Verified excerpt
Letter 120 · 12 June 1877
No day without a line
The wording appears in the scholarly English translation of letter 120. The ellipsis marks a transparent shortening of the surrounding sentence.
Popular wording
“No day without a line ... will surely lead to something.”
Documented wording
““No day without a line”, daily writing, reading, working and practising, with meekness and perseverance, will surely lead to something.”
Context
What the letter actually discusses
Van Gogh links daily writing, reading, work and practice with patience. The sentence presents progress as the result of a repeated discipline rather than one dramatic effort.
Translation note
The Source Center follows the English translation in Vincent van Gogh: The Letters. Punctuation and wording may differ in other translations.
- Author
- Vincent van Gogh
- Document
- Letter 120
- Recipient
- Theo van Gogh
- Place
- Amsterdam
- Date
- 12 June 1877
Primary source
Read the complete letter in the scholarly edition.
The external link opens Vincent van Gogh: The Letters, published by the Van Gogh Museum and Huygens ING.