Gradually I came to realize that people will more readily swallow lies than truth, as if the taste of lies was homey, appetizing: a habit.
Martha GellhornRead
If I were a first rate writer, I wouldn't mind a bit. What does depress me is this: it is so desperately hard and so obsessive and so lonely to write that, in return for all this work, one would like a little self satisfaction. And that is never going to come, for the simple reason that I do not deserve it. I cannot be a good enough writer. You see? I call it grim. But the future looks awfully clear to me.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote expresses the struggle and loneliness that writers often feel while seeking validation for their work.
Martha Gellhorn reflects on the challenges of being a writer, highlighting the feelings of obsession and isolation that come with the craft. Despite the immense effort invested in writing, she conveys a sense of resignation regarding self-satisfaction and the belief that she may never reach the standard she aspires to. Yet, she ends on a note that suggests hope for the future, indicating a complex relationship with her art.
Themes
WritingLonelinessSelf-DoubtSatisfactionArtistic Struggle
In practice
Example use cases
In a creative writing workshop, to illustrate the difficulties of writing.
More from Martha Gellhorn
All quotes →It would be a bitter cosmic joke if we destroy ourselves due to atrophy of the imagination.
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the ends never justify the means because IT never ends.
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Citizenship is a tough occupation which obliges the citizen to make his own informed opinion and stand by it.
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I followed the war wherever I could reach it.
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Thousand got away to other countries; thousands returned to Spain tempted by false promises of kindness. By the tens of thousands, these Spaniards died of neglect in the concentration camps.
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