--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When the modern scholar cites from a…" description: "\"When the modern scholar cites from a classic text, the quotation seems to burn a hole in his own drab page.\" — George Steiner" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/986/george-steiner-4683_citing_when-the-modern-scholar-cites-from-a-cla_3018364.png" --- # When the modern scholar cites from a classic text, the… ![“When the modern scholar cites from a classic text, the quotation seems to burn a hole in his own drab page.” quote by George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/986/george-steiner-4683_citing_when-the-modern-scholar-cites-from-a-cla_3018364.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/986/george-steiner-4683_citing_when-the-modern-scholar-cites-from-a-cla_3018364.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/986/george-steiner-4683_citing_when-the-modern-scholar-cites-from-a-cla_3018364.png) > “When the modern scholar cites from a classic text, the quotation seems to burn a hole in his own drab page.” [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Citing classics can feel oppressive, highlighting the gap between past brilliance and present mediocrity **In simple terms:** Quoting great works can feel like a stark contrast to one’s own dullness Key Takeaway Recognize the weight of tradition in your work Themes literature critique self-awareness Mood introspective analytical Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - academic writing - public speaking - creative drafting Key Concepts intertextuality cultural memory Questions to Reflect On - Do you let classic influences dominate your voice? - How can you integrate tradition without feeling constrained? A Different Perspective Relying too heavily on past may stifle originality ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Citing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citing/) [Classic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/classic/) [Classic Text](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/classic-text-4873057/) [Drab Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drab-page-4873056/) [Holes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holes/) [Modern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern/) [Modern Scholar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-scholar-4873055/) [Pages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pages/) [Quotation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quotation/) [Quotation Burn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quotation-burn-4873054/) [Quotations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quotations/) [Scholar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scholar/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Text Quotation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/text-quotation-4873058/) ## Related quotes > [When you hear somebody justifying a war by citing the Almighty, I get a little worried, frankly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-reagan/when-you-hear-somebody-justifying-a-war-by-citing-the-almighty-i-get/) [Ron Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-reagan/) > [To cite my own alma mater, it's shocking to me that Yale University can teach what it teaches at the Yale School of Environmental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/to-cite-my-own-alma-mater-it-s-shocking-to-me-that-yale-university/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [I would like to cite an instance which proves the efficacy of clean living on the part of an athlete coupled with the inspiration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/major-taylor/i-would-like-to-cite-an-instance-which-proves-the-efficacy-of-clean/) [Major Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/major-taylor/) > [The present educational establishment, to cite just one group, has been obscuring the past so that our children have no way of comparing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-demar/the-present-educational-establishment-to-cite-just-one-group-has-been/) [Gary DeMar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-demar/) > [He who in reasoning cites authority is making use of his memory rather than of his intellect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/he-who-in-reasoning-cites-authority-is-making-use-of-his-memory/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [What is the value of having millions of people in Iraq not having a repressive regime? What is the value of having the Iraqi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/what-is-the-value-of-having-millions-of-people-in-iraq-not-having-a/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [It's absurd for anybody to look around and hear the acts and artists who cite us as an inspiration, and then tell me that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-stanley/it-s-absurd-for-anybody-to-look-around-and-hear-the-acts-and-artists/) [Paul Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-stanley/) > [ Some \[intentional communities\], like the Shakers and the Harmony Society, have endured for a century or even longer. The Hutterians, to cite an extreme… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-zablocki/some-intentional-communities-like-the-shakers-and-the-harmony-society/) [Benjamin Zablocki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-zablocki/) > [Even mistaken hypotheses and theories are of use in leading to discoveries. This remark is true in all the sciences. The alchemists founded chemistry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-bernard/even-mistaken-hypotheses-and-theories-are-of-use-in-leading-to/) [Claude Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-bernard/) > [Mathematics is not only real, but it is the only reality. That is that entire universe is made of matter, obviously. And matter is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gardner/mathematics-is-not-only-real-but-it-is-the-only-reality-that-is-that/) [Martin Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gardner/) > [According to Miller, Pharisee Judaism is not a religion at all, but a secret society posing