Tom Robbins Quotes

Powerful Tom Robbins for Daily Growth

About Tom Robbins

Tom Robbins, born on July 22, 1936, in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, is an American novelist and journalist renowned for his imaginative, eclectic, and often humorous literary style. His upbringing played a significant role in shaping his unique perspective; he was raised by his grandparents on a farm, an experience that instilled in him a deep connection with nature. Robbins began his journalistic career while studying at Washington State University, working for the school's newspaper. After serving in the Army during the Vietnam War, he returned to journalism, working as a reporter for The Seattle Times and The Miami Herald. In 1971, Robbins published his debut novel, "Another Roadside Attraction," a surreal love story that showcased his distinctive narrative voice. The book was a commercial success and critical acclaim followed with subsequent works like "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" (1976), "Jitterbug Perfume" (1984), and "Still Life with Woodpecker" (1980). These novels, characterized by their philosophical insights, poetic prose, and unconventional characters, have earned him a devoted readership. Robbins's works often explore themes of love, nature, spirituality, and the human condition, drawing inspiration from various cultures, philosophies, and his own life experiences. His writing style is marked by its inventiveness, wit, and an unwavering commitment to questioning societal norms. After a 20-year hiatus, Robbins returned to publishing with "B Is for Beer" in 2014, a collection of essays, poems, and stories inspired by his lifelong love of brewskis. His latest novel, "Fourth Dimension," was published in 2015. Tom Robbins continues to captivate readers with his imaginative tales that blend reality, fantasy, and a profound sense of wonder. His unique voice and storytelling continue to influence a new generation of writers.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"But ideas are like monsters under the bed, easier to ignore than to face them."

This quote suggests that like imaginary creatures lurking under the bed, ideas may seem easier to avoid or dismiss rather than confront or explore. Ignoring potential ideas can prevent growth, learning, and innovation. Facing and dealing with these ideas, even the difficult ones, is essential for personal and societal development.


"The time you enjoy waste is not wasted time."

Tom Robbins' quote, "The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time," emphasizes that there are moments in life where indulging in leisure activities or simply enjoying oneself can have a profound impact on personal happiness and well-being. While such moments may not always lead to tangible outcomes, they contribute to the overall quality of one's existence and should not be considered as wasted. The key is finding a balance between work, productivity, and pleasure, as each has its unique value in shaping a fulfilling life.


"Nothing is masquerading as something else in this universe except a human being."

This quote suggests that unlike other entities in the universe, humans have a unique ability to hide their true selves behind masks or facades. We often present ourselves differently than we truly are, either to fit societal norms, protect our feelings, or pursue desires. However, fundamentally, we remain authentic beings with our own individual identities, which are not disguised by anything else in the universe.


"The only people with whom you should try to get even are the IRS."

This quote by Tom Robbins suggests that revenge or seeking retribution is generally not a productive or wise pursuit in life, except perhaps in the context of dealing with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which is a government taxation agency. The implication is that while it's understandable to feel frustrated or wronged by certain individuals or entities, focusing on seeking retribution may not be beneficial and could consume valuable time and energy that might be better spent elsewhere. Instead, one should focus on moving forward and finding solutions, especially when dealing with institutions like the IRS where legal and proper channels exist for resolution.


"Love is like a wild river, full of surprises - and you never know what lies beyond the bend."

Tom Robbins' quote suggests that love is an unpredictable journey, much like a wild, flowing river. Just as the path of a river can shift with time, so too does the nature of love evolve and change. There are unexpected twists and turns along the way, revealing new experiences and discoveries around every bend. This quote encourages us to embrace the mystery and adventure that love offers, and reminds us to stay open-minded as we navigate its ever-changing currents.


The trickster's function is to break taboos, create mischief, stir things up. In the end, the trickster gives people what they really want, some sort of freedom.

- Tom Robbins

Some, Break, Mischief, Stir

I think science has begun to demonstrate that aging is a disease. If it is, it can be cured.

- Tom Robbins

Think, Disease, I Think, Cured

To some extent, Seattle remains a frontier metropolis, a place where people can experiment with their lives, and change and grow and make things happen.

- Tom Robbins

Some, Frontier, Extent, Remains

Humanity has advanced, when it has advanced, not because it has been sober, responsible, and cautious, but because it has been playful, rebellious, and immature.

- Tom Robbins

Responsible, Been, Advanced, Rebellious

Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won't adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is sign on as its accomplice.

- Tom Robbins

Love, Outlaw, Ultimate, Accomplice

When I sit down to write, I just let the goose out of the bottle.

