Source identified
“Murder your darlings.”
The memorable command advises writers to delete showy passages they love when those passages serve vanity or ornament more than the work as a whole.
Source note: On the Art of Writing, Lecture XII, “On Style,” Project Gutenberg #17470; the phrase concludes Quiller-Couch’s warning against purchased or extraneous ornament.
Source identified
“Then let us cultivate silence.”
Silence is presented as part of communication discipline: not every thought needs immediate verbal display, and restraint can preserve attention and meaning.
Source note: The Simple Life, Chapter IV, “Simplicity of Speech,” Mary Louise Hendee translation, Project Gutenberg #23092; Wagner recommends silence after criticizing needless verbal noise.
Source identified
“I cannot ever endure to write anything to you unless with mind at ease and untroubled and free.”
Marcus links intimate correspondence with mental composure: he wants to write to Fronto from an unhurried and settled state rather than forcing a personal letter while distracted or troubled.
Source note: Project Gutenberg #2680, correspondence appendix, reference iii. 21. Marcus explains why he had not written earlier while discussing Fronto’s health. This is a personal letter-writing preference in context, not a general productivity prescription.
Source identified
“Use the active voice.”
The rule favors direct sentence construction when it makes agency clearer, while the surrounding discussion still allows passive voice when context requires it.
Source note: The Elements of Style, Chapter III, Rule 10, Project Gutenberg #37134; Strunk immediately qualifies the rule by noting legitimate uses of passive construction.
Source identified
“Do your work quietly.”
Useful work does not need constant display; quiet concentration can keep attention on the quality of the task rather than recognition for performing it.
Source note: Character Building, “Some Great Little Things,” Project Gutenberg #60484. Washington places this instruction among small daily habits of order, quiet, cleanliness, reading and reflection that he treats as important parts of character formation.
Source identified
“The mind is its own place.”
Voice: Poetic speaker · Satan
The statement emphasizes how mental framing can alter the experience of circumstances, for good or ill.
Source note: Paradise Lost, Book I; the fuller sentence continues with heaven and hell as states the mind can make.