Any man who can write a page of living prose adds something to our life, and the man who can, as I can, is surely the last to resent someone who can do it even better. An artist cannot deny art, nor would he want to. A lover cannot deny love.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the value of artistic expression and the humility of recognizing others' talents.
Raymond Chandler reflects on the importance of artistry in life, suggesting that anyone capable of creating genuine prose contributes significantly to our experiences. He expresses a deep appreciation for art and love, asserting that true creators and lovers embrace their passions without jealousy, recognizing that skill in these fields is a shared journey rather than a competition.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of creativity in education.
Undoubtedly the stories about them [hard-boiled detectives] had a fantastic element. Such things happened, but not so rapidly, nor to so close-knit a group of people, nor within so narrow a frame of logic. This was inevitable because the demand was for constant action; if you stopped to think you were lost. When in doubt, have a man come through a door with a gun in his hand.
There was a desert wind blowing that night. It was one of those hot dry Santa Anas that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump and your skin itch. On nights like that every booze party ends in a fight. Meek little wives feel the edge of the carving knife and study their husbands' necks. Anything can happen. You can even get a full glass of beer at a cocktail lounge.
Organized crime is the dirty side of the sharp dollar.
When in doubt, have a man come through the door with a gun in his hand.
The flood of print has turned reading into a process of gulping rather than savoring.
If my books had been any worse, I should not have been invited to Hollywood, and if they had been any better, I should not have come.
Of course, my interests and my focus change and become more diverse, more worldly. At the same time, I am interested in the simple basics, which is I love to dance and I love to make people dance.
There aren't that many things left that haven't already been done, especially with music. I'm interested in ideas that can shake us all up.
I began writing when I was still in the British Foreign Service, and it was then understood that even if you wrote about butterfly collecting, you used another name.
I don't want people confusing what it is that I'm about. I just stand there and sing. And I don't do stunts or anything. if I wanted to do all that, I don't think I'd get away with it.
I am a writer... I am a genius of a writer; I have it in me. I am writing the best poems of my life; they will make my name.
A songwriter's supreme challenge is being complex and simple at the same time
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.