Believe Quote by Brenda Ueland
“Remember William Blake who said: "Improvement makes straight, straight roads, but the crooked roads without improvement are roads of genius." The truth is, life itself, is always startling, strange, unexpected. But when the truth is told about it everybody knows at once that it is life itself and not made up. But in ordinary fiction, movies, etc, everything is smoothed out to seem plausible--villains made bad, heroes splendid, heroines glamorous, and so on, so that no one believes a word”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Art of Living, 1930s (attributed to Brenda Ueland)
Life is inherently unpredictable and extraordinary, yet we smooth it into tidy narratives, losing its raw genius.
In simple terms: Life is messy and genius thrives in the unexpected.
Key Takeaway
Accept chaos, seek authentic experiences.
Themes
life
truth
genius
storytelling
Mood
curious
thoughtful
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- travel
- artistic creation
- personal crises
- storytelling
Key Concepts
existentialism
creativity
authenticity
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you honor life's unpredictability?
- What stories resist easy smoothing?
A Different Perspective
Smoothing reality can obscure truth and hinder growth.
![“(about William Blake) [Blake] said most of us mix up God and Satan. He said that what most people think is God is merely prudence, and the restrainer and inhibitor of energy, which results in fear and passivity and "imaginative death." And what we so often call "reason" and think is so fine, is…” quote by Brenda Ueland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/21d/brenda-ueland-3836_caution_about-william-blake-blake-said-most-of-u_3185108.jpg)
![“[4It is hard to be carefree when you have many anxieties. But the more you have, the more necessary it is to feel carefree for a time, so that you will get some new ideas on how to deal with your anxieties.]” quote by Brenda Ueland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/459/brenda-ueland-3836_anxiety_4it-is-hard-to-be-carefree-when-you-have_51155.jpg)