- Tom Robbins

Down, Write, Bottle, Goose

The one thing emphasized in any creative writing course is 'write what you know,' and that automatically drives a wooden stake through the heart of imagination. If they really understood the mysterious process of creating fiction, they would say, 'You can write about anything you can imagine.'

- Tom Robbins

Through, Fiction, About, Automatically

The harsh truth is, most red-haired men look like blondes who've spoiled from lack of refrigeration. They look like brown-haired men who've been composted out behind the barn. Yet that same pigmentation that on a man can resemble leaf mold or junkyard rust, a woman wears like a tiara of rubies.

- Tom Robbins

Woman, Behind, Been, Spoiled

The brutal truth is, we're scarcely 'educating' children at all. Even if you overlook the guilt, fear, bigotry, and dangerous anti-intellectual flapdoodle being funneled into young brains by schools on the religious right, what we're doing is training kids to be cogs in the wheels of commerce.

- Tom Robbins

Doing, Wheels, Religious, Educating

A child's mind is its living room; it's is going to be residing there for the rest of its earthly existence.

- Tom Robbins

Mind, Rest, Living, Earthly

A child's mind is its living room; it's going to be residing there for the rest of its earthly existence.

- Tom Robbins

Mind, Rest, Living, Earthly

The gods have chosen to entertain me with chronic eyestrain headaches. Very poisonous episodes. So I don't do a lot of reading anymore except on tape.

- Tom Robbins

Gods, Very, Entertain, Poisonous

Equality is not in regarding different things similarly, equality is in regarding different things differently.

- Tom Robbins

Equality, Differently, Similarly

Transformation, liberation and celebration are the themes of all my novels.

- Tom Robbins

Celebration, Themes, Liberation

If the novelist isn't surprised by where his book ends up, he or she probably hasn't written anything worth remembering.

- Tom Robbins

Book, Remembering, He Or She, Novelist

Well, I believe life is a Zen koan, that is, an unsolvable riddle. But the contemplation of that riddle - even though it cannot be solved - is, in itself, transformative. And if the contemplation is of high enough quality, you can merge with the divine.

- Tom Robbins

Zen, Though, Solved, Contemplation

The sky was the color of Edgar Allan Poe's pajamas.

- Tom Robbins

Sky, Color, Pajamas, Edgar

I went to a large consolidated school in Appalachia. And I wrote the story when I was in the second grade and I took it up to the third floor to the school newspaper office that was written and edited by juniors and seniors.

- Tom Robbins

Newspaper, Took, Large, Consolidated

To achieve the impossible; it is precisely the unthinkable that must be thought.

- Tom Robbins

Thought, Achieve, Precisely, Unthinkable

We're our own dragons as well as our own heroes, and we have to rescue ourselves from ourselves.

- Tom Robbins

Heroes, Own, Well, Dragons

When I go to the shore, I take along the poems of Pablo Neruda. I suppose it's because the poems are simultaneously lush and ripe and kind of lazy, yet throbbing with life - like summer itself.

- Tom Robbins

Lazy, Kind, Like, Simultaneously

One of my books is a hallucinogen, an aphrodisiac, a mood elevator, an intellectual garage door opener, and a metaphysical trash compactor. They'll do everything except rotate your tires.

- Tom Robbins

Door, Aphrodisiac, Rotate, Elevator

I am cheerful. I don't know if I'm happy. There is a difference, you know.

- Tom Robbins

Happy, I Am, Know, Cheerful

The trouble with the fast lane is that all the movement is horizontal. And I like to go vertical sometimes.

- Tom Robbins

Fast, Like, Horizontal, Fast Lane

True stability results when presumed order and presumed disorder are balanced. A truly stable system expects the unexpected, is prepared to be disrupted, waits to be transformed.

- Tom Robbins

Unexpected, Waits, Disrupted, Expects

Disbelief in magic can force a poor soul into believing in government and business.

- Tom Robbins

Business, Government, Magic, Disbelief

The highest function of love is that it makes the loved one a unique and irreplacable being.

- Tom Robbins

Love, Loved, Highest, Loved One

The ultimate end of any ideology is totalitarianism.

- Tom Robbins

End, Ideology, Ultimate, Ultimate End

I have never ever Googled myself; in fact I think the Christian right prohibits such things.

- Tom Robbins

Think, Fact, I Think, Christian Right

I would only read the novels that people classify as 'beach books' if I were being held prisoner and the only alternative was the 'Book of Mormon.'

- Tom Robbins

Classify, Read, Held, Novels

If you're searching for quotes on a different topic, feel free to browse our Topics page or explore a diverse collection of quotes from various Authors to find inspiration.