“Bookish people, who are often maladroit people, persist in thinking they can master any subtlety so long as it's been shaped into acceptable expository prose.”
Source: Unless
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Carol Shields7
American author 1935–2003Related quotes
Alan Moore (1953) English writer primarily known for his work in comic books
"Down Among the Dead Men", Swamp Thing Annual #2, 1985
Swamp Thing (1983–1987)
Karl Popper (1902–1994) Austrian-British philosopher of science
Source: Conjectures and Refutations: The Growth of Scientific Knowledge (1963), p. 352
Context: It is often asserted that discussion is only possible between people who have a common language and accept common basic assumptions. I think that this is a mistake. All that is needed is a readiness to learn from one's partner in the discussion, which includes a genuine wish to understand what he intends to say. If this readiness is there, the discussion will be the more fruitful the more the partner's backgrounds differ.
Neal Stephenson (1959) American science fiction writer
Source: The Diamond Age: or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer
William Stanley Jevons The Theory of Political Economy
William Stanley Jevons, The Theory of Political Economy (1871). Preface To The Second Edition, p. 14.
The Theory of Political Economy (1871)
André Gide (1869–1951) French novelist and essayist
“An Unprejudiced Mind,” p. 311
Pretexts: Reflections on Literature and Morality (1964)
“Guides cannot master the subtleties of the American joke.”
Mark Twain book The Innocents Abroad
Source: The Innocents Abroad (1869), Ch. 27
L. Frank Baum book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900)
Source: Oz: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz