I think one is naturally impressed by anything having a beginning a middle and an ending when one is beginning writing and that it is a natural thing because when one is emerging from adolescence, which is really when one first begins writing one feels that one would not have been one emerging from adolescence if there had not been a beginning and a middle and an ending to anything.

— Gertrude Stein

It is extraordinary that when you are acquainted with a whole family you can forget about them.

— Gertrude Stein

It is funny that men who are supposed to be scientific cannot get themselves to realize the basic principle of physics, that action and reaction are equal and opposite, that when you persecute people you always rouse them to be strong and stronger.

— Gertrude Stein

It is nice that nobody writes as they talk and that the printed language is different from the spoken otherwise you could not lose yourself in books and of course you do you completely do.

— Gertrude Stein

It is the human habit to think in centuries from a grandparent to a grandchild because it just does take about a hundred years for things to cease to have the same meaning as they did before,

— Gertrude Stein

It is the soothing thing about history that it does repeat itself.

— Gertrude Stein

It is very easy to love alone.

— Gertrude Stein

It takes a heap of loafing to write a book.

— Gertrude Stein

It takes a lot of time to be a genius. You have to sit around so much, doing nothing, really doing nothing.

— Gertrude Stein

I understand you undertake to overthrow my undertaking.

— Gertrude Stein