Critics Quote by Anonymous
“The human mind is generally far more eager to praise and dispraise than to describe and define. It wants to make every distinction a distinction of value; hence those fatal critics who can never point out the differing quality of two poets without putting them in an order of preference as if they were candidates for a prize.”
About This Quote
People tend to judge value rather than describe, leading to biased comparisons and loss of nuanced understanding.
In simple terms: We favor praise/criticism over precise description.
Key Takeaway
Focus on clear description.
Themes
judgment
language
valuation
Mood
analytical
thoughtful
inquisitive
Type
philosophical
observational
When to use this quote
- literary criticism
- performance reviews
- academic debates
- everyday conversations
Key Concepts
critical thinking
communication
objectivity
Questions to Reflect On
- Why do we default to value judgments?
- How can we encourage descriptive discourse?
A Different Perspective
The statement may overgeneralize human behavior, ignoring contexts where description is valued.
![“Poetry, even that of the loftiest, and seemingly, that of the wildest odes, [has] a logic of its own as severe as that of science; and more difficult, because more subtle, more complex, and dependent on more and more fugitive causes. In the truly great poets... there is a reason assignable, not…” quote by Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a9c/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_causes_poetry-even-that-of-the-loftiest-and-see_2967829.jpg)
![“Nearly all the writing of our time is likely to disappear in a hundred years. Certainly most readers - and nearly all critics - feel that [Kurt] Vonnegut started to repeat himself, to grow increasingly self-indulgent and meandering, and to sometimes just blather in his later work. But his books up…” quote by Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ed7/michael-dirda-3414_1960s_nearly-all-the-writing-of-our-time-is-li_13506.jpg)