---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For a country to have a great writer is…"
description: "\"For a country to have a great writer is like having a second government. That is why no regime has ever loved great writers, only minor ones.\" — Aleksa..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/319/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_country_for-a-country-to-have-a-great-writer-is_2528820.jpg"
---

#  For a country to have a great writer is like having a…

![“For a country to have a great writer is like having a second government. That is why no regime has ever loved great writers, only minor ones.” quote by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/319/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_country_for-a-country-to-have-a-great-writer-is_2528820.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/319/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_country_for-a-country-to-have-a-great-writer-is_2528820.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/319/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_country_for-a-country-to-have-a-great-writer-is_2528820.jpg)

> “For a country to have a great writer is like having a second government. That is why no regime has ever loved great writers, only minor ones.”

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Great writers act as a moral counterbalance to government power, which often suppresses them

**In simple terms:** Writers provide a second voice to authority

Key Takeaway

Support and protect independent thinkers

Themes

freedom of expression political power literature

Mood

thoughtful critical

Type

philosophical reflective

When to use this quote

- journalism
- education
- policy advocacy

Key Concepts

Censorship authoritarianism intellectual independence

Questions to Reflect On

- How does literature shape political discourse?
- What responsibilities do writers have in society?

A Different Perspective

Even minor writers can influence change; not all regimes suppress all writers

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Great writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-writer/) [Great writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-writers/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [For a country to have a great writer is like having another government. That's why no regime has ever loved great writers, only minor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-solzhenitsyn/for-a-country-to-have-a-great-writer-is-like-having-another/)

[Alexander Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-solzhenitsyn/)

> [“A great writer is, so to speak, a second government in his country. And for that reason no regime has ever loved great writers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-solzhenitsyn/a-great-writer-is-so-to-speak-a-second-government-in-his-country-and/)

[Alexander Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-solzhenitsyn/)

> [hay he's a great writer and i like him a lot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-kinney/hay-he-s-a-great-writer-and-i-like-him-a-lot/)

[Jeff Kinney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-kinney/)

> [For a country to have a great writer is to have another government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/for-a-country-to-have-a-great-writer-is-to-have-another-government/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [A great writer is, so to speak, a secret government in his country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/a-great-writer-is-so-to-speak-a-secret-government-in-his-country/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [You need to understand, if you take out a government, take out a regime, guess who becomes the government and regime and is responsible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/you-need-to-understand-if-you-take-out-a-government-take-out-a-regime/)

[Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/)

> [Jesse Joyce is a great writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-attell/jesse-joyce-is-a-great-writer/)

[Dave Attell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-attell/)

> [Truthfully, I guess I would like to be remembered as a great writer and a kind person. I wouldn't mind if an expensive bag…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-kaling/truthfully-i-guess-i-would-like-to-be-remembered-as-a-great-writer/)

[Mindy Kaling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-kaling/)

> [The good writer, the great writer, has what I have called the three S's: the power to see, to sense, and to say. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-clark-powell/the-good-writer-the-great-writer-has-what-i-have-called-the-three-s-s/)

[Lawrence Clark Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-clark-powell/)

> [The author with the greatest influence on me is my friend Stephen Harrigan, who critiques everything I write before I even bother to show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-crook/the-author-with-the-greatest-influence-on-me-is-my-friend-stephen/)

[Elizabeth Crook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-crook/)

> [Listen to the Bee Gees and you can learn to be a great writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-dioguardi/listen-to-the-bee-gees-and-you-can-learn-to-be-a-great-writer/)

[Kara DioGuardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-dioguardi/)

> [I've known Shawn for several years. And he's just an amazing talent. He's a great writer, a marvelous, marvelous guitar player, and plays really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-clark/i-ve-known-shawn-for-several-years-and-he-s-just-an-amazing-talent-he/)

[Guy Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-clark/)

> [ Intellectuals of \[Albert\] Camus' age who had previously disliked him now appreciate him. And at that point we come back to literature, and it's… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-camus/intellectuals-of-albert-camus-age-who-had-previously-disliked-him-now/)

[Catherine Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-camus/)

> [Every great writer is a writer of history, let him treat on almost what subject he may.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-savage-landor/every-great-writer-is-a-writer-of-history-let-him-treat-on-almost/)

[Walter Savage Landor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-savage-landor/)

> [I'd go for "really great writer." Although I don't think I am. I know I have a style which is recognizable. I think you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/i-d-go-for-really-great-writer-although-i-don-t-think-i-am-i-know-i/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

