“All that I hope to say in books, all that I ever hope to say, is that I love the world.”

E.B. White

Today, July 11, is E. B. White’s birthday—he was born in 1899. Known the world over for his writerly guide, “The Elements of Style,” and for his wonderful short stories and novels, including the heartwarming “Charlotte’s Web,” he spent his life writing and editing. Some of his words of wisdom and gentle humor to guide us on our way:

“I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.”

“Writing is an act of faith, not a trick of grammar.”

“Are my stories true, you ask? No, they are imaginary tales…But real life is only one kind of life—there is also the life of the imagination.”

“A library is a good place to go when you feel unhappy, for there, in a book, you may find encouragement and comfort. A library is a good place to go when you feel bewildered or undecided, for there, in a book, you may have your question answered. Books are good company, in sad times and happy times, for books are people—people who have managed to stay alive by hiding between the covers of a book.”

“I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for m;an if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.”

“Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half the people are right more than half the time.”

“Prejudice is a great time saver. You can form opinions without have to get the facts.”

“A good farmer is nothing more than a handy man with a sense of humus.”

“The world is full of people who have never, since childhood, met an open doorway with an open mind.”

“The only sense that is common in the long run, is the sense of change—and we all instinctively avoid it.”

“It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer.”

“Commas in The New Yorker fall with the precision of knives in a circus act, outlining the victim.”

“Genius is more often found in a cracked pot than a whole one.”

Life’s meaning has always eluded me and I guess it always will. But I love it just the same.”

“Writing is hard work and bad for the health.”

“Be obscure clearly.”

And now, entertained and emboldened, let’s all write on!

Please help KWD grow by sharing: https://karinwritesdangerously.com/