--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But in order to be an iconoclast, an…" description: "\"“But in order to be an iconoclast, an author must be more than merely aware of the idol he wishes to destroy. He must be intimate with it and understan..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e2/alfred-bester-12060_books_but-in-order-to-be-an-iconoclast-an-auth_1839858.jpg" --- # But in order to be an iconoclast, an author must be more… ![“But in order to be an iconoclast, an author must be more than merely aware of the idol he wishes to destroy. He must be intimate with it and understand it in all its aspects. This means that he must have devoted serious thought to it, and have beliefs of his own which will stand up in the place of…” quote by Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e2/alfred-bester-12060_books_but-in-order-to-be-an-iconoclast-an-auth_1839858.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e2/alfred-bester-12060_books_but-in-order-to-be-an-iconoclast-an-auth_1839858.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e2/alfred-bester-12060_books_but-in-order-to-be-an-iconoclast-an-auth_1839858.jpg) > ““But in order to be an iconoclast, an author must be more than merely aware of the idol he wishes to destroy. He must be intimate with it and understand it in all its aspects. This means that he must have devoted serious thought to it, and have beliefs of his own which will stand up in the place of the broken idol. In other words, any child can complain, but it takes an adult to clash with accepted beliefs . . . an adult with ideas.”” [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. To truly challenge prevailing ideas, a writer must deeply understand the belief system they oppose and replace it with well‑formed personal convictions. **In simple terms:** Challenge ideas by fully knowing them and offering new beliefs. Key Takeaway Understand and replace old ideas with your own. Themes critical thinking creativity rebellion Mood provocative inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - writing - academic critique - social reform - personal development Key Concepts iconoclasm intimacy with tradition intellectual courage Questions to Reflect On - What belief do you accept without question? - How can you develop a personal stance that supports change? A Different Perspective Understanding a belief fully may still leave room for bias; true change also needs societal readiness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beliefs Adult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beliefs-adult-2340953/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Iconoclast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iconoclast/) [Iconoclast Author](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iconoclast-author-2173929/) [Idol Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idol-words-2340952/) [Order Iconoclast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order-iconoclast-2340954/) ## Related quotes > [The appeal of science fiction has always been its iconoclasm . . . But in order to be an iconoclast, an author must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-bester/the-appeal-of-science-fiction-has-always-been-its-iconoclasm-but-in/) [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) > [“Iconoclast, the neuroeconomist Gregory Berns”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/iconoclast-the-neuroeconomist-gregory-berns/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [You think that you are an iconoclast, but you’re not. You just move, or replace what you cannot have. If you fail at something,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ondaatje/you-think-that-you-are-an-iconoclast-but-you-re-not-you-just-move-or/) [Michael Ondaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ondaatje/) > [“My idea of God is a not divine idea. It has to be shattered from time to time. He shatters it Himself. He is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/my-idea-of-god-is-a-not-divine-idea-it-has-to-be-shattered-from-time/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“My teacher's mind and my interest in youth has brought me to some renewed conclusions, and I pass them on earnestly to mature persons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-d-hanks/my-teacher-s-mind-and-my-interest-in-youth-has-brought-me-to-some/) [Marion D. Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-d-hanks/) > [“Shame be damned—own the ruin of yourself. Wear the failure like a vintage coat —torn, tattered heart— you are a worn out classic, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-browning/shame-be-damned-own-the-ruin-of-yourself-wear-the-failure-like-a/) [L.M. Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-browning/) > [No iconoclast can possibly escape the severest criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-darrow/no-iconoclast-can-possibly-escape-the-severest-criticism/) [Clarence Darrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-darrow/) > [“We are culturally predisposed to sheltering criticism from criticism; we have enshrined the iconoclast”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/we-are-culturally-predisposed-to-sheltering-criticism-from-criticism/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [Smithson was someone of tremendous significance whose work was not beautiful at all. I think he was an iconoclast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schjeldahl/smithson-was-someone-of-tremendous-significance-whose-work-was-not/) [Peter Schjeldahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schjeldahl/) > [“Fatally, the term 'barbarian' is the password that opens up the archives of the twentieth century. It refers to the despiser of achievement, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sloterdijk/fatally-the-term-barbarian-is-the-password-that-opens-up-the-archives/) [Peter Sloterdijk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-sloterdijk/) > [“They thought more before nine a.m. than most people thought all month. I remember once declining cherry pie at dinner, and Rand cocked his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/they-thought-more-before-nine-a-m-than-most-people-thought-all-month/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [The