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Writers should provoke disagreement.
V. S. Naipaul
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Writers have a responsibility to challenge norms and inspire debate.

V.S. Naipaul's quote emphasizes the role of writers in society as catalysts for thought and discussion. By provoking disagreement, writers encourage readers to engage with different perspectives, fostering critical thinking and a deeper understanding of complex issues.

Themes

WritersDisagreementProvocationDiscussionSociety

In practice

Example use cases

In a literary discussion, one might quote Naipaul to emphasize the importance of challenging common beliefs.

More from V. S. Naipaul

When I learnt to write I became my own master, I became very strong, and that strength is with me to this very day.
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It is wrong to have an ideal view of the world. That's where the mischief starts. That's where everything starts unravelling.
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If you decide to move to another country and to live within its laws you don't express your disregard for the essence of the culture. It's a form of aggression.
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One must always try to see the truth of a situation - it makes things universal.
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His ignorance seemed to widen with everything he read.
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I think when you see so many Hindu temples of the 10th century or earlier disfigured, defaced, you realise that something terrible happened. I feel the civilisation of that closed world was mortally wounded by those invasions the old world is destroyed. That has to be understood. Ancient Hindu India was destroyed.
V. S. NaipaulRead

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