The writer is the person who stands outside society, independent of affiliation and independent of influence.
Don DelilloRead
For me, writing is a concentrated form of thinking.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Writing is an intense process that requires deep thought and reflection.
In this quote, Don DeLillo expresses the idea that writing is not just a method of communication but a profound intellectual activity. Through the act of writing, one is forced to confront their thoughts and organize them meticulously, leading to clarity and understanding of complex ideas.
Themes
WritingThinkingReflectionExpressionCreativity
In practice
Example use cases
During a writing workshop, you could use this quote to emphasize the importance of introspection in the writing process.
More from Don Delillo
All quotes βWar is the form nostalgia takes when men are hard-pressed to say something good about their country.
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American writers ought to stand and live in the margins, and be more dangerous.
Don DelilloRead
I used to think it was possible for an artist to alter the inner life of the culture. Now bomb-makers and gunmen have taken that territory.
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[I]n the American soul there is a lonely individual standing in a vast landscape. β¨He is either on a horse or driving a car, depending, and either way heβs carrying a gun. β¨This is one of the essential images in American mythology.
Don DelilloRead
There's a curious knot that binds novelists and terrorists...Years ago I used to think it was possible for a novelist to alter the inner life of the culture. Now bomb-makers and gunmen have taken that territory. They make raids on human consciousness. What writers used to do before we were all incorporated.
Don DelilloRead
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I am much pleased to find how very well I stand work & how my powers of attention & continued effort increase.
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It's not just the books under fire now that worry me. It is the books that will never be written.
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