--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is a natural disposition with us to…" description: "\"There is a natural disposition with us to judge an author's personal character by the character of his works. We find it difficult to understand the co..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e9/edwin-percy-whipple-8845_antithesis_there-is-a-natural-disposition-with-us-t_1189115.jpg" --- # There is a natural disposition with us to judge an… ![“There is a natural disposition with us to judge an author's personal character by the character of his works. We find it difficult to understand the common antithesis of a good writer and a bad man.” quote by Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e9/edwin-percy-whipple-8845_antithesis_there-is-a-natural-disposition-with-us-t_1189115.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e9/edwin-percy-whipple-8845_antithesis_there-is-a-natural-disposition-with-us-t_1189115.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e9/edwin-percy-whipple-8845_antithesis_there-is-a-natural-disposition-with-us-t_1189115.jpg) > “There is a natural disposition with us to judge an author's personal character by the character of his works. We find it difficult to understand the common antithesis of a good writer and a bad man.” [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We tend to judge authors by their personal morals, creating a conflict between their work and character. **In simple terms:** People judge writers by their morals, causing tension. Key Takeaway Separate art from artist when evaluating work. Themes literature ethics perception Mood thoughtful critical Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - book reviews - academic criticism - personal bias Key Concepts authorial intent moral judgment Questions to Reflect On - Should personal conduct affect literary appreciation? - How to balance criticism? A Different Perspective Moral judgments can obscure artistic value. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Antithesis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antithesis/) [Authorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authorship/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Difficult To Understand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult-to-understand/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Personal character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-character/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [It is commonly the personal character of a writer which gives him his public significance. It is not imparted by his genius. Napoleon said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/it-is-commonly-the-personal-character-of-a-writer-which-gives-him-his/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I have become an enthusiast for the printed word again. I have to be that, I now understand, because I want to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-have-become-an-enthusiast-for-the-printed-word-again-i-have-to-be/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [So I've tried to be this very eccentric character, and that works very well if you want to be a painter which I did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kaye/so-i-ve-tried-to-be-this-very-eccentric-character-and-that-works-very/) [Tony Kaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kaye/) > [In TV, when a character works, you end up doing it for years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-grover/in-tv-when-a-character-works-you-end-up-doing-it-for-years/) [Sunil Grover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-grover/) > [The familiar writer is apt to be his own satirist. Out of his own mouth is he judged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/the-familiar-writer-is-apt-to-be-his-own-satirist-out-of-his-own/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [A writer who attempts to live on the manufacture of his imagination is continually coquetting with starvation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/a-writer-who-attempts-to-live-on-the-manufacture-of-his-imagination/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [A man of letters is often a man with two natures,--one a book nature, the other a human nature. These often clash sadly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/a-man-of-letters-is-often-a-man-with-two-natures-one-a-book-nature/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [When the men of antiquity realized their wishes, benefits were conferred by them on the people. If they did not realize their wishes, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/when-the-men-of-antiquity-realized-their-wishes-benefits-were/) [Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/) > [A man who has cured himself of all ridiculous prepossessions, and is fully, sincerely, and steadily convinced, from experience as well as philosophy, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/a-man-who-has-cured-himself-of-all-ridiculous-prepossessions-and-is/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [“Pastor and radio broadcaster Tony Evans says, “If you want a better world, composed of better nations, inhabited by better states, filled with better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/pastor-and-radio-broadcaster-tony-evans-says-if-you-want-a-better/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [The hell of human suffering, evil and oppression is paved with good intentions. The men who have most injured and oppressed humanity, who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-briffault/the-hell-of-human-suffering-evil-and-oppression-is-paved-with-good/) [Robert Briffault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-briffault/) > [There is no institution more vital to our Nation's survival than the American family. Here the seeds of personal character are planted, the roots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/there-is-no-institution-more-vital-to-our-nation-s-survival-than-the/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Every article on these islands has an almost personal character, which gives this simple life, where all art is unknown, something of the artistic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-millington-synge/every-article-on-these-islands-has-an-almost-personal-character-which/) [John Millington Synge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-millington-synge/) > [“As soon as she could discern the outline of the house, it had all its old effect upon Tess's imagination. Part of her body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/as-soon-as-she-could-discern-the-outline-of-the-house-it-had-all-its/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“Character gains through its expression, and loses through its repression. Love grows through its expression. Sympathy grows through its expression. Knowledge grows through its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-clay-trumbull/character-gains-through-its-expression-and-loses-through-its/) [Henry Clay Trumbull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-clay-trumbull/) ## More by Edwin Percy Whipple > [Cheerfulness in most cheerful people is the rich and satisfying result of strenuous discipline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/cheerfulness-in-most-cheerful-people-is-the-rich-and-satisfying/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [The minister's brain is often the "poor-box" of the church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/the-minister-s-brain-is-often-the-poor-box-of-the-church/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [A true teacher should penetrate to whatever is vital in his pupil, and develop that by the light and heat of his own intelligence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/a-true-teacher-should-penetrate-to-whatever-is-vital-in-his-pupil-and/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [Felicity, not fluency of language, is a merit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/felicity-not-fluency-of-language-is-a-merit/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [A politician weakly and amiably in the right is no match for a politician tenaciously