Michel Serres Quotes
Michel Serres was a French philosopher of communication and science, a member of the Academie francaise, and one of the most idiosyncratic stylists of late-twentieth-century French thought. His five-volume Hermes series, The Parasite, and Genesis pursued a philosophy of relations, mediations, and noise, finding in the figure of the parasite the founding interruption of every exchange. The quotes below are attributed to Michel Serres, organized by topic.
Michel Serres on God
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“I understand that many people believe that writers write from their heart or from their soul. I write from the nagging pit of my gut, to make the stomachache go away.”
On what drives her to write in “An Interview with Michele Serros, April 2013” (Orange Monkey Publishing)
Michel Serres on Knowledge
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Attributed to Michel Serres:
“To know is to set out; all knowledge is travel.”
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Attributed to Michel Serres:
“To teach is to invent.”
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“On what drives her to write in “An Interview with Michele Serros, April 2013” (Orange Monkey Publishing)”
I understand that many people believe that writers write from their heart or from their soul. I write from the nagging pit of my gut, to make the stomachache go away. -
“The most authentic me would, again, be the voice behind the short stories and poetry. The least “me” would be the script writer and the author of some magazine pieces I’ve written that have been, basically, paycheck pieces. After so many rewrites and editorial suggestions (i.e. changes) prompted by NY-based mainstream magazine editors whom I’ve never met, my voice definitely gets lost along the way.”
On whom she considers the authentic “Michele” in “An Interview with Michele Serros, April 2013” (Orange Monkey Publishing) -
“On whom she considers the authentic “Michele” in “An Interview with Michele Serros, April 2013” (Orange Monkey Publishing)”
The most authentic me would, again, be the voice behind the short stories and poetry. The least “me” would be the script writer and the author of some magazine pieces I’ve written that have been, basically, paycheck pieces. After so many rewrites and editorial suggestions (i.e. changes) prompted by NY-based mainstream magazine editors whom I’ve never met, my voice definitely gets lost along the wa -
“I relished the fact that I was a fourth-generation Californian, but not looking like the stereotypical blond beach girl…I always felt like an outsider.”
On not fitting the stereotypical California mold (as quoted in “Remembering 'Generation Mex' Writer And Proud Outsider Michele Serros” in NPR ; 2015 Jan 7) -
“On not fitting the stereotypical California mold (as quoted in “Remembering 'Generation Mex' Writer And Proud Outsider Michele Serros” in NPR ; 2015 Jan 7)”
I relished the fact that I was a fourth-generation Californian, but not looking like the stereotypical blond beach girl…I always felt like an outsider. -
“On what she set out to write as a young adult novelist (as quoted in “Remembering 'Generation Mex' Writer And Proud Outsider Michele Serros” in NPR ; 2015 Jan 7)”
I grew up reading a lot of young adult novels. And being an author and speaker and going into middle schools and high schools, I was seeing a lot of the same books that I read, and they followed a similar theme and that's a theme I like to call the three B's: It was always about barrios, borders or bodegas. And I wanted to present a different type of life — a life that truly goes on that we don't
Michel Serres on Life
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“I grew up reading a lot of young adult novels. And being an author and speaker and going into middle schools and high schools, I was seeing a lot of the same books that I read, and they followed a similar theme and that's a theme I like to call the three B's: It was always about barrios, borders or bodegas. And I wanted to present a different type of life — a life that truly goes on that we don't always see in the mainstream media.”
On what she set out to write as a young adult novelist (as quoted in “Remembering 'Generation Mex' Writer And Proud Outsider Michele Serros” in NPR ; 2015 Jan 7)
Michel Serres on Nature
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Attributed to Michel Serres:
“Noise is the basis of order.”
Michel Serres on Time
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Attributed to Michel Serres:
“We have changed worlds: we live now in a world of soft objects, of relations, and of code.”
Michel Serres on Truth
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Attributed to Michel Serres:
“There is no communication without parasites.”