Who said “Never trust the artist. Trust the tale. The proper function of a critic is to save the…”?

Verified

D. H. Lawrence. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceStudies in Classic American Literature (1923)

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For academic work, cite the original where you can: Studies in Classic American Literature (1923).

APA

Lawrence, D. H. (n.d.). Never trust the artist. Trust the tale. The proper function of a critic is to save the tale from the artist who created it. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/12257-never-trust-the-artist-trust-the-tale-the/

MLA

Lawrence, D. H. “Never trust the artist. Trust the tale. The proper function of a critic is to save the tale from the artist who created it.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/12257-never-trust-the-artist-trust-the-tale-the/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Lawrence, D. H. “Never trust the artist. Trust the tale. The proper function of a critic is to save the tale from the artist who created it.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/12257-never-trust-the-artist-trust-the-tale-the/.

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“God is only a great imaginative experience.”
VerifiedPhoenix: The Posthumous Papers of D. H. Lawrence, pt. 4, ed. by E. McDonald, (1936) · evidenceDetails & citeGod
“My God, these folks don't know how to love -- that's why they love so easily.”
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“I hold that the parentheses are by far the most important parts of a non-business letter.”
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