always the hold of the renegade rich, out there on the frontier beyond accountability.

- John Gregory Dunne

Always, Frontier, Myth, Kennedys

The self-image of many contemporary sportswriters seems to depend on maintaining that were it not for sports, athletes would be pumping gas, if they were not sticking up the gas station.

- John Gregory Dunne

Sports, Depend, Self-Image, Maintaining

I love cops; I'm fascinated by the criminal justice system.

- John Gregory Dunne

Love, Cops, I Love, Criminal Justice System

I am willing to believe, but I do not have the gift of faith. I'm skeptical.

- John Gregory Dunne

I Am, Gift, Willing, Skeptical

I'm a great believer in the novelist being 'on the scene,' reporting, traveling, meeting all sorts of people.

- John Gregory Dunne

Great, Traveling, Being, Reporting

The volunteer military has always been most enthusiastically, even devoutly, embraced by those who would not themselves dream of volunteering - or of encouraging their children to do so.

- John Gregory Dunne

Always, Been, Encouraging, Devoutly

There was no pretense to objectivity; 'Time' had a partisan Republican point of view, and if it was one not shared by many of its gentrified Ivy Leaguers, few felt the compulsion to quit.

- John Gregory Dunne

Compulsion, Shared, Ivy

Class was always the domestic issue during the Vietnam War, not communism.

- John Gregory Dunne

Always, Domestic, Issue, Vietnam War

I got 'The Red White and Blue' out of journalism. It puts you in touch with the world.

- John Gregory Dunne

Red, World, Puts, Journalism

Evading military service has a long history in American life.

- John Gregory Dunne

Service, Long History, Military Service

In the spring of 1988, my wife, Joan Didion, and I were approached about writing a screenplay based on a book by Alanna Nash called 'Golden Girl,' a biography of the late network correspondent and anchorwoman Jessica Savitch.

- John Gregory Dunne

Book, About, Joan, Jessica

Membership in the closed society of the motion-picture industry is almost never revoked for moral failings.

- John Gregory Dunne

Society, Never, Almost, Membership

Being a professional screenwriter is perhaps the hardest occupation. Because nothing is ever yours and, by the nature of the medium, you are never ultimately responsible for your work. It can be interesting - if you have another outlet.

- John Gregory Dunne

Screenwriter, Occupation, Yours

I resist and resent the idea of California as a metaphor. It's something thrust upon us, usually by people in the East.

- John Gregory Dunne

Idea, Resent, Resist, Thrust

An Episcopalian military institution when it was founded near the turn of the century, Harvard for years had an implicit quota system that effectively limited the number of Jewish admissions.

- John Gregory Dunne

Limited, Implicit, Founded, Harvard

A writer is an eternal outsider, his nose pressed against whatever window on the other side of which he sees his material.

- John Gregory Dunne

Nose, Other, Which, Outsider

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