---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The mind of a generation is its speech. A…"
description: "\"The mind of a generation is its speech. A writer makes aspects of that speech enduring by putting them in print. He whittles at the words and phrases o..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ed/john-dos-passos-3598_architect_the-mind-of-a-generation-is-its-speech-a_2719263.jpg"
---

#  The mind of a generation is its speech. A writer makes…

![“The mind of a generation is its speech. A writer makes aspects of that speech enduring by putting them in print. He whittles at the words and phrases of today and makes of them forms to set the mind of tomorrow's generation. That's history. A writer who writes straight is the architect of history.” quote by John Dos Passos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ed/john-dos-passos-3598_architect_the-mind-of-a-generation-is-its-speech-a_2719263.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ed/john-dos-passos-3598_architect_the-mind-of-a-generation-is-its-speech-a_2719263.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ed/john-dos-passos-3598_architect_the-mind-of-a-generation-is-its-speech-a_2719263.jpg)

> “The mind of a generation is its speech. A writer makes aspects of that speech enduring by putting them in print. He whittles at the words and phrases of today and makes of them forms to set the mind of tomorrow's generation. That's history. A writer who writes straight is the architect of history.”

[John Dos Passos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dos-passos/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Writers shape future thought by preserving contemporary language in lasting works, influencing the next generation’s mindset.

**In simple terms:** Writers preserve today’s speech for tomorrow.

Key Takeaway

Write with lasting impact.

Themes

writing history culture

Mood

thoughtful inspirational

Type

literary historical

When to use this quote

- education
- publishing
- media
- political discourse

Key Concepts

literature memetics

Questions to Reflect On

- What words will you choose to endure?
- How does language shape collective memory?

A Different Perspective

The writer’s influence may be limited by audience reach.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Architect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architect/) [Aspect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aspect/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Endure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endure/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Generation Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generation-speech-2869154/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Phrases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phrases/) [Print](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/print/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech/) [Speech Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech-writer-2869155/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tomorrow/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writer Makes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-makes-999712/) [Writer Writes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-writes/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [I could use a Chris Matthews-level speech writer to script everything I say. That would be good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-morey/i-could-use-a-chris-matthews-level-speech-writer-to-script-everything/)

[Daryl Morey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-morey/)

> [I met Jon Lovett, who was just coming off of three years of being a presidential speech writer and had just arrived here to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-gad/i-met-jon-lovett-who-was-just-coming-off-of-three-years-of-being-a/)

[Josh Gad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-gad/)

> [Ted Sorrenson, JFK's presidential speech writer, when asked how it came about that he wrote the "ask not what you can do..." speech, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-noonan/ted-sorrenson-jfk-s-presidential-speech-writer-when-asked-how-it-came/)

[Peggy Noonan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-noonan/)

> [Nearly every politician plagiarizes their speeches, because nearly every politician has a speech writer do the work for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-kasparian/nearly-every-politician-plagiarizes-their-speeches-because-nearly/)

[Ana Kasparian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-kasparian/)

> [I'm not a drug salesman. I'm a writer." "What makes you think a writer isn't a drug salesman?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-m-not-a-drug-salesman-i-m-a-writer-what-makes-you-think-a-writer/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [When a writer makes something, it's theirs forever. That is the magic for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-gallagher/when-a-writer-makes-something-it-s-theirs-forever-that-is-the-magic/)

[Ellen Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-gallagher/)

> [I think the writer makes a good story good or a good story bad. The writer has a great deal of responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robinson/i-think-the-writer-makes-a-good-story-good-or-a-good-story-bad-the/)

[Tom Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robinson/)

> [Essentially, I'm, most of all, a writer. So, what makes people tick interests me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvin-van-peebles/essentially-i-m-most-of-all-a-writer-so-what-makes-people-tick/)

[Melvin Van Peebles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvin-van-peebles/)

> [Constant work, constant writing and constant revision. The real writer learns nothing from life. He is more like an oyster or a sponge. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/constant-work-constant-writing-and-constant-revision-the-real-writer/)

[Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/)

> [I am a loner by nature, and then I'm a writer, which makes me twice a loner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustavo-perez-firmat/i-am-a-loner-by-nature-and-then-i-m-a-writer-which-makes-me-twice-a/)

[Gustavo Perez Firmat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustavo-perez-firmat/)

> [What has a writer to be bombastic about? Whatever good a man may write is the consequence of accident, luck, or surprise, and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-dahlberg/what-has-a-writer-to-be-bombastic-about-whatever-good-a-man-may-write/)

