When I began writing seriously, I was surprised by the difficulty I had in writing the truth. I don't mean I was dishonest. I mean sentences & paragraphs are weirdly squirrelly things. They rarely say quite what I believe. Sometimes that remains the case even after 20 revisions!
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It changed my appreciation for what it means to speak the truth. On any complex subject, & often on simple ones, it's hard to do well (other than with near-cached thoughts), not because we're dishonest, but because it's difficult to sort our thinking out to that degree of clarity
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Hemingway had it right: "all you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence you know."pic.twitter.com/kor4ddA21R
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Reminded of all this by this passage from "Dune". Which is a little scary, as well, as a reminder of the connection between sincerity and charisma. When someone speaks powerful truths, with utmost sincerity, it's difficult to remain neutral.pic.twitter.com/WvpG4i6v1O
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Replying to @michael_nielsen
this is so beautiful, my heart sings reading this!
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Replying to @j_asminewang
Me too. Both our responses are, I think, an example of the phenomenon: Herbert has distilled a truth powerfully and sincerely, and we cannot help but respond.
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When I read the Dune passage, I think of perhaps the best boss I ever had. She radiated loyalty. She could be quite demanding, but you quickly realized that she would move mountains to help you succeed in _your_ goals, & it showed in her every action. And you gave loyalty back.
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