---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The most durable thing in writing is…"
description: "\"The most durable thing in writing is style, and style is the single most valuable investment a writer can make with his time.\" — Raymond Chandler"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb5/raymond-chandler-629_investing_the-most-durable-thing-in-writing-is-sty_735548.jpg"
---

#  The most durable thing in writing is style, and style is…

![“The most durable thing in writing is style, and style is the single most valuable investment a writer can make with his time.” quote by Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb5/raymond-chandler-629_investing_the-most-durable-thing-in-writing-is-sty_735548.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb5/raymond-chandler-629_investing_the-most-durable-thing-in-writing-is-sty_735548.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb5/raymond-chandler-629_investing_the-most-durable-thing-in-writing-is-sty_735548.jpg)

> “The most durable thing in writing is style, and style is the single most valuable investment a writer can make with his time.”

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

## About This Quote

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

Style is the lasting asset of a writer, more valuable than plot or fame.

**In simple terms:** Style endures more than story.

Key Takeaway

Invest time in developing a unique voice.

Themes

writing style craft longevity investment

Mood

inspirational practical

Type

creative professional

When to use this quote

- writing workshops
- editing
- branding
- publishing decisions

Key Concepts

literary theory creative process authorial voice

Questions to Reflect On

- How does your style reflect your values?
- What steps can you take to refine it?

A Different Perspective

Style can be imitated, not always authentic.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Investment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investment/) [Investment Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investment-writer-4910968/) [Style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/style/) [Style Style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/style-style-686332/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Valuable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/valuable/) [Valuable Investment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/valuable-investment-3514677/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-style/)

## Related quotes

> [The most durable thing in writing is style, and style is the most valuable investment a writer can make with his time. It pays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/the-most-durable-thing-in-writing-is-style-and-style-is-the-most/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [Higher education is supposed to be a valuable investment in your future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-cardona/higher-education-is-supposed-to-be-a-valuable-investment-in-your/)

[Miguel Cardona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-cardona/)

> [The most valuable investment we can make is in our children's education. When we make education a priority, we give our children opportunity. Opportunity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-o-malley/the-most-valuable-investment-we-can-make-is-in-our-children-s/)

[Martin O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-o-malley/)

> [The most durable thing in writing is style. It is a projection of personality and you have to have a personality before you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/the-most-durable-thing-in-writing-is-style-it-is-a-projection-of/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [The most important thing in life is style. That is, the style of ones existence-the characteristic mode of ones actions-is basically, ultimately what matters.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-most-important-thing-in-life-is-style-that-is-the-style-of-ones/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [Poor leaders have a certain style and that's the only style they have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-randolph/poor-leaders-have-a-certain-style-and-that-s-the-only-style-they-have/)

[Marc Randolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-randolph/)

> [I'd say in general, my style is Johnny Weir style. It's my style. I can't classify it as anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-weir/i-d-say-in-general-my-style-is-johnny-weir-style-it-s-my-style-i-can/)

[Johnny Weir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-weir/)

> [“I've never been in style, so I can never go out of style.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-gish/i-ve-never-been-in-style-so-i-can-never-go-out-of-style/)

[Lillian Gish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-gish/)

> [Style is just an impression. Style itself is hollow. Style, its ok style as long as it is part of a language. Style for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfonso-cuaron/style-is-just-an-impression-style-itself-is-hollow-style-its-ok-style/)

[Alfonso Cuaron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfonso-cuaron/)

> [There is as much attitude in your style as there is style in your attitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-as-much-attitude-in-your-style-as-there-is-style-in-your/)

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

> [One does not consider style, because style is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-stone/one-does-not-consider-style-because-style-is/)

[Robert Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-stone/)

> [I've never been in style, so I can't go out of style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-gish/i-ve-never-been-in-style-so-i-can-t-go-out-of-style/)

[Lillian Gish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-gish/)

> [Style! style! why, all writers will tell you that it is the very thing which can least of all be changed. A man's style…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-d-israeli/style-style-why-all-writers-will-tell-you-that-it-is-the-very-thing/)

[Isaac D'Israeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-d-israeli/)

> [Fashion is not style. Nay, we can say more: Fashion is instead of style. Style is an idiom springing spontaneously from the personality but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/fashion-is-not-style-nay-we-can-say-more-fashion-is-instead-of-style/)

[Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/)

> [“Style is the answer to everything. A fresh way to approach a dull or dangerous thing To do a dull thing with style is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/style-is-the-answer-to-everything-a-fresh-way-to-approach-a-dull-or/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

