#2,572

The two most insufferable types of rhetoric are religious rhetoric and the rhetoric of art criticism.

Escolios a un Texto Implícito: Selección, p. 413

#2,470

A journalist is someone for whom it suffices, in order to speak about a book, to know of the book’s topic only what the book he is speaking about says.

Escolios a un Texto Implícito: Selección, p. 397

#2,347

Modern criticism usually credits the author’s modest lineage to him as a literary merit.

Escolios a un Texto Implícito: Selección, p. 380

#2,332

A contemporary literary review never allows one to figure out whether the critic believes he lives among geniuses or whether he prefers not to have enemies.

Escolios a un Texto Implícito: Selección, p. 378

#2,109

A good painting cuts short the art critic’s lyricism.

Escolios a un Texto Implícito: Selección, p. 341

#2,045

The critical analysis practiced by contemporary criticism is unreadable and makes the work it analyzes unreadable.

Escolios a un Texto Implícito: Selección, p. 332

#1,999

Cowed by the vehemence with which the artist reminds him of his famous follies, the critic walks with cautious steps, fearing that patent ugliness might end up being unusual beauty.
It is not in order to admire that one requires courage today; it is in order to censure.

Escolios a un Texto Implícito: Selección, p. 325

#1,961

When a society’s intelligence becomes plebeian, literary criticism appears more lucid, albeit cruder.

Escolios a un Texto Implícito: Selección, p. 320

#1,726

The mortal sin of the critic lies in secretly dreaming that he could perfect the author.

Escolios a un Texto Implícito: Selección, p. 286

#1,619

Journalism was the cradle of literary criticism.
The university is its tomb.

Escolios a un Texto Implícito: Selección, p. 268

#1,485

“Constructive criticism,” in our time, is what helps perfect prisons.

Escolios a un Texto Implícito: Selección, p. 250

#835

To be civilized is to be able to criticize what we believe in without ceasing to believe in it.

Escolios a un Texto Implícito: Selección, p. 153

#816

Negative criticism sometimes achieves those conversions of the soul which significantly modify the problems.
“Constructive” criticism only multiplies catastrophes.

Escolios a un Texto Implícito: Selección, p. 150

#605

Whoever does not understand that two perfectly contrary attitudes can both be perfectly justified ought not to engage in criticism.

Escolios a un Texto Implícito: Selección, p. 113

#516

Art criticism’s worst vice is the metaphorical abuse of philosophical vocabulary.

Escolios a un Texto Implícito: Selección, p. 99