creative individual is no longer viewed as an iconoclast. He—or she—is the new mainstream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-florida/the-creative-individual-is-no-longer-viewed-as-an-iconoclast-he-or/) [Richard Florida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-florida/) > [“England has her Stratford, Scotland has her Alloway, and America, too, has her Dresden. For there, on August 11, 1833, was born the greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-e-kittredge/england-has-her-stratford-scotland-has-her-alloway-and-america-too/) [Herman E. Kittredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-e-kittredge/) > [ This grossly advertised wonder \[Venice\], this gold idol with clay feet, this trompe-l'oeil, this painted deception, this cliche-what intelligent iconoclast could fail to experience… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/this-grossly-advertised-wonder-venice-this-gold-idol-with-clay-feet/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [Man at his best is a system-breaker, an iconoclast seeking not only variety, but destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carroll/man-at-his-best-is-a-system-breaker-an-iconoclast-seeking-not-only/) [John Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carroll/) ## More by Alfred Bester > [I'm a great believer in people and their untapped potential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-bester/i-m-a-great-believer-in-people-and-their-untapped-potential/) [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) > [“There's got to be more to life than just living," Foyle said to the robot. "Then find it yourself, sir. Don't ask the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-bester/there-s-got-to-be-more-to-life-than-just-living-foyle-said-to-the/) [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) > [I've handed life and death back to the people who do the living and the dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-bester/i-ve-handed-life-and-death-back-to-the-people-who-do-the-living-and/) [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) > [“The acid of fury ran through him, eating away the brute patience and sluggishness that had made a cipher of Gully Foyle, precipitating a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-bester/the-acid-of-fury-ran-through-him-eating-away-the-brute-patience-and/) [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) > [The mind is the reality. You are what you think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-bester/the-mind-is-the-reality-you-are-what-you-think/) [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) > [I'm not much interested in extrapolating science and technology; I merely use extrapolation as a means of putting people into new quandaries which produce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-bester/i-m-not-much-interested-in-extrapolating-science-and-technology-i/) [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) > [“no matter how we defend ourselves against the outside we're always licked by something from the inside. There's no defense against betrayal, and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-bester/no-matter-how-we-defend-ourselves-against-the-outside-we-re-always/) [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) > [Be grateful that you only see the outward man. Be grateful that you never see the passions, the hatreds, the jealousies, the malice, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-bester/be-grateful-that-you-only-see-the-outward-man-be-grateful-that-you/) [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) > [Millions for nonsense, but not one cent for entropy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-bester/millions-for-nonsense-but-not-one-cent-for-entropy/) [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) > [If a man's got talent and guts to buck society, he's obviously above average. You want to hold on to him. You straighten him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-bester/if-a-man-s-got-talent-and-guts-to-buck-society-he-s-obviously-above/) [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) > [One of the things that everybody knows about space travel but never mentions is its aphrodisiac quality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-bester/one-of-the-things-that-everybody-knows-about-space-travel-but-never/) [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) > [There's got to be more to life than just living," Foyle said to the robot. Then find it for yourself, sir. Don't ask the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-bester/there-s-got-to-be-more-to-life-than-just-living-foyle-said-to-the-2/) [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) > [That's me," he said, motioning to the robot. "That's all of us. We prattle about free will, but we're nothing but response...mechanical reaction in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-bester/that-s-me-he-said-motioning-to-the-robot-that-s-all-of-us-we-prattle/) [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) > [It's obvious we can't all be a Gully Foyle, but most of us energize at such a low level, so far short of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-bester/it-s-obvious-we-can-t-all-be-a-gully-foyle-but-most-of-us-energize-at/) [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) > [“We prattle about free will, but we're nothing but response . . . mechanical reaction in prescribed grooves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-bester/we-prattle-about-free-will-but-we-re-nothing-but-response-mechanical/) [Alfred Bester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) [Explore all 54 Alfred Bester quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-bester/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. 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Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But in order to be an iconoclast, an author must be more than merely aware of the idol he wishes to destroy. He must be intimate with it and understand it in all its aspects. This means that he must have devoted serious thought to it, and have beliefs of his own which will stand up in the place of the broken idol. 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