---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: With a pencil and paper, I could revise…"
description: "\"With a pencil and paper, I could revise the world.\" — Alison Lurie"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/523/alison-lurie-19529_paper_with-a-pencil-and-paper-i-could-revise-t_412550.png"
---

#  With a pencil and paper, I could revise the world.

![“With a pencil and paper, I could revise the world.” quote by Alison Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/523/alison-lurie-19529_paper_with-a-pencil-and-paper-i-could-revise-t_412550.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/523/alison-lurie-19529_paper_with-a-pencil-and-paper-i-could-revise-t_412550.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/523/alison-lurie-19529_paper_with-a-pencil-and-paper-i-could-revise-t_412550.png)

> “With a pencil and paper, I could revise the world.”

[Alison Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-lurie/)

## About This Quote

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

The writer imagines that simple tools like pencil and paper could reshape reality, highlighting creativity’s power to envision change.

**In simple terms:** Creativity can reshape reality.

Key Takeaway

Use creative tools to imagine change.

Themes

creativity imagination power change

Mood

hopeful inspirational

Type

creative motivational

When to use this quote

- writing
- design
- policy planning
- artistic projects

Key Concepts

literature psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- What world can you sketch to improve a problem?
- How do you move from sketch to implementation?

A Different Perspective

Ideas alone may not translate into concrete outcomes.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [Write . . . write . . . pencil . . . paper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/write-write-pencil-paper/)

[Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/)

> [I put my pencil upon the paper, doubtfully, and drew little lines, considering my theme. But I would not long hesitate in this manner,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilaire-belloc/i-put-my-pencil-upon-the-paper-doubtfully-and-drew-little-lines/)

[Hilaire Belloc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilaire-belloc/)

> [I can almost always write music; at any hour of the twenty-four, if I put pencil to paper, music comes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-philip-sousa/i-can-almost-always-write-music-at-any-hour-of-the-twenty-four-if-i/)

[John Philip Sousa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-philip-sousa/)

> [After a while he played with the pencil and the paper again and was delighted when he discovered how to make a mark with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/after-a-while-he-played-with-the-pencil-and-the-paper-again-and-was/)

[Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/)

> [I like the process of pencil and paper as opposed to a machine. I think the writing is better when it's done in handwriting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-demille/i-like-the-process-of-pencil-and-paper-as-opposed-to-a-machine-i/)

[Nelson DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-demille/)

> [I was really relieved not to have to drag something in front of the camera; I could use a pencil and paper. A regular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wegman/i-was-really-relieved-not-to-have-to-drag-something-in-front-of-the/)

[William Wegman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wegman/)

> [Daydreaming with pencil and paper is a respectable form of meditation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-howe/daydreaming-with-pencil-and-paper-is-a-respectable-form-of-meditation/)

[John Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-howe/)

> [“he carried "a pencil and paper with him in case inspiration struck.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-carried-a-pencil-and-paper-with-him-in-case-inspiration-struck/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Darwin's work is a testament to the power of two of the most basic tools used in research, the pencil and paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mark-silverman-and-kelly-l-patterson/darwin-s-work-is-a-testament-to-the-power-of-two-of-the-most-basic/)

Robert Mark Silverman and Kelly L. Patterson

> [I just start with a pencil and paper. I don't want something too trendy, too fashion-forward. I don't want to make something I consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-just-start-with-a-pencil-and-paper-i-don-t-want-something-too/)

[John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/)

> [As I get older I find myself thinking about stories more and more before I work so that by the time I eventually sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-ware/as-i-get-older-i-find-myself-thinking-about-stories-more-and-more/)

[Chris Ware](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-ware/)

> [“Pencil. Paper. Forget the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-hick/pencil-paper-forget-the-world/)

[Shaun Hick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-hick/)

> [It's amazing how many people even today use a computer to do something you can do with a pencil and paper in less time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/it-s-amazing-how-many-people-even-today-use-a-computer-to-do/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [The writer doesn't need economic freedom. All he needs is a pencil and some paper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/the-writer-doesn-t-need-economic-freedom-all-he-needs-is-a-pencil-and/)

