Uncle Heshie said his inventions came from seeing something in his mind’s eye and then delivering it to the world. That was art – manifesting your idea in the world, If it were enough to have the idea, all those white boys Zippo went to art school with – who talked and talked but never got off their asses – would be celebrated geniuses. The idea had to be executed, find its worthvin its passage into existence.

Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead

Harlem Shuffle and Crook Manifesto are terrific books, and a lot of fun. (I can also vouch for Zone One and The Underground Railroad – I haven’t read his others. These two are real horror stories.) I don’t believe that any worth of novels comes from being able to mine them for inspirational quotes, but Zippo, I mean Whitehead, is spot on here. Arse to seat, pen to paper, put the hours in and get the work done. Plus I like the bit just before this, Zippo walking the city, “half in stupor” trying “to reconcile idea with object“. Walking, swimming, taking showers. That’s my advice.