In the Water I Am Beautiful

10/07/2008

I’d forgotten where that came from: “In the water I am beautiful.”

Several years ago, I wrote a bit that contained the above quote. I don’t remember the bit and didn’t, until the other day, remember where the quote came from.

Citizen X from tanjents.com emails me several times per year asking if I could repost the bit because it struck a nerve with her. But I couldn’t remember. Until now …

The bit is long gone but I’ve rediscovered the source of the quote. It’s from the preface to Kurt Vonnegut’s Welcome to the Monkey House.

Without further adieu, Mr. Vonnegut:

I have been a writer since 1949. I am self-taught. I have no theories about writing that might help others. When I write I simply become what I seemingly must become. I am six feet two and weigh nearly two hundred pounds and am badly coordinated, except when I swim. All that borrowed meat does the writing.

In the water I am beautiful.

So there it is.

There are 3 comments in this article:

  1. 10/07/2008CitizenX say:

    I was afraid to ask for it again.
    The last time I asked I swore I would save it well.
    (Three machines later)
    That was a very ruthless tease!

    (but okay I’ll take the background story)

  2. 11/07/2008Nancy say:

    And there I was, thinking that it was Esther Williams.

  3. 11/07/2008BWG say:

    “You know when you put a stick in the water and it looks like its bent but really isn’t? That’s why I don’t take baths.”

    ~Steven Wright

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