39+ Mickey Spillane Quotes On Death, Columbo And Tattletales

Mickey Spillane was an American author of crime fiction, particularly detective novels. He was best known for his Mike Hammer series, which he wrote between 1947 and 2002. His works were known for their hard-boiled, noir style and often-controversial content. Following is our collection on famous quotes by Mickey Spillane on life, love, death.

Top 10 Mickey Spillane Quotes

1. The first chapter sells the book; the last chapter sells the next book.
2. I'm actually a softie. Tough guys get killed too early... I've got a full head of hair and don't wear eyeglasses.
3. Mike Hammer drinks beer because I can't spell Cognac.
4. Inspiration is an empty bank account.
5. If the public likes you, you're good. Shakespeare was a common, down-to-earth writer in his day.
6. Hemingway hated me. I sold 200 million books, and he didn't. Of course most of mine sold for 25 cents, but still... you look at all this stuff with a grain of salt.
7. I started off at the high level, in the slick magazines, but they didn't use my name, they used house names. Anyway, then I went downhill to the pulps, then downhill further to the comics.
8. If you're a singer you lose your voice. A baseball player loses his arm. A writer gets more knowledge, and if he's good, the older he gets, the better he writes.
9. See, heroes never die. John Wayne isn't dead, Elvis isn't dead. Otherwise you don't have a hero. You can't kill a hero. That's why I never let him get older.
10. Where I am they can smell out a hurricane. My house survived Hurricane Hazel, but it didn't get past Hugo.

Mickey Spillane Short Quotes

• I played in a movie called Ring of Fear with Clyde Beatty and Pat O'Brien.
• I know an awful lot of Hollywood people, who are so self-important, I can't understand it.
• I try to stay in good physical shape, I don't smoke, I don't drink.
• I wrote the original Mike Hammer as a comic, Mike Danger.
• Victor Saville was bad news because he wanted money just to do one big picture.
• If the public likes you, you're good.
• If I need something, I'll invent it.
• Authors want their names down in history; I want to keep the smoke coming out of the chimney.
• Critics themselves, they used to tear me up.
• I have no fans. You know what I got? Customers. And customers are your friends.

Mickey Spillane Quotes About Writing

I'm a commercial writer, not an author. Margaret Mitchell was an author. She wrote one book. — Mickey Spillane

Those big-shot writers could never dig the fact that there are more salted peanuts consumed than caviar. — Mickey Spillane

Oh yeah, I was one of the first guys writing comic books, I wrote Captain America, with guys like Stan Lee, who became famous later on with Marvel Comics. — Mickey Spillane

Nobody reads a book to get to the middle. — Mickey Spillane

Mickey Spillane Quotes About Writer

I'm 82 years old, wherever I go everybody knows me, but here's why... I'm a merchandiser, I'm not just a writer, I stay in every avenue you can think of. — Mickey Spillane

Stephen King. Now I'm not crazy about him, but he's a great a writer. — Mickey Spillane

I'm the most translated writer in the world, behind Lenin, Tolstoy, Gorki and Jules Verne. And they're all dead. — Mickey Spillane

I'm not an author, I'm a writer, that's all I am. Authors want their names down in history; I want to keep the smoke coming out of the chimney. — Mickey Spillane

Now I'm not an author, I'm a writer, that's all I am. — Mickey Spillane

Mickey Spillane Quotes About Books

Nobody reads a mystery to get to the middle. They read it to get to the end. If it's a letdown, they won't buy anymore. The first page sells that book. The last page sells your next book. — Mickey Spillane

The most important part of a story is the ending. No one reads a book to get to the middle. — Mickey Spillane

The first page sells this book. The last page sells your next book. — Mickey Spillane

I dont like any of them, because they don't read the books. In Kiss Me Deadly my story is better than his story. Anthony Quinn played in The Lond Wait and he didn't read the book either. — Mickey Spillane

I read all the time... I read a lot of history books. — Mickey Spillane

No one likes my books except the public. — Mickey Spillane

Mickey Spillane Famous Quotes And Sayings

I don't like people. I don't like any kind of people. When you get them together in a big lump they all get nasty and dirty and full of trouble. So I don't like people including you. That's what a misanthropist is. — Mickey Spillane

Imagine this guy hits Mike Hammer over the head with a wooden coathanger and knocks him out. You hit Mike Hammer over the head with a wooden coathanger, he'll beat the crap out of you. — Mickey Spillane

My father was Catholic, my mother was Protestant, and because of that I got Christened in both churches, so I've got all these names... but my Dad always called me Mick. — Mickey Spillane

I'm a country boy. I hate New York. But that's where things happen, so I use it as a base for stories, I know enough about it. But I have to keep going back there. — Mickey Spillane

Life Lessons by Mickey Spillane

1. Mickey Spillane teaches us to never give up, no matter how difficult the situation may be. He believed that if you focus on your goals and put in the hard work, you can achieve anything.
2. He also showed us that it is important to take risks and be willing to make mistakes in order to learn and grow.
3. Finally, Spillane taught us the importance of staying true to our values and being honest with ourselves and others.