Russell Smith Quotes

Powerful Russell Smith for Daily Growth

About Russell Smith

Russell Smith (born March 6, 1970) is a Canadian novelist, essayist, journalist, and former columnist for Toronto Life magazine. Known for his incisive observations on urban life and culture, Smith's work often explores themes of identity, relationships, and the human condition within contemporary society. Born in Montreal and raised in Toronto, Smith attended the University of Victoria before transferring to McGill University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. Early in his career, he worked as an editor for Maclean's magazine and later joined Toronto Life as a columnist. During this time, he penned several acclaimed works, including the essay collection "City of the World" (1998) and the novel "How Insensitive" (2003), which earned him the Trillium Book Award. Smith's second novel, "The Beautiful indifference" (2005), was a finalist for the Giller Prize and won the Toronto Book Awards. His third novel, "Noise Water Love" (2010), further showcased his ability to delve into complex human emotions while maintaining a unique and engaging narrative voice. In addition to his novels, Smith has authored numerous essays, articles, and short stories, which have been published in various magazines, anthologies, and newspapers. His work often appears in The Walrus and The New Yorker. Smith is also the winner of the National Magazine Award for Fiction (1998) and was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize three times (2003, 2005, 2010). Smith's writing is influenced by his experiences growing up in Toronto, his interest in music, art, and popular culture, as well as his observations of contemporary urban life. He continues to contribute to Canadian literature and culture through his work as an author, journalist, and columnist.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Art is a form of autobiography."

This quote by Russell Smith suggests that art, in all its forms (painting, music, literature, etc.), serves as a personal narrative or window into an artist's life experiences, emotions, and thoughts. Each piece of art created is in some way connected to the artist's self, reflecting their autobiography and offering insights into their unique perspective on the world.


"To write is to survive."

This quote by Russell Smith suggests that writing, in essence, serves as a means for personal survival or coping mechanism. It implies that the act of putting thoughts, feelings, and experiences into words can help individuals process, understand, and overcome challenges they face in life. By giving voice to one's inner world, they are able to preserve their identity, make sense of their existence, and ultimately find a way to endure through difficult times. Writing, thus, becomes a tool for personal growth, self-discovery, and emotional healing.


"The city is where I am from, and it's where I belong."

This quote by Russell Smith expresses a deep sense of attachment and identification with urban environments. It suggests that the city is not just a physical location for him, but a significant part of his personal identity and belongingness. The city, in this context, serves as a place where he was born, raised, or perhaps found a sense of self. It's a testament to the powerful influence cities have on shaping people's lives and perspectives.


"Art is not about originality but about authenticity."

This quote suggests that in the realm of art, the focus should be on creating work that genuinely expresses one's individual thoughts, feelings, and experiences (authenticity), rather than striving to be entirely unique or groundbreaking (originality). It implies that authentic expression carries more significance and emotional resonance for both the artist and the audience.


"A city is like a living being; it constantly changes, expands, alters, dies, and is born again."

This quote suggests that cities, much like living organisms, are dynamic entities that evolve over time. They grow, adapt, and transform in response to various influences such as population growth, economic shifts, cultural trends, and technological advancements. Like a living being, they experience changes in form and function, and sometimes undergo periods of decline or decay before renewing themselves anew. The essence of the quote lies in recognizing the constant flux that defines cities and understanding their ability to regenerate and reinvent themselves.


In the best stories, people are morally complex; they are flawed. We read them because the world is flawed, and we want to see it truthfully represented. And because it can be thrilling to be shocked and upset, and even to feel, for chilling moments, what it's like to be a bad person.

- Russell Smith

Bad, Feel, Upset, Thrilling

Possibly the strangest book ever made, the 'Codex Seraphinianus' is an encyclopedia of an imaginary world, with illegible calligraphy - it is written in an alphabet no one can understand - and surreal drawings of odd beasts and machines.

- Russell Smith

Book, Made, Imaginary World, Surreal

Guys think that the military associations of camo are going to make them look tough, as if they might just break out a shotgun and take down a passing duck at any given moment. I'm not so sure.

- Russell Smith

Down, Out, Associations, Duck

I dislike turtlenecks at the best of times, as they are always unflattering to the imperfect male physique, but when worn in combination with a v-neck sweater, they say 'Grandpa' louder than any other item of clothing.

- Russell Smith

Other, Dislike, Physique, Clothing

I was given a thick paperback copy of the 'Guinness Book of Records' when I was 11 years old, and I read it gluttonously, cover to cover, paying special lip-smacking attention to all the incredibly gruesome chapters about the violence of human history.

- Russell Smith

Book, Records, Chapters, Gruesome

Anyone who has set out to invent a purely imaginary story knows that the whole thing is fantasy, from beginning to end; there must be a sense of magic created about the most restrained of naturalism.

- Russell Smith

Magic, Set, Purely, Imaginary

No matter how fine your suit and your shoes, you will remind everyone that you are not yet a grownup man by wearing them with your old college knapsack, in its nasty, nylon glory.

- Russell Smith

College, Will, Everyone, Nasty

Kindle Worlds is a clever way to monetize a formerly underground trend, and to enable its participants to be remunerated. But it will be of no interest to writers with any literary ambition, as its constraints are designed to stymie even the most rudimentary impulses - even the first flickering of a dangerous originality.

