The moment a man begins to talk about technique that's proof that he is fresh out of ideas.
Interpretation
This quote suggests that focusing too much on technique may indicate a lack of creative inspiration.
Raymond Chandler's quote reflects the idea that when a person overly emphasizes technical skills or methods, it might be a sign that they have run out of innovative thoughts. Creativity often thrives on originality and fresh ideas rather than on rigid techniques, and this statement serves as a reminder that artists and creators should prioritize their unique vision over mere technical proficiency.
In practice
An art teacher might use this quote to encourage students to focus on their personal style rather than just techniques.
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.
Sometimes writing a novel is not unlike having a baby. You'd have to ask a female novelist to compare the pain.
They swayed about upon a rocking horse, And thought it Pegasus.
If technique is of no interest to a writer, I doubt that the writer is an artist.
On stage, you're not limited at all because you're free in language: language is the source of the imagination. You can travel farther in language than you can in any film.
We used the Western style to express our own themes and stories. But don't forget that our heritage includes The Thousand and One Nights.
Music does not replace words, it gives tone to the words
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