There's life for you. Spend the best years of your life studying penmanship and rhetoric and syntax and Beowulf and George Eliot, and then somebody steals your pencil.
Dorothy ParkerRead
If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers, the second-greatest favor you can do them is to present them with copies of The Elements of Style. The first-greatest, of course, is to shoot them now, while they're happy.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote humorously suggests that aspiring writers should be guided by good writing principles while also implying the challenges they will face in their careers.
Dorothy Parker's quote offers a satirical take on the harsh realities of becoming a writer. It emphasizes the importance of foundational writing skills, as encapsulated in 'The Elements of Style', but juxtaposes it with the dark, comedic notion that the struggles and disappointments of writing may be so profound that it would be kinder to spare aspiring writers from future unhappiness. This blend of practicality and irony reflects the dual nature of pursuing a creative career.
Themes
WritingEducationHumorCreative ExpressionGuidance
In practice
Example use cases
Use this quote when discussing the challenges of pursuing a writing career in a workshop.
More from Dorothy Parker
All quotes →My land is bare of chattering folk; / the clouds are low along the ridges, / and sweet's the air with curly smoke / from all my burning bridges.
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Prince or commoner, tenor or bass, Painter or plumber or never-do-well, Do me a favor and shut your face - Poets alone should kiss and tell.
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They say of me, and so they should, It's doubtful if I come to good. I see acquaintances and friends Accumulating dividends And making enviable names In science, art and parlor games. But I, despite expert advice, Keep doing things I think are nice, And though to good I never come Inseparable my nose and thumb.
Dorothy ParkerRead
It is that word 'hunny,' my darlings, that marks the first place in The House at Pooh Corner at which Tonstant Weader fwowed up.
Dorothy ParkerRead
I can’t write five words but that I change seven.
Dorothy ParkerRead
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