William Dean Howells Quotes

To me, 'beauty' means to be natural, creative, honest - to say the truth.

Everybody is original, if he tells the truth, if he speaks from himself. But it must be from his *true* self and not from the self he thinks he *should* be.

First of all, be what you are.

No man who values originality will ever be original. But try to tell the truth as you see it, try to do any bit of work as well as it can be done for the work's sake, and what men call originality will come unsought.

To express yourself as you are, without any intentional, fancy way of adjusting yourself, is the most important thing.

I always write what feels really true and honest and me.

Life would be so much harder if I had to lie about who I was.

The merit of originality is not novelty; it is sincerity.

Be yourself. Above all, let who you are, what you are, what you believe shine through every sentence you write, every piece you finish.

I try to be myself without being anything different.

I think the most important thing is to be yourself and be genuine and don't try to tell anybody else's story but your own. And if it comes from a genuine place, I think people can tell, and if it doesn't, I think people can tell, and I think that eventually it shows.

I do not try to play a role. I feel good being myself and saying what I think.

I'm an honest dude, not trying to be anything other than who I am.

Be you. If people like it, great. My music is honest, and it comes from the heart. I have never done anything to become famous.

I want to portray myself as myself.

I've always been Carlos Vela - sincere, original and true to myself.

There's nothing fake about me. And I think there are some people that appreciate that. Even if they hate me, they appreciate the fact that I'm 100 percent authentically me.

I want to be unique and original and truthful.

The truth is how you say it, and to be 'one's self' is the most shocking custom of all.

The secret to beauty is simple - be who you are.

Don't front, don't put something out there that you feel isn't realistic and doesn't portray who you are. Just be yourself, be you, and don't be afraid to speak your mind.

Truth is the nursing mother of genius. No man can be absolutely true to himself, eschewing cant, compromise, servile imitation, and complaisance without becoming original.

Avoid all affectation and singularity. What is according to nature is best, and what is contrary to it is always distasteful. Nothing is graceful that is not our own.

I don't like to act in my personal life. I like to be straightforward.

At the outset, I think that one should be natural, not just when it comes to writing but in every area of life. If you try to be something that you are not just to impress others, then it's a rather sad life.