"I do not keep a diary. Never have. To write a diary every day is like returning to one's own vomit"
- Enoch Powell
About this Quote
In this provocative quote by British politician Enoch Powell, the speaker conveys a strong hostility to the practice of keeping a diary. The expression suggests not simply an easy reluctance to document every day life but a deep ridicule that likens the act to something as repulsive as "returning to one's own vomit."
Powell's use of this graphic images acts as a metaphor for the procedure of re-engaging with one's previous experiences in such a way that he seems to find both distasteful and ineffective. The comparison to "vomit" suggests an element of disgust or an unpleasant suggestion of something that must naturally be eliminated or left behind. Diaries, typically viewed as tools for reflection and personal development, are here represented as repositories of waste, emotional residue much better forgotten than revisited.
Through this metaphor, Powell might be critiquing the idea of self-indulgence associated with day-to-day journaling. The practice might be viewed as home excessively on individual trivialities or rehashing unfavorable experiences, thereby avoiding mental or psychological progression. In Powell's view, this backward-facing reflection is detrimental, limiting an individual's ability to progress and engage dynamically with the present.
Furthermore, his steadfast statement--"Never have"-- stresses a conscious choice to avoid what he perceives as a futile workout. This choice may reflect a wider viewpoint of living in the minute without unnecessary attachment to the past.
In general, Powell's quote is a stark pointer that personal reflection is subjective. While some derive clarity and development from preserving journals, others, like Powell, view them as barriers to progress, recommending that reflection requires careful balance to avoid becoming caught in a cycle of spitting up and re-consuming past experiences.
"My sorrow, when she's here with me, thinks these dark days of autumn rain are beautiful as days can be; she loves the bare, the withered tree; she walks the sodden pasture lane"
"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time"
