It is by all odds the loftiest of cities. It even managed to reach the highest point in the sky at the lowest moment of the depression.
E. B. WhiteRead
Writing is not an exercise in excision, it's a journey into sound.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Writing is a creative process that explores the beauty of language rather than just editing and cutting content.
E. B. White's quote emphasizes that writing should be seen as an exploration of sound and expression, rather than merely an act of removing content or editing it down. It suggests that the true essence of writing is to discover and appreciate the rhythms and beauty of words as they come together, creating a melodic experience for both the writer and the reader.
Themes
WritingSoundCreativityExpressionJourney
In practice
Example use cases
During a writing seminar to inspire students to embrace their creativity.
More from E. B. White
All quotes βIt isn't silence you can cut with a knife any more, it's interchange of ideas. Intelligent discussion of practically everything is what is breaking up modern marriage.
E. B. WhiteRead
The main thing I try to do is write as clearly as I can. Because I have the greatest respect for the reader, and if he's going to the trouble of reading what I've written -- I'm a slow reader myself and I guess most people are -- why, the least I can do is make it as easy as possible for him to find out what I'm trying to say, trying to get at. I rewrite a good deal to make it clear.
E. B. WhiteRead
A good farmer is nothing more nor less than a handy man with a sense of humus.
E. B. WhiteRead
A despot doesn't fear eloquent writers preaching freedom- he fears a drunken poet who may crack a joke that will take hold.
E. B. WhiteRead
All writing is communication; creative writing is communication through revelation-it is the Self-escaping into the open.
E. B. WhiteRead
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