
“Goethe; or, the Writer,” p. 274
1850s, Representative Men (1850)
Interview in Writers at Work, Second Series, ed. George Plimpton (1963)
“Goethe; or, the Writer,” p. 274
1850s, Representative Men (1850)
"Tennessee Williams" (1956), p. 97
Profiles (1990)
1930s, Fireside Chat in the night before signing the Fair Labor Standards (1938)
Context: In nine cases out of ten the speaker or writer who, seeking to influence public opinion, descends from calm argument to unfair blows hurts himself more than his opponent.
The Chinese have a story on this — a story based on three or four thousand years of civilization: Two Chinese coolies were arguing heatedly in the midst of a crowd. A stranger expressed surprise that no blows were being struck. His Chinese friend replied: "The man who strikes first admits that his ideas have given out."
“He regarded himself as an accomplished writer — a clear sign of madness in anyone.”
“A real writer […] doesn't look up to any other writer but himself.”
I protagonisti, Rizzoli, 1976, p. 207.
1950s - 1990s
he had better quit.
Rex Stout
The New York Times, "Talk with Rex Stout"
“A writer must teach himself that the basest of all things is to be afraid.”
“A writer is essentially a man who does not resign himself to loneliness.”