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Maxwell Perkins

Maxwell Perkins Quotes

Editor

Maxwell Perkins was a renowned American editor, born on September 20, 1884, and died on June 17, 1947. His contributions to the literary world were primarily in guiding and supporting several famous authors, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway. Perkins was known for his deep understanding of literary works and his editing skills.

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Famous Maxwell Perkins Quotes

“I think the novel is a wonder....it has vitality to an extraordinary degree, and glamour, and a great deal of underlying thought of unusual quality....And as for the sheer writing, it's astonishing. [About The Great Gatsby]”

Writing Literature Novel Fscottfitzgerald Scottfitzgerald Thegreatgatsby Maxperkins Maxwellperkins Greatgatsby Quotesaboutliterature

Author:Maxwell Perkins

“The amount of meaning you get into a sentence, the dimensions and intensity of the impression you make a paragraph carry, are most extraordinary.... You once told me you were not a natural writer—my God! You have plainly mastered the craft, of course; but you needed far more than craftsmanship for this. [about The Great Gatsby]”

Writing Literature Writer Craftsmanship Fscottfitzgerald Scottfitzgerald Maxperkins Maxwellperkins Greatgatsby The Greatgatsby

Author:Maxwell Perkins

“Whenever any of these new writers come up who are brilliant, I always realize that you have more talent and more skill than any of them;---but circumstances have prevented you from realizing upon the fact for a long time. [About F. Scott Fitzgerald]”

Inspirational Writing Friendship Talent Writer Fscottfitzgerald Scottfitzgerald Maxperkins Maxwellperkins

Book:Dear Scott/Dear Max

Source: Dear Scott/Dear Max

“The book belongs to the author.”

Author:Maxwell Perkins

“If you are not discouraged about your writing on a regular basis, you may not be trying hard enough. Any challenging pursuit will encounter frequent patches of frustration. Writing is nothing if not challenging.”

Ifs Writing Trying May Hard Enough Challenges Bases Pursuit Encounters Frustration Discouraged Patches Trying Hard

Author:Maxwell Perkins

“Learn about writing from reading. That is the right way to do it.”

Way Writing Reading Right Way

Author:Maxwell Perkins

“You have to throw yourself away when you write.”

Author:Maxwell Perkins

“Writing a novel is a very hard thing to do because it covers so long a space of time, and if you get discouraged it is not a bad sign, but a good one. If you think you are not doing it well, you are thinking the way real novelists do. I never knew one who did not feel greatly discouraged at times, and some get desperate, and I have always found that to be a good symptom.”

Ifs Thinking Way Feels Writing Wells Long Real Hard Found Space Novel Novelists Things To Do Desperate Symptoms Discouraged Hard Things

Author:Maxwell Perkins

“You can’t know a book until you come to the end of it, and then all the rest must be modified to fit that.”

Knows Book Ends Fit

Author:Maxwell Perkins

“Every good thing that comes is accompanied by trouble.”

Trouble Good Things Very Good

Author:Maxwell Perkins

“I believe the writer... should always be the final judge. I have always held to that position and have sometimes seen books hurt thereby, but at least as often helped. The book belongs to the author.”

Should Believe Book Sometimes I Believe Hurt Position Judging Finals

Book:The Sons of Maxwell Perkins: Letters of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Thomas Wolfe, and Their Editor

Source: The Sons of Maxwell Perkins: Letters of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Thomas Wolfe, and Their Editor

“I do not think anyone can read War and Peace too much. I read it six times.”

Thinking Book War Reading Too Much Six Books And Reading

Author:Maxwell Perkins

“It is those people who know that they are right because some outside or higher power conveys the conviction to them who do the great damage in the world.”

People Knows World Higher Conviction Damage Higher Power Dogmatism

Author:Maxwell Perkins

“Of the whole public not a handful can understand the artist's point of view or the writer's conscience.”

People Whole Artist Views Conscience Point Of View Handful

Book:To Loot My Life Clean: The Thomas Wolfe--Maxwell Perkins Correspondence

Source: To Loot My Life Clean: The Thomas Wolfe--Maxwell Perkins Correspondence

“What we publishers think is that our function is to bring everything out into the open, on the theory that we have an adult population that knows values, or can learn them, and let them decide.”

Thinking Knows Values Theory Adults Function Population Publishing Publishers

Author:Maxwell Perkins

“It often puzzles me when people think that matters connected with sex ought to be suppressed. Sex itself cannot be suppressed, and the efforts to do it, it seems to me, result in greater damage than it can do itself. After all, it was not an invention of man, but of God.”

People Thinking Men Matter Seems Sex Can Do Results Effort Greater Ought Connected Invention Damage Puzzles

Author:Maxwell Perkins

“You are all right on time, except for the fact that time is the enemy of us all, and especially of the writer.”

Facts Time Enemy

Author:Maxwell Perkins

“I do not think you should read about writing while you are writing.”

Thinking Should Writing

Author:Maxwell Perkins

“Writing, like drawing is an art, and whatever conveys the meaning is justified.”

Writing Art Drawing Justified

Author:Maxwell Perkins

“Anybody can find out if he is a writer. If he were a writer, when he tried to write of some particular day, he would find in the effort that he could recall exactly how the light fell and how the temperature felt, and all the quality of it. Most people cannot do it. If they can do it, they may never be successful in a pecuniary sense, but that ability is at the bottom of writing, I am sure.”

People Ifs Writing May Light Felt Can Do Ability Effort Quality Successful Particular Bottom Being Successful Recalls Temperature

Author:Maxwell Perkins

“For real self esteem is not derived from the great things you've done, the things you won. The mark you've made - but an appreciation of yourself for what you are.”

Made Real Self Done Self Esteem Mark Appreciation Great Things Esteem Real Self

Author:Maxwell Perkins

“Editors are extremely fallible people, all of them. Don't put too much trust in them.”

People Too Much Critics Editors

Author:Maxwell Perkins

About the Author

Born: September 20, 1884
Died: June 17, 1947
Known for: Editor
Quotes: 22

Related Topics

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Books & Sources

Dear Scott/Dear MaxRelated source material

The Sons of Maxwell Perkins: Letters of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Thomas Wolfe, and Their EditorRelated source material

To Loot My Life Clean: The Thomas Wolfe--Maxwell Perkins CorrespondenceRelated source material

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