Biography great writers steals old

As it turns out, Pablo Picasso and Oscar Wilde are also credited with saying the same thing—which perhaps proves how true the saying is. Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal; bad poets deface what they take, and good poets make it into something better, or at least something different. What did he mean? Bad writers take something from the past and make it less than it was, turning it into nostalgia, sentimentality or sensationalism.

We can all think of examples. A good poet will usually borrow from authors remote in time, or alien in language, or diverse in interest. Good writers take from the past and add to it, creatively turning it into something different and perhaps deeper. Everyone borrows when creating a new work. No one is entirely original. The point is what do we do when we borrow.

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Art comes not from developing something completely different but from using the materials of the past to make something in the present which speaks to the future. I've been an editor and writer for over forty years. I am passionate about ideas and how we can express them clearly, beautifully, and persuasively. I love reading good books, talking about them, and recommending them.

I thoroughly enjoy my family who help me continue on the path of a lifelong learner. View all posts by Andy Le Peau.