“If you are losing your leisure… you are losing your soul”
“If you are losing your leisure, look out, it may be you are losing your soul.” (Logan Pearsall Smith to Virginia Woolf, December 1 1932)
Is there an art of thought?
Recently I've been reading Graham Wallas's 1926 book The Art of Thought and his other works, and am now in the process of working it into Rest. Wallas is one
“the work has been done while one slept or shopped or talked with friends”
From Graham Greene's The End of the Affair (quoted by Rachel Toor in her Chronicle of Higher Ed piece on the habits of productive writers): "I was trying
Thomas Jefferson on exercise: “You should therefore not permit yourself even to think while you walk”
Thomas Jefferson, writing about exercise in 1785: Encourage all your virtuous dispositions, and exercise them whenever an opportunity arises, being assured that they will gain strength by exercise
Ray Bradbury on the muse, and ten years of practice
Of all the writers I know, Ray Bradbury is probably the most eloquent proponent of the idea that inspiration is unbiddable and uncontrollable, that his stories came from
“slog hard, without however neglecting pipe, glass and song”
If you come to Paris, we shall try to organize our day so as to slog hard, without however neglecting pipe, glass and song. (Emile Zola to Paul
“I discovered me in the library:” Ray Bradbury
The Paris Review has a fantastic series of interviews with authors and poets. This one with Ray Bradbury is great: I discovered me in the library. I went to find me in
Christopher Alexander’s advice to young professionals: Aim for Chartres
From the preface to Richard Gabriel’s book Patterns in Software [pdf]: In my life as an architect, I find that the single thing which inhibits young professionals, new students
Talking about binge-watching in Le Nouvel Observateur
This weekend Le Nouvel Observateur ran a front-page article on binge watching that features a couple quotes from me. If you didn’t know better you’d think I spoke French.
“I believe an interview needs to be prepared ahead of time to sound spontaneous”
From a Paris Review interview with Italo Calvino: I could try to improvise but I believe an interview needs to be prepared ahead of time to sound spontaneous.