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Quote by David Shields

“Our culture is obsessed with real events because we experience hardly any.”

Quote by David Shields

Book:Reality Hunger

Work

Reality Hunger is a thought-provoking book that delves into the intersection of literature and other forms of art. The author challenges traditional definitions of art and literature, advocating for a more inclusive and diverse approach to creative expression. The book is a compilation of essays and arguments that explore the role of authenticity and originality in the creation of art, and it encourages readers to question established norms and conventions. more

Author

David Shields is an American author born on July 22, 1956. His works span various literary forms, including novels, essays, and poetry. Shields is known for his unique writing style and profound insights into modern life. more

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Book:Reality Hunger

Source: Reality Hunger

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“To cure jealousy is to see it for what it is, a dissatisfaction with self.”

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“A pool is, for many of us in the West, a symbol not of affluence but of order, of control over the uncontrollable. A pool is water, made available and useful, and is, as such, infinitely soothing to the western eye.”

Made Eye Order Water West Western Available Symbols Pool Soothing Affluence Uncontrollable

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“Had my credentials been in order I would never have become a writer. Had I been blessed with even limited access to my own mind there would have been no reason to write. I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear.”

Thinking Want Writing Mind Mean Has Beens Reason Order My Own Blessed Access No Reason Credentials

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“Short stories demand a certain awareness of one's own intentions, a certain narrowing of the focus.”

Writing Stories Certain Focus Awareness Demand Intention Short Story

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“If we do not respect ourselves, we are on the one hand forced to despise those who have so few resources as to consort with us, so little perception as to remain blind to our fatal weaknesses. On the other, we are peculiarly in thrall to everyone we see, curiously determined to live out — since our self-image is untenable — their false notions of us… We play roles doomed to failure before they are begun, each defeat generating fresh despair at the urgency of divining and meeting the next demand made upon us.”

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“We imagine things — that we wouldn't be able to survive, but in fact, we do survive. ... We have no choice, so we do it.”

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“We all survive more than we think we can.”

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“When I'm working on a book, I constantly retype my own sentences. Every day I go back to page one and just retype what I have. It gets me into a rhythm.”

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