I believe implicitly that every young man in the world is fascinated with either sharks or dinosaurs.
Peter Benchley

I dive as much as I can.
Peter Benchley

I don't believe in blaming inanimate objects for anything.
Peter Benchley

I guess I'm a hopeful optimist, because to be a pessimist is to be suicidal.
Peter Benchley

I read very widely, both non-fiction and fiction, so I don't think there's a single writer who influences me.
Peter Benchley

I'm a babe in the woods when it comes to the Internet.
Peter Benchley

I've never been hurt by a sea creature, except for jellyfish and sea urchins.
Peter Benchley

If man doesn't learn to treat the oceans and the rain forest with respect, man will become extinct.
Peter Benchley

Reputations rise and fall almost as regularly as the tides.
Peter Benchley

Since writing JAWS, I've been lucky enough to do close to forty television shows about wildlife in the oceans, and yes, I have been attacked by sea creatures once in a while.
Peter Benchley


Twenty-five years ago nobody knew much about white sharks.
Peter Benchley

Without the oceans there would be no life on Earth.
Peter Benchley

Writing is sweat and drudgery most of the time. And you have to love it in order to endure the solitude and the discipline.
Peter Benchley