--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nothing is more vulgar than a careful…" description: "\"Nothing is more vulgar than a careful avoidance of beginning a letter with the first person singular.\" — Dorothy L. Sayers" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6a/dorothy-l-sayers-738_avoidance_nothing-is-more-vulgar-than-a-careful-av_1945978.jpg" --- # Nothing is more vulgar than a careful avoidance of… ![“Nothing is more vulgar than a careful avoidance of beginning a letter with the first person singular.” quote by Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6a/dorothy-l-sayers-738_avoidance_nothing-is-more-vulgar-than-a-careful-av_1945978.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6a/dorothy-l-sayers-738_avoidance_nothing-is-more-vulgar-than-a-careful-av_1945978.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6a/dorothy-l-sayers-738_avoidance_nothing-is-more-vulgar-than-a-careful-av_1945978.jpg) > “Nothing is more vulgar than a careful avoidance of beginning a letter with the first person singular.” [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Avoiding the first‑person opening makes writing feel impersonal and pretentious. **In simple terms:** Avoiding “I” feels pretentious. Key Takeaway Use “I” to be authentic. Themes authenticity voice writing style Mood reflective introspective Type literary advice When to use this quote - personal letters - creative writing workshops - blog introductions Key Concepts self‑presentation narrative perspective Questions to Reflect On - Do you feel more honest using “I”? - How does voice affect reader trust? A Different Perspective Some audiences prefer formal distance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [First person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-person/) [Vulgar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vulgar/) ## Related quotes > [“It is said to be the age of the first person singular”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/it-is-said-to-be-the-age-of-the-first-person-singular/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I always enjoy impersonating my characters in the first-person singular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-always-enjoy-impersonating-my-characters-in-the-first-person/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [Novels are political because in them, we try to identify with people who are not like us. And, in that sense, I like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/novels-are-political-because-in-them-we-try-to-identify-with-people/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [If you talk about sin, you don't have to use the first person singular, but speak out of that part of yourself which knows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/if-you-talk-about-sin-you-don-t-have-to-use-the-first-person-singular/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [In this country there is a universal third person, the man we all want to be. Advertising has discovered this man. It uses him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/in-this-country-there-is-a-universal-third-person-the-man-we-all-want/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [A player who conjugates a verb in the first-person singular cannot be part of the squad. He has to conjugate the verb in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wanderlei-silva/a-player-who-conjugates-a-verb-in-the-first-person-singular-cannot-be-2/) [Wanderlei Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wanderlei-silva/) > [I think god is singular and exists everywhere and for everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sourabh-raj-jain/i-think-god-is-singular-and-exists-everywhere-and-for-everyone/) [Sourabh Raj Jain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sourabh-raj-jain/) > [The whole history of pop music had rested on the first person singular, with occasional intrusions of the second person singular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/the-whole-history-of-pop-music-had-rested-on-the-first-person/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [“And I kept thinking about how sky is a singular noun, as if it's one thing. But the sky isn't one thing. The sky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/and-i-kept-thinking-about-how-sky-is-a-singular-noun-as-if-it-s-one/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“When our mental functioning is whittling away and our mind becomes a lame duck, perception does not form the context anymore and all connections…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/when-our-mental-functioning-is-whittling-away-and-our-mind-becomes-a/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [If art is singular expression, then by nature, the best art is controversial. But when art stirs debate for reasons besides its artistic integrity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ridley/if-art-is-singular-expression-then-by-nature-the-best-art-is/) [John Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ridley/) > [In my experience, 'SNL' has Lorne Michaels, who is, you know, the captain of the ship and gives the show direction and a singular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taran-killam/in-my-experience-snl-has-lorne-michaels-who-is-you-know-the-captain/) [Taran Killam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taran-killam/) > [... as a rule of thumb, whenever there appears a plural, correct for a singular. Should I ever let slip a royal WE, put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/as-a-rule-of-thumb-whenever-there-appears-a-plural-correct-for-a/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [By the time we get to the 2040s, we'll be able to multiply human intelligence a billionfold. That will be a profound change that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/by-the-time-we-get-to-the-2040s-we-ll-be-able-to-multiply-human/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [My career has evolved at its own peculiar pace. American careers are supposed to have a much more singular direction than I've been able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-curry/my-career-has-evolved-at-its-own-peculiar-pace-american-careers-are/) [Tim Curry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-curry/) ## More by Dorothy L. Sayers > [“The really essential factors of success in any undertaking are money and opportunity, and as a rule, the man who can make the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/the-really-essential-factors-of-success-in-any-undertaking-are-money/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [The trouble is. . .that everybody sneers at restrictions and demands freedom, till something annoying happens; then they demand angrily what has become of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/the-trouble-is-that-everybody-sneers-at-restrictions-and-demands/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [“ Peter! Were you looking for a horse-shoe?" "No; I was expecting the horse, but the shoe is a piece of pure, gorgeous luck."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/peter-were-you-looking-for-a-horse-shoe-no-i-was-expecting-the-horse/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [ “See that the mind is honest, first; the rest may follow or not as God wills. \[That\] the fundamental treason to the mind ...… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/see-that-the-mind-is-honest-first-the-rest-may-follow-or-not-as-god/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [But it is the mark of all movements, however well-intentioned, that their pioneers tend, by much lashing of themselves into excitement, to lose sight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/but-it-is-the-mark-of-all-movements-however-well-intentioned-that/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [We may argue eloquently that 'Honesty is the best Policy' - unfortunately, the moment honesty is adopted for the sake of policy it mysteriously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/we-may-argue-eloquently-that-honesty-is-the-best-policy-unfortunately/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [One must not only die daily, but every day we must be born again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/one-must-not-only-die-daily-but-every-day-we-must-be-born-again/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [“By teaching them all to read, we have left them at the mercy of the printed word. By the invention of the film and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/by-teaching-them-all-to-read-we-have-left-them-at-the-mercy-of-the/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [ Perhaps \[the critics are right and\] the drama is played out now and Jesus is safely dead and buried. Perhaps. It is ironical and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/perhaps-the-critics-are-right-and-the-drama-is-played-out-now-and/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [... at no point have I yet found artistic truth and theological truth at variance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/at-no-point-have-i-yet-found-artistic-truth-and-theological-truth-at/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [I have never yet heard any middle-aged man or woman who worked with his or her brains express any regret for the passing of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/i-have-never-yet-heard-any-middle-aged-man-or-woman-who-worked-with/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [“That was the second time within five minutes that he had warned her off his private ground. His mood had changed since the early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/that-was-the-second-time-within-five-minutes-that-he-had-warned-her/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [“To obey orders in this family has been my privilege for the last twenty years--a privilege which has been an unqualified pleasure, except perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/to-obey-orders-in-this-family-has-been-my-privilege-for-the-last/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [Those who make some other person their job... are dangerous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/those-who-make-some-other-person-their-job-are-dangerous/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [“Yes, and look at the corpses. Place always reminds me of that old thing in Punch, you know—‘Waiter, take away Lord Whatsisname, he’s been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/yes-and-look-at-the-corpses-place-always-reminds-me-of-that-old-thing/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) [Explore all 386 Dorothy L. Sayers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) ## More Avoidance quotes > [Unmarried couples should get married - that's an excellent tax avoidance measure, if a bit drastic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-whiting/unmarried-couples-should-get-married-that-s-an-excellent-tax/) John Whiting > [“Collect yourself: to smother what you feel, recall to order, summon in one place; making, like Orpheus, a system against loss.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-padel/collect-yourself-to-smother-what-you-feel-recall-to-order-summon-in/) [Ruth Padel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-padel/) > [All work is the avoidance of harder work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-richardson/all-work-is-the-avoidance-of-harder-work/) [James Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-richardson/) > [“People spend entire lifetimes trying to avoid the things that have already happened.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silvia-hartmann/people-spend-entire-lifetimes-trying-to-avoid-the-things-that-have/) [Silvia Hartmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silvia-hartmann/) > [America is not static. America is striving. And sometimes, America requires critique. Jingoism is an avoidance of realism. You can simultaneously love and be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-blow/america-is-not-static-america-is-striving-and-sometimes-america/) [Charles M. Blow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-blow/) > [I am not in favour of the takeover of excellent and strategically important British companies by struggling foreign firms whose actions are fuelled by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sainsbury-baron-sainsbury-of-turville/i-am-not-in-favour-of-the-takeover-of-excellent-and-strategically/) [David Sainsbury, Baron Sainsbury of Turville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sainsbury-baron-sainsbury-of-turville/) > [Most human behavior is nothing other than the avoidance of pain and the pursuit of pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/most-human-behavior-is-nothing-other-than-the-avoidance-of-pain-and/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [You can gain power by avoidance. You can gain power by doing certain things. You can gain much more power by meditating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-can-gain-power-by-avoidance-you-can-gain-power-by-doing-certain/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“If you love stress, practice avoidance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-rowe/if-you-love-stress-practice-avoidance/) Sharon Rowe > [I've been trying to avoid my problems, and I don't know what to do. I get high, but when I come down, my problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-nathaniel-butler/i-ve-been-trying-to-avoid-my-problems-and-i-don-t-know-what-to-do-i/) [Eugene Nathaniel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-nathaniel-butler/) > [All the textbooks talk about avoidance as a classic hallmark of anxiety disorder. So you need a therapist who is sympathetic and understanding but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stossel/all-the-textbooks-talk-about-avoidance-as-a-classic-hallmark-of/) [Scott Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-stossel/) > [I read recently in an article by G.K. Chesterton, that sex without gestation and parturition is like blowing the trumpets and waving the flags…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dora-russell/i-read-recently-in-an-article-by-g-k-chesterton-that-sex-without/) [Dora Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dora-russell/) > [Be truthful... and pay attention. I would also recommend the avoidance of credit cards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/be-truthful-and-pay-attention-i-would-also-recommend-the-avoidance-of/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [“Most of us will do anything to avoid facing ourselves”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lolly-daskal/most-of-us-will-do-anything-to-avoid-facing-ourselves/) [Lolly Daskal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lolly-daskal/) > [The pleasant life is not produced by continual drinking and dancing, nor sexual intercourse, nor rare dishes of sea food and other delicacies of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epicurus/the-pleasant-life-is-not-produced-by-continual-drinking-and-dancing/) [Epicurus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epicurus/) Browse all 290 Avoidance quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Nothing is more vulgar than a careful avoidance of beginning a letter with the first person singular.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dorothy L. 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