As a man has no right to kill one of his children if it is diseased or insane, so a man who has made the gradual and conscious expression of his personality in literature the aim of his life, has no right to suppress himself any carefully considered work which seemed good enough when it was written. Suppression, if it is deserved, will come rapidly enough from the same causes that suppress the unworthy members of a man's family.

Summary

This quote emphasizes the idea that just as a parent cannot justify killing their sick or mentally unstable child, a writer who has dedicated their life to expressing their personality through literature should not suppress any piece of writing that they deemed good when it was created. The quote argues that if a work is deserving of criticism or rejection, it will naturally face the same fate as unworthy members of a family. In essence, it calls for writers to have faith in their work and not withhold it out of self-judgment or fear of external judgment.

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