The truth is the heroism of your childhood entertainments was not true valor. It was theater.
~ David Foster Wallace
Elsewhere, this is 4a1531. — slipbox
Theater →
Manual labor of the mind →
Writing is essentially donkey work, manual labor of the mind. What makes it bearable are those moments (which sometimes can last for weeks, months) when the book takes over, takes on a life of its own, goes off in unexpected directions.
~ John Gregory Dunne
Elsewhere, this is 4a1530. — slipbox
New ideas →
A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimensions.
~ Oliver Wendell Berry
Elsewhere, this is 4a1529. — slipbox
Be a reader →
I’m not saying that you have to be a reader to save your soul in the modern world. I’m saying it helps.
~ Walter Mosley
Elsewhere, this is 4a1528. — slipbox
Premeditation →
The premeditation of death is the premeditation of liberty; He who has learnt to die has forgot to serve.
~ Michel de Montaigne
Elsewhere, this is 4a1526. — slipbox
Boring →
Somebody’s boring me—I think it’s me.
~ Dylan Thomas
Elsewhere, this is 4a1525. — slipbox
The creative mind →
The creative mind gets poisoned with the idea that your great work will be the result of getting serious. So many of my good ideas come from what looks like goofing off, wasting time. Art is play. There’s no way to tell what’s deep or shallow until you play with the idea.
~ Austin Kleon
Elsewhere, this is 4a1524. — slipbox
Who was listening →
[…] so the Muse whispered in Beethoven’s ear. Maybe she hummed a few bars into a million other ears. But no one else heard her. Only Beethoven got it.
~ Steven Pressfield
Elsewhere, this is 4a1522. — slipbox
Sleep →
It’s a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it.
~ John Steinbeck
Elsewhere, this is 4a1521. — slipbox
A bore →
A bore is a man who, when you ask him how he is, tells you.
~ Bert Taylor
Elsewhere, this is 4a1520. — slipbox