Fran Lebowitz

I never met anyone who didn't have a very smart child. What happens to these children, you wonder, when they reach adulthood?

— Fran Lebowitz art

There's no such thing as advice to the lovelorn. If they took advice, they wouldn't be lovelorn. You see, advice and lovelorn don't go together. Because advice makes love sound like some sort of cognitive activity, but we know that it isn't. We all know that it's some sort of horrible chemical reaction over which we have absolutely no control. And that's why advice doesn't work.

— Fran Lebowitz love

Should novels generally be 600 pages? No, they should not. Half of writing, maybe 3/4 of writing, is editing. This seems to be a thing that has not gotten through to them. It’s my impression that you could get rid of half of most of these books. These people are not good enough to be this long, but they’re apparently also not good enough to be shorter.

— Fran Lebowitz writing

I doubt there’s ever been a true thing said on . Maybe the weather report, maybe not.

— Fran Lebowitz doubt

Most of my news, I get from the radio news stations. One of the stations' advertising lines is "Give us 22 minutes, we’ll give you the world." In 22 minutes, they just have time for the headlines, so they can only really tell you what happened — which, by the way, is the news. They tell you how many people were killed in Iraq today, but they don’t then bring on some Republican senator to explain to you how that’s good. Or, on the contrary, they don’t bring in a bunch of Democrats to tell you why it’s bad. They just tell you what happened. That’s the news. I am capable of analyzing my own news. What makes these people qualified to analyze my news for me? No matter what side they’re on, I never agree with them.

— Fran Lebowitz time

The terrible state of public education has paid huge dividends in ignorance. Huge. We now have a country that can be told blatant lies — easily checkable, blatant lies — and I’m not talking about the covert workings of the CIA. When we have a terrorist attack, on September 11, 2001 with 19 men — 15 of them are Saudis — and five minutes later the whole country thinks they’re from Iraq — how can you have faith in the public? This is an easily checkable fact. The whole country is like the O.J. Simpson jurors.

— Fran Lebowitz faith

E.P. Dutton, 1978,

— Fran Lebowitz

All God's children are not beautiful. Most of God's children are, in fact, barely presentable. The most common error made in matters of appearance is the belief that one should disdain the superficial and let the true beauty of one's soul shine through. If there are places on your body where this is a possibility, you are not attractive — you are leaking.

— Fran Lebowitz beauty

Rome is a very loony city in every respect. One needs but spend an hour or two there to realize thatmakes documentaries.

— Fran Lebowitz men

Any child who cannot do long division by himself does not deserve to smoke.

— Fran Lebowitz self

I love sleep because it is both pleasant and safe to use. Pleasant because one is in the best possible company and safe because sleep is the consummate protection against the unseemliness that is the invariable consequence of being awake. What you don't know won't hurt you. Sleep is death without the responsibility.

— Fran Lebowitz love

Life is something to do when you can't get to sleep.

— Fran Lebowitz sleep

Bread that must be sliced with an ax is bread that is too nourishing.

— Fran Lebowitz read

Women who insist on having the same options as men would do well to consider the option of being the strong, silent type.

— Fran Lebowitz men

Having been unpopular in high school is not just cause for book publication.

— Fran Lebowitz book

If your sexual fantasies were truly of interest to others, they would no longer be fantasies.

— Fran Lebowitz sex

Being a woman is of special interest only to aspiring male transsexuals. To actual women it is simply a good excuse not to play football.

— Fran Lebowitz women

"In the Soviet Union, capitalism triumphed over communism. In this country, capitalism triumphed over democracy."

— Fran Lebowitz democracy

Original thought is like original sin: both happened before you were born to people you could not have possibly met.

— Fran Lebowitz people

The conversational overachiever is someone whose grasp exceeds his reach. This is possible but not attractive.

— Fran Lebowitz conversation

The opposite of talking isn't listening. The opposite of talking is waiting.

— Fran Lebowitz listening

Do not elicit your child's political opinions. He doesn't know any more than you do.

— Fran Lebowitz you

Children do not really need money. After all, they don't have to pay rent or send mailgrams.

— Fran Lebowitz money

Ask your child what he wants for dinner only if he's buying.

— Fran Lebowitz you

Educational television should be absolutely forbidden. It can only lead to unreasonable expectations and eventual disappointment when your child discovers that the letters of the alphabet do not leap up out of books and dance around the room with royal-blue chickens.

— Fran Lebowitz books

No animal should ever jump up on the dining room furniture unless absolutely certain that he can hold his own in the conversation.

— Fran Lebowitz conversation

Remember that as a teenager you are in the last stage of your life when you will be happy to hear the phone is for you.

— Fran Lebowitz life

Should you be a teenager blessed with uncommon good looks, document this state of affairs by the taking of photographs. It is the only way anyone will ever believe you in years to come.

— Fran Lebowitz men

Stand firm in your refusal to remain conscious during algebra. In real life, I assure you, there is no such thing as algebra.

— Fran Lebowitz life

Think before you speak. Read before you think. This will give you something to think about that you didn't make up yourself - a wise move at any age, but most especially at seventeen, when you are in the greatest danger of coming to annoying conclusions.

— Fran Lebowitz self

I understand, of course, that many people find smoking objectionable. That is their right. I would, I assure you, be the very last to criticize the annoyed. I myself find many-- even most-- things objectionable. Being offended is the natural consequence of leaving one's home. I do not like aftershave lotion, adults who roller-skate, children who speak French, or anyone who is unduly tan. I do not, however, go around enacting legislation and putting up signs. In private I avoid such people; in public they have the run of the place. I stay at home as much as possible, and so should they. When it is necessary, however, to go out of the house, they must be prepared, as I am, to deal with the unpleasant personal habits of others. That is what "public" means.

— Fran Lebowitz people

Youre only as good as your last haircut.

— Fran Lebowitz good

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