A cop out when writing about hard ideas (which I’m guilty of too) is to use evocative, poetic quotes to gesture at how you feel about an idea because it is too hard to say something clear about it, let alone original.
It’s the ++ version of opening with dictionary definitions
Conversation
I have a vast collection of evocative quotes about time, which I have to consciously resist using in this cop-out way.
Pro-tip If a quote, especially an opening quote, isn’t a prelude to a clearer, less poetic idea in the same spirit, don’t use it. It’s a crutch.
Replying to
I struggle use a quotation like that without being bothered by vagueness until I write a whole proper theory like 5 years later.


