To shift the structure of a sentence alters the meaning of that sentence, as definitely and inflexibly as the position of a camera alters the meaning of the object photographed.
Joan DidionRead
The truth is, it's easier for me to write than talk... to express the state I'm in at any time.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Writing can be a more effective way to communicate one's emotions and thoughts than speaking.
In this quote, Joan Didion highlights the personal struggle of expressing oneself verbally, suggesting that the written word offers clarity and ease in conveying complex feelings and states of mind. This reflects a broader theme of the power of writing as a form of expression, allowing the author to articulate emotions that might be difficult to communicate in conversation.
Themes
TruthWritingExpressionCommunicationFeelings
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of personal expression, one might quote Didion to emphasize how writing plays a crucial role in understanding ourselves.
More from Joan Didion
All quotes βMemories are what you no longer want to remember.
Joan DidionRead
It was clear, for example, in 1988 that the political process had already become perilously remote from the electorate it was meant to represent.
Joan DidionRead
I mean maybe I was holding all the aces, but what was the game?
Joan DidionRead
Do not whine... Do not complain. Work harder. Spend more time alone.
Joan DidionRead
Why do you always have to be right. Why do you always have to have the last word. For once in your life just let it go.
Joan DidionRead
Similar quotes
If 'formulaic' is somebody who is unlikely to succeed starting down a process and succeeding - then isn't that what most films are about? And art films are about people who aren't likely to succeed and then don't succeed.
Ridley ScottRead
I don't really understand why so many fantasy writers choose to focus on worlds that just seem strangely denuded. But to them, I guess it doesn't seem strange. And I guess that's their privilege. It isn't mine.
N. K. JemisinRead
Bright gem instinct with music, vocal spark.
William WordsworthRead
Misery, anger, indignation, discomfort-those conditions produce literature. Contentment-never. So there you are.
T. E. LawrenceRead
Early on, a story's meaning and rationale seem pretty obvious, but then, as I write it, I realize that I know the meaning/rationale too well, which means that the reader will also know it - and so things have to be ramped up.
George SaundersRead
When you see the films of certain young directors, you get the impression that film history begins for them around 1980.
Jacques RivetteRead