Sidney Sheldon

Abraham Lincoln because he was a man filled with great compassion who believed that all men are created free and equal, and was not afraid to stand on that platform. The way Lincoln lived his life has served me well in mine.
Sidney Sheldon

Another woman approached me while I was having lunch at the Russian Tea Room in New York and told me that the reason she had become a lawyer was because she had read Rage of Angels. To me, that kind of feedback has more meaning than any sales figures.
Sidney Sheldon

Don't give up. There are too many nay-sayers out there who will try to discourage you. Don't listen to them. The only one who can make you give up is yourself.
Sidney Sheldon

I admire people who are, by nature, kind and fair to others.
Sidney Sheldon

I always spend time exploring the customs and attitudes of the countries I'm using for locations, and interviewing the people who live there. I've visited over 90 countries thus far.
Sidney Sheldon

I go to great lengths to make certain situations feel right to the reader.
Sidney Sheldon

I love the freedom that the narrative form provides.
Sidney Sheldon

I think people throughout the world identify with my characters.
Sidney Sheldon

I think that's because believable action is based on authenticity, and accuracy is very important to me. I always spend time researching my novels, exploring the customs and attitudes of the county I'm using for their setting.
Sidney Sheldon

I try to give both my heroes and villains an emotional dimensionality which provides the motivation for their actions.
Sidney Sheldon

I wanted to make sure that the man who found the genie would not take terrible advantage of her, so he needed to be a person of integrity and honor - which is why I made the male lead an astronaut. The rest, as they say, is history.
Sidney Sheldon

I will not write about anyplace in the world unless I've been there to personally research it.
Sidney Sheldon

I worked in Hollywood as a reader and a would-be writer for about 6 years before I sold my first story.
Sidney Sheldon

If there is any secret to my success, I think it's that my characters are very real to me. I feel everything they feel, and therefore I think my readers care about them.
Sidney Sheldon

In a novel, on the other hand, you not only have to describe the rooms, but the clothes, the characters and what they are thinking. It's a much more in-depth process.
Sidney Sheldon

My heroes are those who risk their lives every day to protect our world and make it a better place - police, firefighters and members of our armed forces.
Sidney Sheldon

Stories had always been told about male genies coming out of bottles, but they were usually fat, old men. Never had the genie been a gorgeous woman, so that idea really appealed to me, and I created the series based on that premise.
Sidney Sheldon

Talent is a gift that can be given, and it can be taken away. We have to appreciate that.
Sidney Sheldon

The Dalai Lama. He is a very wise man of great inner peace who believes that happiness is the purpose of our lives. Through his teachings and leadership, he continues to make this world a better place in which to live.
Sidney Sheldon

The fact that my female characters have strong personalities but are also physically attractive probably reflects the women I've known in my life.
Sidney Sheldon