## More by Raymond Chandler

> [Television's perfect. You turn a few knobs, a few of those mechanical adjustments at which the higher apes are so proficient, and lean back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/television-s-perfect-you-turn-a-few-knobs-a-few-of-those-mechanical/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [There is no trap so deadly as the trap you set for yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/there-is-no-trap-so-deadly-as-the-trap-you-set-for-yourself/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [Common sense is the guy who tells you that you ought to have had your brakes relined last week before you smashed a front…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/common-sense-is-the-guy-who-tells-you-that-you-ought-to-have-had-your/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [ “Hammett was the ace performer... He is said to have lacked heart; yet the story he himself thought the most of \[The Glass Key\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/hammett-was-the-ace-performer-he-is-said-to-have-lacked-heart-yet-the/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [She jerked away from me like a startled fawn might, if I had a startled fawn and it jerked away from me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/she-jerked-away-from-me-like-a-startled-fawn-might-if-i-had-a/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [A good story cannot be devised; it has to be distilled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/a-good-story-cannot-be-devised-it-has-to-be-distilled/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [Dashiell Hammett took murder out of theVenetian vase and dropped it into the alley.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/dashiell-hammett-took-murder-out-of-thevenetian-vase-and-dropped-it/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [ “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… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/he-james-cain-is-every-kind-of-writer-i-detest-a-proust-in-greasy/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [It was a blonde. A blonde to make a bishop kick a hole in a stained-glass window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/it-was-a-blonde-a-blonde-to-make-a-bishop-kick-a-hole-in-a-stained/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [“I had been stalking the bluebottle fly for five minutes, waiting for him to sit down. He didn't want to sit down. He just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/i-had-been-stalking-the-bluebottle-fly-for-five-minutes-waiting-for/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [“A three-piece Mexican band was making the kind of music a Mexican band always makes. Whatever they play, it all sounds the same. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/a-three-piece-mexican-band-was-making-the-kind-of-music-a-mexican/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [Mostly I just kill time," he said, "and it dies hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/mostly-i-just-kill-time-he-said-and-it-dies-hard/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [“The book was not new. Dates were stamped on the front endpaper, in and out dates. A rent book. A lending library of elaborate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/the-book-was-not-new-dates-were-stamped-on-the-front-endpaper-in-and/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [Without magic, there is no art. Without art, there is no idealism. Without idealism, there is no integrity. Without integrity, there is nothing but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/without-magic-there-is-no-art-without-art-there-is-no-idealism/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [“The homicide skipper that year was a Captain Gregorius, a type of copper that is getting rarer but by no means extinct, the kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/the-homicide-skipper-that-year-was-a-captain-gregorius-a-type-of/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

[Explore all 430 Raymond Chandler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

## More Investing quotes

> [Don't let's lose sight of what creates wealth. It is open markets, it is capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/don-t-let-s-lose-sight-of-what-creates-wealth-it-is-open-markets-it/)

[Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/)

> [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [Don't think OF the market. Think AS the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-fishman/don-t-think-of-the-market-think-as-the-market/)

[Michael Fishman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-fishman/)

> [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/)

[Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/)

> [The market may never coalesce around one basic design, or even around two or three dominant devices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-market-may-never-coalesce-around-one-basic-design-or-even-around/)

[Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/)

> [“The market was king, that much was clear. Share worth had replaced human worth. And it wasn’t so much a question of what that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-dahl/the-market-was-king-that-much-was-clear-share-worth-had-replaced/)

[Arne Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-dahl/)

> [Windmills and solar cells are carbon-free sources of electricity. But they are costly. If you've been investing in those, give it up. That game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-fisher/windmills-and-solar-cells-are-carbon-free-sources-of-electricity-but/)

[Kenneth Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-fisher/)

> [The exact details of how you practice value investing will vary investor to investor, but the fundamental principle of scouring the world, looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-tilson/the-exact-details-of-how-you-practice-value-investing-will-vary/)

[Whitney Tilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-tilson/)

> [“Wed don't need to live like the elites of California, New York, or Washington, D.C. We don't need to work a hundred hours a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/wed-don-t-need-to-live-like-the-elites-of-california-new-york-or/)

[J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/)

> [Television series are like the stock market. There's room for bears and bulls but no room for pigs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-newhart/television-series-are-like-the-stock-market-there-s-room-for-bears/)

[Bob Newhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-newhart/)

> [That's one of the things about the NFL is that you have small-market teams, big-market teams. I feel like the bigger market teams do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-kelce/that-s-one-of-the-things-about-the-nfl-is-that-you-have-small-market/)

[Travis Kelce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-kelce/)

> [In China, people are moving from bigger cars to small hatches, and interestingly, the Indian market is graduating to bigger cars and sedans. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winfried-vahland/in-china-people-are-moving-from-bigger-cars-to-small-hatches-and/)

[Winfried Vahland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winfried-vahland/)

> [Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in a tremendous investment to support millions of workers without a paycheck and behind on bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/congress-passed-the-american-rescue-plan-act-in-a-tremendous/)

[Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/)

> [“a select group of high-performing companies have managed to close the strategy-to-performance gap through better planning and execution. These companies—Barclays, Cisco Systems, Dow Chemical,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-mankins/a-select-group-of-high-performing-companies-have-managed-to-close-the/)

[Michael C. Mankins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-mankins/)

> [I'll invest my money in people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-keith-kellogg/i-ll-invest-my-money-in-people/)

[Will Keith Kellogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-keith-kellogg/)

[Browse all 13,164 Investing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The most durable thing in writing is style, and style is the single most valuable investment a writer can make with his time.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Raymond Chandler"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/the-most-durable-thing-in-writing-is-style-and-style-is-the-single/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Investing"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/the-most-durable-thing-in-writing-is-style-and-style-is-the-single/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb5/raymond-chandler-629_investing_the-most-durable-thing-in-writing-is-sty_735548.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb5/raymond-chandler-629_investing_the-most-durable-thing-in-writing-is-sty_735548.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb5/raymond-chandler-629_investing_the-most-durable-thing-in-writing-is-sty_735548.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The most durable thing in writing is style, and style is the single most valuable investment a writer can…” — Raymond Chandler",
                "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": "Raymond Chandler",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The most durable thing in writing...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/the-most-durable-thing-in-writing-is-style-and-style-is-the-single/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/the-most-durable-thing-in-writing-is-style-and-style-is-the-single/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
