15 Memorable Nora Ephron Quotes that Include Invaluable Pieces of Advice

Nora Ephron, (May 19, 1941 – June 26, 2012) was an American author, playwright, and film director known for her romantic comedy films and witty essays.     

Nora always dreamt of going to New York City to become a writer, so soon after graduating, she started a career as a reporter with the New York Post, and wrote humorous essays for publications such as Esquire. In this position, she finally found her voice and was able to make a name for herself. 

Ephron’s collected essays became popular books, but screenwriting and film making helped her reach stardom. She wrote the script for the romantic comedy classics When Harry Met Sally… (1989), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), and You’ve Got Mail (1998). The first two comedies brought her two Academy Award nominations, as well as commercial success and critical acclaim. 

In her late years, Ephron published I Feel Bad about My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman – a book of wisdom and advice that offers readers a comic look at women who are getting older. 

In remembrance of her legacy, the organizers of the Tribeca Film Festival introduced the Nora Ephron Prize – an award for female writers or directors ‘with a distinctive voice’. 

Here are 15 memorable Nora Ephron quotes that include invaluable pieces of advice. 

Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim. 

When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.

And then the dreams break into a million tiny pieces. The dream dies. Which leaves you with a choice: you can settle for reality, or you can go off, like a fool, and dream another dream.

What are you going to do? Everything, is my guess. It will be a little messy, but embrace the mess. It will be complicated, but rejoice in the complications.

I am continually fascinated at the difficulty intelligent people have in distinguishing what is controversial from what is merely offensive.

Insane people are always sure that they are fine. It is only the sane people who are willing to admit that they are crazy.

It’s much easier to get over someone if you can delude yourself into thinking you never really cared that much.

I can make a case that I regret nothing. After all, most of my mistakes turned out to be things I survived, or turned into funny stories, or, on occasion, even made money from.

Summer bachelors like summer breezes, are never as cool as they pretend to be.

Reading makes me feel I’ve accomplished something, learned something, become a better person… Reading is bliss. 

I look out the window and I see the lights and the skyline and the people on the street rushing around looking for action, love, and the world’s greatest chocolate chip cookie, and my heart does a little dance

I don’t want to be someone that you’re settling for. I don’t want to be someone that anyone settles for. Marriage is hard enough without bringing such low expectations into it, isn’t it?

It’s always hard to remember love – years pass and you say to yourself, Was I really in love, or was I just kidding myself?  

When you read a book as a child, it becomes a part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life does. 

Love is homesickness.