What was any art but a mould in which to imprison for a moment the shining elusive element which is life itself - life hurrying past us and running away, too strong to stop, too sweet to lose.
Willa CatherRead
Most of the basic material a writer works with is acquired before the age of fifteen.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Writers are often shaped by their early experiences and knowledge gained during childhood.
This quote by Willa Cather emphasizes the idea that the fundamental ideas, themes, and influences that a writer draws upon are largely formed in their formative years, particularly before the age of fifteen. It suggests that early life experiences and exposure to various materials have a lasting impact on a person's creative output, influencing their writing style and choices throughout their career.
Themes
WriterEducationChildhoodInfluenceCreativity
In practice
Example use cases
During a writing workshop, I shared Cather's quote to highlight the importance of childhood experiences in shaping a writer's voice.
More from Willa Cather
All quotes βThat is happiness; to be dissolved into something complete and great.
Willa CatherRead
Our tree became the talking tree of the fairy tale; legends and stories nestled like birds in its branches.
Willa CatherRead
Writing ought either to be the manufacture of stories for which there is a market demand - a business as safe and commendable as making soap or breakfast foods - or it should be an art, which is always a search for something for which there is no market demand, something new and untried, where the values are intrinsic and have nothing to do with standardized values.
Willa CatherRead
The air and the earth interpenetrated in the warm gusts of spring; the soil was full of sunlight, and the sunlight full of red dust. The air one breathed was saturated with earthy smells, and the grass under foot had a reflection of the blue sky in it.
Willa CatherRead
This is reality, whether you like it or not--all those frivolities of summer, the light and shadow, the living mask of green that trembled over everything, they were lies, and this is what was underneath. This is the truth.
Willa CatherRead
Similar quotes
A war of ideas can no more be won without books than a naval war can be won without ships. Books, like ships, have the toughest armor, the longest cruising range, and mount the most powerful guns.
Franklin D. RooseveltRead
No man ever yet thought whether he was preaching well without weakening his sermon.
Phillips BrooksRead
A child from the age of 2 or 3 absorbs what is in the environment and what generates hatred for anyone perceived to be different.
Rita Levi-MontalciniRead
From the simplest lyric to the most complex novel and densest drama, literature is asking us to pay attention. Pay attention to the frog. Pay attention to the west wind. Pay attention to the boy on the raft, the lady in the tower, the old man on the train. In sum, pay attention to the world and all that dwells therein and thereby learn at last to pay attention to yourself and all that dwells therein.
Frederick BuechnerRead
Here I have opportunity enough for the exercise of my talent, as the chief of my time is spent in conversation.
Jane AustenRead
The faster you go, the more students you leave behind. It doesn't matter how much or how fast you teach. The true measure is how much students have learned.
William GlasserRead