Married couples who quarrel bitterly every day may really need each other as deeply as those who appear to be desperately in love.
Edward AbbeyRead
It is always dishonest for a reviewer to review the author instead of the author's book.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Reviewing a book should focus on its content, not the author's personal life or character.
Edward Abbey emphasizes the importance of integrity and objectivity in literary criticism. He argues that a review should evaluate the work itself rather than be influenced by preconceived notions about the author, suggesting that critics should judge based solely on the merits of the book and its message.
Themes
ReviewHonestyLiterary CriticismObjectivityIntegrity
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the ethics of book reviews at a literary event.
More from Edward Abbey
All quotes βI love America because it is a confused, chaotic mess - and I hope we can keep it this way for at least another thousand years. The permissive society is the free society.
Edward AbbeyRead
If it's knowledge and wisdom you want, then seek out the company of those who do real work for an honest purpose.
Edward AbbeyRead
The earth is real. Only a fool, milking his cow, denies the cow's reality.
Edward AbbeyRead
I believe in nothing that I cannot touch, kiss, embrace.... The rest is only hearsay.
Edward AbbeyRead
Why can't we simply borrow what is useful to us from Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, especially Zen, as we borrow from Christianity, science, American Indian traditions and world literature in general, including philosophy, and let the rest go hang? Borrow what we need but rely principally upon our own senses, common sense and daily living experience.
Edward AbbeyRead
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Without knowledge of self there is no knowledge of God Our wisdom, in so far as it ought to be deemed true and solid Wisdom, consists almost entirely of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves. But as these are connected together by many ties, it is not easy to determine which of the two precedes and gives birth to the other.
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You may fetter my leg, but Zeus himself cannot get the better of my free will.
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This liberty is all that I request.
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Whenever A annoys or injures B on the pretense of saving or improving X, A is a scoundrel.
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