[Edward Dahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-dahlberg/)

> [“A writer who makes serious money is never taken seriously. Writers and artists are expected to suffer poverty and privation for their art; it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-zafra/a-writer-who-makes-serious-money-is-never-taken-seriously-writers-and/)

[Jessica Zafra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-zafra/)

> [“When writing a novel a writer should create living people; people not characters. A character is a caricature. If a writer can make people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/when-writing-a-novel-a-writer-should-create-living-people-people-not/)

[Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/)

> [“He is a writer. He makes the rest of them nervous.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/he-is-a-writer-he-makes-the-rest-of-them-nervous/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [“A Book I Can Put Down I’m halfway through and I’ve gotten used to the way it wants to be read. This writer wants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonia-clark/a-book-i-can-put-down-i-m-halfway-through-and-i-ve-gotten-used-to-the/)

[Antonia Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonia-clark/)

## More by John Dos Passos

> [In certain savage tribes in New Guinea, they put the old people up in the trees and shake them once a year in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dos-passos/in-certain-savage-tribes-in-new-guinea-they-put-the-old-people-up-in/)

[John Dos Passos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dos-passos/)

> [In a moment when criticism shows a singular dearth of direction every man has to be a law unto himself in matters of theatre,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dos-passos/in-a-moment-when-criticism-shows-a-singular-dearth-of-direction-every/)

[John Dos Passos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dos-passos/)

> [It's rather grisly, isnt it, how soon a living man becomes nothing more than a collection of stocks and bonds and debts and real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dos-passos/it-s-rather-grisly-isnt-it-how-soon-a-living-man-becomes-nothing-more/)

[John Dos Passos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dos-passos/)

> [The people of this country are too tolerant. There's no other country in the world where they'd allow it... After all we built up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dos-passos/the-people-of-this-country-are-too-tolerant-there-s-no-other-country/)

[John Dos Passos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dos-passos/)

> [I never see the dawn that I don't say to myself perhaps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dos-passos/i-never-see-the-dawn-that-i-don-t-say-to-myself-perhaps/)

[John Dos Passos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dos-passos/)

> [When the typewriter stops in a New York office everybody's embarrassed; men start to quarrel or to make love to the stenographer or drop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dos-passos/when-the-typewriter-stops-in-a-new-york-office-everybody-s/)

[John Dos Passos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dos-passos/)

> [What's the use, there never was a woman living who could understand political ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dos-passos/what-s-the-use-there-never-was-a-woman-living-who-could-understand/)

[John Dos Passos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dos-passos/)

> [There is a part of me in every character, naturally. That's why novelists rarely write good autobiographies. You start one and it becomes another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dos-passos/there-is-a-part-of-me-in-every-character-naturally-that-s-why/)

[John Dos Passos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dos-passos/)

> [The fascinating thing to a dispassionate observer about the structure of life in the Soviet Union is that in their efforts to produce an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dos-passos/the-fascinating-thing-to-a-dispassionate-observer-about-the-structure/)

[John Dos Passos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dos-passos/)

> [To fight oppression, and to work as best we can for a sane organization of society, we do not have to abandon the state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dos-passos/to-fight-oppression-and-to-work-as-best-we-can-for-a-sane/)

[John Dos Passos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dos-passos/)

> [A satirist is a man whose flesh creeps so at the ugly and the savage and the incongruous aspects of society that he has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dos-passos/a-satirist-is-a-man-whose-flesh-creeps-so-at-the-ugly-and-the-savage/)

[John Dos Passos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dos-passos/)

> [Letters are largely written to get things out of your system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dos-passos/letters-are-largely-written-to-get-things-out-of-your-system/)

[John Dos Passos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dos-passos/)

> [The Enormous Room seems to me to be the book that has nearest approached the mood of reckless adventure in which men will reach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dos-passos/the-enormous-room-seems-to-me-to-be-the-book-that-has-nearest/)

[John Dos Passos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dos-passos/)

> [“ Luther Burbank was born in a brick farmhouse in Lancaster Mass, he walked through the woods one winter crunching through the shinycrusted snow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dos-passos/luther-burbank-was-born-in-a-brick-farmhouse-in-lancaster-mass-he/)

[John Dos Passos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dos-passos/)

> [It is a most curious experience for a man of seventy-two to be confronted with the greenhorn enthusiasms of his youth. Young people think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dos-passos/it-is-a-most-curious-experience-for-a-man-of-seventy-two-to-be/)

