Charles Wiegand - Author

Goethe Didn't Say That: Debunking a Popular Misquote

June 20, 2026

There's a quote that pops up frequently on social media, in inspirational books, and on motivational posters, always credited to the great German writer and thinker Johann Wolfgang von Goethe:

"To think is easy. To act is hard. But the hardest thing in the world is to act in accordance with your thinking."

It sounds wise. It feels Goethe-like. It's been translated into German ("Denken ist leicht, Handeln ist schwer…") and shared so many times it seems beyond question. But here's the thing: there's no credible evidence that Goethe ever wrote or said it.

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Writing as Gift: To Yourself and the World

June 13, 2026

"Writing is an extreme privilege, but it's also a gift. It's a gift to yourself, and it's a gift of giving a story to someone."
--Amy Tan (1952- )
From an interview in "Academy of Achievement," 1996

Every writer, whether published or not, has felt that quiet magic - the kind that stirs when a memory becomes words, when a feeling begins to shape itself into a sentence, or when a strange idea pulls at the edge of the mind until it's finally written down. Amy Tan's quote distills that magic into something both humble and profound: writing is not just a craft - it's a gift, both inward and outward.

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Writing to Find Yourself

June 6, 2026

“A story is a letter that the author writes to himself, to tell himself things that he would be unable to discover otherwise.”
—Carlos Ruiz Zafón, The Shadow of the Wind (commonly attributed)

Zafón’s evocative quote speaks to the essential, introspective nature of storytelling: that many stories begin not for an audience, but for the author’s own discovery. This isn’t just literary flourish; it’s a framing of writing as internal exploration.

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You get ideas from daydreaming

June 1, 2026

“You get ideas from daydreaming. You get ideas from being bored. You get ideas all the time. The only difference between writers and other people is we notice when we're doing it.”
— Neil Gaiman

As writers, we're often asked, "Where do your ideas come from?" It's a question that, at first glance, seems straightforward. Yet, the answer delves deep into the essence of creativity and observation.

Neil Gaiman, in his essay "Where do you get your ideas?" addresses this very inquiry. He suggests that ideas aren't elusive treasures hidden in distant realms but are ever-present, waiting to be noticed. They emerge during mundane moments, while daydreaming, feeling bored, or simply observing the world around us.

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When Ads Get More Care Than Editorials - A Media Reality That Hasn't Changed

May 25, 2026

"Far more thought and care go into the composition of any prominent ad in a newspaper or magazine than go into the writing of their features and editorials."
--Marshall McLuhan, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man (1964)

More than half a century ago, Marshall McLuhan issued this sharp insight - a critique that, if anything, has become more relevant today. His point was simple but unsettling: the advertisements we glance over are often more carefully constructed than the articles we intentionally seek out.

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