American writers want to be not good but great; and so are neither.
Interpretation
The quote suggests that aspiring for greatness can lead to mediocrity.
Gore Vidal critiques American writers who aim for greatness at the expense of their current capabilities. By focusing on becoming great rather than simply striving to be good, many writers may become trapped in a cycle of disappointment, resulting in them achieving neither. This highlights the paradox of aiming too high without acknowledgment of the skills and efforts needed to improve.
In practice
This quote could be used in a writing workshop to inspire participants to focus on the quality of their work rather than unattainable standards.
We must declare ourselves, become known; allow the world to discover this subterranean life of ours which connects kings and farm boys, artists and clerks. Let them see that the important thing is not the object of love, but the emotion itself.
Writing fiction has become a priestly business in countries that have lost their faith.
The important thing is not the object of love, but the emotion itself.
For the average American, freedom of speech is simply the freedom to repeat what everyone else is saying and no more.
Ayn Rand's 'philosophy' is nearly perfect in its immorality, which makes the size of her audience all the more ominous and symptomatic as we enter a curious new phase in our society.... To justify and extol human greed and egotism is to my mind not only immoral, but evil.
Envy is the central fact of American life.
The only thing that's important is the legend created by the picture, and not whether it continues to exist itself.
I love being able to reach people directly, but in an ideal scenario, I would not have to rush the release of new music⦠but the message is still there.
The workmanship was better than the subject matter.
For me, that emotional payoff is what itβs all about. I want you to laugh or cry when you read a story...or do both at the same time. I want your heart, in other words. If you want to learn something, go to school.
We've been fighting our whole lives to say we're just human beings like everyone else. When we start separating ourselves in our work, that doesn't help the cause. I've heard it for years: 'How do you feel being a black filmmaker?' I'm not a black filmmaker, I'm a filmmaker. I'm a black man, I have black children. But I'm just a filmmaker.
I personally would like to bring a tortoise onto the stage, turn it into a racehorse, then into a hat, a song, a dragoon and a fountain of water. One can dare anything in the theatre and it is the place where one dares the least.
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