Joshua Cohen Quotes

Powerful Joshua Cohen for Daily Growth

About Joshua Cohen

Joshua Cohen is an acclaimed American novelist and short story writer, born on October 8, 1978, in Brooklyn, New York. Raised in the Orthodox Jewish community of Borough Park, his upbringing heavily influenced his writing, often exploring themes of identity, religion, and family dynamics. Cohen's literary journey began early when he started publishing short stories in The New Yorker while still a teenager. He went on to attend Brown University and later, Columbia University School of the Arts for an MFA. His debut novel, "Cadenza for the Schneidermann Violin Concerto," was published in 2004 at the age of 25, garnering critical acclaim. Cohen's work is characterized by its experimental style, blending fiction and non-fiction, autobiography and invention. His major works include "Witz" (2010), a novel that draws from the life of the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein; "Book of Numbers" (2017), a digital novel composed entirely as text messages, emails, and web content; and "The Feral Detective" (2018), a noir mystery novel co-written with Steven T. Jackson. In addition to his novels, Cohen is also known for his short story collections, such as "Four New Messages" (2004) and "Three Scenarios in Which Hydrogen Sulphide Could Save My Life" (2015). His most recent work, "The Netanyahus: An Account of a Minor and Ultimately Embezzled Matter," was published in 2020. Cohen's unique storytelling approach has earned him numerous accolades, including being named one of Granta's Best Young American Novelists in 2017. His work continues to challenge and captivate readers worldwide, solidifying his place as a significant voice in contemporary literature.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about."

This quote by Joshua Cohen highlights the need for empathy and understanding in our interactions with others. It serves as a reminder that each person we encounter has their own struggles, fears, dreams, and challenges that are often hidden from view. By acknowledging this, we can foster compassion and kindness towards those around us, recognizing that every individual is complex and deserves respect and understanding. In essence, Cohen's quote encourages us to be patient, gentle, and accepting of others as we navigate the diverse tapestry of humanity.


"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts." (This quote is actually by Winston Churchill, but often attributed to Cohen)

This quote emphasizes resilience and perseverance in the face of challenges. Regardless of the outcome, be it success or failure, the true measure of one's character lies in their ability to maintain courage and continue striving towards their goals. It suggests that setbacks should not discourage us from moving forward, but instead, they should strengthen our resolve to keep going, as this is what ultimately defines our journey and growth.


"The only way to do great work is to love what you do."

This quote emphasizes that true achievement, or "doing great work," comes from a deep-seated passion and affection for one's chosen endeavor. In other words, the key to success lies in finding enjoyment and meaning in your work, rather than viewing it as merely a means to an end. By loving what you do, you are more likely to be motivated, focused, and persistent - qualities that are essential for producing outstanding results.


"Believe you can and you're halfway there."

This quote emphasizes that self-belief is a crucial step towards achieving one's goals. By believing in one's own abilities, one sets their mind on the path to success, making significant progress towards realizing their aspirations. It suggests that confidence can drive determination and persistence, ultimately propelling individuals forward in their endeavors.


"Life doesn't make any sense without interpersonal relationships."

The quote emphasizes that human existence lacks purpose or meaning without connections and interactions with others. It underscores the importance of interpersonal relationships in our lives, as they provide a sense of belonging, understanding, and shared experiences essential for living a fulfilling life. Without these bonds, we might feel isolated, disconnected, or lacking direction, making life seem devoid of meaning. Building, nurturing, and maintaining connections with others not only enriches personal growth but also fosters empathy, compassion, and a sense of community, ultimately giving our lives significance.


What qualified me to write about Israel was that I wanted to; it took no time to convince myself. The only reservation I had was about eaven: I wanted to write about the Jewish heaven but did not feel qualified because I did not and do not believe in 'it,' though I should.

- Joshua Cohen

No Time, Took, Though, Qualified

In Robert Louis Stevenson's 'Jekyll & Hyde,' the hero decides on the terms of his transformation in a process that's explained not through the supernatural but the natural or, at least, through biochemistry.

- Joshua Cohen

Process, Through, Hyde, Stevenson

I first read Dostoyevsky when I was 14 years old and was entranced. Dostoyevsky truly is a writer for 14-year-olds, and I mean that in the most approving way - approving of his energy, and rage, his endless pessimism, and endless innocence.

- Joshua Cohen

Innocence, Pessimism, Read, Entranced

'Religion,' I should note, has a disputed etymology in Latin: some say it's from 'relegere,' meaning 'to reread', while others say it's from religare, meaning 'to connect' or 'link.' Literature is life's fastener.

- Joshua Cohen

Some, Link, Note, Disputed

I don't like being victimized by a machine or by other people's demands on my time. I become resentful by feeling forced or incentivized to live a life I don't want to live. That rage in general prevents me from entirely becoming enslaved by technology.

- Joshua Cohen

Other, Becoming, Forced, Resentful

The birth of the search engine, it's nothing new: it's essentially embedded in our literature; it's how ideas relate, how the mind makes connections. I mean, connections are made online through links, and within an algorithm, they're made through degrees of relevancy between different terms.

