Edward Abbey, Writer's Credo Quotes

A collection of quotes by Edward Abbey, Writer's Credo.

Edward Abbey (1927-1989) was an American author and environmental activist known for his passionate writings on the importance of wilderness preservation. Born in Pennsylvania, Abbey later moved to the American Southwest, where he found inspiration for his most famous works. His novels, including "The Monkey Wrench Gang" and "Desert Solitaire," advocated for the protection of natural landscapes and criticized the negative impacts of industrial development. Abbey's writing style was characterized by his wit, irreverence, and love for the untamed wilderness. He remains an influential figure in the environmental movement and his works continue to inspire readers to protect the natural world.

It is my belief that the writer, the free-lance author, should be and must be a critic of the society in which he lives. It is easy enough, and always profitable, to rail away at national enemies beyond the sea, at foreign powers beyond our borders who question the prevailing order.But the moral duty of the free writer is to begin his work at home; to be a critic of his own community, his own country, his own culture. If the writer is unwilling to fill this part, then the writer should abandon pretense and find another line of work: become a shoe repairman, a brain surgeon, a janitor, a cowboy, a nuclear physicist, a bus driver.

Edward Abbey, Writer's Credo

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