- Russell Smith

Trend, Worlds, Literary, Rudimentary

Have you noticed the people most likely to be up in arms about governments apparently spying on us tend to be the most non-private people you know? The people launching petitions and wailing about Big Brother and data collection are most likely to be the most constant self-presenters.

- Russell Smith

Big, Big Brother, Constant, Spying

I went to Queen's - a fine university with the proudly stupidest frosh week in the country. This was, when I was there, supposed to be somehow evidence of a higher social class.

- Russell Smith

Week, Country, Social Class, Stupidest

One of the qualities essential to writing exciting stories, whether for page or screen, is an ability to abandon one's morality. We simply cannot be good writers and good people. One must be able to access one's darkest self, one's venality and pettiness and murderousness.

- Russell Smith

Good, Access, Screen, Essential

Conformism is essential to the group coherence and 'spirit.' The whole impetus behind tribalism of this kind is conservative: Belonging to the tribe is defined by opposition to other tribes. Our tribe, and its traditional ways, is superior to other tribes because it is ours.

- Russell Smith

Conservative, Behind, Other, Essential

From its beginning, fan fiction has been written mostly by women. Originally, this was because of a dearth of interesting female characters in conventional sci-fi.

- Russell Smith

Beginning, Been, Mostly, Dearth

If you define eccentricity as creativity, then yes, creativity is eccentricity.

- Russell Smith

Yes, Define, Then, Eccentricity

Songs are great. I love songs. I sing them in the shower sometimes. They can be poignant or cheery or angry, and they can have catchy and satisfying melodies. There's nothing wrong with songs.

- Russell Smith

Love, Shower, Melodies, Catchy

All coffee shops now have WiFi. Why bring a book when you could be wittily attacking some idiot columnist on Twitter, or responding to your date requests, or posting a picture of your foot? All of that is more gripping and immediate and social than books.

- Russell Smith

Book, Date, Some, Columnist

Most critics of gender division are women, and they're worried about girls and the roles presented for them by gendered entertainments. They are quite right to be. Telling girls that the cars and the guns are beyond their domain of expertise, and that they should content themselves with clothes and friendships, is limiting.

- Russell Smith

Gender, Guns, Telling, Worried

There is actually no such thing as an Artist type. 'Artist' is just an economic designation, a box you tick on a form. We are all people, and we are all creative.

- Russell Smith

Artist, Box, Tick, Designation

I don't see my artist friends as any more neurotic or addiction-prone than the others. The roommates I have had who were into triathlons or environmentalism were just as crazy as the poets, just as prone to tears over gardening or air conditioners, just as ready to kite a cheque or binge on cookie dough.

- Russell Smith

Gardening, Tears, Artist, Kite

My son craves picture books about Transformers and Ninja Turtles and the Hulk; they show one fantastic creature smashing or zapping another into smithereens on page after page. They are dull and ugly and show no interesting stories or models of conflict resolution or character building.

- Russell Smith

Show, Another, About, Interesting Stories

If you tell your husband or boyfriend for his whole life that he needn't worry about his clothes, that he couldn't possibly understand them, that they are a woman's affair, then you can hardly complain that he doesn't have any style sense. You all make this bed.

- Russell Smith

Woman, Bed, Boyfriend, Hardly

I would rather be nuts than unattractive.

- Russell Smith

Nuts, Rather, Would, Unattractive

Calls for the simplification of abstract or allusive art have always come from governments suspicious of artists themselves. This is why totalitarian regimes have always legislated some form of realism.

- Russell Smith

Art, Some, Always, Regimes

My father was a graduate student at Oxford in the early 1960s, where the conventions and etiquette of clothing were crucial to the pervasive class consciousness of the place and time.

- Russell Smith

Student, Consciousness, Conventions

The YA category is an entirely new one, and seems to have more to do with readability than with age group or theme. The adult YA readers I know do actually consistently say that they are looking for an easy read, a fun read, an unchallenging read.

- Russell Smith

Than, New One, Ya, Category

I'm in favour of hipster androgyny: Any trend that permits men to rebel against strict gender rules of appearance is going to make the world a more expressive and sensitive place for all of us.

- Russell Smith

Gender, Rebel, Androgyny, Strict

What I would love to see is art that explicitly addresses not personal intimacies but anonymous intimacies: the vast collections of facts about you and me that now exist in giant server banks.

- Russell Smith

Love, Art, Server, Collections

Everyone likes to hear that their eccentricities and their addictions are simply evidence of their sensitive artistic nature.

- Russell Smith

Nature, Everyone, Evidence, Addictions

Men over 60 often think that if they wear athletic shoes - soft-soled referee shoes or hiking shoes or actual running shoes - then they will look more youthful. The contrary is true.

- Russell Smith

Think, Over, Actual, Referee

Personally, I see little distinction between an artistic mentality and criminality. You couldn't possibly create a compelling story without some wickedness or some fascination with the disgusting. Being good is a hindrance to a writer.

- Russell Smith

Some, Distinction, Hindrance, Possibly

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