---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Best masters for the young writer and…"
description: "\"Best masters for the young writer and speaker are the fault- finding brothers and sisters at home who will not spare him, but willpick and cavil, and t..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58d/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_brother_best-masters-for-the-young-writer-and-sp_836892.png"
---

#  Best masters for the young writer and speaker are the…

![“Best masters for the young writer and speaker are the fault- finding brothers and sisters at home who will not spare him, but willpick and cavil, and tell the odious truth.” quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58d/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_brother_best-masters-for-the-young-writer-and-sp_836892.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58d/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_brother_best-masters-for-the-young-writer-and-sp_836892.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58d/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_brother_best-masters-for-the-young-writer-and-sp_836892.png)

> “Best masters for the young writer and speaker are the fault- finding brothers and sisters at home who will not spare him, but willpick and cavil, and tell the odious truth.”

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

## About This Quote

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

Young writers improve through harsh criticism from close ones who challenge them with truth.

**In simple terms:** Critical feedback from family sharpens writing.

Key Takeaway

Seek honest critique from trusted peers.

Themes

growth criticism writing family truth

Mood

reflective determined

Type

advice literary

When to use this quote

- creative writing workshops
- family discussions
- peer review sessions

Key Concepts

self‑reliance feedback loops developmental psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you handle harsh feedback?
- What role does family play in your creative growth?

A Different Perspective

Criticism can be discouraging if not balanced with support.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/) [Brothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brothers/) [Brothers and sisters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brothers-and-sisters/) [Fault finding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fault-finding/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Young writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-writers/)

## Related quotes

> [Perhaps I failed, but I did my best, These masters of mine may do the rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/perhaps-i-failed-but-i-did-my-best-these-masters-of-mine-may-do-the/)

[Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/)

> [Only in solitude do we find ourselves; and in finding ourselves, we find in ourselves all our brothers in solitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-unamuno/only-in-solitude-do-we-find-ourselves-and-in-finding-ourselves-we/)

[Miguel de Unamuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-unamuno/)

> [Well, when I was a young writer the people we read were Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Sartre, Camus, Celine, Malraux. And to begin with, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mordecai-richler/well-when-i-was-a-young-writer-the-people-we-read-were-hemingway/)

[Mordecai Richler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mordecai-richler/)

> [When a young writer deliberately tries to create an effect, the result is often a little self-conscious and overdone. But why is it so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-calkins/when-a-young-writer-deliberately-tries-to-create-an-effect-the-result/)

[Lucy Calkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-calkins/)

> [Then you have people coming up like Malcolm Bradbury, a relatively young writer who deals with the academic scene and deals with it, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/then-you-have-people-coming-up-like-malcolm-bradbury-a-relatively/)

[William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/)

> [On the day when a young writer corrects his first proof-sheet he is as proud as a schoolboy who has just got his first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/on-the-day-when-a-young-writer-corrects-his-first-proof-sheet-he-is/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [Of course at that point I had no idea that the adventure was only beginning and that the struggle and the rejections were to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/of-course-at-that-point-i-had-no-idea-that-the-adventure-was-only/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [What first stuns the young writer emerging from college is that there is no clear-cut road for him to travel on. He must chop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-gooch/what-first-stuns-the-young-writer-emerging-from-college-is-that-there/)

Brad Gooch

> [My main strength as a young writer was that I had no fear of making mistakes. I knew I would and I knew I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/my-main-strength-as-a-young-writer-was-that-i-had-no-fear-of-making/)

[Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/)

> [I think the path for a young writer might be one that says, "I have to accept myself, this is what I am. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/i-think-the-path-for-a-young-writer-might-be-one-that-says-i-have-to/)

[George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/)

> [When I was a kid and a young man I read everything. When I was about 23, I was incredibly lucky in that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/when-i-was-a-kid-and-a-young-man-i-read-everything-when-i-was-about/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [When people ask, "Is there any advice you'd give a young writer?," I say write short stories. They afford lots of failure. Pastiche is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/when-people-ask-is-there-any-advice-you-d-give-a-young-writer-i-say/)

[Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/)

> [When a young writer comes up to me with an ambitious idea for a 20-book series, I usually tell him to maybe try something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/when-a-young-writer-comes-up-to-me-with-an-ambitious-idea-for-a-20/)

[Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/)

> [Every young writer, I imagine, has their first intellectual magazine, whose essays and articles are devoured all the more greedily for being slightly over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/every-young-writer-i-imagine-has-their-first-intellectual-magazine/)

[Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/)

> [The writer learns to write, in the last resort, only by writing. He must get words onto paper even if he is dissatisfied with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/the-writer-learns-to-write-in-the-last-resort-only-by-writing-he-must/)

[Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/)

