Any man who can write a page of living prose adds something to our life, and the man who can, as I can, is surely the last to resent someone who can do it even better. An artist cannot deny art, nor would he want to. A lover cannot deny love.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the value of artistic expression and the humility of recognizing others' talents.
Raymond Chandler reflects on the importance of artistry in life, suggesting that anyone capable of creating genuine prose contributes significantly to our experiences. He expresses a deep appreciation for art and love, asserting that true creators and lovers embrace their passions without jealousy, recognizing that skill in these fields is a shared journey rather than a competition.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of creativity in education.
Undoubtedly the stories about them [hard-boiled detectives] had a fantastic element. Such things happened, but not so rapidly, nor to so close-knit a group of people, nor within so narrow a frame of logic. This was inevitable because the demand was for constant action; if you stopped to think you were lost. When in doubt, have a man come through a door with a gun in his hand.
There was a desert wind blowing that night. It was one of those hot dry Santa Anas that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump and your skin itch. On nights like that every booze party ends in a fight. Meek little wives feel the edge of the carving knife and study their husbands' necks. Anything can happen. You can even get a full glass of beer at a cocktail lounge.
Organized crime is the dirty side of the sharp dollar.
When in doubt, have a man come through the door with a gun in his hand.
The flood of print has turned reading into a process of gulping rather than savoring.
If my books had been any worse, I should not have been invited to Hollywood, and if they had been any better, I should not have come.
Poetry is like making a joke. If you get one word wrong at the end of a joke, you've lost the whole thing.
Some people try to get very philosophical and cerebral about what they're trying to say with jazz. You don't need any prologues, you just play. If you have something to say of any worth then people will listen to you.
I've found that music allows years to fold like an accordion over each other, so I guess you don't feel the passage of time as much.
Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe.
If I go to the museum and see white bodies, black bodies, Asian bodies, Latino bodies, then I will expect to see those things every time I go. That matters a lot.
I'm very much of the opinion that theatre is a collective art form, not just one person's vision.
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