"The great work must inevitably be obscure, except to the very few, to those who like the author himself are initiated into the mysteries. Communication then is secondary: it is perpetuation which is important. For this only one good reader is necessary."

Literature

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Thematic Reflection

This quotation examines the core nature of Literature as articulated by Henry Miller. Within historical and literary traditions, reflections on Literature provide actionable mental models, challenging individuals to evaluate personal ethics, self-discipline, and daily actions.

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About Henry Miller

Henry Valentine Miller was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist. He broke with existing literary forms and developed a new type of semi-autobiographical novel that blends character study, social criticism, philosophical reflection, stream of consciousness, explicit language, sex, surrealist free association, and mysticism. His most characteristic works of this kind are Tropic of Cancer, Black Spring, Tropic of Capricorn, and the trilogy The Rosy Crucifixion, which are based on his experiences in New York City and Paris, and all of which were banned in the United States until 1961. He also wrote travel memoirs and literary criticism and painted watercolors.

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More by Henry Miller

"Madness is tonic and invigorating. It makes the sane more sane. The only ones who are unable to profit by it are the insane."

— Henry Miller
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"True strength lies in submission which permits one to dedicate his life, through devotion, to something beyond himself."

— Henry Miller
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"One can be absolutely truthful and sincere even though admittedly the most outrageous liar. Fiction and invention are of the very fabric of life."

— Henry Miller
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"The moment one gives close attention to any thing, even a blade of grass it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself."

— Henry Miller
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More about Literature

"I hadn't been in Vegas 20 minutes when I got word that the bookmakers were offering three to one that Frank wouldn't show for my wedding."

— Sammy Davis, Jr.
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"Writing is a form of therapy sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose or paint can manage to escape the madness, melancholia, the panic and fear which is inherent in a human situation."

— Graham Greene
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"Having had that experience... I think, what modern culture wants to see is the relationship with the woman. I don't think you can tell a story on film nowadays where the woman simply is there for the man when he decides to settle down."

— Tom Selleck
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"My family can always tell when I'm well into a novel because the meals get very crummy."

— Anne Tyler
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