"A good many young writers make the mistake of enclosing a stamped, self-addressed envelope, big enough for the manuscript to come back in. This is too much of a temptation to the editor"
About this Quote
The joke lands because it flatters the writer’s optimism and punctures it in the same breath. A “stamped, self-addressed envelope” is the aspiring author’s talisman: proof you’re professional, considerate, ready for the real world of publishing. Lardner turns that tiny ritual into a trap. The editor isn’t a gatekeeper of taste here; he’s a creature of convenience. Make it easy to reject you, and rejection becomes the path of least resistance.
That’s the subtext: the literary marketplace runs on workflow, not romance. Editors are busy, risk-averse, and surrounded by piles of hope. Lardner’s line doesn’t accuse them of cruelty so much as laziness institutionalized into procedure. “Too much of a temptation” is the killer phrase, slyly implying the editor might have said yes if you hadn’t provided the perfect exit ramp. It’s cynicism delivered as etiquette advice, the classic Lardner move: a practical tip that secretly describes a rigged game.
The context matters. Lardner came up in the early 20th-century magazine ecosystem, when the slush pile was real, postage mattered, and the distance between writer and editor was bridged by envelopes, not DMs. The stamped return envelope symbolizes a whole era of aspirational labor: you pay to be considered, and you pay to be dismissed.
Underneath the gag is a darker truth about creative economies: systems love anything that standardizes refusal. Lardner isn’t telling writers to stop being polite; he’s warning them that politeness can be weaponized against you.
That’s the subtext: the literary marketplace runs on workflow, not romance. Editors are busy, risk-averse, and surrounded by piles of hope. Lardner’s line doesn’t accuse them of cruelty so much as laziness institutionalized into procedure. “Too much of a temptation” is the killer phrase, slyly implying the editor might have said yes if you hadn’t provided the perfect exit ramp. It’s cynicism delivered as etiquette advice, the classic Lardner move: a practical tip that secretly describes a rigged game.
The context matters. Lardner came up in the early 20th-century magazine ecosystem, when the slush pile was real, postage mattered, and the distance between writer and editor was bridged by envelopes, not DMs. The stamped return envelope symbolizes a whole era of aspirational labor: you pay to be considered, and you pay to be dismissed.
Underneath the gag is a darker truth about creative economies: systems love anything that standardizes refusal. Lardner isn’t telling writers to stop being polite; he’s warning them that politeness can be weaponized against you.
Quote Details
| Topic | Writing |
|---|
More Quotes by Ring
Add to List
