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In this way, writers are indeed, as Henry Miller suggested, traitors to the human race. We may turn a light on inequity, injustice, and oppression from time to time, but we regularly kill what we love in insidious fashion.
Anthony Bourdain
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Writers often expose societal issues but may also harm their own passions and loves in the process.

This quote by Anthony Bourdain reflects on the dual nature of writing, where writers illuminate important social issues such as inequity and injustice, yet simultaneously may undermine their personal loves and passions. This internal conflict highlights the complex relationship writers have with their craft and the sacrifices they sometimes make in pursuit of truth and expression.

Themes

WritingSacrificeTruthInjusticePassion

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be used during a writing workshop to discuss the challenges writers face.

More from Anthony Bourdain

Maybe that’s enlightenment enough: to know that there is no final resting place of the mind; no moment of smug clarity. Perhaps wisdom...is realizing how small I am, and unwise, and how far I have yet to go. -Anthony Bourdain
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If you’re twenty-two, physically fit, hungry to learn and be better, I urge you to travel – as far and as widely as possible. Sleep on floors if you have to. Find out how other people live and eat and cook. Learn from them – wherever you go.
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I feel that if Jacques Pepin shows you how to make an omelet, the matter is pretty much settled. That's God talking.
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