[John Dos Passos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dos-passos/)

[Explore all 125 John Dos Passos quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dos-passos/)

## More Architect quotes

> [When I am asked what I believe in, I say that I believe in architecture. Architecture is the mother of the arts. I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-meier/when-i-am-asked-what-i-believe-in-i-say-that-i-believe-in/)

[Richard Meier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-meier/)

> [Some architects have a preconceived notion of what a building should be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-w-fentress/some-architects-have-a-preconceived-notion-of-what-a-building-should/)

[Curtis W. Fentress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-w-fentress/)

> [Whether that's speaking up in your job or asking for a promotion or saying, 'I think I can do that.' Using your voice in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-shriver/whether-that-s-speaking-up-in-your-job-or-asking-for-a-promotion-or/)

[Maria Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-shriver/)

> [When it comes to getting things done, we need fewer architects and more bricklayers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-it-comes-to-getting-things-done-we-need-fewer-architects-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Architects mostly work for privileged people, people who have money and power, Power and money are invisible, so people hire us to visualize their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-ban/architects-mostly-work-for-privileged-people-people-who-have-money/)

[Shigeru Ban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-ban/)

> [I was the chairman of the Budget Committee and the lead architect the last time it happened in Washington, and when we did it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/i-was-the-chairman-of-the-budget-committee-and-the-lead-architect-the/)

[John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/)

> [The architect is very interesting because the architect is the commander, meaning the one who commands all the workers. The architect is also the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-architect-is-very-interesting-because-the-architect-is-the/)

[Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/)

> [The pursuit of peace resembles the building of a great cathedral. It is the work of a generation. In concept it requires a mater-architect;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/the-pursuit-of-peace-resembles-the-building-of-a-great-cathedral-it/)

[Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/)

> [Yes, Garnett Grey was an Architect. Were a psychoanalyst to approach him from behind, tap his shoulder, and say 'Humanity,' Garrett'd spin and respond,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-kidd/yes-garnett-grey-was-an-architect-were-a-psychoanalyst-to-approach/)

[Chip Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-kidd/)

> [The challenge of today's generation of architects is the environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-ross-barney/the-challenge-of-today-s-generation-of-architects-is-the-environment/)

[Carol Ross Barney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-ross-barney/)

> [I stand on this rostrum with a sense of deep humility and great pride - humility in the weight of those great American architects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/i-stand-on-this-rostrum-with-a-sense-of-deep-humility-and-great-pride/)

[Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/)

> [Architects in the past have tended to concentrate their attention on the building as a static object. I believe dynamics are more important: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/architects-in-the-past-have-tended-to-concentrate-their-attention-on/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I was the chairman of the House Budget Committee and one of the chief architects the last time we balanced a budget, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/i-was-the-chairman-of-the-house-budget-committee-and-one-of-the-chief/)

[John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/)

> [No matter what an architect may be at home, he becomes a monumentalist when he comes to Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-louise-huxtable/no-matter-what-an-architect-may-be-at-home-he-becomes-a-monumentalist/)

[Ada Louise Huxtable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-louise-huxtable/)

> [As an architect you design for the present, with an awareness of the past, for a future which is essentially unknown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-foster/as-an-architect-you-design-for-the-present-with-an-awareness-of-the/)

[Norman Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-foster/)

[Browse all 836 Architect quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architect/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The mind of a generation is its speech. A writer makes aspects of that speech enduring by putting them in print. He whittles at the words and phrases of today and makes of them forms to set the mind of tomorrow's generation. That's history. A writer who writes straight is the architect of history.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Dos Passos"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dos-passos/the-mind-of-a-generation-is-its-speech-a-writer-makes-aspects-of-that/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Architect"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dos-passos/the-mind-of-a-generation-is-its-speech-a-writer-makes-aspects-of-that/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ed/john-dos-passos-3598_architect_the-mind-of-a-generation-is-its-speech-a_2719263.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ed/john-dos-passos-3598_architect_the-mind-of-a-generation-is-its-speech-a_2719263.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ed/john-dos-passos-3598_architect_the-mind-of-a-generation-is-its-speech-a_2719263.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The mind of a generation is its speech. A writer makes aspects of that speech enduring by putting them in…” — John Dos Passos",
                "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": "John Dos Passos",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dos-passos/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The mind of a generation is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dos-passos/the-mind-of-a-generation-is-its-speech-a-writer-makes-aspects-of-that/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dos-passos/the-mind-of-a-generation-is-its-speech-a-writer-makes-aspects-of-that/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