as a religion, a "sect with Judaism as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-starr-miller/according-to-miller-pharisee-judaism-is-not-a-religion-at-all-but-a/) [Edith Starr Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-starr-miller/) > [His (Lloyd Kaufman) string of low-budget, lowbrow horror comedies stretching back to the ’80s has been cited as influence by Peter Jackson, the Farrelly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-lumenick/his-lloyd-kaufman-string-of-low-budget-lowbrow-horror-comedies/) [Lou Lumenick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-lumenick/) > [Misgovernment is of four kinds, often in combination. They are: 1) tyranny or oppression, of which history provides so many well-known examples that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/misgovernment-is-of-four-kinds-often-in-combination-they-are-1/) [Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/) > [Want to talk third wave feminism, you could cite Ariel Levy and the idea that women have internalized male oppression. Going to spring break…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/want-to-talk-third-wave-feminism-you-could-cite-ariel-levy-and-the/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose. An evil soul producing holy witness Is like a villain with a smiling cheek, A goodly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/the-devil-can-cite-scripture-for-his-purpose-an-evil-soul-producing/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) ## More by George Steiner > [“But there is a third mode of trancendence: in it language simply ceases, and the motion of spirit gives no further outward manifestation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/but-there-is-a-third-mode-of-trancendence-in-it-language-simply/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [Words that are saturated with lies or atrocity, do not easily resume life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/words-that-are-saturated-with-lies-or-atrocity-do-not-easily-resume/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [Every one of my opponents, every one of my critics, will tell you that I am a generalist spread far too thin in an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/every-one-of-my-opponents-every-one-of-my-critics-will-tell-you-that/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [The very opposite of freedom is cliche, and nothing is less free, more inert with convention and hollow brutality, than a row of four-letter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/the-very-opposite-of-freedom-is-cliche-and-nothing-is-less-free-more/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [Books are in no hurry. An act of creation is in no hurry; it reads us, it privileges us infinitely. The notion that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/books-are-in-no-hurry-an-act-of-creation-is-in-no-hurry-it-reads-us/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [To starve a child of the spell of the story, of the canter of the poem, oral or written, is a kind of living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/to-starve-a-child-of-the-spell-of-the-story-of-the-canter-of-the-poem/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [I have every reason to believe that an individual man or woman fluent in several tongues seduces, possesses, remembers differently according to his or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/i-have-every-reason-to-believe-that-an-individual-man-or-woman-fluent/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [I believe that a work of art, like metaphors in language, can ask the most serious, difficult questions in a way which really makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/i-believe-that-a-work-of-art-like-metaphors-in-language-can-ask-the/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [To a degree which is difficult to determine, the esoteric impulse in twentieth-century music, literature and the arts reflects calculation. It looks to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/to-a-degree-which-is-difficult-to-determine-the-esoteric-impulse-in/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [Books are in no hurry. An act of creation is in no hurry; it reads us, it privileges us infinitely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/books-are-in-no-hurry-an-act-of-creation-is-in-no-hurry-it-reads-us-2/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [“The inception of human consciousness, the genesis of awareness, must have entailed prolonged 'condensations' around intractable nodes of wonder and terror, at the discriminations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/the-inception-of-human-consciousness-the-genesis-of-awareness-must/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [The immense majority of human biographies are a gray transit between domestic spasm and oblivion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/the-immense-majority-of-human-biographies-are-a-gray-transit-between/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [The new sound-sphere is global. It ripples at great speed across languages, ideologies, frontiers and races. The economics of this musical Esperanto is staggering.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/the-new-sound-sphere-is-global-it-ripples-at-great-speed-across/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [My father loved poetry and music. But deep in himself he thought teaching the finest thing a person could do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/my-father-loved-poetry-and-music-but-deep-in-himself-he-thought/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [Every language is a world. Without translation, we would inhabit parishes bordering on silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/every-language-is-a-world-without-translation-we-would-inhabit/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) [Explore all 104 George Steiner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) ## More Citing quotes > [When you hear somebody justifying a war by citing the Almighty, I get a little