Belief like any other moving body follows the path of least resistance.
Samuel ButlerRead
When a man is in doubt about this or that in his writing, it will often guide him if he asks himself how it will tell a hundred years hence.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Consider the long-term impact of your writing to guide your decisions.
This quote emphasizes the importance of foresight in writing. Samuel Butler suggests that when faced with uncertainty, a writer should reflect on how their words will be perceived a century later, encouraging a perspective that values timelessness and impact over immediate gratification.
Themes
WritingImpactForesightLong-TermWisdom
In practice
Example use cases
A writer might use this quote to motivate students during a workshop on the importance of thoughtful writing.
More from Samuel Butler
All quotes βTo know God better is only to realize how impossible it is that we should ever know him at all. I know not which is more childish to deny him, or define him.
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Academic and aristocratic people live in such an uncommon atmosphere that common sense can rarely reach them.
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An apology for the devil: it must be remembered that we have heard one side of the case. God has written all the books.
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Young people have a marvelous faculty of either dying or adapting themselves to circumstances.
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People care more about being thought to have taste than about being thought either good, clever or amiable.
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