The writer is the person who stands outside society, independent of affiliation and independent of influence.
Don DelilloRead
History was not a matter of missing minutes on the tape. I did not stand helpless before it. I hewed to the texture of collected knowledge, took faith from the solid and availing stuff of our experience. Even if we believe that history is a workwheel powered by human blood -- read the speeches of Mussolini -- at least we've known the thing together. A single narrative sweep, not ten thousand wisps of disinformation. (82)
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of collective experience and knowledge in understanding history rather than relying on fragmented or misleading information.
Don Delillo's quote reflects on the nature of history as a collective narrative shaped by human experiences and knowledge. Rather than being overwhelmed by the disjointed fragments of information that often cloud our understanding of the past, he advocates for a unified perspective that acknowledges the complexities of history while relying on the wisdom gained from collective human experience.
Themes
HistoryCollective ExperienceKnowledgeUnderstandingNarrative
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of education, one might say, 'As Don Delillo wisely noted, history is about collective knowledge, not fragments.'
More from Don Delillo
All quotes →War is the form nostalgia takes when men are hard-pressed to say something good about their country.
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American writers ought to stand and live in the margins, and be more dangerous.
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I used to think it was possible for an artist to alter the inner life of the culture. Now bomb-makers and gunmen have taken that territory.
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[I]n the American soul there is a lonely individual standing in a vast landscape. He is either on a horse or driving a car, depending, and either way he’s carrying a gun. This is one of the essential images in American mythology.
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