It is by all odds the loftiest of cities. It even managed to reach the highest point in the sky at the lowest moment of the depression.
E. B. WhiteRead
Only a person who is congenially self-centered has the effrontery and the stamina to write essays
Interpretation
What this quote means
Self-centered individuals often possess the audacity and persistence necessary to create substantial works like essays.
E. B. White suggests that writing, particularly essays, requires a certain level of self-centeredness. This self-focus enables writers to explore their thoughts and beliefs deeply, as well as the confidence to present these ideas to the world, which can be both audacious and demanding.
Themes
Self-CenteredWritingEssaysCourageEgo
In practice
Example use cases
In a classroom setting to inspire students about the importance of personal perspective in writing.
More from E. B. White
All quotes →It isn't silence you can cut with a knife any more, it's interchange of ideas. Intelligent discussion of practically everything is what is breaking up modern marriage.
E. B. WhiteRead
The main thing I try to do is write as clearly as I can. Because I have the greatest respect for the reader, and if he's going to the trouble of reading what I've written -- I'm a slow reader myself and I guess most people are -- why, the least I can do is make it as easy as possible for him to find out what I'm trying to say, trying to get at. I rewrite a good deal to make it clear.
E. B. WhiteRead
A good farmer is nothing more nor less than a handy man with a sense of humus.
E. B. WhiteRead
A despot doesn't fear eloquent writers preaching freedom- he fears a drunken poet who may crack a joke that will take hold.
E. B. WhiteRead
All writing is communication; creative writing is communication through revelation-it is the Self-escaping into the open.
E. B. WhiteRead
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