“I finally got around to reading the dictionary. Turns out the Zebra did it.”

“Zebras are reactionaries,
Antelopes are missionaries,
Pigeons plot in secrecy,
And hamsters turn on frequently.”

Paul Simon (1941) American musician, songwriter and producer

“When I first read the dictionary, I thought it was a long poem about everything.”

Steven Wright (1955) American actor and author

“Read everything. Read fiction and non-fiction, read hot best sellers and the classics you never got around to in college.”

Jennifer Weiner (1970) American writer

“I turn sentences around. That's my life. I write a sentence and then I turn it around. Then I look at it and turn it around again…”

Philip Roth (1933–2018) American novelist

“Everytime I look at a zebra, I can't figure out whether it's black with white stripes or white with black stripes, and that frustrates me.”

Jodi Picoult book House Rules

“Don’t you love the Oxford Dictionary? When I first read it, I thought it was a really really long poem about everything.”

David Bowie (1947–2016) British musician, actor, record producer and arranger

“I just read them for fun."
"Dictionaries?"
"Yes."
"That doesn't sound like fun. That sounds awful."
"Awful used to mean 'full of awe.' The same meaning as awesome. I learned that from a dictionary."
He blinked.
"See?" She said. "Fun.”

Max Barry (1973) Australian writer

“I notice me. I notice you too.
And there are simple things that we don't even try anymore. There's a way out of this.
Beat the time.
And every time I turn around
we got some clever way to put each other down.”

Edie Brickell (1966) singer from the United States

“I suddenly realized. The zebra. It is not something outside of us. The zebra is something inside of us. Our fears. Our own self-destructive nature. The zebra is the worst part of us when we are face-to-face with our worst times. The demon is us!”

Garth Stein The Art of Racing in the Rain