Sarah Pinborough Quotes

Powerful Sarah Pinborough for Daily Growth

About Sarah Pinborough

Sarah Pinborough is a prolific British author known for her captivating storytelling across various genres, including horror, thriller, science fiction, and fantasy. Born on December 18, 1973, in Worcestershire, England, she began writing at an early age and published her first book, "Breathtaker," when she was only nineteen. Pinborough's work is significantly influenced by her love for classic literature, with authors like Emily Bronte, the Brontë sisters, Stephen King, and Peter Straub shaping her writing style. Her stories often delve into themes of emotional intensity, complex characters, and psychological depth. After gaining a degree in English and American Literature from the University of Sussex, Pinborough worked as a bookseller for Waterstones before transitioning into journalism, where she wrote for publications like The Guardian and The Sunday Times. This background has helped her develop a deep understanding of the literary world and a keen eye for market trends. Some of her most notable works include the acclaimed "The Dog-Faced Gods" trilogy, the standalone novel "Behind Her Eyes," and the "Murder Squad" series co-written with Jeffery Deaver. Pinborough's novels have received numerous accolades, including the British Fantasy Award, the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Novel, and the International Thriller Writers Award for Best Hardcover Novel. In addition to her writing career, Pinborough is also a respected screenwriter, having worked on television adaptations of her own novels and other works, such as "Waking the Dead" and "Broadchurch." Her ability to craft compelling narratives across different mediums solidifies her position as one of the UK's most versatile and accomplished authors.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The future is not written."

The quote "The future is not written" by Sarah Pinborough emphasizes the idea that the course of events in our future has yet to be determined, implying a level of unpredictability and malleability. It encourages us to understand that we have the power to shape our own destinies rather than being passive recipients of predestined outcomes. This perspective invites us to embrace the present moment as an opportunity to influence our future and inspire proactive decision-making, resilience, and optimism in the face of uncertainty.


"We can't change what's been done, but we can decide how it defines us."

The quote by Sarah Pinborough emphasizes personal resilience and the power to shape one's identity in the face of past events. It means that though we cannot undo past actions or experiences, we have the ability to choose how they impact our future. Instead of being defined negatively by mistakes or hardships, we can learn from them and grow, transforming ourselves into stronger individuals. This perspective encourages a proactive mindset towards life's challenges and helps foster resilience and personal growth.


"She was a survivor in every sense of the word, and that was the most terrifying thing about her."

This quote implies that the character being referred to is resilient and adaptable, able to endure hardships and challenges. However, what makes them truly "terrifying" is not their survival skills per se, but rather the implication that such survival instincts could be employed in ways that are dangerous or unsettling due to their unpredictability and tenacity. In essence, it suggests a complex, formidable individual who should be respected for their strength but approached with caution due to their potentially destructive nature.


"Time was a thief, and everyone knew it."

The quote emphasizes the relentless, inescapable nature of time. It suggests that, like a thief, time steals from us, making us aware of its passing as it takes away our youth, opportunities, or moments we hold dear. The quote serves as a reminder that we should cherish every moment and make the most of the time we have, as it is precious and finite.


"Fear is an illusion created by our minds to protect us from what we perceive as danger."

The quote suggests that fear is a product of our imagination, serving as a self-protective mechanism that alerts us to potential dangers in our environment. However, the danger may not always be real or imminent; it's often based on our perceptions and interpretations of situations. This quote encourages us to question the validity of our fears and consider whether they stem from a genuine threat or simply an overactive mind creating illusions of danger.


Anyone who has to have the word 'charming' in their name probably isn't - just take a look at any dating site where men use 'prince charming' in their description.

- Sarah Pinborough

Look, Use, Description, Prince Charming

The strange thing about living somewhere for a couple of years and then moving on and not returning is that those locations become ghosts of themselves in your mind.

- Sarah Pinborough

Moving On, Mind, Couple, Strange Thing

Adults lie to themselves all the time about what is acceptable, but kids know what is right and wrong.

- Sarah Pinborough

Lie, Themselves, Acceptable, Adult

We all love a bit of 'true love conquers all,' and when I started on 'Poison,' 'Charm' and 'Beauty,' that was one rule of the fairy tale formula that I didn't want to break.

- Sarah Pinborough

Love, Beauty, Poison, Conquers

The unreliable narrator is an odd concept. The way I see it, we're all unreliable narrators of our lives who usually have absolute trust in our self-told stories. Any truth is, after all, just a matter of perspective.

- Sarah Pinborough

Trust, I See, Concept, Narrator

I don't mind a narrator who's self-deceiving, but the clues for their truth have to be there for the reader to see.

