Quote Origin: There Is a Thin Line Between Genius and Insanity. I Have Erased That Line

Oscar Levant? Zsa Zsa Gabor? John Dryden? Colin Wilson? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A self-deprecating comedian once delivered an acerbic remark about insanity. Here are two versions: (1) There is a thin line between genius and insanity. I have erased that line.(2) There is a fine line between sanity and insanity. I’ve managed to …

That’s Not Writing; That’s Just Typing

Truman Capote? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The authors of The Beat Generation were an influential disaffected group whose works jolted the culture of 1950s America. The spontaneous prose technique employed by the central figure Jack Kerouac in the composition of his 1957 novel “On the Road” was acclaimed and disparaged. The most trenchant criticism reportedly …