The origins of poetry are clearly rooted in obscurity, in secretiveness, in incantation, in spells that must at once invoke and protect, tell the secret and keep it.
Mary RuefleRead
There’s a difference between being alone and being lonely. Writers know that. I have never met a writer who does not crave to be alone. We have to be alone to do what we do.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Being alone can be a choice that allows for creativity, while loneliness is an emotional state.
This quote emphasizes the distinction between solitude and loneliness, suggesting that writers and creatives often seek solitude to foster their work. In contrast, loneliness is depicted as a negative experience that can arise from a lack of connection, while being alone can be a positive and necessary state for creativity and self-reflection.
Themes
SolitudeLonelinessCreativityWritingSelf-Reflection
In practice
Example use cases
During a writing workshop, this quote could be used to inspire students to embrace their moments of solitude as opportunities for creativity.
More from Mary Ruefle
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When an archer is shooting for nothing, he has all his skill. If he shoots for a brass buckle, he is already nervous. If he shoots for a prize of gold, he goes blind or sees two targets - He is out of his mind! His skill has not changed. But the prize divides him. He cares. He thinks more of winning than of shooting- And the need to win drains him of power.
ZhuangziRead
When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." To this day, especially in times of "disaster," I remember my mother's words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.
Fred RogersRead
I think that much of the advice given to young men about saving money is wrong. I never saved a cent until I was forty years old. I invested in myself - in study, in mastering my tools, in preparation. Many a man who is putting a few dollars a week into the bank would do much better to put it into himself.
Henry FordRead
Sow an act and you reap a habit. Sow a habit and you reap a character. Sow a character and you reap a destiny.
Charles ReadeRead
No man is born into the world whose work is not born with him. There is always work, and tools to work with, for those who will, and blessed are the horny hands of toil. The busy world shoves angrily aside the man who stands with arms akimbo until occasion tells him what to do; and he who waits to have his task marked out shall die and leave his errand unfulfilled.
James Russell LowellRead
There is something magical about putting a problem in writing. It is almost as though by writing about what is wrong, you start to discover new ways of making it right.
Jim RohnRead