Art Quote by Virginia Woolf
““One holds every phrase, every scene to the light as one reads - for Nature seems, very oddly, to have provided us with an inner light by which to judge of the novelist’s integrity or disintegrity. Or perhaps it is rather that Nature, in her most irrational mood, has traced in invisible ink on the walls of the mind a premonition which these great artists confirm; a sketch which only needs to be held to the fire of genius to become visible. When one so exposes it and sees it come to life one exclaims in rapture, But this is what I have always felt and known and desired! And one boils over with excitement, and, shutting the book even with a kind of reverence as if it were something very precious, a stand-by to return to as long as one lives, one puts it back on the shelf […].””
About This Quote
Source Essay: "The Light of the Novel", 1930
The author likens a writer's insight to an inner light that reveals truth, urging reverence for the creative spark.
In simple terms: Writers possess an inner light revealing truth.
Key Takeaway
Honor the creative spark.
Themes
art
creativity
truth
Mood
reflective
inspired
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- reading groups
- writing workshops
- literary analysis
Key Concepts
intuition
literary criticism
inspiration
Questions to Reflect On
- What does "inner light" mean to you?
- How does reverence shape your reading experience?
A Different Perspective
Interpretations of "inner light" vary among readers.
