Weather is a literary specialty, and no untrained hand can turn out a good article on it
Mark TwainRead
In literature imitations do not imitate.
Interpretation
This quote suggests that imitations in literature do not simply replicate but rather create something new.
Mark Twain's quote highlights the idea that in the realm of literature, acts of imitation are not mere copies of original works; instead, they serve to reinterpret and reshape those originals into something unique. This reflects the dynamic nature of creativity, where each imitation carries an artist's stamp, contributing to the evolution of artistic expression.
In practice
During a literature class, discussing the evolution of storytelling styles.
Weather is a literary specialty, and no untrained hand can turn out a good article on it
The easy part of being an artist is figuring out the message that everyone else is ready to hear. The hard part is waiting for the proper lull to make the announcement.
You can't reason with your heart; it has its own laws, and thumps about things which the intellect scorns.
To be good is noble; but to show others how to be good is nobler and no trouble.
Name the greatest of all inventors. Accident.
In Paris they just simply opened their eyes and stared when we spoke to them in French! We never did succeed in making those idiots understand their own language.
Photography is a major force in explaining man to man.
I'm a rewriter. That's the part I like best . . . once I have a pile of paper to work with, it's like having the pieces of a puzzle. I just have to put the pieces together to make a picture.
I love movies, but sometimes I think it's better for actresses not to be total cinephiles. You have to be able to do the work at some point; you can't be totally starstruck. 'I can't believe it's Woody Allen!' You have to get past that.
I miss horribly those couple of hours before the performance when you get into the theater and you see people.
Flaubert called himself a human pen; I would say that I am a human ear. When I walk down the street and catch words, phrases, and exclamations, I always think - how many novels disappear without a trace! Disappear into darkness.
I have always been resistant to doctrine, and any spirituality I had experienced thus far in my life had been much more abstract and not aligned with any recognized religion. For me, the most trustworthy vehicle for spirituality had always proven to be music. It cannot be manipulated, or politicized, and when it is, that becomes immediately obvious.
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