Digressions incontestably are the sunshine; they are the life, the soul of reading.
Laurence SterneRead
To write a book is for all the world like humming a song—be but in tune with yourself, madam, 'tis no matter how high or how low you take it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Writing a book is like singing; it requires authenticity and personal expression.
In this quote, Laurence Sterne emphasizes that the essence of writing a book lies in being true to oneself, much like singing a song that resonates with personal feelings and thoughts. Regardless of the complexity or simplicity of the work, what matters most is that the writer connects deeply with their own emotions and experiences.
Themes
WritingAuthenticityExpressionCreativityBooks
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about creativity, you might use this quote to emphasize the importance of personal authenticity in the artistic process.
More from Laurence Sterne
All quotes →Solitude is the best nurse of wisdom.
Laurence SterneRead
The accusing spirit, which flew up to heaven's chancery with the oath, blushed as he gave it in; and the recording angel as he wrote it down dropped a tear upon the word and blotted it out forever.
Laurence SterneRead
I'll not hurt thee, says Uncle Toby, rising with the fly in his hand. Go, he says, opening the window to let it escape. Why should I hurt thee? This world is surely wide enough to hold both thee and me.
Laurence SterneRead
I once asked a hermit in Italy how he could venture to live alone, in a single cottage, on the top of a mountain, a mile from any habitation? He replied, that Providence was his next-door neighbor.
Laurence SterneRead
People who are always taking care of their health are like misers, who are hoarding a treasure which they have never spirit enough to enjoy.
Laurence SterneRead
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I made myself into a poet because it was the first thing I really loved. It was an act of will.
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Your audience is one single reader. I have found that sometimes it helps to pick out one person-a real person you know, or an imagined person and write to that one.
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I adore adverbs; they are the only qualifications I really much respect.
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