No Harm, At First

This exchange comes from The Paris Review, spring 1958:

George Plimpton: Would you suggest newspaper work for the young writer? How helpful was the training you had with the Kansas City Star?

Ernest Hemingway: On the Star you were forced to learn to write a simple declarative sentence. This is useful to anyone. Newspaper work will not harm a young writer and could help him if he gets out of it in time.