September 21: Notable Births, with Quotes

Explore memorable and revealing quotes from public figures, past and present, who were born on September 21.

Stephen King, author (September 21, 1947–present)

“You know, for me, as a guy who is in his 70s now, I can remember my mother talking about the Great Depression. It made a scar. It left trauma behind.” —Stephen King
Gross, Terry. “Stephen King Is Sorry You Feel Like You’re Stuck In A Stephen King Novel.” NPR, December 29, 2020, https://www.npr.org/2020/12/29/949822929/stephen-king-is-sorry-you-feel-like-youre-stuck-in-a-stephen-king-novel

“One of the things that fascinates me about this whole spectrum that I write in, which is a pretty wide – people can call me a horror writer if they want to. And that’s fine. As long as the checks don’t bounce, I’m happy with that. But I think that I do a lot more. And I’m interested in the mystery of what we are and what we’re capable of doing.” —Stephen King
Gross, Terry. “Stephen King Is Sorry You Feel Like You’re Stuck In A Stephen King Novel.” NPR, December 29, 2020, https://www.npr.org/2020/12/29/949822929/stephen-king-is-sorry-you-feel-like-youre-stuck-in-a-stephen-king-novel

Leonard Cohen, singer and songwriter (September 21, 1934–November 7, 2016)

“There are certain poems that really do lie very gracefully on the page. For instance, to take an obvious example, if – a poem by E.E. Cummings has a certain graceful display on the page. And some poems just naturally are meant to be absorbed in silence, where the tempo is decided on by the reader. And he could reverse it and forward it and linger.” —Leonard Cohen
Gross, Terry. “Leonard Cohen On Poetry, Music And Why He Left The Zen Monastery.” NPR, October 21, 2016, https://www.npr.org/2016/10/21/498810429/leonard-cohen-on-poetry-music-and-why-he-left-the-zen-monastery

“I’m in this situation where I can’t discard anything unless I finish it. So I have to finish the verses that I discard. So it takes a long time. I have to finish it to know whether it deserves to survive in the song. So in that sense, all the songs take a long time. And although the good lines come unbidden, they’re anticipated. And the anticipation involves a patient application to the enterprise.” —Leonard Cohen
Gross, Terry. “Leonard Cohen On Poetry, Music And Why He Left The Zen Monastery.” NPR, October 21, 2016, https://www.npr.org/2016/10/21/498810429/leonard-cohen-on-poetry-music-and-why-he-left-the-zen-monastery

Chuck Jones, animator (September 21, 1912–February 22, 2002)

“Every cat is different than other cats.” —Chuck Jones
Winkler, Alice. “What It Takes – Chuck Jones.” VOA, May 25, 2018, https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/what-it-takes-chuck-jones/4364318.html

“I started reading when I was just about three, I think, three and — a little over three. My father felt that it was best if we did our own reading. He said he had too many things he wanted to read himself to waste his time reading to us. He said, ‘You want to read? Learn to read.’” —Chuck Jones
Winkler, Alice. “What It Takes – Chuck Jones.” VOA, May 25, 2018, https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/what-it-takes-chuck-jones/4364318.html

H.G. Wells, author (September 21, 1866–August 13, 1946)

“Nature never appeals to intelligence until habit and instinct are useless. There is no intelligence where there is no change and no need of change. Only those animals partake of intelligence that have to meet a huge variety of needs and dangers.” —H.G. Wells
Wells, H.G. “The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Time Machine, by H. G. Wells.” Project Gutenberg, October 22, 2020, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/35/35-h/35-h.htm

“It sounds plausible enough tonight, but wait until tomorrow. Wait for the common sense of the morning.” —H.G. Wells
Wells, H.G. “The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Time Machine, by H. G. Wells.” Project Gutenberg, October 22, 2020, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/35/35-h/35-h.htm

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