This has happened to you, I’m sure: you’re reading along and an exquisite sentence stops you in your tracks. Sometimes it’s in a novel full of perfection; sometimes it’s in a novel where it shines like a diamond in a pile of coal.
This list came across Facebook this week, and I couldn’t resist taking a moment to savor it, though as I read I realized the list maker wasn’t making a distinction between beautiful writing and beautiful sentiments.
This is a lovely sentiment:
“I would always rather be happy than dignified.”
—Charlotte Brontë , Jane Eyre
This is special writing:
“We cross our bridges as we come to them and burn them behind us, with nothing to show for our progress except a memory of the smell of smoke, and the presumption that once our eyes watered.”
—Tom Stoppard, Rosencratz and Guildenstern Are Dead
I like them both.
How about you? Should we start our own list—of great writing? Leave me a comment.
Tweet: There’s a different between beautiful writing and beautiful sentiments.
Tweet: Sometimes a great line shines like a diamond in a pile of coal.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”