Ralph Keyes Quotes

11 Sourced Quotes

The rich loam of adolescence—a time of constant crisis and ceaseless calamity—beckons writers to till and retill youthful memories; just like a criminal; goes back to the place of his crime, said Isaac Beshevis Singer.

Ralph Keyes
Aspiring only to second-place goals is a first-rate way to hedge our bets. Among the least appreciated reasons for doing superficial, second-rate work of any kind is the comfort of knowing that it's not our best that's on the line.

Ralph Keyes
Using euphemisms is the verbal equivalent of draping nude statues. Doing so substitutes unthreatening words for ones that make us fidget.

Ralph Keyes
Far more is at risk when we do what we really want to do rather than something less. I don't think we'll ever fully appreciate the role of not daring to risk a shattered dream in limiting people to second-choice careers and third-choice lives.

Ralph Keyes
Fear is felt by writers at every level. Anxiety accompanies the first word they put on paper and the last.

Ralph Keyes
In the guise of seeking feedback, many writers are trolling for compliments. When they ask for your opinion of their work, too often they mean your praise.

Ralph Keyes
The Achilles heel of quotation collections: An initial error in one will be repeated so often by others that over time it gains authority through repetition alone.

Ralph Keyes
One of the most fundamental of human fears is that our existence will go unnoticed. We'd all like to have it recorded somewhere. What better way to achieve this goal than by writing? Long after maggots have had their way with my corpse, my name will still be on the spines of books in the Library of Congress. I'm on the record.

Ralph Keyes
Writing can be wonderful therapy, and cheap at the price. At the very least, you eventually get bored by thinking about anxious topics and move on.

Ralph Keyes
Anxiety is not only an inevitable part of the writing process but a necessary part. If you're not scared, you're not writing.

Ralph Keyes
Serious writers write, inspired or not. Over time they discover that routine is a better friend than inspiration.

Ralph Keyes