Fiction does not spring into the world fully grown, like Athena. It is the process of writing and rewriting that makes a fiction original, if not profound.
John GardnerRead
Self pity is easily the most destructive of the non-pharmaceutical narcotics; it is addictive, gives momentary pleasure and separates the victim from reality.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Self-pity can be harmful and isolating, providing only temporary relief while hindering one's ability to face reality.
John Gardner's quote highlights the dangers of self-pity, likening it to a narcotic that offers a fleeting sense of comfort but ultimately destructs the individual by fostering addiction and detachment from reality. This mindset not only prevents personal growth but also exacerbates feelings of loneliness and helplessness, making it crucial to confront challenges head-on rather than succumb to despair.
Themes
Self PityDestructionRealityAddictionPleasure
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about overcoming challenges, one could use this quote to highlight the importance of facing reality over succumbing to negative feelings.
More from John Gardner
All quotes βi understand that the world was nothing: a mechanical chaos of casual, brute enmity on which we stupidly impose our hopes and fears. i understood that, finally and absolutely, i alone exist. all the rest, i saw, is merely what pushes me, or what i push against, blindly - as blindly as all that is not myself pushes back. i create the whole universe, blink by blink.
John GardnerRead
...ultimately it come down to, are you making or are you destroying? If you try very hard to create ways of living, create dreams of what is possible, then you win. If you don't, you may make a fortune in ten years, but you're not going to be read in twenty years, and that's that.
John GardnerRead
We read five words on the first page of a really good novel and we begin to forget that we are reading printed words on a page; we begin to see images.
John GardnerRead
They watch on, evil, incredibly stupid, enjoying my destruction. 'Poor Grendel's had an accident,' I whisper. 'So may you all.
John GardnerRead
The true artist plays mad with his soul, labors at the very lip of the volcano, but remembers and clings to his purpose, which is as strong as the dream. He is not someone possessed, like Cassandra, but a passionate, easily tempted explorer who fully intends to get home again, like Odysseus.
John GardnerRead
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