Laura Lippman Quotes

Powerful Laura Lippman for Daily Growth

About Laura Lippman

Laura Lippman, born on April 30, 1959, in Baltimore, Maryland, is a renowned American novelist and journalist known for her mystery novels set predominantly in her native city of Baltimore. Her writing career spans over three decades and has earned her numerous accolades, including Edgar Awards and Anthony Awards. Lippman's interest in storytelling was sparked at an early age by her mother's love for movies and books. She credits the classic detective novels she read as a child, especially those by Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, with influencing her decision to become a writer. After graduating from Baltimore City College in 1977 and Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism in 1981, Lippman returned to Baltimore and worked as an investigative journalist for The Baltimore Sun for nearly two decades. Her experiences in journalism would later inform her writing, particularly the Tess Monaghan series, which follows a former lawyer turned private investigator living and working in Baltimore. Lippman's first novel, "Laurence Maple Mystery" (1991), was published under the pseudonym Sara Paretsky's male cousin, Sam Sabordido. However, it wasn't until her debut novel under her real name, "Beware of the Dog" (1996), that she gained widespread recognition. The Tess Monaghan series, which includes 20 novels and a collection of short stories, has been praised for its strong female protagonist and exploration of Baltimore's gritty urban landscape. In addition to the Tess Monaghan series, Lippman has written standalone novels such as "What the Dead Know" (2007), which was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best Novel, and "Every Secret Thing" (2008), which was adapted into a film starring Diane Lane and Elizabeth Banks. Lippman's work is marked by its compelling plots, richly drawn characters, and keen insights into human nature. Her writing continues to captivate readers and garner critical acclaim.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The truth isn't always pretty. But it's better than spending your life in a lie."

This quote emphasizes the value of honesty over deception, suggesting that while the truth may not always be pleasing or attractive, it is ultimately preferable to living a life built on falsehoods. It encourages the pursuit of authenticity and transparency in personal and societal relationships, implying that although truth can sometimes be difficult, it fosters trust, growth, and self-awareness, ultimately leading to a more fulfilling existence than one based on lies or misinformation.


"Fear is an indicator, not a ruler."

This quote by Laura Lippman emphasizes that fear is a signal or warning system that alerts us to potential dangers, but it should not dictate our actions or decisions. Fear can help guide us towards making cautious choices, but it shouldn't control our lives or prevent us from taking risks and pursuing opportunities. Instead, we must use the information provided by fear wisely and make informed decisions based on our own judgment and values.


"Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way."

This quote suggests that the process of writing, like driving at night in foggy conditions, requires a focused and methodical approach. Just as one can only navigate by relying on their car's headlights to illuminate the immediate surroundings, writers must focus on the immediate task or idea they are working on without worrying about what lies ahead. The full journey of the writing process, much like a long drive through fog, will be completed in this piecemeal fashion, with each word, sentence, and paragraph serving as a new 'headlight' that helps guide the writer to their destination - the completion of their work.


"The past isn't over until it's forgotten."

This quote by Laura Lippman highlights that even though a past event may have transpired, its impact or memory persists unless intentionally erased or forgotten. The past is not truly "over" until it no longer influences our thoughts, feelings, or actions in the present. It serves as a reminder of the importance of self-reflection and personal growth to overcome the effects of past experiences and move forward.


"Sometimes we choose to live in mystery because the alternative is too painful."

This quote suggests that people may deliberately choose to remain in a state of uncertainty, or mystery, rather than confronting harsh truths or painful realities about themselves or their circumstances. By accepting ambiguity, individuals can avoid the emotional pain associated with understanding certain aspects of life that might be uncomfortable or challenging. In essence, it implies that sometimes we shield ourselves from the raw, uncomfortable feelings that come with facing hard truths by choosing to live with uncertainties and mysteries.


In my newspaper days, your endings could be literally sliced off in the composing room, so it was dangerous to get attached to them. Yet I think this has made me work harder on endings in fiction.

- Laura Lippman

Newspaper, Fiction, I Think, Sliced

I've gotten to do a lot of stuff, traveled, worked hard at my career.

- Laura Lippman

Career, Lot, Worked, Traveled

I think Baltimore suffers from nostalgia and it keeps us from being honest in talking about what really happened here. A place doesn't have to be perfect to be beloved, and I love this city and I love it better for seeing its flaws.

- Laura Lippman

Love, Here, I Think, Flaws

If I waited to be inspired to go to the gym, I'd never get there. I schedule my exercise time; I schedule my work time. This is especially important if you have a day job as I did while writing my first seven novels.

