The Marginalian
The Marginalian

Search results for “Kurt Vonnegut”

Ursula K. Le Guin on Where Ideas Come From, the “Secret” of Great Writing, and the Trap of Marketing Your Work
Ursula K. Le Guin on Where Ideas Come From, the “Secret” of Great Writing, and the Trap of Marketing Your Work

“All makers must leave room for the acts of the spirit. But they have to work hard and carefully, and wait patiently, to deserve them.”

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The Sense of Style: Psycholinguist Steven Pinker on the Art and Science of Beautiful Writing
The Sense of Style: Psycholinguist Steven Pinker on the Art and Science of Beautiful Writing

“Every generation believes that the kids today are degrading the language and taking civilization down with it.”

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George Orwell on Writing and the Four Questions Great Writers Must Ask Themselves
George Orwell on Writing and the Four Questions Great Writers Must Ask Themselves

“By using stale metaphors, similes and idioms, you save much mental effort, at the cost of leaving your meaning vague, not only for your reader but for yourself.”

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Theodor Adorno on the Art of Punctuation
Theodor Adorno on the Art of Punctuation

A manifesto for the “friendly spirits whose bodiless presence nourishes the body of language.”

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C.S. Lewis’s Ideal Daily Routine
C.S. Lewis’s Ideal Daily Routine

“It is essential of the happy life that a man would have almost no mail.”

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Craigslist Founder Craig Newmark on Trust, Integrity, Human Nature, and Why a Steady Moral Compass Is the Best Investment
Craigslist Founder Craig Newmark on Trust, Integrity, Human Nature, and Why a Steady Moral Compass Is the Best Investment

“What surprises me, in a way, is how almost universally people are trustworthy and good.”

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Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch’s Three Rules of Writing and Four Elements of Style: Timeless Advice from 1914
Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch’s Three Rules of Writing and Four Elements of Style: Timeless Advice from 1914

“Persuasion — the highest form of persuasion at any rate — cannot be achieved without a sense of beauty.”

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Zadie Smith on the Psychology of the Two Types of Writers
Zadie Smith on the Psychology of the Two Types of Writers

“It’s a feeling of happiness that knocks me clean out of adjectives. I think sometimes that the best reason for writing novels is to experience those four and a half hours after you write the final word.”

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The Little Red Schoolbook: An Honest Vintage Guide to Teenage Sexuality, Education Reform, and Independent Thinking
The Little Red Schoolbook: An Honest Vintage Guide to Teenage Sexuality, Education Reform, and Independent Thinking

“Leaders remain leaders only as long as you let them.”

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David Foster Wallace on Writing, Self-Improvement, and How We Become Who We Are
David Foster Wallace on Writing, Self-Improvement, and How We Become Who We Are

“Good writing isn’t a science. It’s an art, and the horizon is infinite. You can always get better.”

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