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
Any hack can safely rail away at foreign powers beyond the sea; but a good writer is a critic of the society he lives in.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A true writer critiques and reflects on their own society rather than targeting external entities.
Edward Abbey's quote emphasizes the responsibility of a writer to engage with and critique the social issues of their own culture. While it may be easy to criticize foreign powers from a distance, a skilled writer must analyze and provide insight into the societal dynamics at home, contributing to a deeper understanding of their community and provoking thought and discussion among its members.
Themes
WritingSocietyCritiqueCultureReflection
In practice
Example use cases
In a writing workshop, discussing the role of writers in society.
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.
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The earth is real. Only a fool, milking his cow, denies the cow's reality.
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I believe in nothing that I cannot touch, kiss, embrace.... The rest is only hearsay.
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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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