## More by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

> [If you wanted to put the world to rights, who should you begin with: yourself or others?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/if-you-wanted-to-put-the-world-to-rights-who-should-you-begin-with/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [“...you are strong only as long as you don't deprive people of everything . For a person you've taken everything from is no longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/you-are-strong-only-as-long-as-you-don-t-deprive-people-of-everything/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [Woe to that nation whose literature is cut short by the intrusion of force. This is not merely interference with freedom of the press…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/woe-to-that-nation-whose-literature-is-cut-short-by-the-intrusion-of/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [Literature becomes the living memory of a nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/literature-becomes-the-living-memory-of-a-nation/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [If there were no executioners, there would be no executions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/if-there-were-no-executioners-there-would-be-no-executions/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [Not everything has a name. Some things lead us into a realm beyond words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/not-everything-has-a-name-some-things-lead-us-into-a-realm-beyond/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [It is almost always impossible to evaluate at the time events which you have already experienced, and to understand their meaning with the guidance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/it-is-almost-always-impossible-to-evaluate-at-the-time-events-which/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [Human nature is full of riddles; . . . one of those riddles is: how is it that people who have been crushed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/human-nature-is-full-of-riddles-one-of-those-riddles-is-how-is-it/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [“It was astonishing that the pseudo wreckers, who knew perfectly well that they weren't wreckers, believed that military men and priests were being shaken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/it-was-astonishing-that-the-pseudo-wreckers-who-knew-perfectly-well/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [When the whole discussion of "developing a national idea" hastily began in post-Soviet Russia, I tried to pour cold water on it with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/when-the-whole-discussion-of-developing-a-national-idea-hastily-began/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [“It was granted me to carry away from my prison years on my bent back, which nearly broke beneath its load, this essential experience;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/it-was-granted-me-to-carry-away-from-my-prison-years-on-my-bent-back/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [Call no day happy 'til it is done; call no man happy til he is dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/call-no-day-happy-til-it-is-done-call-no-man-happy-til-he-is-dead/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [Whenever the tissue of life is woven of legalistic relationships, this creates an atmosphere of spiritual mediocrity that paralyzes a person's noblest impulses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/whenever-the-tissue-of-life-is-woven-of-legalistic-relationships-this/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [The same old caveman feeling-greed, envy, violence, and mutual hate, which along the way assumed respectable pseudonyms like class struggle, racial struggle, mass struggle,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/the-same-old-caveman-feeling-greed-envy-violence-and-mutual-hate/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [Surrender one hair, and you'll end up beardless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/surrender-one-hair-and-you-ll-end-up-beardless/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

[Explore all 412 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

## More Country quotes

> [I love playing for my country, getting the support. Especially for the kids and everybody, showing my example of what I can achieve so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/i-love-playing-for-my-country-getting-the-support-especially-for-the/)

[Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/)

> [ That country \[Carthage\] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws;… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinking-into-the-state-of-barbarism/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [For the Scottish government, the practice of having meetings in different parts of the country is well established, but for the U.K. government, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/for-the-scottish-government-the-practice-of-having-meetings-in/)

[Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/)

> [There's no reason someone who has fought for their country should be homeless of jobless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kyle/there-s-no-reason-someone-who-has-fought-for-their-country-should-be/)

[Chris Kyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kyle/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [It's very nice to be a rebel saying, 'I stand on my principles,' but if in fact that's not going to have any impact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-grieve/it-s-very-nice-to-be-a-rebel-saying-i-stand-on-my-principles-but-if/)

[Dominic Grieve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-grieve/)

> [Most paper money initially existed as a substitute for gold. That's what gave it value. But right now what gives a currency value is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/most-paper-money-initially-existed-as-a-substitute-for-gold-that-s/)

[Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/)

> [That's what this country is. It's made up of immigrants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bria-vinaite/that-s-what-this-country-is-it-s-made-up-of-immigrants/)

[Bria Vinaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bria-vinaite/)

> [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [The United States cannot and should not discriminate on the basis of religion. The free exercise of religion is at the very heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-united-states-cannot-and-should-not-discriminate-on-the-basis-of/)

[Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/)

> [The reason I was drawn to the Band Perry was because they have a knack for doing rollicking country music that can sound a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-robinson/the-reason-i-was-drawn-to-the-band-perry-was-because-they-have-a/)

[Phoebe Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-robinson/)

> [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> ['Lovecraft Country' is reclaiming all these pulp genres for people of color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misha-green/lovecraft-country-is-reclaiming-all-these-pulp-genres-for-people-of/)

[Misha Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misha-green/)

> [No judge can stop us from praying for our country and I pray that on May 6, millions of Americans will join me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-graham/no-judge-can-stop-us-from-praying-for-our-country-and-i-pray-that-on/)

[Franklin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-graham/)

[Browse all 29,881 Country quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "For a country to have a great writer is like having a second government. That is why no regime has ever loved great writers, only minor ones.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/for-a-country-to-have-a-great-writer-is-like-having-a-second/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Country"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/for-a-country-to-have-a-great-writer-is-like-having-a-second/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/319/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_country_for-a-country-to-have-a-great-writer-is_2528820.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/319/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_country_for-a-country-to-have-a-great-writer-is_2528820.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/319/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn-671_country_for-a-country-to-have-a-great-writer-is_2528820.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“For a country to have a great writer is like having a second government. That is why no regime has ever…” — Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "For a country to have a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/for-a-country-to-have-a-great-writer-is-like-having-a-second/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/for-a-country-to-have-a-great-writer-is-like-having-a-second/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
