In “Beautifully Mundane: 10 Bits of Everyday Wisdom from John Updike,” Biographile fills its this week in history column with Updike quotes in honor of the author’s upcoming March 18 birthday—what would have been his 83rd.

Noting Updike’s often-stated goal of trying to “give the mundane its beautiful due,” Biographile has “pulled together some of his most illuminating quotes that are sure to inspire you to view at least one small piece of your life a little more beautifully.”

1. “Halfway isn’t all the way, but it’s better than no way.” (Rabbit Redux, 1969)

2. “Looking foolish does the spirit good.” (Self-Consciousness: Memoirs, 1989)

3. “You don’t stop caring, champ….Once you care, you always care. That’s how stupid we are.” (Rabbit is Rich, 1981)

4. “Whenever somebody tells me to do something my instinct’s always to do the opposite. It’s got me into a lot of trouble, but I’ve had a lot of fun.” (Rabbit at Rest, 1990)

5. “The only way to get somewhere, you know, is to figure out where you’re going before you go there.” (Rabbit Run, 1960)

6. “No act is so private it does not seek applause.” (Couples, 1968)

7. “The size of a life is how you feel about it.” (Rabbit Remembered, 2000)

8. “When you feel irresistable, you’re hard to resist.” (Rabbit at Rest, 1990)

9. “Dreams come true; without that possibility, nature would not incite us to have them.” (Self-Consciousness: Memoirs, 1989)

10. “Any decent kind of world, you wouldn’t need all these rules.” (Rabbit Redux, 1969)

The Herald-Dispatch of Huntington, West Virginia published a reprint of a John Patrick Grace column titled “Want to feel better and live longer? Slow down a bit” in which Grace quotes Updike:

“John Updike, the novelist, was asked a few years ago why he was publishing yet another rambling novel of New England life, some 500 pages. ‘Who has time to read novels that long anymore?’ the questioner said.

“Updike replied, more or less in this vein: ‘That’s just it. People need to slow down their lives and take time to read a good long book. That’s exactly why I write novels of that length.’

“Does that make sense? Well, then, slow the heck down and read a good book.”

John Patrick Grace is a book editor and publisher. He lives in Huntington.