Humor is a coin of rare value, minted with a laugh on one side, truth on the other. I found the following rare coins in my pockets, gifts from writers past. I hope they enrich you, too.
On Writing:
“A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author.” – G.K. Chesterton, 1874-1936
“The profession of book writing makes horse racing seem like a solid, stable business.” – John Steinbeck, 1902-1968
“Only a mediocre writer is always at his best.” – Somerset Maugham
“Many books require no thought from those who read them, and for a very simple reason; – they made no such demand upon those who wrote them.” – Charles C. Colton, 1780-1832
“It is the glory and merit of some men to write well, and of others not to write at all.” – Jean De La Gruyere, 1645-1696
“I don’t want to be a doctor, and live by men’s diseases; nor a minister to live by their sins; nor a lawyer to live by their quarrels. So I don’t see there’s anything left for me but to be an author.” – Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1804-1864
On Reading:
“A book is a mirror; if a monkey peers into it, then it will not be an apostle that looks out.” – George Christoph Lichtenberg, 1742-1799
“A learned fool is one who has read everything and remembered it.” – Josh Billings, 1818-1885
“There are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts.” – Charles Dickens, 1812-1870
On Critics:
“There is probably no hell for authors in the next world – they suffer so much from critics and publishers in this.” – Christian Nestell Bovee, 1820-1904
On the Borrowing of Books:
“Please return this book; I find that though many of my friends are poor arithmeticians, they are nearly all good book-keepers.” – Walter Scott, 1771-1832
When you flip the coin, I hope it lands tales up for you.
Happy writing! Happy reading! And Happy Thanksgiving!
© 2012 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved. Photo courtesy morguefile.com
