My drawings have been described as pre-intentionalist, meaning that they…

My drawings have been described as pre-intentionalist, meaning that they were finished before the ideas for them had occurred to me. I shall not argue the point.

Sourced, Letters and interviews

Interview, Life Magazine (New York, March 14, 1960).

Other James Thurber Quotes

He was always leaning forward, pushing something invisible ahead of him. - View Quote Details on He was always leaning forward, pushing something invisible ahead of…
The appreciative smile, the chuckle, the soundless mirth, so important to the success of comedy, cannot be understood unless one sits among the audience and feels the warmth created by the quality of laughter that the audience takes home with it. - View Quote Details on The appreciative smile, the chuckle, the soundless mirth, so important…
Last night I dreamed of a small consolation enjoyed only by the blind: Nobody knows the trouble I’ve not seen! - View Quote Details on Last night I dreamed of a small consolation enjoyed only…
No male can beat a female in the long run because they have it over us in sheer, damn longevity. - View Quote Details on No male can beat a female in the long run…
Editing should be, especially in the case of old writers, a counseling rather than a collaborating task. The tendency of the writer-editor to collaborate is natural, but he should say to himself, “How can I help this writer to say it better in his own style?” and avoid “How can I show him how I would write it, if it were my piece?” - View Quote Details on Editing should be, especially in the case of old writers,…
A burden in the bush is worth two on your hands. - View Quote Details on A burden in the bush is worth two on your…
You can fool too many of the people too much of the time. - View Quote Details on You can fool too many of the people too much…
The dog has got more fun out of Man than Man has got out of the dog, for the clearly demonstrable reason that Man is the more laughable of the two animals. - View Quote Details on The dog has got more fun out of Man than…
But those rare souls whose spirit gets magically into the hearts of men, leave behind them something more real and warmly personal than bodily presence, an ineffable and eternal thing. It is everlasting life touching us as something more than a vague, recondite concept. The sound of a great name dies like an echo; the splendor of fame fades into nothing; but the grace of a fine spirit pervades the places through which it has passed, like the haunting loveliness of mignonette. - View Quote Details on But those rare souls whose spirit gets magically into the…
Her own mother lived the latter years of her life in the horrible suspicion that electricity was dripping invisibly all over the house. - View Quote Details on Her own mother lived the latter years of her life…