- Laura Lippman

Exercise, Seven, While, Waited

People still struggle with this notion of gifted writers somehow being in touch with a higher power, but it's all about showing up and doing the job, meeting deadlines, working hard.

- Laura Lippman

Doing, Deadlines, About, Showing Up

Edward Eager wrote a series of children's books that are in danger of being forgotten. But they're divine: stories about ordinary kids who stumble on magical things - a coin, a lake, a book, a thyme garden, a well. The magic changes them, they try to change the magic, the magic moves on.

- Laura Lippman

Magic, Stumble, Eager, Lake

For me, crime fiction was an opportunity to sneak up on readers with social issues, something they won't go out of their way to seek.

- Laura Lippman

Go, Fiction, Social, Social Issues

It doesn't feel like work. Yes, I have days that are difficult, but I'm sitting in a chair making up stories. It's what I did for fun as a kid, whether with Barbies or stuffed animals.

- Laura Lippman

Making, Like, Stories, Making Up

I've long believed that the work-out life has lessons for the writing life. I've 'solved' a lot of books while at the gym, in part because I'm not trying to solve them at that precise moment.

- Laura Lippman

Part, Them, Solved, Precise

I don't know where my phone is half the time.

- Laura Lippman

Know, Phone, Half, Half The Time

I was part of a generation where kids had a lot of freedom and aimless downtime. I had no scheduled after-school activities. As long as you came home for dinner, everything was fine.

- Laura Lippman

Generation, Part, Aimless, After-School

Writing is a sedentary gig unless one has a treadmill desk. But I have long believed writing and working out are complementary disciplines.

- Laura Lippman

Long, Gig, Sedentary, Complementary

Baltimore has been a punchline/punching bag for years - I've landed a few blows, to be fair - but those old jokes are out of touch.

- Laura Lippman

Old, Baltimore, Been, Jokes

Writers who don't read can't write well. It's that simple. The more you read, the better you read, the better you'll write. The upside is that you can't read too much, and even 'junk' reading can be constructive.

- Laura Lippman

Reading, More, Read, Junk

I'm very empathetic - that might be one of my superpowers.

- Laura Lippman

Might, Superpowers, Very, Empathetic

I'm at the age most people are sending their kids off to college.

- Laura Lippman

College, People, Most, Sending

After I started writing crime fiction, I said to myself, 'I may be limited, but the genre's not. There's no reason to change genres if I'm happy writing what I write.' And I am.

- Laura Lippman

Reason, May, I Write, No Reason

Anyone can love a perfect place. Loving Baltimore takes some resilience.

- Laura Lippman

Love, Loving, Some, Resilience

The verbs that are used for people who write quickly are almost never flattering.

- Laura Lippman

Never, Quickly, Almost, Verbs

I spent grades one through nine in Baltimore City, leaving for reasons that had nothing to do with the quality of education I was receiving.

- Laura Lippman

Through, Nine, Reasons, Receiving

My reading life is like an airport where a bunch of planes circle in a holding pattern, then - boom, boom, boom - several come in for a landing.

- Laura Lippman

Pattern, Like, Boom, Planes

I like books steeped in the quotidian - details about work and place. You can learn how to run a chicken-and-waffle restaurant by reading 'Mildred Pierce.' And I like fiction about money.

- Laura Lippman

Learn, Fiction, Like, Details

I think I'm part of a generation of crime writers all of whom woke up independently and recoiled with horror at the fact that we'd chosen this very conservative genre.

- Laura Lippman

Generation, Think, Very, Chosen

My husband, David Simon, and I make our livings using our imaginations.

- Laura Lippman

Husband, Using, Simon, Imaginations

I never knew how passive-aggressive people could be until I became a parent. Or even aggressive-aggressive. It actually began before I had a child. A relative asked me out to lunch and told me I was too old for motherhood.

- Laura Lippman

Lunch, Parent, Became, Motherhood

I love crime fiction, and I'm proud to be part of it, but I'm not without criticism for my own genre.

- Laura Lippman

Love, Proud, Fiction, Criticism

Fiction needs writers and readers, and writers should cultivate both.

- Laura Lippman

Fiction, Needs, Readers, Cultivate

My husband and I are both proud public school graduates.

- Laura Lippman

School, Proud, Public, Graduates

I sometimes allow people to infer that I'm much less successful than I am.

- Laura Lippman

I Am, Sometimes, Allow, Infer

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