Tom Robbins quotes
1932 – 2025 · 20th–21st century · Novelist
About Tom Robbins
Born 1932 in North Carolina, died 2025 in Washington state, Tom Robbins wrote eccentric, optimistic novels that blend humor, humanist ideas and stylistic play. Educated at Washington and Lee and the University of Washington, he is known for Another Roadside Attraction, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, Jitterbug Perfume and Still Life with Woodpecker.
Works: Another Roadside Attraction; Even Cowgirls Get the Blues; Jitterbug Perfume; Still Life with Woodpecker
Quotes
“When we’re incomplete, we’re always searching for somebody to complete us. When, after a few years or a few months of a relationship, we find that we’re still unfulfilled, we blame our partners and take up with somebody more promising. This can go on and on—series polygamy—until we admit that while a partner can add sweet dimensions to our lives, we, each of us, are responsible for our own fulfillment.”
Source: Still Life with Woodpecker, 1980 · Check the source
Verified attributionWhat we know
- What is documented
- The wording is associated with Tom Robbins’s novel Still Life with Woodpecker (1980) and appears there as a narrated reflection.
- What remains uncertain
- Quoted versions in collections are sometimes slightly edited, but the passage’s attribution to Robbins and the novel is established.
Robbins argues that searching for someone to “complete” you keeps you stuck in a cycle of blame and partner‑switching. The line, from a 1980 novel, reframes romantic disappointment as a failure of personal responsibility and inner work.