--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [On her use of quotations:] When a thing…" description: "\"[On her use of quotations:] When a thing has been said so well that it could not be said better, why paraphrase it? Hence my writing, is, if not a cabi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb0/marianne-moore-3315_amber_on-her-use-of-quotations-when-a-thing-ha_1508239.png" --- # \[On her use of quotations:\] When a thing has been said so… ![“[On her use of quotations:] When a thing has been said so well that it could not be said better, why paraphrase it? Hence my writing, is, if not a cabinet of fossils, a kind of collection of flies in amber.” quote by Marianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb0/marianne-moore-3315_amber_on-her-use-of-quotations-when-a-thing-ha_1508239.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb0/marianne-moore-3315_amber_on-her-use-of-quotations-when-a-thing-ha_1508239.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb0/marianne-moore-3315_amber_on-her-use-of-quotations-when-a-thing-ha_1508239.png) > “\[On her use of quotations:\] When a thing has been said so well that it could not be said better, why paraphrase it? Hence my writing, is, if not a cabinet of fossils, a kind of collection of flies in amber.” [Marianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-moore/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When a statement is perfectly expressed, copying it adds no value; original writing is a curated collection of ideas. **In simple terms:** Perfectly said ideas need no paraphrase; original work gathers unique insights. Key Takeaway Value originality, avoid unnecessary repetition. Themes originality writing quotation Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - academic essays - creative writing - editing Key Concepts literature creativity Questions to Reflect On - When is paraphrasing appropriate? - How do you balance originality with homage? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on originality can stifle useful references. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“He offered a better paraphrase one day when I was complaining about an entry: “Words are stubborn little fuckers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kory-stamper/he-offered-a-better-paraphrase-one-day-when-i-was-complaining-about/) [Kory Stamper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kory-stamper/) > [“When they become so derivative as to become unintelligible, the same thing may be said for all of us, that we do not admire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-moore/when-they-become-so-derivative-as-to-become-unintelligible-the-same/) [Marianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-moore/) > [God's breath in man returning to his birth, The soul in paraphrase, heart in pilgrimage,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/god-s-breath-in-man-returning-to-his-birth-the-soul-in-paraphrase/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [Victorian society was homogeneous without being homogenized. 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It never stops.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-aguirre/but-the-world-moves-on-even-when-you-don-t-want-it-to-even-when/) [Ann Aguirre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-aguirre/) Browse all 183 Amber quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "[On her use of quotations:] When a thing has been said so well that it could not be said better, why paraphrase it? 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