The main thing I try to do is write as clearly as I can. I rewrite a good deal to make it clear.
E. B. WHITEIs there anything in the universe more beautiful and protective than the simple complexity of a spider’s web?
More E. B. White Quotes
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The best writing is rewriting.
E. B. WHITE -
And then, just as Wilbur was settling down for his morning nap, he heard again the thin voice that had addressed him the night before. “Salutations!” said the voice. Wilbur jumped to his feet. “Salu-what?” he cried. “Salutations!” repeated the voice.
E. B. WHITE -
“What are they, and where are you?” screamed Wilbur. “Please, please, tell me where you are. And what are salutations?” “Salutations are greetings,” said the voice. “When I say ‘salutations,’ it’s just my fancy way of saying hello or good morning.
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Trust me, Wilbur. People are very gullible. They’ll believe anything they see in print.
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Before the seed there comes the thought of bloom.
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English usage is sometimes more than mere taste, judgment and education – sometimes it’s sheer luck, like getting across the street.
E. B. WHITE -
Wilbur never forgot Charlotte. Although he loved her children and grandchildren dearly, none of the new spiders ever quite took her place in his heart. She was in a class by herself. It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.
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Good deeds never go unpunished.
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The essayist is a self-liberated man, sustained by the childish belief that everything he thinks about, everything that happens to him, is of general interest.
E. B. WHITE -
Stuart rose from the ditch, climbed into his car, and started up the road that led toward the north…As he peeked ahead into the great land that stretched before him, the way seemed long. But the sky was bright, and he somehow felt he was headed in the right direction.
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A right is a responsibility in reverse.
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Geese are friends to no one, they bad mouth everybody and everything. But they are companionable once you get used to their ingratitude and false accusations.
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Writing is both mask and unveiling.
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I am always humbled by the infite ingenuity of the Lord, who can make a red barn cast a blue shadow.
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I see nothing in space as promising as the view from a Ferris wheel.
E. B. WHITE