Ruskin Bond

“and when all the wars are over, a butterfly will still be beautiful.”

“Yesterday, I was sad, tomorrow i may be sad again, but today i know that i am happy. I want to live on and on, delighting like a pagan in all that is physical; and i know that this one lifet...”

“Happiness is an elusive state of mind not to be gained by clumsy pursuit.It is given to those who do not sue for it:to be unconcerned about a desired good is probably the only way to possess...”

“love is undying,of that I feel certain.I mean deep,abiding,cherishing love.The love that gives protection even as you,my guardian angel,gave me protection long after you had gone-and continu...”

“Hapiness is as exclusive as a butterfly, and you must never pursue it. If you stay very still, it may come and settle on your hand. But only briefly. Savour those moments, for they will not...”

“People often ask me why my style is so simple. It is, in fact, deceptively simple, for no two sentences are alike. It is clarity that I am striving to attain, not simplicity. Of course, some...”

“Sometimes the weak will last for years, while the strong will suddenly collapse and die.”

“The ghost story is a popular genre of mine and is particularly adaptable to the visual media.”

“For the film 'Saat Khoon Maaf,' which was adapted from my story 'Susanna's Seven Husbands,' I did collaborate on the screenplay. I even took a small role in the film, of a priest.”

“Books of exploration have always fascinated me, like somebody going up the Amazon for the first time.”

“I have been apolitical all my life.”

“There was Uncle Ken of mine about whom I wrote a lot of stories. I can always write stories about uncles and aunts and distant relatives. They have to be distant, though; otherwise, you'll b...”

“I had a bad habit of falling in love with any girl who was nice to me.”

“I liked the old comic books, especially the funny ones like 'Popeye' and 'Beetle Bailey.'”

“As a schoolboy, I loved Charles Dickens. His 'David Copperfield' has had the strongest influence on me - I looked up to David Copperfield as a role model.”

“I've noticed people in India have developed a habit of hugging around people. I don't understand it now. I wanted to be hugged when I was young. Now, if someone wants to hug me, I feel only...”

“I use a ball pen because fountain pens are clumsy, and I get ink all over my fingers by the time I finish with it.”

“I am a compulsive writer.”

“The Nehru years were rather very peaceful years. A lot happened in those years: dams were built, five-year plans were made, Chandigarh was built in front of my eyes. Those were the years I g...”

“Occasionally, I have written about stories related to crime, but I have never attempted a traditional detective story. So I want to write a true detective story.”