[William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/)

> [I've got to feel the pencil and see the words at the end of the pencil,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/i-ve-got-to-feel-the-pencil-and-see-the-words-at-the-end-of-the-pencil/)

[William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/)

## More by Alison Lurie

> [America has a history of political isolation and economic self-sufficiency; its citizens have tended to regard the rest of the world as a disaster…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-lurie/america-has-a-history-of-political-isolation-and-economic-self/)

[Alison Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-lurie/)

> [You get into the habit of being angry and hurt by life, and then when something good happens you can't accept it because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-lurie/you-get-into-the-habit-of-being-angry-and-hurt-by-life-and-then-when/)

[Alison Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-lurie/)

> [We can lie in the language of dress or try ot tell the truth; but unless we are naked and bald, it is impossible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-lurie/we-can-lie-in-the-language-of-dress-or-try-ot-tell-the-truth-but/)

[Alison Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-lurie/)

> [There is a peculiar burning odor in the room, like explosives. the kitchen fills with smoke and the hot, sweet, ashy smell of scorched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-lurie/there-is-a-peculiar-burning-odor-in-the-room-like-explosives-the/)

[Alison Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-lurie/)

> [We all want to be guilty, because guilt is power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-lurie/we-all-want-to-be-guilty-because-guilt-is-power/)

[Alison Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-lurie/)

> [Grosvenor and Burke suggest that continually, though silently, a school building tells students who they are and how they should think about the world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-lurie/grosvenor-and-burke-suggest-that-continually-though-silently-a-school/)

[Alison Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-lurie/)

> [Many Americans think of the rest of the world as a kind of Disneyland, a showplace for quaint fauna, flora and artifacts. They dress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-lurie/many-americans-think-of-the-rest-of-the-world-as-a-kind-of-disneyland/)

[Alison Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-lurie/)

> [The fashion industry is no more able to preserve a style that men and women have decided to abandon than to introduce one they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-lurie/the-fashion-industry-is-no-more-able-to-preserve-a-style-that-men-and/)

[Alison Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-lurie/)

> [If nothing will finally survive of life besides what artists report of it, we have no right to report what we know to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-lurie/if-nothing-will-finally-survive-of-life-besides-what-artists-report/)

[Alison Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-lurie/)

> [Real literature, like travel, is always a surprise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-lurie/real-literature-like-travel-is-always-a-surprise/)

[Alison Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-lurie/)

> [As one went to Europe to see the living past, so one must visit Southern California to observe the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-lurie/as-one-went-to-europe-to-see-the-living-past-so-one-must-visit/)

[Alison Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-lurie/)

> [“In most novels it is taken for granted that people over fifty are as set in their ways as elderly apple trees, and as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-lurie/in-most-novels-it-is-taken-for-granted-that-people-over-fifty-are-as/)

[Alison Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-lurie/)

> [Attempts to limit female mobility by hampering locomotion are ancient and almost universal. The foot-binding of upper-class Chinese girls and the Nigerian custom of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-lurie/attempts-to-limit-female-mobility-by-hampering-locomotion-are-ancient/)

[Alison Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-lurie/)

> [“Having a chronic illness, Molly thought, was like being invaded. Her grandmother back in Michigan used to tell about the day one of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-lurie/having-a-chronic-illness-molly-thought-was-like-being-invaded-her/)

[Alison Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-lurie/)

> [Fashion is free speech, and one of the privileges, if not always one of the pleasures, of a free world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-lurie/fashion-is-free-speech-and-one-of-the-privileges-if-not-always-one-of/)

[Alison Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-lurie/)

[Explore all 32 Alison Lurie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-lurie/)

## More Paper quotes

> [“Our world will not die as a result of the bomb, as the papers say, it will die of laughter, of banality, of making a joke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/our-world-will-not-die-as-a-result-of-the-bomb-as-the-papers-say-it/)

[Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/)

