Nothing is more durable than the dynasty of Doubt; for he reigns in the hearts of all his people, but gives satisfaction to none of them, and yet he is the only despot who can never die, while any of his subjects live.
Charles Caleb ColtonRead
There are three difficulties in authorship;-to write any thing worth the publishing-to find honest men to publish it -and to get sensible men to read it. Literature has now become a game; in which the Booksellers are the Kings; The Critics the Knaves; the Public, the Pack; and the poor Author, the mere table, or the Thing played upon.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Authorship is fraught with challenges, from creating worthwhile content to finding honest publishers and discerning readers.
In this quote, Charles Caleb Colton highlights the significant challenges faced by authors in the literary world. He points out that it is difficult not only to produce work that is deserving of publication but also to find trustworthy individuals willing to publish it, and finally to capture the attention of a discerning audience. Colton metaphorically compares the literary world to a game where booksellers, critics, and the public have power dynamics that often overlook the author's true value and intent, suggesting that the author is often left as an object used in the game rather than an influential player.
Themes
AuthorshipLiteraturePublishingChallengesWriting
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about the struggles of modern authors in a writing class.
More from Charles Caleb Colton
All quotes →It is astonishing how much more people are interested in lengthening life than improving it.
Charles Caleb ColtonRead
The benevolent have the advantage of the envious, even in this present life; for the envious man is tormented not only by all the ill that befalls himself, but by all the good that happens to another; whereas the benevolent man is the better prepared to bear his own calamities unruffled, from the complacency and serenity he has secured from contemplating the prosperity of all around him.
Charles Caleb ColtonRead
Happiness, that grand mistress of the ceremonies in the dance of life, impels us through all its mazes and meanderings, but leads none of us by the same route.
Charles Caleb ColtonRead
Our minds are as different as our faces. We are all traveling to one destination: happiness, but few are going by the same road.
Charles Caleb ColtonRead
Moderation is the inseparable companion of wisdom, but with it genius has not even a nodding acquaintance.
Charles Caleb ColtonRead
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