Books Quote by Eudora Welty
““Evere since I was first to read, then started reading to myself, there has never been a line read that I didn't hear. As my eyes followed the sentence, a voice was saying it silently to me. It wasn't my mother's voice, or the voice of any person I can identify, certainly not my own. It is human, but inward, and it is inwardly that I listen to it. It is to me the voice of the poem or the story itself. The cadence, whatever it is that asks you to believe, the feeling that resides in the printed word, reaches me through the reader-voice. I have supposed, but never found out, that this is the case with all readers - to read as listeners - and with all writers, to write as listeners. It may be part of the desire to write. The sound of what falls on the page begins the process of testing it for truth, for me. Whether I am right to trust so far I don't know. By now I don;t know whether I could do either one, reading or writing, without the other.””
About This Quote
Source Essay: “The Reader’s Voice”, 1942
Reading is an internal dialogue where the text speaks to us, and writing is listening to that inner voice, creating a reciprocal relationship.
In simple terms: Reading and writing involve listening to an inner voice.
Key Takeaway
Cultivate listening to the inner voice of text.
Themes
creativity
reflection
communication
Mood
contemplative
inquisitive
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- writing workshops
- literary analysis
- personal journaling
Key Concepts
inner dialogue
literary perception
Questions to Reflect On
- How does your inner voice guide your writing?
- Can you separate authorial intent from personal interpretation?
A Different Perspective
May overlook external feedback.