and pugnaciously in the wrong. You cannot, by tying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/a-politician-weakly-and-amiably-in-the-right-is-no-match-for-a/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [A thought embodied and embrained in fit words walks the earth a living being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/a-thought-embodied-and-embrained-in-fit-words-walks-the-earth-a/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [Nature and society are so replete with startling contrasts that wit often consists in the mere statement and comparison of facts, as when Hume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/nature-and-society-are-so-replete-with-startling-contrasts-that-wit/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [The bitterest satires and noblest eulogies on married life have come from poets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/the-bitterest-satires-and-noblest-eulogies-on-married-life-have-come/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [Genius is not a single power, but a combination of great powers. It reasons, but it is not reasoning; it judges, but it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/genius-is-not-a-single-power-but-a-combination-of-great-powers-it/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [Nature does not capriciously scatter her secrets as golden gifts to lazy pets and luxurious darlings, but imposes tasks when she presents opportunities, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/nature-does-not-capriciously-scatter-her-secrets-as-golden-gifts-to/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [Even in social life, it is persistency which attracts confidence, more than talents and accomplishments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/even-in-social-life-it-is-persistency-which-attracts-confidence-more/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [A nation may be in a tumult to-day for a thought which the timid Erasmus placidly penned in his study more than two centuries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/a-nation-may-be-in-a-tumult-to-day-for-a-thought-which-the-timid/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [God is glorified, not by our groans, but by our thanksgivings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/god-is-glorified-not-by-our-groans-but-by-our-thanksgivings/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [As men neither fear nor respect what has been made contemptible, all honor to him who makes oppression laughable as well as detestable. Armies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/as-men-neither-fear-nor-respect-what-has-been-made-contemptible-all/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [What a man does with his wealth depends upon his idea of happiness. Those who draw prizes in life are apt to spend tastelessly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/what-a-man-does-with-his-wealth-depends-upon-his-idea-of-happiness/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) [Explore all 77 Edwin Percy Whipple quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) ## More Antithesis quotes > [Christie led the way - with a bulldozer. The governor is blunt, brash, and self-consciously authentic, the antithesis to what turns off today's voters:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-fournier/christie-led-the-way-with-a-bulldozer-the-governor-is-blunt-brash-and/) [Ron Fournier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-fournier/) > [... Michael Bloomfield was the antithesis of a collector ... he didn't care how old a guitar was; all he wanted was something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-gravenites/michael-bloomfield-was-the-antithesis-of-a-collector-he-didn-t-care/) Nick Gravenites > [“All this waiting. Waiting for the rain to stop. Waiting in traffic. Waiting for the bill. Waiting at the airport for an old friend.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/all-this-waiting-waiting-for-the-rain-to-stop-waiting-in-traffic/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [One of the goals of philosophy is wage theoretical battle. That is why we can say that every thesis is always, by its very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-althusser/one-of-the-goals-of-philosophy-is-wage-theoretical-battle-that-is-why/) [Louis Althusser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-althusser/) > [ I wrote a comedy, which hopefully \[Rick director\] Curtiss Clayton will bring to the screen, that I thought was the antithesis of all my… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/i-wrote-a-comedy-which-hopefully-rick-director-curtiss-clayton-will/) [Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/) > [Everything contains its antithesis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliet-stevenson/everything-contains-its-antithesis/) [Juliet Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliet-stevenson/) > [I'm unhappy with the President Trump. I don't like his behavior, and I'm a Republican, and I don't like his policies because they're almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-wexner/i-m-unhappy-with-the-president-trump-i-don-t-like-his-behavior-and-i/) [Les Wexner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-wexner/) > [the overwhelming majority of people who are engaged in the processes of thought and expression are Democrats because the essence of thought is exploration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-mannes/the-overwhelming-majority-of-people-who-are-engaged-in-the-processes/) [Marya Mannes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-mannes/) > [Free will appears unfettered, deliberate; it is boundlessly free, wandering, the spirit. But fate is a necessity; unless we believe that world history is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/free-will-appears-unfettered-deliberate-it-is-boundlessly-free/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I am so stupid that I cannot understand philosophy; the antithesis of this is that philosophy is so clever that it cannot comprehend my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/i-am-so-stupid-that-i-cannot-understand-philosophy-the-antithesis-of/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [Communism forgets that life is individual. Capitalism forgets that life is social, and the kingdom of brotherhood is found neither in the thesis of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/communism-forgets-that-life-is-individual-capitalism-forgets-that/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Composing computer programs to solve scientific problems is like writing poetry. You must choose every word with care and link it with the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lovelock/composing-computer-programs-to-solve-scientific-problems-is-like/) [James Lovelock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lovelock/) > [Don't seek happiness. If you seek it, you won't find it, because seeking is the antithesis of happiness. Happiness is ever elusive, but freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/don-t-seek-happiness-if-you-seek-it-you-won-t-find-it-because-seeking/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Without making any moral judgements whatsoever, one can say that self-indulgence and excessive self-preoccupation are the antithesis of genuine awareness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-rolheiser/without-making-any-moral-judgements-whatsoever-one-can-say-that-self/) [Ronald Rolheiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-rolheiser/) > [I am not a hoarder, but my wardrobe is the antithesis of fast fashion. I buy clothes - beautiful in looks and make -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-menkes/i-am-not-a-hoarder-but-my-wardrobe-is-the-antithesis-of-fast-fashion/) [Suzy Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-menkes/) [Browse all 152 Antithesis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antithesis/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is a natural disposition with us to judge an author's personal character by the character of his works. 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