Arthur Quiller-Couch famous quotes

Whenever you feel an impulse to perpetrate a piece of exceptionally fine writing, obey it - whole-heartedly - and delete it before sending your manuscript to press. Murder your darlings.
-- Arthur Quiller-Couch

#Writing #Pieces #Crafts

We make our discoveries through our mistakes: we watch one another's success: and where there is freedom to experiment there is hope to improve.
-- Arthur Quiller-Couch

#Mistake #Discovery #Watches

I am mistaken if a single epigram included fails to preserve at least some faint thrill of the emotion through which it had to pass before the Muse's lips let it fall, with however exquisite deliberation.
-- Arthur Quiller-Couch

#Fall #Thrill #Lips

O pastoral heart of England! like a psalm Of green days telling with a quiet beat.
-- Arthur Quiller-Couch

#Heart #Green #England

You can see the meaning of the statement that "Literature is a living art" most easily and clearly, perhaps, by contrasting Science and Art at their two extremes - say Pure Mathematics and Acting. Science as a rule deals with things, Art with man's thought and emotion about things.
-- Arthur Quiller-Couch

#Art #Men #Two

If your language is confused, your intellect, if not your whole character, will almost certainly correspond.
-- Arthur Quiller-Couch

#Confused #Character #Language

This writing business. Pencils and what-not. Over-rated, if you ask me. Silly stuff. Nothing in it.

Because of a friend, life is a little stronger, fuller, more gracious thing for the friend's existence, whether he be near or far. If the friend is close at hand, that is best; but if he is far away he still is there to think of, to wonder about, to hear from, to write to, to share life and experience with, to serve, to honor, to admire, to love.

The primary requisite for writing well about food is a good appetite.

I can write better than anyone who can write faster,

The day I take either my body or my work for granted will be the day you hear that I've smashed every inch of myself to pieces.

I must admit, maybe I am a piece of history after all.

I think of a plot, I think of an idea, and then I wonder, How can I get that onto the stage? . . . Whatever devices you use should always be there to serve the theme. If the theme has been overtaken by the device, then something's wrong.

If you have a great business, if you're great at your craft people should be coming in there. It shouldn't be this secret.

My aim is not to exhibit craft, but rather to submerge it, and make it rightfully the handmaiden of beauty, power and emotional content.

There is an ideal of excellence for any particular craft or occupation; similarly there must be an excellent that we can achieve as human beings. That is, we can live our lives as a whole in such a way that they can be judged not just as excellent in this respect or in that occupation, but as excellent, period. Only when we develop our truly human capacities sufficiently to achieve this human excellent will we have lives blessed with happiness.