> [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. I've been in a public bathroom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-ve-been-in-a-serious-conversation-with-one-of-my-children-and-a-fan/)

[Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/)

> [My writing routine is: get son off to school and sit down at 8 A.M. I read what I wrote the day before, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-chevalier/my-writing-routine-is-get-son-off-to-school-and-sit-down-at-8-a-m-i/)

[Tracy Chevalier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-chevalier/)

> [On paper, it looks rough, but I had a great childhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-morton/on-paper-it-looks-rough-but-i-had-a-great-childhood/)

[Samantha Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-morton/)

> [For the time being Scherzer gives Washington a very nice rotation (on paper) with Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmerman, Gio Gonzalez, and Doug Fister, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-scherzer/for-the-time-being-scherzer-gives-washington-a-very-nice-rotation-on/)

[Max Scherzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-scherzer/)

> [I liked climbing trees and could often be found up one reading a book. I played games with Dad and drew maps for him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhianna-pratchett/i-liked-climbing-trees-and-could-often-be-found-up-one-reading-a-book/)

[Rhianna Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhianna-pratchett/)

> [Why did I become a writer? Because I grew up in New York City, and there were seven newspapers in New York City, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-did-i-become-a-writer-because-i-grew-up-in-new-york-city-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The spectacle of a great, solvent government paying a fictitious price for gold it did not want and did not need and doing it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garet-garrett/the-spectacle-of-a-great-solvent-government-paying-a-fictitious-price/)

[Garet Garrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garet-garrett/)

> [In luggage claim at the Minneapolis airport, the guy came up to me and said, "Maybe you're wrong, maybe stories do matter." I wrote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/in-luggage-claim-at-the-minneapolis-airport-the-guy-came-up-to-me-and/)

[Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/)

> [I'm a total technophobe. What is wrong with paper and pen? I was delighted when I learnt the word 'Luddite,' as I thought it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-guinness/i-m-a-total-technophobe-what-is-wrong-with-paper-and-pen-i-was/)

[Jasmine Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-guinness/)

> [Metallica's the only band i've ever been in. I'm not sure that when it ends in five, ten years, I'm going to put an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-ulrich/metallica-s-the-only-band-i-ve-ever-been-in-i-m-not-sure-that-when-it/)

[Lars Ulrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-ulrich/)

> [In a library we are surrounded by many hundreds of dear friends, but they are imprisoned by an enchanter in these paper and leathern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/in-a-library-we-are-surrounded-by-many-hundreds-of-dear-friends-but/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Sometimes change came all at once, with a sound like a fire taking hold of dry wood and paper, with a roar that rose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/sometimes-change-came-all-at-once-with-a-sound-like-a-fire-taking/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [You know what really made me sick? I was in Washington, D.C. at another time reading in a paper where the U.S. gives Byron…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/you-know-what-really-made-me-sick-i-was-in-washington-d-c-at-another/)

[Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/)

> [I'm a crumbled up piece of paper lying here, 'cause I remember it all too well](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/i-m-a-crumbled-up-piece-of-paper-lying-here-cause-i-remember-it-all/)

[Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/)

Browse all 4,015 Paper quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "With a pencil and paper, I could revise the world.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Alison Lurie"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-lurie/with-a-pencil-and-paper-i-could-revise-the-world/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Paper"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-lurie/with-a-pencil-and-paper-i-could-revise-the-world/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/523/alison-lurie-19529_paper_with-a-pencil-and-paper-i-could-revise-t_412550.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/523/alison-lurie-19529_paper_with-a-pencil-and-paper-i-could-revise-t_412550.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/523/alison-lurie-19529_paper_with-a-pencil-and-paper-i-could-revise-t_412550.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“With a pencil and paper, I could revise the world.” — Alison Lurie",
                "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": "Alison Lurie",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-lurie/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "With a pencil and paper, I...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-lurie/with-a-pencil-and-paper-i-could-revise-the-world/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-lurie/with-a-pencil-and-paper-i-could-revise-the-world/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
