Authorship Quote by Voltaire
““He showed, in a few words, that it is not sufficient to throw together a few incidents that are to be met with in every romance, and that to dazzle the spectator the thought should be new, without being farfetched; frequently sublime, but always natural; the author should have a thorough knowledge of the human heart and make it speak properly; he should be a complete poet, without showing an affectation of it in any of the characters of his piece; he should be a perfect master of his language, speak it with all its pruity and with the utmost harmony, and yet so as not to make the sense a slave to the rhyme. Whoever, added he, neglects any one of these rules, though he may write two or three tragedies with tolerable success, will never be reckoned in the number of good authors.””
About This Quote
Source Treat: Candide, Voltaire, 1759
A good romance needs fresh, natural ideas, deep understanding of human emotions, poetic skill, and mastery of language without letting form dominate meaning.
In simple terms: Romance requires originality, emotional insight, poetic language, and balance.
Key Takeaway
Cultivate authentic, heartfelt storytelling.
Themes
creativity
emotion
language
craftsmanship
Mood
reflective
inspired
Type
literary
instructional
When to use this quote
- novel writing
- screenwriting
- teaching literature
Key Concepts
human nature
poetics
literary theory
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you ensure originality without sacrificing authenticity?
- What role does emotional truth play in your work?
A Different Perspective
Balancing innovation with naturalness can be difficult.
![“All these teachers and [screenwriting] books mean you see movies that have been worked over by more committees wielding more rules, that all originality and authorship is lost. That's why you're seeing superstars like Brad Pitt in THE FIGHT CLUB and Tom Cruise in MAGNOLIA. They're desperately…” quote by Paul Schrader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e40/paul-schrader-14587_authorship_all-these-teachers-and-screenwriting-boo_176880.jpg)
![“Ye who write, choose a subject suited to your abilities. [Lat., Sumite materiam vestris, qui scribitis, aequam Viribus.]” quote by Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/48e/horace-172_ability_ye-who-write-choose-a-subject-suited-to_108123.jpg)
