Criticize Quotes

I haven’t any right to criticize books, and I don’t do it except when I hate them.

"I haven’t any right to criticize books, and I don’t do it except when I hate them."

— Mark Twain

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Author: Mark Twain
Category: Criticize
Tags: Criticize Except Hate

Meaning of this quote

Twain jokes that dislike overwhelms the restraint needed for fair literary criticism. The self-mockery acknowledges the difference between venting a personal reaction and evaluating a work carefully.

Key takeaway: Separate a strong personal dislike from a fair critical judgment.

Origin of the quote

Letter to Joseph Twichell, September 13, 1898, reproduced in Paine's Mark Twain, A Biography.

Who actually said this?

Verified

The biography quotes the letter and includes the sentence in a discussion of Jane Austen. The post modernizes the conjunction typography without changing the wording.

Attributed author: Mark Twain

Source: Project Gutenberg: Paine, Mark Twain, A Biography, Volume II, Part 2