worried, frankly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-reagan/when-you-hear-somebody-justifying-a-war-by-citing-the-almighty-i-get/) [Ron Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-reagan/) > [Want to talk third wave feminism, you could cite Ariel Levy and the idea that women have internalized male oppression. Going to spring break…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/want-to-talk-third-wave-feminism-you-could-cite-ariel-levy-and-the/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Misgovernment is of four kinds, often in combination. They are: 1) tyranny or oppression, of which history provides so many well-known examples that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/misgovernment-is-of-four-kinds-often-in-combination-they-are-1/) [Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/) > [His (Lloyd Kaufman) string of low-budget, lowbrow horror comedies stretching back to the ’80s has been cited as influence by Peter Jackson, the Farrelly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-lumenick/his-lloyd-kaufman-string-of-low-budget-lowbrow-horror-comedies/) [Lou Lumenick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-lumenick/) > [According to Miller, Pharisee Judaism is not a religion at all, but a secret society posing as a religion, a "sect with Judaism as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-starr-miller/according-to-miller-pharisee-judaism-is-not-a-religion-at-all-but-a/) [Edith Starr Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-starr-miller/) > [Mathematics is not only real, but it is the only reality. That is that entire universe is made of matter, obviously. And matter is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gardner/mathematics-is-not-only-real-but-it-is-the-only-reality-that-is-that/) [Martin Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gardner/) > [Even mistaken hypotheses and theories are of use in leading to discoveries. This remark is true in all the sciences. The alchemists founded chemistry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-bernard/even-mistaken-hypotheses-and-theories-are-of-use-in-leading-to/) [Claude Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-bernard/) > [ Some \[intentional communities\], like the Shakers and the Harmony Society, have endured for a century or even longer. The Hutterians, to cite an extreme… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-zablocki/some-intentional-communities-like-the-shakers-and-the-harmony-society/) [Benjamin Zablocki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-zablocki/) > [It's absurd for anybody to look around and hear the acts and artists who cite us as an inspiration, and then tell me that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-stanley/it-s-absurd-for-anybody-to-look-around-and-hear-the-acts-and-artists/) [Paul Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-stanley/) > [What is the value of having millions of people in Iraq not having a repressive regime? What is the value of having the Iraqi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/what-is-the-value-of-having-millions-of-people-in-iraq-not-having-a/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [He who in reasoning cites authority is making use of his memory rather than of his intellect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/he-who-in-reasoning-cites-authority-is-making-use-of-his-memory/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [The present educational establishment, to cite just one group, has been obscuring the past so that our children have no way of comparing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-demar/the-present-educational-establishment-to-cite-just-one-group-has-been/) [Gary DeMar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-demar/) > [I would like to cite an instance which proves the efficacy of clean living on the part of an athlete coupled with the inspiration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/major-taylor/i-would-like-to-cite-an-instance-which-proves-the-efficacy-of-clean/) [Major Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/major-taylor/) > [To cite my own alma mater, it's shocking to me that Yale University can teach what it teaches at the Yale School of Environmental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/to-cite-my-own-alma-mater-it-s-shocking-to-me-that-yale-university/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose. An evil soul producing holy witness Is like a villain with a smiling cheek, A goodly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/the-devil-can-cite-scripture-for-his-purpose-an-evil-soul-producing/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) [Browse all 108 Citing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When the modern scholar cites from a classic text, the quotation seems to burn a hole in his own drab page.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Steiner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/when-the-modern-scholar-cites-from-a-classic-text-the-quotation-seems/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Citing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/when-the-modern-scholar-cites-from-a-classic-text-the-quotation-seems/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/986/george-steiner-4683_citing_when-the-modern-scholar-cites-from-a-cla_3018364.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/986/george-steiner-4683_citing_when-the-modern-scholar-cites-from-a-cla_3018364.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/986/george-steiner-4683_citing_when-the-modern-scholar-cites-from-a-cla_3018364.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When the modern scholar cites from a classic text, the quotation seems to burn a hole in his own drab page.” — George Steiner", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "George Steiner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When the modern scholar cites from...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/when-the-modern-scholar-cites-from-a-classic-text-the-quotation-seems/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/when-the-modern-scholar-cites-from-a-classic-text-the-quotation-seems/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```