## More by Ralph Waldo Emerson

> [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [If we will not interfere with our thought, but will act entirely, or see how the thing stands in God, we know the particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-we-will-not-interfere-with-our-thought-but-will-act-entirely-or/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [A man cannot speak but he judges himself. With his will or against his will he draws his portrait to the eye of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-man-cannot-speak-but-he-judges-himself-with-his-will-or-against-his/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Consideration is the soil in which wisdom may be expected to grow, and strength be given to every up-springing plant of duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/consideration-is-the-soil-in-which-wisdom-may-be-expected-to-grow-and/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [“There is then creative reading as well as creative writing. When the mind is braced by labor and invention, the page of whatever book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/there-is-then-creative-reading-as-well-as-creative-writing-when-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [The order of things consents to virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-order-of-things-consents-to-virtue/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Life only avails, not the having lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/life-only-avails-not-the-having-lived/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Another success is the post-office, with its educating energy augmented by cheapness and guarded by a certain religious sentimentin mankind; so that the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/another-success-is-the-post-office-with-its-educating-energy/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [A child reminds us that playtime is an essential part of our daily routine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-child-reminds-us-that-playtime-is-an-essential-part-of-our-daily/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [No man can be criticised but by a greater than he. Do not, then, read the reviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/no-man-can-be-criticised-but-by-a-greater-than-he-do-not-then-read/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Coal lay in ledges under the ground since the Flood, until a laborer with pick and windlass brings it to the surface. We may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/coal-lay-in-ledges-under-the-ground-since-the-flood-until-a-laborer/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [I am; therefore, I had nothing better to do than to think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/i-am-therefore-i-had-nothing-better-to-do-than-to-think/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [In a library we are surrounded by many hundreds of dear friends, but they are imprisoned by an enchanter in these paper and leathern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/in-a-library-we-are-surrounded-by-many-hundreds-of-dear-friends-but/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [The compensations of calamity are made apparent to the understanding also, after long intervals of time. A fever, a mutilation, a cruel disappointment, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-compensations-of-calamity-are-made-apparent-to-the-understanding/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

[Explore all 4,802 Ralph Waldo Emerson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

## More Brother quotes

> [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/)

[Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/)

> [Whatever meaning 'Annie's Song' had for me on a personal level, there was also a larger context. It could just as easily have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-denver/whatever-meaning-annie-s-song-had-for-me-on-a-personal-level-there/)

[John Denver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-denver/)

> [Luckily, the bullet that hit my chest never got to me. It was stopped by a silver case I got for my brother's wedding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-doohan/luckily-the-bullet-that-hit-my-chest-never-got-to-me-it-was-stopped/)

[James Doohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-doohan/)

> [“Yeah. You treat him like a son or a soldier, instead of like a brother. He wants you to like him and admire him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-hunter/yeah-you-treat-him-like-a-son-or-a-soldier-instead-of-like-a-brother/)

[Faith Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-hunter/)

> [“Your relationship with your brother will be, in many ways, the most complex and bewildering of all the interpersonal connections you will form. An…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-currie-jr/your-relationship-with-your-brother-will-be-in-many-ways-the-most/)

[Ron Currie Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-currie-jr/)

> [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/)

[Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/)

> [There's no publicist, no advertisements, and no one's pushing us. If people are buying our records, it's because big brothers and sisters or friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-moody/there-s-no-publicist-no-advertisements-and-no-one-s-pushing-us-if/)

Spencer Moody

> [The only way to make sure that the Hand didn't get to you would have been to kill your brother. I could've done it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/the-only-way-to-make-sure-that-the-hand-didn-t-get-to-you-would-have/)

[Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/)

> [“Your favorite son and brother, Shade. Like”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-aveyard/your-favorite-son-and-brother-shade-like/)

[Victoria Aveyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-aveyard/)

> [Sister + brother = a lovely family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sister-brother-a-lovely-family/)

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

> [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/)

[Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/)

> [Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/brothers-and-sisters-i-bid-you-beware-of-giving-your-heart-to-a-dog/)

[Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/)

> [Like a child exploring the attic of an old house on a rainy day, discovering a trunk full of treasure and then calling all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/like-a-child-exploring-the-attic-of-an-old-house-on-a-rainy-day/)

[Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/)

> [Stephanie could see the greed seep into the watery eyes of her father’s other brother, a horrible little man called Fergus, as he nodded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-landy/stephanie-could-see-the-greed-seep-into-the-watery-eyes-of-her-father/)

[Derek Landy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-landy/)

> [I worked in a barbershop. I used to make the waves in the brother's hair, you know? Like, Nat King Cole, Sugar Ray Robinson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clinton/i-worked-in-a-barbershop-i-used-to-make-the-waves-in-the-brother-s/)

[George Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clinton/)

[Browse all 7,453 Brother quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Best masters for the young writer and speaker are the fault- finding brothers and sisters at home who will not spare him, but willpick and cavil, and tell the odious truth.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ralph Waldo Emerson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/best-masters-for-the-young-writer-and-speaker-are-the-fault-finding/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Brother"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/best-masters-for-the-young-writer-and-speaker-are-the-fault-finding/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58d/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_brother_best-masters-for-the-young-writer-and-sp_836892.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58d/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_brother_best-masters-for-the-young-writer-and-sp_836892.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58d/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_brother_best-masters-for-the-young-writer-and-sp_836892.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Best masters for the young writer and speaker are the fault- finding brothers and sisters at home who will…” — Ralph Waldo Emerson",
                "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": "Ralph Waldo Emerson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Best masters for the young writer...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/best-masters-for-the-young-writer-and-speaker-are-the-fault-finding/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/best-masters-for-the-young-writer-and-speaker-are-the-fault-finding/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
