Quotes about Writing

Addison writes with the ease of a gentleman. His readers fancy that a wise and accomplished companion is talking to them; so that he insinuates his sentiments and taste into their minds by an imperceptible influence. Johnson writes like a teacher. He dictates to his readers as if from an academical chair. They attend with awe and admiration; and his precepts are impressed upon them by his commanding eloquence.

When People talk of the Freedom of Writing, Speaking or thinking, I cannot choose but laugh. No such thing ever existed. No such thing now exists: but I hope it will exist. But it must be hundreds of years after you and I shall write and speak no more.

True and false fears let us refrain, Let us love nobly, and live, and add again Years and years unto years, till we attain To write threescore: this is the second of our reign.

One writes of scars healed, a loose parallel to the pathology of the skin, but there is no such thing in the life of an individual.

I don't think I'm a particularly good writer, and I'm not terribly insightful.

Write while the heat is in you.

There is a mystery in all great writing and that mystery does not dissect out. It continues and is always valid.

The book [ One Thousand Gifts] took just over a year to write, on the fringe hours, early and late, around home educating 6 kids and farming and blogging.

He who would not be frustrate of his hope to write well hereafter in laudable things ought himself to be a true poem.

Times are bad. Children no longer obey their parents, and everyone is writing a book.

whenever the literary german dives into a sentence, this is the last you are going to see of him till he emerges on the other side of his atlantic with his verb in his mouth.

A true sonnet goes eight lines and then takes a turn for better or worse and goes six or eight lines more.