I myself, as a person, have been influenced by many writers and many things, and my writing has felt the impact of the writing of many writers, some relatively unknown and unimportant, some downright bad. But probably the greatest influence of them all when an influence is most effective - when the man being influenced is nowhere near being solid in his own right - has been the influence of the great tall man with the white beard, the lively eyes, the swift wit and the impish chuckle.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Saroyan acknowledges that his writing was shaped by many sources, including lesser-known or poor writers, but the most effective influence came from a vivid, charismatic figure when he was still forming his own identity.
- In plain terms
- My work was shaped by many, but one vivid person had the biggest impact when I was young.
- What can you take from it?
- Influential mentors matter most when you are still developing your own voice.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Who influenced you most when you were starting?
- How does timing affect influence?
Another view
The description relies on a personal anecdote rather than objective evidence.
More from William Saroyan
I have long known of Mr. Shaw, read his plays and prefaces, and loved him. I admire heroic effort. Accomplishment I love. What I am about to say is no inventio…
Permalink to quote #103 I have read Schopenhauer at the age of twelve with no bewilderment and no contempt of his contempt for the world and its strange inhabitants, and no contempt f…
Permalink to quote #105 Now, having a play on the same bill with a play by the one and only, the good and great, the impish and noble, the man and superman, George Bernard Shaw, is fo…
Permalink to quote #102
Related quotes
Writing...is an art; and artists...are human beings. As a human being stands, so a human being is....
E. E. CummingsE. E. Cummings quote #1 Je suis un galerien de plume et d'encre.
Honore de BalzacHonore de Balzac quote #2 '...We met in 1950, through John Cage, when I was sixteen and he in his early twenties. We were all doing work that was clearly different, newly different - fr…
Morton FeldmanMorton Feldman quote #9