Good critical writing is measured by the perception and evaluation of the subject; bad critical writing by the necessity of maintaining the professional standing of the critic.

Quote by Raymond Chandler

Topics: Raymond Chandler Quotes

The English may not always be the best writers in the world, but they are...

The English may not always be the best writers in the world, but they are...

If you liked a book, don't meet the author

If you liked a book, don't meet the author

If my books had been any worse, I should not have been invited to Hollywood,...

If my books had been any worse, I should not have been invited to Hollywood,...

A really good detective never gets married.

A really good detective never gets married.

I think a man ought to get drunk at least twice a year just on...

I think a man ought to get drunk at least twice a year just on...

I knew one thing: as soon as anyone said you didn't need a gun, you'd...

I knew one thing: as soon as anyone said you didn't need a gun, you'd...

The law isn't justice. It's a very imperfect mechanism. If you press exactly the right...

The law isn't justice. It's a very imperfect mechanism. If you press exactly the right...

She jerked away from me like a startled fawn might, if I had a startled...

She jerked away from me like a startled fawn might, if I had a startled...

The more you reason the less you create.

The more you reason the less you create.

I regard psychiatry as fifty percent bunk, thirty percent fraud, ten percent parrot talk, and...

I regard psychiatry as fifty percent bunk, thirty percent fraud, ten percent parrot talk, and...

The moment a man begins to talk about technique that's proof that he is fresh...

The moment a man begins to talk about technique that's proof that he is fresh...

It is not a fragrant world.

It is not a fragrant world.

Everything a writer learns about the art or craft of fiction takes just a little...

Everything a writer learns about the art or craft of fiction takes just a little...

The moment a man sets his thoughts down on paper, however secretly, he is in...

The moment a man sets his thoughts down on paper, however secretly, he is in...

The minute you try to talk business with him he takes the attitude that he...

The minute you try to talk business with him he takes the attitude that he...

The overall picture, as the boys say, is of a degraded community whose idealism even...

The overall picture, as the boys say, is of a degraded community whose idealism even...

He looked about as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a slice of angel food

He looked about as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a slice of angel food

However toplofty and idealistic a man may be, he can always rationalize his right to...

However toplofty and idealistic a man may be, he can always rationalize his right to...

FUNERAL, n. A pageant whereby we attest our respect for the dead by enriching the...

FUNERAL, n. A pageant whereby we attest our respect for the dead by enriching the...

They say he's [Yogi Berra] funny. Well, he has a lovely wife and family, a...

They say he's [Yogi Berra] funny. Well, he has a lovely wife and family, a...