Wednesday, September 1, 2010

The cure for melancholy


"If you are idle, be not solitary;
if you are solitary, be not idle."

Samuel Johnson said that, suggesting that it was a cure for melancholy.

He was such a prolific writer of letters and essays and bons mots that some think of him as the very first blogger ever! But of course, this distinction could just as easily go to other writers — to the likes of Michel de Montaigne, Samuel Pepys, writers of Japanese "Pillow Books", and (my personal favourite) E.B. White... especially his letters.

How about you? Do you have a favourite proto-blogger?

2 comments:

  1. What a brilliant question....I shall have to think on it and get back to you... love that quote from Johnson!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Let me know what you come up with, Sophie!
    :-)

    ReplyDelete

So... what do you think?