First job Quote by Phil Cousineau
““My love of publishing goes back to my first job on the hometown newspaper when I was a 16-year-old cub reporter, but I caught a novel version of the word and the idea at a 1980 poetry reading by Allan Ginsberg. That night he exhorted all in the audience to remember the original sense of the word when he said that every public reading of a poem was a bona fide form of publishing, taking the good word to the people. For the last word on getting published let’s turn to one of the least recognized, in her own time, of all great writers, Emily Dickinson, who said, “Publication—is the auction of the Mind of Man.” Of her 1775 poems, only seven were published in her lifetime, which flies in the face of the academic exhortation to “publish or perish.” Dickinson rarely published, but her poetry is imperishable.””
About This Quote
Source Interview: The Art of Publishing, 2020
Publishing is portrayed as a public act of sharing ideas, rooted in early journalistic experiences and poetic tradition, challenging the pressure to publish frequently.
In simple terms: Publishing is sharing ideas publicly, not just a career metric.
Key Takeaway
Share ideas openly, not for metrics.
Themes
authorship
public discourse
creativity
Mood
thoughtful
inspirational
Type
philosophical
reflective
When to use this quote
- writing workshops
- literary festivals
- academic publishing
Key Concepts
public reading
literary history
creative courage
Questions to Reflect On
- How can writers balance authenticity with visibility?
- What does “publishing” mean to you?
A Different Perspective
The “publish or perish” mindset can stifle authenticity.
![“They [Mc Donalds] take people and give them a first job, which enables them to get a second job. They do a very good job of educating troubled young people to be good citizens and they're probably more successful than charter schools.” quote by Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a55/charlie-munger-458_be-good_they-mc-donalds-take-people-and-give-the_41809.jpg)
