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Sherwood Anderson Quotes

Novelist

American novelist known for his profound insights into the lives of the American middle class. Anderson's works often focus on the inner world and social status of ordinary people, and his style is concise and direct, which has had a profound impact on American literature.

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Famous Sherwood Anderson Quotes

“The object of art is not to make salable pictures. It is to save yourself. The fools who write articles about me think that one morning I suddenly decided to write and began to produce masterpieces. There is no special trick about writing or painting either. I wrote constantly for 15 years before I produced anything with any solidity to it.... The thing of course, is to make yourself alive. Most people remain all of their lives in a stupor. The point of being an artist is that you may live.... You won't arrive. It is an endless search.”

Life Writing Art Practice Living Meaning Artists

Author:Sherwood Anderson

“The life of reality is confused, disorderly, almost always without apparent purpose, whereas in the artist's imaginative life there is purpose. There is determination to give the tale, the song, the painting, form -- to make it true and real to the theme, not to life.”

Giving Art Real Reality Form Purpose Artist Song Painting Determination Tales Confused Theme Imaginative

Book:The Sherwood Anderson reader

Source: The Sherwood Anderson reader

“Those who are to follow the arts should have a training in what is called poverty. Given a comfortable middle-class start in life, the artist is almost sure to end up by becoming a bellyacher, constantly complaining because the public does not rush forward at once to proclaim him.”

Should Doe Art Ends Artist Given Class Poverty Middle Becoming Comfortable Training Should Have Complaining Middle Class

Book:A Story Teller's Story: The Tale of an American Writer's Journey Through His Own Imaginative World and Through the World of Facts, with Many of His Experiences and Impressions Among Other Writers--told in Many Notes--in Four Books--and an Epilogue

Source: A Story Teller's Story: The Tale of an American Writer's Journey Through His Own Imaginative World and Through the World of Facts, with Many of His Experiences and Impressions Among Other Writers--told in Many Notes--in Four Books--and an Epilogue

“Would it not be better to have it understood that realism, in so far as the word means reality to life, is always bad art -- although it may possibly be very good journalism?”

May Mean Art Reality Life Is Understood Very Good Journalism Realism Good Journalism

Book:The Sherwood Anderson reader

Source: The Sherwood Anderson reader

“Everyone knows of the talking artists. Throughout all of the known history of the world they have gathered in rooms and talked. They talk of art and are passionately,almost feverishly, in earnest about it. They think it matters much more than it does.”

Thinking Knows World Doe Art Matter Artist Rooms Talking Known Earnest World History

Book:Winesburg, Ohio

Source: Winesburg, Ohio

“Realism, in so far as the word means reality to life, is always bad art.”

Mean Art Reality Life Is Realism

Author:Sherwood Anderson

“The object of art is not to make salable pictures. It is to save yourself.”