Lebowitz is strictly opposed to technology and to this day has no cell phone, computer, or typewriter. She has been a resident of Manhattan, New York since 1970.
Fran is a renowned humorist and essayist. 'Metropolitan Life', her collection of essays, was critically acclaimed when it was published in 1978.
It brought great success to Fran as she was compared to Dorothy Parker. Her wit and intelligence paved the way for her into the inner circle of celebrities in New York City where she started her career as a film critic. She also has appeared in television shows 'Law and Order' as a semi-recurring character.
And has had a cameo in the hit movie 'The Wolf Of Wall Street'. You could check out Fran Lebowitz quotes on trump, too.
For more related content take a look at Dorothy Parker quotes and Susan Sontag quotes.
Here are some of the most well-known Fran Lebowitz quotes about success and life.
1. “The second I learned to read in first grade, when I was 5, I preferred it to life. And I still do.”
2. “Albert Einstein wasn’t getting lost in the master bedroom, he was lost in thought.”
3. “I’ve done the calculation and your chances of winning the lottery are identical whether you play or not.”
4. “Reading is better than life. Without reading, you’re stuck with life.”
5. “If people don’t hold grudges, it means they just don’t care what others do.”
6. “Humility is no substitute for a good personality.”
7. “You can’t go around hoping that most people have sterling moral characters. The most you can hope for is that they will pretend that they do.”
8. “Perhaps the least cheering statement ever made on the subject of art is that life imitates it.”
9. “Racism is just a fantasy of superiority. There literally is no difference between people of different races, zero difference.”
― Fran Lebowitz, ‘Who’s Afraid Of Fran Lebowitz? | All About Women’, Mar 16, 2018.
10. “Human nature is not that great. That’s why they call it human nature and not human heart.”
― Fran Lebowitz, ‘Who’s Afraid Of Fran Lebowitz? | All About Women’, Mar 16, 2018.
11. “Tolerance is really a better thing than understanding. Because it doesn’t agitate against human nature.”
― Fran Lebowitz, ‘Interview with Francesco Clemente’, Interview Magazine.
12. “Life is so absurd now that it is almost impossible to be a satirist in this era.”
13. “Abandon the search for truth; settle for a good fantasy.”
14. “I think humor is warmer, and wit is colder. Wit is judgment, whereas humor invites some sort of response.”
― Fran Lebowitz, ‘In Conversation with Phong Bui’.
15. “Now the culture is made of old things, it’s a collage. Art made out of art is not art. You're supposed to make art out of life.”
― Fran Lebowitz, ‘Interview with Paper Magazine’.
16. “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.”
― Fran Lebowitz, ‘Index Magazine interview with David Savage’.
Great quotes from the New York based author Fran Lebowitz that are witty and funny.
17. “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, ‘Interview with Bob Morris’.
18. “If you don’t have children and you don’t have a job, you have time for friendship. People who have jobs are not the best friends to have. It’s better to be friends with people who are unemployed.”
19. “All God’s children are not beautiful. Most of God’s children are, in fact, barely presentable.”
20. “Any child who cannot do long division by himself does not deserve to smoke.”
― Fran Lebowitz, ‘Digital Clocks and Pocket Calculators: Spoilers of Youth’.
21. “I went to a Muhammad Ali fight at the Garden. It was a very wonderful fashion and cultural event. Unfortunately, there was a fight in the middle of it.”
― Fran Lebowitz, ‘Pretend It's a City’.
22. “Being offended is a natural consequence of leaving the house.”
23. “I believe in talking behind peoples’ backs. That way, they hear it more than once.”
24. “The best fame is a writer’s fame. It's enough to get a table at a good restaurant, but not enough to get you interrupted when you eat.”
25. “Success didn’t spoil me, I’ve always been insufferable.”
26. “When you leave New York, you are astonished at how clean the rest of the world is. Clean is not enough.”
27. “Anyone who uses the phrase ‘easy as taking a candy from a baby’ has never tried taking a candy from a baby.”
28. “Great people talk about ideas, average people talk about things, and small people talk about wine.”
29. “Never name-drop at the dinner table. The only thing worse than a fly in one’s soup is a celebrity.”
30. “You can be nasty when you are young, but you really have to be older to achieve bitterness.”
31. “The telephone is a good way to talk to people without having to offer them a drink.”
Quotes on writing and being an author by Fran Lebowitz.
32. “If you feel the urge to write, just lie down and read a book: it will pass.”
