If my books had been any worse, I should not have been invited to Hollywood, and if they had been any better, I should not have come.
Interpretation
The quote reflects the paradox of creative success and the compromises that come with it.
Raymond Chandler's quote humorously highlights the delicate balance between mediocrity and excellence in creative work. He suggests that if his books were less appealing, he wouldn't have achieved the recognition that led him to Hollywood; conversely, if they were of higher quality, he might have remained true to his art rather than adapting to commercial demands. This irony illustrates the often contradictory nature of success in the arts, where recognition can come from a blend of talent and marketability.
In practice
Use this quote during a speech about the challenges of being a writer in the film industry.
Undoubtedly the stories about them [hard-boiled detectives] had a fantastic element. Such things happened, but not so rapidly, nor to so close-knit a group of people, nor within so narrow a frame of logic. This was inevitable because the demand was for constant action; if you stopped to think you were lost. When in doubt, have a man come through a door with a gun in his hand.
There was a desert wind blowing that night. It was one of those hot dry Santa Anas that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump and your skin itch. On nights like that every booze party ends in a fight. Meek little wives feel the edge of the carving knife and study their husbands' necks. Anything can happen. You can even get a full glass of beer at a cocktail lounge.
Organized crime is the dirty side of the sharp dollar.
When in doubt, have a man come through the door with a gun in his hand.
The flood of print has turned reading into a process of gulping rather than savoring.
We have the whitest kitchens and the most shining bathrooms in the world. But in the lovely white kitchen the average [person] canβt produce a meal fit to eat, and the lovely shining bathroom is mostly a receptacle for deodorants, laxatives, sleeping pills, and the products of that confidence racket called the cosmetic industry. We make the finest packages in the world, Mr Marlowe. The stuff inside is mostly junk." β
I try to write something that would interest anybody and keep them turning the page. You must have a plot and good storyline.
What you wear is how you present yourself to the world, especially today, when human contacts are so quick. Fashion is instant language.
It's a funny thing about stories. It doesn't feel like you make them up, more like you find them. You type and type and you know you haven't got it yet, because somewhere out there, there's that perfect thing -- the unexpected ending that was always going to happen. That place you've always been heading for, but never expected to go.
True art is creation, and creation is beyond all theories. That is why I say to any beginner: Learn your theories as well as you can, but put them aside when you touch the miracle of the living soul. Not theories but your own creative individuality alone must decide.
Every paint-stroke takes you farther and farther away from your initial concept. And you have to be thankful for that.
The true artist does not create art as an end in itself; he creates art for human beings. Humanity is the goal.
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