Writing for children is bloody difficult; books for children are as complex as their adult counterparts, and they should therefore be accorded the same respect.
Mark HaddonRead
I always thought I'd eventually learn how to draw really well, and despite constant evidence to the contrary, I just kept on trying. If you're too good at anything, you don't have to think about the process, whereas I feel like I spend my life with my head under the bonnet, trying to understand how everything works.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Persistence in learning is crucial, even when progress seems slow.
This quote emphasizes the importance of perseverance and the learning process in mastering a skill. Despite not achieving immediate results in drawing, the speaker values the understanding of the underlying mechanics of art, suggesting that true mastery involves continuous effort and analysis rather than a mere talent that occurs effortlessly.
Themes
PersistenceLearningDrawingArtMastery
In practice
Example use cases
During an art workshop, to motivate students to keep practicing despite their frustrations.
More from Mark Haddon
All quotes →As to the number of novels I've abandoned... I shudder to think. I have thrown away five completed novels, and that's a gruesome enough figure. But not necessarily a waste of effort.
Mark HaddonRead
At twenty life was like wrestling an octopus. Every moment mattered. At thirty it was a walk in the country. Most of the time your mind was somewhere else. By the time you got to seventy, it was probably like watching snooker on the telly.
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And Father said, "Christopher, do you understand that I love you?" And I said "Yes," because loving someone is helping them when they get into trouble, and looking after them, and telling them the truth, and Father looks after me when I get into trouble, like coming to the police station, and he looks after me by cooking meals for me, and he always tells me the truth, which means that he loves me.
Mark HaddonRead
From a good book, I want to be taken to the very edge. I want a glimpse into that outer darkness.
Mark HaddonRead
And I know I can do this because I went to London on my own, and because I solved the mystery…and I was brave and I wrote a book and that means I can do anything.
Mark HaddonRead
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