- Joshua Cohen

Through, Our, Degrees, Engine

Without computers, in the 17th century, we could classify the entire animal kingdom... there was this idea of the speciation, right? And now, all a search engine is is essentially the mathematical speciation of ideas - and these things really derive from the way that language is used and the way words relate.

- Joshua Cohen

Language, Idea, Classify, Engine

English, unlike Hebrew, is read from left to right - as are clocks. The concepts of clockwise and counterclockwise are universal, irrespective of alphabet.

- Joshua Cohen

Right, Read, Hebrew, Clocks

To outsource your memory to machines - which is what many of us do with regard to our use of search engines - seems to me to be fairly antithetical to the basic qualities of Jewish life that have kept the Jews alive for so long.

- Joshua Cohen

Memory, Alive, Use, Engines

I don't think any book of mine will ever come as close to pure fantasy as 'A Heaven of Others.' I'll never again set a book in a world or after-world in which it's impossible to buy a cup of coffee or take an undisturbed afternoon nap.

- Joshua Cohen

Book, Impossible, Buy, Nap

In mid-20th-century America, it could be argued that the novelist still had the most claim of anyone to omniscience. Whatever he/she couldn't prove, he/she could gesture at.

- Joshua Cohen

Prove, Still, Argued, Claim

Most novelists are narcissistic egomaniacs who would probably fit somewhere on the CEO spectrum.

- Joshua Cohen

Most, Fit, Novelists, Narcissistic

I've never been able to shake the idea of family, which is to say I've never been able to shake my family. Being membered - being one limb of an immense grosser body - that's always been a fact to me.

- Joshua Cohen

Always, Which, Limb, Immense

You know you're a fool when what you're doing makes even the post office seem efficient.

- Joshua Cohen

Doing, Post, Even, Post Office

E-books, which made their debut in the 1990s, cut costs even more for both consumer and producer, though as the Internet expanded, those roles became confused.

- Joshua Cohen

Costs, Which, Became, Consumer

The big publishers want someone they can send on the Jewish book circuit, somebody the old ladies can see marrying their granddaughters.

- Joshua Cohen

Big, Old, Circuit, Marrying

I've always been discreet - more than discreet. When a friend calls, and I'm doing something innocuous like cooking dinner, I tell them I'm reading or running out to the movies. It's the surveillance I can't stand.

- Joshua Cohen

Doing, Tell, Been, Discreet

I do think that once you remove the limitations of the page, once you turn text transitive, meaning it can be clicked away from, the forward movement of text can be interrupted. But I don't think this is just a function of technology. It's also a function of cultural preference.

- Joshua Cohen

Turn, Away, Remove, Clicked

I have a credit card and a phone. I answer emails; I answer questions on chat in the middle of the day. Then, late at night, I write against other people who do just that.

- Joshua Cohen

Middle, Other, I Write, Card

Say you're an American novelist, published by the largest publishing house in the world. Their goal is to make as much money from you as possible, to have as many people read your book in as many formats as possible. How can you hope to speak intimately to the numbers of people that represent the book sales required?

- Joshua Cohen

Book, Largest, Formats, As Much Money

Metaphors, similes, puns - all manner of metonymy - I'm interested in language that cannot be parsed by a machine - language that can only be understood through acculturation.

- Joshua Cohen

Language, Through, Manner, Understood

There are so many classic Big Brother warning books: the Internet is a horrible, controlling thing, as if it has a consciousness or political agenda.

- Joshua Cohen

Political, Big, Big Brother, Controlling

The Muslim heaven features prominently in the Quran, Arabic poetries and Hadith. The Jewish heaven, though, is still a mystery; it's mystic.

- Joshua Cohen

Muslim, Still, Though, Arabic

The Internet makes the writer work harder - I have to say things here I've never said before, or else be caught out in repeating myself.

- Joshua Cohen

Here, Caught, Before, Repeating

Each and every novel is a world outside the world - for a reader to visit, for comfort, consolation, escape, or challenge.

- Joshua Cohen

World, Outside, Consolation, Visit

The Internet is a tool, a technology, and we like to say that it has all of these properties, but really, it's just a place where our writing is.

- Joshua Cohen

Technology, Say, Like, Tool

Taking trains and trams in Berlin, I noticed people reading. Books, I mean - not pocket-size devices that bleep as if censorious, on which even Shakespeare scans like a spreadsheet.

- Joshua Cohen

Like, Devices, Which, Trains

I've never enriched myself via privatization schemes in Eastern Europe.

- Joshua Cohen

Never, Eastern, Schemes

I think that technology is essentially a continuation of a divestment of theological power that's been happening since The Enlightenment. It's the idea that God can see and hear everything.

- Joshua Cohen

Think, Been, I Think, Theological

All of business and all of politics is essentially fiction to those who live them. I have more experience with fiction than most senators because I do it all day, so their world didn't seem that foreign to me.

- Joshua Cohen

Politics, Fiction, Seem, Senators

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