Quotes from Terry Pratchett

Actors, said Granny, witheringly. As if the world weren't full of enough history without inventing more.

I grow as many of our vegetables as I can, because my granddad was a professional gardener, and it's in the blood.

Often I sort of work up and down the manuscript. I sometimes used to go ahead of myself to see what was going to happen next, to make certain it fits what was going to be happening soon.

It was sad, like those businessmen who came to work in serious clothes but wore colorful ties in a mad, desperate attempt to show there was a free spirit in there somewhere.

The only superstition I have is that I must start a new book on the same day that I finish the last one, even if it's just a few notes in a file. I dread not having work in progress.

I write books back to back, and I work very hard on them.

It's actually true that I keep myself going by constantly promising myself that in response for the hard work I will be allowed to do some more hard work later on.

It is said that the Devil has all the best tunes. This is broadly true. But Heaven has the best choreographers

I know three people who have got better after a brain tumour. I haven't heard of anyone who's got better from Alzheimer's.

Nothing I can say or devise, and nothing anybody else can say or devise, is going to be perfect.

The pen is mightier than the sword if the sword is very short, and the pen is very sharp.

The thing is, 'Discworld' had been going on for a very long time, and I've written children's books as well. Usually when people have a really big series they franchise it, which I thought is a bit of a no-no, so I thought what I'd do is I'd franchise it to myself.

Previous generations understood about death, and undoubtedly would have seen a reasonable amount of death. Once you get into the Victorian era, you might well have seen the funerals of many of your siblings before you were very old.

The ideal death, I think, is what was the ideal Victorian death, you know, with your grandchildren around you, a bit of sobbing. And you say goodbye to your loved ones, making certain that one of them has been left behind to look after the shop.

Chances are where you find them

The reason that clichés become clichés is that they are the hammers and screwdrivers in the toolbox of communication.

Some people are confident because they are fools. Leonard had the look of someone who was confident because, so far, he'd never found a reason not to be.

This is Morbidia," said Vlad. "Although she's been calling herself Tracy lately, to be cool.

It occurred to me that at one point it was like I had two diseases - one was Alzheimers, and the other was knowing I had Alzheimers.

Using a metaphor in front of a man as unimaginative as Ridcully was like a red flag to a bull, was like putting something very annoying in front of someone who was annoyed by it.

You can't kill me, I've got a magic... AAAARGH !

Many an ancient lord's last words have been, 'You can't kill me because I've got magic aaargh.'

Just to keep bad dreams at bay, she took a swig out of a bottle that smelled of apples and happy brain-death.

DO I DETECT A NOTE OF UNSEASONAL GRUMPINESS? said Death. NO SUGAR PIGGYWIGGY FOR YOU, ALBERT.