If a young writer can refrain from writing, he shouldn't hesitate to do so.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Young writers should feel free to choose not to write if they lack the impulse.
- In plain terms
- If you do not want to write, do not write.
- What can you take from it?
- Writing should be a voluntary act, not a compulsion.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Do you write when you do not want to?
- Is writing a duty or joy?
Another view
Discipline often matters more than impulse in professional writing.
More from Andre Gide
Victor Hugo, helas
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Permalink to quote #51 What would there be in a story of happiness? Only what prepares it, only what destroys it can be told.
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