There are two kinds of writers; the great ones who can give you truths, and the lessor ones, who can only give you themselves.
Interpretation
This quote distinguishes between talented writers who convey deeper truths and those who write primarily from personal experience.
Clifton Fadiman's quote highlights the dichotomy in the writing world between those who are able to articulate universal truths and insights that resonate with readers and those who focus solely on their personal narratives. The implication is that great writing transcends the individual and connects with broader human experiences, while lesser writing tends to be more self-referential and limited in scope.
In practice
During a writer's workshop, one could use this quote to discuss the importance of authenticity in writing.
To read in bed is to draw around us invisible, noiseless curtains. Then at last we are in a room of our own and are ready to burrow back, back to that private life of the imagination we all led as a child and to whose secret satisfactions so many of us have mislaid the key.
One measure of friendship consists not in the number of things friends can discuss, but in the number of things they need no longer mention.
Insomnia is a gross feeder. It will nourish itself on any kind of thinking, including thinking about not thinking.
A sense of humor is the ability to understand a joke - and that the joke is oneself.
When you reread a classic, you do not see more in the book than you did before; you see more in you than there was before.
A sense of humor is the ability to understand a joke-and that the joke is oneself.
Not only must you be an artist, must you be generous, and must you be able to see where you can help but you must also be aware. Aware of where your skills are welcomed.
It is always fatal to have music or poetry interrupted.
Parodies and caricatures are the most penetrating of criticisms.
There is a majesty in simplicity.
With all art expression, when something is seen, it is a vivid experience, sudden, compelling, and inevitable.
Every paint-stroke takes you farther and farther away from your initial concept. And you have to be thankful for that.
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