There is no future for e-books, because they are not books. E-books smell like burned fuel.
Interpretation
Ray Bradbury expresses skepticism about the future of e-books, emphasizing the sensory experience of physical books.
In this quote, Ray Bradbury critiques e-books by highlighting the intangible qualities of traditional printed books that e-books lack. He argues that physical books provide a sensory experience, such as the smell of paper and ink, which contributes to their value and cultural significance. Bradbury's perspective suggests that the shift to digital formats may overlook the deeper connection between readers and the printed word.
In practice
In a discussion about the impact of technology on reading habits.
I've written about 2,000 short stories; I've only published 300 and I feel I'm still learning. Any man who keeps working is not a failure. He may not be a great writer, but if he applies the old fashioned virtues of hard, constant labor, he'll eventually make some kind of career for himself as a writer. Ray Bradbury, 1967 interview (Doing the Math - that means for every story he sold, he wrote six "un-publishable" ones. Keep typing!)
I never went to college, so I went to the library.
There must be something in books, something we canβt imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You donβt stay for nothing.
I think the sun is a flower, That blooms for just one hour.
The first thing a writer should be is - excited. He should be a thing of fevers and enthusiasms. Without such vigor, he might as well be out picking peaches or digging ditches; God knows it'd be better for his health.
You can't try to do things; you simply must do them.
One cannot be too careful in the selection of adjectives for descriptions. Words or compounds which describe precisely, and which convey exactly the right suggestions to the mind of the reader, are essential.
Poe was the first writer to write about main characters who were bad guys or who were mad guys, and those are some of my favorite stories.
I assume I don't need an introduction.
What is wonderful about great literature is that it transforms the man who reads it towards the condition of the man who wrote.
Chapter One. The Bride." He held up the book then. "I'm reading it to you for relax." He practically shoved the book in my face. "By S. Morgenstern. Great Florinese writer. The Princess Bride. He too came to America. S. Morgenstern. Dead now in New York. The English is his own. He spoke eight tongues." Here my father put down the book and held up all his fingers. "Eight. Once in Florin City...
It's in being read that a book becomes a book, and in each of a million different readings a book become one of a million different books . . .
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