33. “When I’m supposed to be writing I clean my apartment, take my clothes to the laundry, get organized, make lists, do the dishes. I would never do a dish unless I had to write.”
34. “I write so slowly, I could write with my own blood and not hurt myself.”
― Fran Lebowitz, ‘Who's Afraid Of Fran Lebowitz? | All About Women’, Mar 16, 2018.
35. “When I started getting real work done, I realized how much easier it is to write then not to write.”
36. “People seem to think there is some connection between talking and writing, but I love to talk and if there were some connection between the two of them I would be the most prolific writer in the history of the world.”
37. “Instead of writing it wrong six times and then writing it right, I think it wrong six times and then write it right the seventh time.”
― Fran Lebowitz, ‘Interview with Fran Lebowitz’ by Thomas Beller.
38. “I’m not a nervous person. I’m not afraid to be on TV. I’m only afraid when I write. When I’m at my desk I feel like most people would feel if they went on TV.”
39. “Not writing is probably the most exhausting profession I’ve ever encountered.”
40. “All the time I’m not writing I feel like a criminal.”
(Fran Lebowitz quotes are funny.)
Quotes from her book 'The Fran Lebowitz Reader' talk about human beings and the aspects of social studies.
41. “A dog who thinks he is man’s best friend is a dog who obviously has never met a tax lawyer.”
42. “Children are rarely in the position to lend one a truly interesting sum of money. There are, however, exceptions, and such children are an excellent addition to any party.”
43. “Do not elicit your child’s political opinions. He doesn’t know any more than you do.”
44. “No animal should ever jump up on the dining room furniture unless absolutely certain that he can hold his own in the conversation.”
45. “Scientists—that crowd that for wit and dash make the general public look alike the Bloomsbury Set.”
46. “The opposite of talking isn’t listening. The opposite of talking is waiting.”
47. “Stand firm in your refusal to remain conscious during algebra. In real life, I assure you, there is no such thing as algebra.”
48. “As a teenager, you are at the last stage in your life when you will be happy to hear that the phone is for you.”
49. “Think before you speak. Read before you think.”
50. “Ask your child what he wants for dinner only if he’s buying.”
51. “Children are the most desirable opponents at scrabble as they are both easy to beat and fun to cheat.”
52. “Your child is watching too much television if there exists the possibility that he might melt down.”
53. “Never allow your child to call you by your first name. He hasn’t known you long enough.”
54. “Designer clothes worn by children are like snowsuits worn by adults. Few can carry it off successfully.”
55. “Having been unpopular in high school is not just cause for book publications.”
56. “If you are only a bird in a gilded cage-count your blessings.”
57. “An interesting personality is, in an adult, insufferable. In a teenager, it is frequently punishable by law.”
58. “Perhaps the least cheering statement ever made on the subject of art is that life imitates it.”
59. “A hobby is, of course, an abomination, as are all consuming interests and passions that do not lead directly to large, personal gain.”
60. “First of all, nature is by and large to be found out of doors, a location where it cannot be argued, there are never enough comfortable chairs.”
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for [article] then why not take a look at [Emily Dickenson quotes] or Betty Friedan quotes.
Main image credit: Miro Vrlik Photography / Shutterstock.com
Bachelor of Arts specializing in English, Master of Arts specializing in English
Rajnandini Roychoudhury Bachelor of Arts specializing in English, Master of Arts specializing in English
With a Master of Arts in English, Rajnandini has pursued her passion for the arts and has become an experienced content writer. She has worked with companies such as Writer's Zone and has had her writing skills recognized by publications such as The Telegraph. Rajnandini is also trilingual and enjoys various hobbies such as music, movies, travel, philanthropy, writing her blog, and reading classic British literature.
Read the Disclaimer Fact Correction1) Kidadl is independent and to make our service free to you the reader we are supported by advertising. We hope you love our recommendations for products and services! What we suggest is selected independently by the Kidadl team. If you purchase using the Buy Now button we may earn a small commission. This does not influence our choices. Prices are correct and items are available at the time the article was published but we cannot guarantee that on the time of reading. Please note that Kidadl is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. We also link to other websites, but are not responsible for their content.
2) At Kidadl, we strive to recommend the very best activities and events. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability. Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
3) Because we are an educational resource, we have quotes and facts about a range of historical and modern figures. We do not endorse the actions of or rhetoric of all the people included in these collections, but we think they are important for growing minds to learn about under the guidance of parents or guardians.
