Critics! Those cut-throat bandits in the paths of fame.
—Robert Burns (1759–96) Scottish Poet, Songwriter
It is from the womb of art that criticism was born.
—Charles Baudelaire (1821–67) French Poet, Art Critic, Essayist, Translator
Don’t mind criticism. If it is untrue, disregard it; if unfair, keep from irritation; if it is ignorant, smile; if it is justified it is not criticism, learn from it.
—Unknown
Criticism should not be querulous and wasting, all knife and root-puller, but guiding, instructive, inspiring.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
They condemn what they do not understand.
—Cicero (106BCE–43BCE) Roman Philosopher, Orator, Politician, Lawyer
Doubtless criticism was originally benignant, pointing out the beauties of a work rather than its defects.—The passions of men have made it malignant, as the bad heart of Procrustes turned the bed, the symbol of repose, into an instrument of torture.
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–82) American Poet, Educator, Academic
There are two insults no human will endure: the assertion that he has no sense of humor and the doubly impertinent assertion that he has never known trouble.
—Sinclair Lewis (1885–1951) American Novelist, Short-Story Writer
The whole effort of a sincere man is to erect his personal impressions into laws.
—Remy de Gourmont (1858–1915) French Poet, Novelist, Critic
Criticism is a study by which men grow important and formidable at very small expense. He whom nature has made weak, and idleness keeps ignorant, may yet support his vanity by the name of a critic.
—Samuel Johnson (1709–84) British Essayist
Most of our censure of others is only oblique praise of self, uttered to show the wisdom and superiority of the speaker. It has all the invidiousness of self-praise, and all the ill-desert of falsehood.
—Tryon Edwards American Theologian
It is critical vision alone which can mitigate the unimpeded operation of the automatic.
—Marshall Mcluhan (1911–80) Canadian Writer, Thinker, Educator
Reviewers are usually people who would have been, poets, historians, biographer, if they could. They have tried their talents at one thing or another and have failed; therefore they turn critic.
—Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834) English Poet, Literary Critic, Philosopher
The avocation of assessing the failures of better men can be turned into a comfortable livelihood, providing you back it up with a Ph.D.
—Nelson Algren (1909–81) American Novelist, Short Story Writer
The strength of criticism lies in the weakness of the thing criticized.
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–82) American Poet, Educator, Academic
You should not say it is not good. You should say you do not like it; and then, you know, you’re perfectly safe.
—James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834–1903) American Painter, Etcher
You’re never as good as everyone tells you when you win, and you’re never as bad as they say when you lose.
—Lou Holtz (1893–1980) American Stage Performer
Do what you feel in your heart to be right—for you’ll be criticized anyway. You’ll be damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.
—Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) American First Lady, Diplomat, Humanitarian
The pleasure of criticism takes from us that of being deeply moved by very beautiful things.
—Jean de La Bruyere (1645–96) French Satiric Moralist, Author
A good writer is not necessarily a good book critic. No more so than a good drunk is automatically a good bartender.
—Jim Bishop (1907–87) American Journalist, Author
No sadder proof can be given by a man of his own littleness than disbelief in great men.
—Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881) Scottish Historian, Essayist
A wise skepticism is the first attribute of a good critic.
—James Russell Lowell (1819–91) American Poet, Critic
To be just, that is to say, to justify its existence, criticism should be partial, passionate and political, that is to say, written from an exclusive point of view, but a point of view that opens up the widest horizons.
—Charles Baudelaire (1821–67) French Poet, Art Critic, Essayist, Translator
Any critic is entitled to wrong judgments, of course. But certain lapses of judgment indicate the radical failure of an entire sensibility.
—Susan Sontag (1933–2004) American Writer, Philosopher
Criticism of others is futile and if you indulge in it often you should be warned that it can be fatal to your career.
—Dale Carnegie (1888–1955) American Self-Help Author
Any fool can criticize, complain, and condemn—and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.
