"Literature is strewn with the wreckage of men who have minded beyond reason the opinions of others"
- Virginia Woolf
About this Quote
This quote by Virginia Woolf is an alerting to those who put excessive stock in the viewpoints of others. Woolf is suggesting that when we permit the opinions of others to dictate our decisions, we can end up in a hazardous scenario. We can end up being so focused on pleasing others that we forget our own worths and beliefs. This can cause a sense of confusion and disorientation, and can ultimately lead to our failure. Woolf is cautioning us to be conscious of the viewpoints of others, however to likewise understand our own inner guide and to trust our own judgement. We should make every effort to make decisions that are in line with our own values and beliefs, and not be swayed by the viewpoints of others.
"A lawyer without history or literature is a mechanic, a mere working mason; if he possesses some knowledge of these, he may venture to call himself an architect"
"Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it"
