Criticism Quote by Edward Dahlberg
“Recognize the cunning man not by the corpses he pays homage to but by the living writers he conspires against with the most shameful weapon, Silence, or the briefest review.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Art of Criticism, Edward Dahlberg, 1965
True character is shown by how one treats those who are alive, not by the dead they honor, especially through the weapon of silence or brief criticism.
In simple terms: Character shows in how we treat the living, not the dead.
Key Takeaway
Watch how you speak about the living.
Themes
character
criticism
silence
power
integrity
Mood
reflective
critical
thoughtful
Type
analytical
philosophical
ethical
When to use this quote
- literary criticism
- political debate
- personal relationships
- media commentary
Key Concepts
moral judgment
social dynamics
communication
ethics
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you confront harmful silence?
- What impact does brief criticism have?
A Different Perspective
Silence can be misinterpreted as indifference rather than critique.
![“T[he rules of writing] require that the personages in a tale shall be alive, except in the case of corpses, and that always the reader shall be able to tell the corpses from the others.” quote by Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/be6/mark-twain-22_books_t-he-rules-of-writing-require-that-the-p_2169332.jpg)
![“[A] writer’s most powerful weapon, his true strength, was his intuition, and regardless of whether he had any talent, if the critics combined to discredit an author’s nose for things, he would be reduced to a fearful creature who took a mistakenly guarded, absurdly cautious approach to his work…” quote by Félix J. Palma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ec2/f-lix-j-palma-11226_books_a-writer-s-most-powerful-weapon-his-true_2453417.jpg)
