Conceal a flaw, and the world will imagine the worst.
MartialRead
My poems are naughty, but my life is pure.
Interpretation
The quote expresses a contrast between the playful nature of the author's poetry and the seriousness of his personal life.
In this quote, Martial highlights the dichotomy between his artistic expression and his personal conduct. While he creates mischievous and provocative poetry, his actual life is characterized by purity and integrity, suggesting that one can separate their creative work from their personal values.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech about the role of creativity in personal expression.
Conceal a flaw, and the world will imagine the worst.
Life is not merely to be alive, but to be well.
To the ashes of the dead glory comes too late.
Life's not just about being alive, but being well.
Neither fear your death's day nor long for it.
Service cannot be expected from a friend in service; let him be a freeman who wishes to be my master.
I tend to like strong female characters. It just interests me dramatically. A strong male character isn't interesting because it has been done and it's so cliched. A weak male character is interesting: somebody else hasn't done it a hundred times. A strong female character is still interesting to me because it hasn't been done all that much, finding the balance of femininity and strength. [From a 1986 Fangoria interview]
That's what you're looking for as a writer when you're working. You're looking for your own freedom. To lose your inhibition to delve deep into your memory and experiences and life and then to find the prose that will persuade the reader.
Dress designing, incidentally, is to me not a profession but an art.
I was born in a world of opera, theatre, films, poetry, art, and therefore, out of the wire, I made a stage. That's why they call me a high wire artist.
It's just someone has labelled us as having a different label to do what you do. I find that labels are the worst thing in the world for artistic expression.
Reverence is fatal to literature.
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