17 Quotes & Sayings By Roddy Doyle

Roddy Doyle is an award-winning Irish writer. He was born in Dublin and lives there. Doyle's first book, The Commitments, was published in 1987 and won the Booker Prize for that year. It became one of the most popular novels of the 20th Century Read more

His second novel, Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, which he wrote while suffering from alcoholism, was published in 1992 and won the Booker Prize for 1993. His third novel, The Woman Who Walked Into Doors, was published in 2000 and won the Booker Prize for Novel of the Year in 2001. He has won many other awards including the American Library Association's Alex Award (2001) for his contribution to children's literature.

Doyle's other novels include The Guts (1999), The Gap (2006), The Barrytown Trilogy (2007–2010) and What Are You Doing At The End Of The World? (2012).

1
She’s happier than Nicola. That’s probably true. Alcoholics can stop drinking but what is there for the children of alcoholics? Is it always too late? Probably. She doesn’t know. Roddy Doyle
2
Schools don't really allow failure and yet it's part of any endeavour, not just writing. Roddy Doyle
3
She'd tried her hand at most things, but drew the line at honesty. Roddy Doyle
4
Gloria screamed, but nothing came out. She could feel the scream in her throat, but it was clinging there, too scared to climb out of her mouth. Raymond might have screamed, too--he wasn't sure. His face was an exploding red ball--that was what it felt like. His heart was in the middle of his head. He couldn't see a thing. Roddy Doyle
5
We parked our bikes on verges so they could graze. Roddy Doyle
6
Sometimes, when you were thinking about something, trying to understand it, it opened up in your head without you expecting it to, like it was a soft spongy light unfolding, and you understood, it made sense forever… Roddy Doyle
7
It was a sign of growing up, when the dark made no more difference to you than the day. Roddy Doyle
8
I jumped on Sinbad's bottle. Nothing happened. I didn't do it again. Sometimes when nothing happened it was really getting ready to happen Roddy Doyle
9
Mary, ' said her mother. 'We don't like sarcasm ' 'You mightn't like it, ' said Mary. 'But I love it. Roddy Doyle
10
If you were going to be best friends with anyone - Kevin - you had to hate a lot of other people, the two of you, together. It made you better friends. Roddy Doyle
11
Do ghosts drink tea? They don't, said Tansey. But this ghost would love to see a cup of tea in front of her. It'd be lovely. Roddy Doyle
12
One day at a time, sweet Jesus. Whoever wrote that one hadn’t a clue. A day is a fuckin’ eternity Roddy Doyle
13
I was the ref. I was the ref they didn’t know about. Deaf and dumb. Invisible as a wall. I wanted no one to win Roddy Doyle
14
Schools don't really allow failure and yet it's a valid part of any endeavour, not just writing. Roddy Doyle
15
When I started writing full time I had not long stopped being a teacher and when at last I had a full day to write, I would put music on and wonder to myself - am I allowed to do this? Then I thought: 'I am control of this and no one is telling me what I can do.' Roddy Doyle
16
If you are a writer you're at home, which means you're out of touch. You have to make excuses to get out there and look at how the world is changing. Roddy Doyle