--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He puts his right hand lightly on the…" description: "\"He puts his right hand lightly on the cup, I put my left, leaving the right free to transcribe, and away we go. We get, oh, 500 to 600 words an hour. B..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8a/james-merrill-28188_away_he-puts-his-right-hand-lightly-on-the-cu_2943510.jpg" --- # He puts his right hand lightly on the cup, I put my left… ![“He puts his right hand lightly on the cup, I put my left, leaving the right free to transcribe, and away we go. We get, oh, 500 to 600 words an hour. Better than gasoline.” quote by James Merrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8a/james-merrill-28188_away_he-puts-his-right-hand-lightly-on-the-cu_2943510.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8a/james-merrill-28188_away_he-puts-his-right-hand-lightly-on-the-cu_2943510.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8a/james-merrill-28188_away_he-puts-his-right-hand-lightly-on-the-cu_2943510.jpg) > “He puts his right hand lightly on the cup, I put my left, leaving the right free to transcribe, and away we go. We get, oh, 500 to 600 words an hour. Better than gasoline.” [James Merrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-merrill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes a collaborative writing method that boosts productivity **In simple terms:** Two‑handed transcription speeds up word output Key Takeaway Use teamwork to increase creative output Themes writing collaboration productivity Mood pragmatic focused Type educational professional When to use this quote - academic writing - literary production - efficiency Key Concepts co‑authoring techniques creative workflow Questions to Reflect On - How does collaboration affect style? - What tasks benefit from shared effort? A Different Perspective May reduce individual voice ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [The cup has to be left clean and empty for the divine liquor to be poured into it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/the-cup-has-to-be-left-clean-and-empty-for-the-divine-liquor-to-be/) [Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/) > [I do not write by any set time schedule. I realize there are many writers who follow a daily regime where they arise at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-mckay/i-do-not-write-by-any-set-time-schedule-i-realize-there-are-many/) [Donald McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-mckay/) > [It's better to say nothing than spend 1,000 words or an hour speech saying nothing. Get to the point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/it-s-better-to-say-nothing-than-spend-1-000-words-or-an-hour-speech/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Guard your roving thoughts with a jealous care, for speech is but the dialer of thoughts, and every fool can plainly read in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/guard-your-roving-thoughts-with-a-jealous-care-for-speech-is-but-the/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [“In a study in 1995, Betty Hart and Todd Risley of the University of Kansas found that children in professional families heard on average…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-a-study-in-1995-betty-hart-and-todd-risley-of-the-university-of-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [whenever I read a passage that moves me, I transcribe it in my diary, hoping my fingers might learn what excellence feels like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/whenever-i-read-a-passage-that-moves-me-i-transcribe-it-in-my-diary/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“IPA is used to transcribe the sound of a word, regardless of its spelling. This is important to keep in mind when examining English,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-j-peterson/ipa-is-used-to-transcribe-the-sound-of-a-word-regardless-of-its/) David J. Peterson > [Writers don't write, they read and transcribe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs-2/writers-don-t-write-they-read-and-transcribe/) [William S Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs-2/) > [“I transcribe my text with no concern for timeliness. 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Victor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-merrill/and-as-i-have-said-it-s-made-me-think-twice-about-the-imagination-if/) [James Merrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-merrill/) > [Knowing some Greek helped defuse forbidding words - not that I counted much on using them. You'll find only trace elements of this language…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-merrill/knowing-some-greek-helped-defuse-forbidding-words-not-that-i-counted/) [James Merrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-merrill/) > [In life, there are no perfect affections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-merrill/in-life-there-are-no-perfect-affections/) [James Merrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-merrill/) > [But those two plays left me on fresh terms with language. 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Nobody wants a stylus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/who-wants-a-stylus-you-have-to-get-em-and-put-em-away-and-you-lose-em/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [Beauty fades away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/beauty-fades-away/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You can't kind of take away, you either do or you don't. If you kind of take away something you're a failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-guare/you-can-t-kind-of-take-away-you-either-do-or-you-don-t-if-you-kind-of/) [John Guare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-guare/) > [We never think that our mothers will die. 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To me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/please-don-t-go-away-you-you-matter-to-me/) [Rachel Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-caine/) > [Our world is drowning in a sea of self-centeredness. You can make yourself quite unique right away by leaving this ocean of selfishness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bytheway/our-world-is-drowning-in-a-sea-of-self-centeredness-you-can-make/) [John Bytheway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bytheway/) > [“Why is it," she asked, snuggling closer, "that I so often imagine myself running away and running free?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/why-is-it-she-asked-snuggling-closer-that-i-so-often-imagine-myself/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) > [I do spend a lot of weekends on the road. I have to pace myself. 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