—Dale Carnegie (1888–1955) American Self-Help Author
The person of analytic or critical intellect finds something ridiculous in everything. The person of synthetic or constructive intellect, in almost nothing.
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) German Poet
All my life people have said that I wasn’t going to make it.
—Ted Turner (b.1938) American Businessperson, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist
It is strange that we do not temper our resentment of criticism with a thought for our many faults which have escaped us.
—Indian Proverb
People who ask for your criticism want only praise.
—W. Somerset Maugham (1874–1965) British Novelist, Short-Story Writer, Playwright
Of all the cants which are canted in this canting world—though the cant of hypocrites may be the worst—the cant of criticism is the most tormenting!
—Laurence Sterne (1713–68) Irish Anglican Novelist, Clergyman
I consider criticism merely a preliminary excitement, a statement of things a writer has to clear up in his own head sometime or other, probably antecedent to writing; of no value unless it come to fruit in the created work later.
—Ezra Pound (1885-1972) American Poet, Translator, Critic
If I care to listen to every criticism, let alone act on them, then this shop may as well be closed for all other businesses. I have learned to do my best, and if the end result is good then I do not care for any criticism, but if the end result is not good, then even the praise of ten angels would not make the difference.
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–65) American Head of State
For if there is anything to one’s praise, it is foolish vanity to be gratified at it, and if it is abuse—why one is always sure to hear of it from one damned good-natured friend or another!
—Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751–1816) Irish-born British Playwright, Poet, Elected Rep
Praise or blame has but a momentary effect on the man whose love of beauty in the abstract makes him a severe critic on his own works.
—John Keats (1795–1821) English Poet
Give a critic an inch, he’ll write a play.
—John Steinbeck (1902–68) American Novelist, Short Story Writer, Journalist
To be a mere verbal critic is what no man of genius would be if he could; but to be a critic of true taste and feeling, is what no man without genius could be if he would.
—Charles Caleb Colton (c.1780–1832) English Clergyman, Aphorist
Critics are already made.
—Lord Byron (George Gordon Byron) (1788–1824) English Romantic Poet
The good critic is he who relates the adventures of his soul among masterpieces.
—Anatole France (1844–1924) French Novelist
After all, one knows one’s weak points so well, that it’s rather bewildering to have the critics overlook them and invent others.
—Edith Wharton (1862–1937) American Novelist, Short-story Writer
A critic is a legless man who teaches running.
—Channing Pollock (1880–1946)
American Playwright, Critic
The covers of this book are too far apart.
—Ambrose Bierce (1842–1913) American Short-story Writer, Journalist
Even the lion has to defend himself against flies.
—German Proverb
I am sorry to think that you do not get a man’s most effective criticism until you provoke him. Severe truth is expressed with some bitterness.
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–62) American Philosopher
It is wrong to be harsh with the New York critics, unless one admits in the same breath that it is a condition of their existence that they should write entertainingly about something which is rarely worth writing about at all.
—Raymond Chandler (1888–1959) American Novelist
Self-laudation abounds among the unpolished, but nothing can stamp a man more sharply as ill-bred.
—Charles Buxton (1823–71) British Politician, Writer
The artist doesn’t have time to listen to the critics. The ones who want to be writers read the reviews. The ones who want to write don’t have the time to read reviews.
—William Faulkner (1897–1962) American Novelist
A good review from the critics is just another stay of execution.
—Dustin Hoffman (b.1937) American Actor, Filmmaker
Honest criticism means nothing: what one wants is unrestrained passion, fire for fire.
—Henry Miller (1891–1980) American Novelist
God knows people who are paid to have attitudes toward things, professional critics, make me sick; camp following eunuchs of literature. They won’t even whore. They’re all virtuous and sterile. And how well meaning and high minded. But they’re all camp followers.
—Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961) American Author, Journalist, Short Story Writer
The rule in carving holds good as to criticism; never cut with a knife what you can cut with a spoon.
—Charles Buxton (1823–71) British Politician, Writer