- Sarah Pinborough

Truth, Mind, See, Narrator

Never trust a narrator whose opening gambit is to insist he's not mad.

- Sarah Pinborough

Trust, Mad, Never, Narrator

I always found the witches and wicked stepmothers far more interesting than the 'heroines' - at least they actually did something.

- Sarah Pinborough

Interesting, More, Always, Witches

I hate it when it is all about the twist and when the ending comes out of nowhere. I think you should be surprised and shocked, but you should also think, 'Damn, I should have seen it,' because there are clues all the way through.

- Sarah Pinborough

Think, Through, I Think, Twist

I'm a lot less travelled as an adult than I was as a child, but I think living in far flung places gives you a perspective on the world and people that adds flavour to your writing.

- Sarah Pinborough

Think, Living, I Think, Travelled

I wrote my first five horror novels while I was teaching.

- Sarah Pinborough

Horror, Teaching, Wrote, Novels

I've seen a range of children's personalities, so it's easier to write about them without patronising them, I think.

- Sarah Pinborough

Think, I Think, About, Personalities

I'm not a natural researcher, and I don't get bogged down in it, but I think if you get it right in the first half, people will forgive you, and then you can move on with the story.

- Sarah Pinborough

Think, I Think, Move, Bogged

It's easier to get into controlling relationships when you're young because you're much more eager to please, and controlling men pick up on that. If they like to make decisions for you at the start of a relationship, it can be a warning sign.

- Sarah Pinborough

Young, Sign, Eager, Controlling

Maybe even at six or seven, I knew that, sweet as they were on the surface, all fairy tales needed a feminist shake up.

- Sarah Pinborough

Surface, Shake, Six, Tales

We can never see who someone really is underneath the skin.

- Sarah Pinborough

Never, See, Someone, Underneath

I just always lived in stories in my head. I believed I was a Martian princess until I was 10. I believed I was never going to die, and I'd been adopted and put on Earth because there was a war... and still sometimes, as I get older, I hope for my immortal life on Mars.

- Sarah Pinborough

Die, Sometimes, Been, Adopted

The Thames Torso murders almost fell into my lap. After deciding to use a real historical crime as the focus for the book, I went to Google and searched for unsolved murders in Victorian London, and they basically popped out at me about halfway down the first results page.

- Sarah Pinborough

London, Use, Almost, Lap

With TV, your first draft just doesn't matter. It's a skeleton, and then there's draft after draft after draft, and so many other factors influence it. It's just a whole different kind of storytelling.

- Sarah Pinborough

Storytelling, Other, TV, Skeleton

Anybody's life is probably a mess of secrets and lies when you boil it right down.

- Sarah Pinborough

Mess, Anybody, Lies, Secrets

Oh, there's a teenage girl inside all women. It comes out mainly when we walk into a room filled with other women and immediately feel self-conscious. I do, anyway. I'm always convinced I'm going to fall flat on my face or something.

- Sarah Pinborough

Feel, Other, Teenage, All Women

Monsters don't scare me at all; I think creepy is scarier than gore. I tend to read more thrillers and mysteries than horror, though. I like a good whodunnit. If I want scary, I tend to reach for a movie. I think it's a great medium for horror.

- Sarah Pinborough

Reach, Movie, I Think, Gore

The only rule I have in how I let characters tell stories is that they must always tell the reader their version of the truth. No one likes being outright lied to, even in fiction.

- Sarah Pinborough

Always, Fiction, Stories, Lied

My first six books were horror, I think because when I was young I loved Stephen King. John Wyndham, Daphne Du Maurier, and it's natural to try and emulate the books you first loved.

- Sarah Pinborough

Loved, Young, I Think, Emulate

I know it's dangerous to say you want to do something different with a genre because people always take that as an insult to the genre.

- Sarah Pinborough

Want, Dangerous, Always, Insult

Basically, I just write whatever story grabs me rather than considering the genre.

- Sarah Pinborough

Rather, Than, Basically, Considering

I would quite like to become a mainstream thriller writer, obviously, because I enjoy writing those stories, and it is the best way to secure your career.

- Sarah Pinborough

Career, Stories, Best Way, Mainstream

It would appear that I just love writing many different stories.

- Sarah Pinborough

Love, Stories, Would, Appear

On a normal novel, I would like to get 2,000 to 2,500 words done in a day; I average 10,000 words a week, and then there's a day for planning. With the historical ones, it's a lot harder because you have to stop and double-check facts.

- Sarah Pinborough

Week, Facts, Average, Historical

I'm very much, like, 'We've all got to help each other.' If there's a new female writer, I'm much more likely to read her book than if it's by a new male writer.

- Sarah Pinborough

New, Very, Likely, Male

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