Roy Peter Clark famous quotes

03-28-2025

If a period is a stop sign, then what kind of traffic flow is created by other marks? The comma is a speed bump; the semicolon is what a driver education teacher calls a “rolling stop”; the parenthetical expression is a detour; the colon is a flashing yellow light that announces something important up ahead; the dash is a tree branch in the road.
-- Roy Peter Clark

#Teacher #Light #Expression
Everyone should read, we say, but we act as if only those with special talent should write.
-- Roy Peter Clark

#Book #Writing #Special
Writing is not magic. It’s a craft, a process, a set of steps. As with any process, things sometimes break down. Even in a good story, the writer runs into problems. So the act of writing always includes problem solving.
-- Roy Peter Clark

#Running #Writing #Magic
For what good is freedom of expression if you lack the means to express yourself?
-- Roy Peter Clark

#Mean #Expression #Express Yourself
Having the urge to write is one thing; acting on it is another.
-- Roy Peter Clark

#Writing #Acting #One Thing
I may have grown up in the Age of Aquarius, but I'm growing old in the Age of the Acronym.
-- Roy Peter Clark

#Aquarius #Age #Growing
Express your most powerful thought in the shortest sentence.
-- Roy Peter Clark

#Powerful #Most Powerful #Sentences
A teacher of mine once said there are no true synonyms.
-- Roy Peter Clark

#Teacher #Said #Synonym
Riffing on language will create wonderful effects you never intended. Which leads me to this writing advice: 'Always take credit for good stuff you didn't intend, because you'll be getting plenty of criticism in your career for bad stuff you didn't mean either.'
-- Roy Peter Clark

#Mean #Writing #Careers
Without a serious study of journalism, there can be no understanding of citizenship, democracy, or community.
-- Roy Peter Clark

#Community #Understanding #Democracy

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