Style Is the Stuff You Get Wrong

Neil Gaiman? Jerry Garcia? Elizabeth McCracken? Robert Burton? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: I have heard two fascinating adages about artistic style: Style is the stuff you can’t help doing. Style is the stuff you get wrong. Both statements were made by the prominent fantasist Neil Gaiman who writes short stories, novels, comic books, and screenplays. …

Somebody Has To Do Something. . . It Seems Pathetic That It Has To Be Us

Jerry Garcia? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Celebrities often use their charisma to highlight social or environmental movements. The prominent guitarist Jerry Garcia of “The Grateful Dead” rock band advocated for the preservation of the world’s rain forests, and he apparently spoke with a mixture of candor, humility, and sadness about his involvement: Someone has to …