Books Quote by Raymond Chandler
“The test of a writer is whether you want to read him again years after he should by the rules be dated.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Big Sleep, Raymond Chandler, 1939
A writer’s lasting value is measured by the desire to read their work years later, despite dated style.
In simple terms: Great writers stay relevant over time.
Key Takeaway
Focus on timeless storytelling.
Themes
literature
legacy
timelessness
Mood
thoughtful
nostalgic
Type
philosophical
advice
When to use this quote
- publishing
- creative writing
Key Concepts
narrative craft
reader engagement
Questions to Reflect On
- Do you write for the present or future?
- How can you balance style with durability?
A Different Perspective
Changing tastes may render works obsolete.
![“[In the moment of reading writer and reader] are both briefly their best selves, or at least better selves. A flawed human being writes something and 60 years later a reader picks up the book and something in them rises to meet it.” quote by George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/538/george-saunders-317_best-self_in-the-moment-of-reading-writer-and-read_1635082.jpg)
![“Hammett was the ace performer... He is said to have lacked heart; yet the story he himself thought the most of [The Glass Key] is the record of a man's devotion to a friend. He was spare, frugal, hard-boiled, but he did over and over again what only the best writers can ever do at all. He wrote…” quote by Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/882/raymond-chandler-629_dashiel-hammett_hammett-was-the-ace-performer-he-is-said_20171.jpg)
![“He [James Cain] is every kind of writer I detest...a Proust in greasy overalls, a dirty little boy with a piece of chalk and a board fence and nobody looking.” quote by Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/614/raymond-chandler-629_writing_he-james-cain-is-every-kind-of-writer-i_41185.jpg)
