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It does me good to write a letter which is not a response to a demand, a gratuitous letter, so to speak, which has accumulated in me like the waters of a reservoir.
Henry Miller
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Writing freely can be therapeutic and fulfilling.

In this quote, Henry Miller expresses the joy and liberation that comes from writing a letter without an obligation or expectation of response. He likens this act to the natural accumulation of water in a reservoir, suggesting that unexpressed thoughts and feelings can build up inside us, and writing serves as a necessary release and a means of personal expression.

Themes

WritingLetterExpressionReleaseCreativity

In practice

Example use cases

Using this quote in a workshop about creative writing and self-expression.

More from Henry Miller

Jump off. You are a protected individual. Do not fear.
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I saw through to the last sign and symbol, but I could not read her face. I could see only the eyes shining through, huge, fleshy-like luminous beasts, as though I were swimming behind them in the electric effluvia of her incandescent vision.
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The essential thing is to WANT to sing. This then is a song. I am singing.
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Great God! What have I turned into? What right have you people to clutter up my life, steal my time, probe my soul, suckle my thoughts, have me for your companion, confidant, and information bureau? What do you take me for? Am I an entertainer on salary, required every evening to play an intellectual farce under your stupid noses? Am I a slave, bought and paid for, to crawl on my belly in front of you idlers and lay at your feet all that I do and all that I know?
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We are swimming on the face of time and all else has drowned, is drowning, or will drown.
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To sing you must first open your mouth. You must have a pair of lungs, and a little knowledge of music. It is not necessary to have an accordion, or a guitar. The essential thing is to want to sing. This then is a song. I am singing.
Henry MillerRead

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Quote by Henry Miller | QuoteProject