To his dog, every man is Napoleon; hence the constant popularity of dogs.
Aldous HuxleyRead
If you want to be a psychological novelist and write about human beings, the best thing you can do is keep a pair of cats.
Interpretation
Having cats can inspire deeper understanding of human nature and relationships.
Aldous Huxley's quote suggests that the companionship of cats can provide valuable insights into human behavior and emotional depth. By observing the way cats interact with the world and their owners, a novelist may glean important lessons about empathy, connection, and the complexities of human relationships, which can enhance their writing about the human experience.
In practice
During a writing workshop, a discussion about character development could include this quote to illustrate the importance of observation.
To his dog, every man is Napoleon; hence the constant popularity of dogs.
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.
In the course of history many more people have died for their drink and their dope than have died for their religion or their country.
On no account brood over your wrongdoing. Rolling in the muck is not the best way of getting clean.
No man ever dared to manifest his boredom so insolently as does a Siamese tomcat when he yawns in the face of his amorously importunate wife.
The leech's kiss, the squid's embrace, The prurient ape's defiling touch: And do you like the human race? No, not much.
There is an angel imprisoned in it and I must set it free.
I think I probably would have enjoyed to keep my own private pain out of my work. But I was changed by my audience who said your private pain which you have unwittingly shown us in your early songs is also ours.
Photography is a major force in explaining man to man.
Black artists are encouraged to explore their identity but are then pigeonholed according to their ethnicity. We may have seen the decline of old racism, but we are witnessing a new kind of racialising.
The actual world, not some fantastic structure that has nothing to do with reality, must provide the material for modern poetry.
A theatre receives recognition through its initiative, which is indispensable for first-rate performances.
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