A. Scott Berg Quotes, born December 4, 1949, in Norwalk, Connecticut, is an American biographer whose meticulous research and vivid storytelling have earned him acclaim. A Princeton graduate, Berg won a National Book Award for Max Perkins: Editor of Genius (1978) and a Pulitzer Prize for Lindbergh (1998). His works, including Goldwyn, Kate Remembered, and Wilson, explore American cultural icons with depth and nuance. Berg’s passion for F. Scott Fitzgerald and Woodrow Wilson shaped his career, blending personal insight with historical context.
These 15 quotes—sourced from his books, interviews, and public statements—reflect his thoughts on biography, creativity, history, and the human experience, capturing his thoughtful, engaging voice.
15 A. Scott Berg Quotes
- “I think a biography is only as interesting as the lives and times it illuminates.” (BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “Max said little. His essential quality was always to say little, but by powerful empathy for writers and for books to draw out of them what they had it in them to say and to write.” (Goodreads, n.d.)
- “Another Brownell adage that Perkins subscribed to was that the worst reason for publishing anything was that it resembled something else, that however unconscious, ‘an imitation is always inferior.’” (Goodreads, n.d.)
- “Everyone has to find her own way of writing, and the source of finding it is largely out of literature.” (QuoteFancy, 2021)
- “I don’t know of a soul who packed more living into 72 years than Charles Lindbergh did.” (BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “There is always a certain leap of faith that editors have made with their nonfiction writers. If the trust is broken, things can get very embarrassing for the writers and the publisher.” (BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “I developed a mania for Fitzgerald—by the time I’d graduated from high school I’d read everything he’d written.” (BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “I’m so blessed to have such enlightened parents. It must have been very hard to watch their able-bodied son lock himself up in his old room for most of his 20s.” (QuoteFancy, 2021)
- “When most people think of Woodrow Wilson, they see a dour minister’s son who never cracked a smile, where in fact he was a man of genuine joy and great sadness.” (BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “There’s a good feeling about them. It’s something I like to find in fiction. So many writers master form and technique, but get so little feeling into their work.” (QuoteFancy, 2021)
- “I think it is important for readers to know that it is possible to bring intellectualism and idealism to the White House and still be political enough to advance an agenda.” (BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “By the ’40s, Sam Goldwyn is a very serious man. By the ’50s, he’s the dean of American producers. To the end, he was Hollywood’s gray eminence.” (QuoteFancy, 2021)
- “I am a compulsive worker. But I’m also a compulsive relaxer.” (Citatis, n.d.)
- “Great changes are coming. Great things are going to happen. I may not live to see them, but you will.” (QuoteFancy, 2021)
- “Clark Gable seemed fascinating all his life because there wasn’t so much information about him. Today, you’re on television all the time.” (QuoteFancy, 2021)
A. Scott Berg’s quotes illuminate the art of biography, the depth of human stories, and the pursuit of authenticity, inspiring us to explore history with curiosity and empathy. Which quote resonates with your love for storytelling? Share it in the comments and keep Berg’s literary legacy thriving!
Emma Thompson
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