--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think it should be done over, Buddy…" description: "\"“I think it should be done over, Buddy. …Please make peace with your wit. It's not going to go away, Buddy. To dump it on your own advice would be as b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b3/j-d-salinger-560_peace_i-think-it-should-be-done-over-buddy-ple_2119787.png" --- # I think it should be done over, Buddy. …Please make peace… ![“I think it should be done over, Buddy. …Please make peace with your wit. It's not going to go away, Buddy. To dump it on your own advice would be as bad and unnatural as dumping your adjectives and your adverbs because Prof. B. wants you to. What does he know about it? What do you really know…” quote by J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b3/j-d-salinger-560_peace_i-think-it-should-be-done-over-buddy-ple_2119787.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b3/j-d-salinger-560_peace_i-think-it-should-be-done-over-buddy-ple_2119787.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b3/j-d-salinger-560_peace_i-think-it-should-be-done-over-buddy-ple_2119787.png) > ““I think it should be done over, Buddy. …Please make peace with your wit. It's not going to go away, Buddy. To dump it on your own advice would be as bad and unnatural as dumping your adjectives and your adverbs because Prof. B. wants you to. What does he know about it? What do you really know about your own wit? I've been sitting here tearing up notes to you. I keep starting to say things like 'This one is wonderfully constructed,' and 'The conversation between the two cops is terrific.' So I'm hedging. I'm not sure why. I started to get a little nervous right after you began to read. It sounded like the beginning of something your arch-enemy Bob B. calls a rattling good story. Don't you think he would call this a step in the right direction? Doesn't that worry you? Even what is funny about the woman on the back of the truck doesn't sound like something you think is funny. It sounds much more like something that you think is universally considered funny. I feel gypped. Does that make you mad? You can say our relatedness spoils my judgement. It worries me enough. But I'm also just a reader. Are you a writer or just a writer of rattling good stories. I mind getting a rattling good story from you.”” [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator doubts the value of forced wit and questions the authenticity of criticism, feeling pressured by external expectations. **In simple terms:** Uncertainty about using wit and external pressure. Key Takeaway Trust your own voice over imposed standards. Themes self‑doubt creativity criticism authenticity Mood anxious contemplative Type creative literary When to use this quote - writing - editing - peer review - creative process Key Concepts artistic integrity self‑validation Questions to Reflect On - Do you write for yourself or for critics? - How can you balance wit with sincerity? 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What do you really know about your own wit? I've been sitting here tearing up notes to you. I keep starting to say things like 'This one is wonderfully constructed,' and 'The conversation between the two cops is terrific.' So I'm hedging. I'm not sure why. I started to get a little nervous right after you began to read. It sounded like the beginning of something your arch-enemy Bob B. calls a rattling good story. Don't you think he would call this a step in the right direction? Doesn't that worry you? Even what is funny about the woman on the back of the truck doesn't sound like something you think is funny. It sounds much more like something that you think is universally considered funny. I feel gypped. Does that make you mad? You can say our relatedness spoils my judgement. It worries me enough. But I'm also just a reader. Are you a writer or just a writer of rattling good stories. I mind getting a rattling good story from you.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "J.D. Salinger" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-think-it-should-be-done-over-buddy-please-make-peace-with-your-wit/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Peace" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-think-it-should-be-done-over-buddy-please-make-peace-with-your-wit/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b3/j-d-salinger-560_peace_i-think-it-should-be-done-over-buddy-ple_2119787.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b3/j-d-salinger-560_peace_i-think-it-should-be-done-over-buddy-ple_2119787.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b3/j-d-salinger-560_peace_i-think-it-should-be-done-over-buddy-ple_2119787.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think it should be done over, Buddy. …Please make peace with your wit. It's not going to go away, Buddy…” — J.D. 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