Authorship Quote by Jean de la Bruyere
“A man starts upon a sudden, takes Pen, Ink, and Paper, and without ever having had a thought of it before, resolves within himself he will write a Book; he has no Talent at Writing, but he wants fifty Guineas.”
About This Quote
A spontaneous ambition to author a book despite lacking skill, driven by the lure of money.
In simple terms: Ambition without preparation.
Key Takeaway
Desire can outweigh ability.
Themes
ambition
greed
inexperience
self‑deception
aspiration
Mood
ironic
cautious
skeptical
Type
aphor
observation
cautionary
When to use this quote
- starting a creative project
- seeking quick profit
- overestimating one's talent
- pursuing a hobby for money
- launching a venture without expertise
Key Concepts
motivation
skill gap
financial incentive
Practical Applications
- writing a book for profit
- marketing a product based on hype
Questions to Reflect On
- What risks arise when desire eclipses competence?
- How does financial incentive shape creative decisions?
![“The court is like a palace built of marble; I mean that it is made up of very hard but very polished people. [Fr., La cour est comme un edifice bati de marbre; je veux dire qu'elle est composee d'hommes fort durs mais fort polis.]” quote by Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/fcf/jean-de-la-bruyere-575_built_the-court-is-like-a-palace-built-of-marb_77288.jpg)
![“Ye who write, choose a subject suited to your abilities. [Lat., Sumite materiam vestris, qui scribitis, aequam Viribus.]” quote by Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/48e/horace-172_ability_ye-who-write-choose-a-subject-suited-to_108123.jpg)
![“All these teachers and [screenwriting] books mean you see movies that have been worked over by more committees wielding more rules, that all originality and authorship is lost. That's why you're seeing superstars like Brad Pitt in THE FIGHT CLUB and Tom Cruise in MAGNOLIA. They're desperately…” quote by Paul Schrader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e40/paul-schrader-14587_authorship_all-these-teachers-and-screenwriting-boo_176880.jpg)
