Books Quote by John Kennedy Toole

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.

— Anonymous

“But in those whom no necessity forces to turn Author, who merely write for fame, and have full leisure to polish their compositions, faults…

— Matthew Lewis

“The ordinary writer has an unmistakable preference for this style, because it causes the reader to spend time and trouble in understanding that which…

— Arthur Schopenhaur

Now, in our opinion no author should be blamed for obscurity, nor should any pains be grudged in the effort to understand him, provided…

— Alice Meynell

“Do not write to impress others. Authors who write to impress people have difficulty remaining true to themselves.”

— Guy Kawasaki

“Writing is very hard mostly because until you try to write something down, it’s easy to fool yourself into believing you understand things. Writing…

— Mark Vonnegut

Being incomprehensible offers unparalleled protection against having nothing to say...but writing with simplicity requires courage, for there is a danger that one will be…

— Alain de Botton

“He who would be a writer, fine, Must take a deal of pains, Must criticize his every line, And mix his ink with brains.”

— Platt Rogers Spencer

“The text contains no literary criticism. I wanted to describe books, not to be clever at their expense.”

— Kenneth McLeish

“Part of the blame lies with intellectuals who are unable or unwilling to convey their ideas in terms that will play down to the…

— Michael Perry

“In neither taste nor precision is any man's practice a court of last appeal, for writers all, both great and small, are habitual sinners…

— Ambrose Bierce

“...a writer has the duty to be good, not lousy; true, not false; lively, not dull; accurate, not full of error. He should tend…

— E. B. White