The more research you do, the more at ease you are in the world you're writing about. It doesn't encumber you, it makes you free.
A. S. ByattRead
…words have been all my life, all my life--this need is like the Spider's need who carries before her a huge Burden of Silk which she must spin out--the silk is her life, her home, her safety--her food and drink too--and if it is attacked or pulled down, why, what can she do but make more, spin afresh, design anew….
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the profound and essential role of words in a person's life, likening them to a spider's web that represents creation and survival.
A. S. Byatt compares the necessity of words to a spider's instinct to spin silk, suggesting that words are not just a means of communication but are integral to one's existence and identity. Just like a spider relies on its web for sustenance and safety, a writer or thinker relies on words to express themselves, create meaning, and navigate their world. If their words are threatened or diminished, they must create new expressions, highlighting the resilience and adaptability inherent in the act of creation.
Themes
WordsCreativityExpressionIdentityArt
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the power of language, one might use this quote to illustrate how essential words are to human existence.
More from A. S. Byatt
All quotes →It's because I'm a feminist that I can't stand women limiting other women's imaginations. It really makes me angry.
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Why do we take pleasure in gruesome death, neatly packaged as a puzzle to which we may find a satisfactory solution through clues - or if we are not clever enough, have it revealed by the all-powerful tale-teller at the end of the book? It is something to do with being reduced to, and comforted by, playing by the rules.
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Never stop paying attention to things. Never make your mind up finally. Do not hold beliefs.
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Only write to me, write to me, I love to see the hop and skip and sudden starts of your ink.
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I am a creature of my pen. My pen is the best of me.
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