Bears Quote by Joseph Epstein
“Someone — Cyril Connolly? Ezra Pound? — once said that anything that can be read twice is literature; I would say that anything that bears saying twice is quotable.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The New Yorker, 1999
Literature should reward rereading; quotable ideas merit repeated expression.
In simple terms: Reread good works; repeat good ideas.
Key Takeaway
Seek works worth revisiting.
Themes
literature
quotability
reading
repetition
value
Mood
thoughtful
analytical
Type
critical
observational
When to use this quote
- book clubs
- academic study
- personal reflection
- creative writing
Key Concepts
Aesthetics
memetics
cultural transmission
Questions to Reflect On
- What makes a text worth rereading?
- When does repetition become cliché?
A Different Perspective
Not all repeated texts are profound; context matters.
![“The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the formulas of nations at war, where any heinousness is justified on the grounds that the enemy is either an inferior [part of the] species or…” quote by Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/895/kate-millett-7301_accompany_the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imp_8896.jpg)
