It is by all odds the loftiest of cities. It even managed to reach the highest point in the sky at the lowest moment of the depression.
E. B. WhiteRead
Writing is not an exercise in excision, it's a journey into sound.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Writing is a creative process that explores the beauty of language rather than just editing and cutting content.
E. B. White's quote emphasizes that writing should be seen as an exploration of sound and expression, rather than merely an act of removing content or editing it down. It suggests that the true essence of writing is to discover and appreciate the rhythms and beauty of words as they come together, creating a melodic experience for both the writer and the reader.
Themes
WritingSoundCreativityExpressionJourney
In practice
Example use cases
During a writing seminar to inspire students to embrace their creativity.
More from E. B. White
All quotes βIt isn't silence you can cut with a knife any more, it's interchange of ideas. Intelligent discussion of practically everything is what is breaking up modern marriage.
E. B. WhiteRead
The main thing I try to do is write as clearly as I can. Because I have the greatest respect for the reader, and if he's going to the trouble of reading what I've written -- I'm a slow reader myself and I guess most people are -- why, the least I can do is make it as easy as possible for him to find out what I'm trying to say, trying to get at. I rewrite a good deal to make it clear.
E. B. WhiteRead
A good farmer is nothing more nor less than a handy man with a sense of humus.
E. B. WhiteRead
A despot doesn't fear eloquent writers preaching freedom- he fears a drunken poet who may crack a joke that will take hold.
E. B. WhiteRead
All writing is communication; creative writing is communication through revelation-it is the Self-escaping into the open.
E. B. WhiteRead
Similar quotes
Performing is a profound experience, at least for me. It's not as if I sit down and play 'Fire and Rain' by myself, just to hear it again. But to offer it up... the energy that it somehow summons live takes me right back, and I do get a reconnection to the emotions.
James TaylorRead
You can't have it all one way - be on the telly and the radio and make lots of money - and not offer anything to your followers when they need you.
Vera LynnRead
The artists we love, they put their fingerprint on your imagination, and on your heart and your soul.
Bruce SpringsteenRead
If a poet interprets a poem of his own he limits its suggestibility.
William Butler YeatsRead
Her fine high forehead sloped gently up to where her hair, bordering it like an armorial shield, burst into lovelocks and waves and curlicues of ash blonde and gold. Her eyes were bright, big, clear, wet and shining, the colour of her cheeks was real, breaking close to the surface from the strong young pump of her heart. Her body hovered delicately on the last edge of childhood -- she was almost eighteen, nearly complete, but the dew was still on her.
F. Scott FitzgeraldRead
The purpose of poetry is to remind us how difficult it is to remain just one person, for our house is open, there are no keys in the doors, and invisible guests come in and out at will.
Czeslaw MiloszRead