Complexity Quote by Alison McGhee
“I suppose, the natural outgrowth about writing about two friends, it becomes about their friendship, and the complexities of it, and the way personality plays off each other, and what they each like to do, separately and together.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Summer of the Swans by Alison McGhee, 1998
Writing about two friends naturally shifts focus to their friendship, revealing how personalities intersect and diverge in shared and separate activities.
In simple terms: Friendship reveals personality dynamics.
Key Takeaway
Observe how relationships shape personal growth.
Themes
friendship
personality
complexity
growth
Mood
reflective
introspective
Type
literary
analytical
When to use this quote
- creative writing
- relationship counseling
- team building
- conflict resolution
Key Concepts
interpersonal dynamics
character contrast
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you balance personal identity with relational influence?
- What aspects of friendship reveal hidden traits?
A Different Perspective
May overlook individual agency within the duo.
![“I don't think we [with Kate DiCamillo] intended to write a book about friendship, I think we intended to write a book about two friends.” quote by Alison McGhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2f3/alison-mcghee-15698_about-friendship_i-don-t-think-we-with-kate-dicamillo-int_2047261.jpg)
![“We'd decided to write a book about two friends. I gave her some coffee and then we sat there not knowing what to do. How do you start writing a book together? So Kate [DiCamillo] got up after about 10 minutes into this endeavor, and said, 'Well, that was fun,' and started to head out the door. I…” quote by Alison McGhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/88f/alison-mcghee-15698_bits_we-d-decided-to-write-a-book-about-two-f_282606.jpg)
![“Kate [DiCamillo] tends to be more reluctant about change. I convinced her to give it a try and she came over.” quote by Alison McGhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/118/alison-mcghee-15698_change_kate-dicamillo-tends-to-be-more-reluctan_328771.jpg)
![“So we [with Kate DiCamillo] would act them out, we would toss ideas back and forth, we would laugh, we would argue. Sometimes it went really well, sometimes it was such a pain in the ass. Our other rule was that we wouldn't work on it at all when we weren't in the other's presence. It was really…” quote by Alison McGhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ea6/alison-mcghee-15698_arguing_so-we-with-kate-dicamillo-would-act-them_382879.jpg)
![“We met in the summer or fall of 2001. I had never met Kate [DiCamillo], though I'd heard her name, and I think she knew of me too. We were laughing within a few minutes, I mean really, furiously, laughing. So we were off to a good start.” quote by Alison McGhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b5f/alison-mcghee-15698_fall_we-met-in-the-summer-or-fall-of-2001-i-h_517595.jpg)
![“[In science any model depends on a pre-chosen taxonomy] a set of classifications into which we divide the enormous complexity of the real world... Land, labor, and capital are extremely heterogeneous aggregates, not much better than earth, air, fire, and water.” quote by Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/47e/kenneth-e-boulding-3728_air_in-science-any-model-depends-on-a-pre-ch_12383.jpg)
