--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm sure I've been influenced by every…" description: "\"I'm sure I've been influenced by every fine writer I've ever read, from Dickens and Austen to Auden and Jane Hirshfield. And also, the short stories of..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bba/amy-bloom-4288_alice_i-m-sure-i-ve-been-influenced-by-every-f_66402.png" --- # I'm sure I've been influenced by every fine writer I've… ![“I'm sure I've been influenced by every fine writer I've ever read, from Dickens and Austen to Auden and Jane Hirshfield. And also, the short stories of Updike, Cheever, Munro, Alice Adams, and Doris Lessing. And the plays of Oscar Wilde. And paintings by Alice Neel and Matisse.” quote by Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bba/amy-bloom-4288_alice_i-m-sure-i-ve-been-influenced-by-every-f_66402.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bba/amy-bloom-4288_alice_i-m-sure-i-ve-been-influenced-by-every-f_66402.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bba/amy-bloom-4288_alice_i-m-sure-i-ve-been-influenced-by-every-f_66402.png) > “I'm sure I've been influenced by every fine writer I've ever read, from Dickens and Austen to Auden and Jane Hirshfield. And also, the short stories of Updike, Cheever, Munro, Alice Adams, and Doris Lessing. And the plays of Oscar Wilde. And paintings by Alice Neel and Matisse.” [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author acknowledges the broad, eclectic literary and artistic influences that shape her writing, spanning classic novels, modern short stories, drama, and visual art. **In simple terms:** Acknowledging diverse creative influences. Key Takeaway Broad influences enrich personal voice. Themes Literary influence Interdisciplinary inspiration Creative synthesis Cultural literacy Artistic lineage Mood Reflective Grateful Inspired Type Personal reflection Literary commentary Artistic appreciation When to use this quote - Writing a novel - Teaching literature - Curating an exhibition - Developing a creative workshop - Analyzing artistic style Key Concepts Reading Writing Art appreciation Narrative development Practical Applications - Creative writing instruction - Cross-disciplinary artistic projects Questions to Reflect On - How do varied influences shape your own work? - Which art forms most impact your creative process? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Paintings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paintings/) [Plays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plays/) [Short stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-stories/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Everything you could want - action, suspense, character and setting, all floating on the easy lyricism of a fine writer at the top of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-child/everything-you-could-want-action-suspense-character-and-setting-all/) [Lee Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-child/) > [Obama is a very fine writer with an excellent command of language. His memoir 'Dreams From My Father' is a fine book, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-kaplan/obama-is-a-very-fine-writer-with-an-excellent-command-of-language-his/) [Fred Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-kaplan/) > [Doris Lessing really doesn't care what the critics say. In fact, she orders her publishers not to send her the reviews and gets cross…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/doris-lessing-really-doesn-t-care-what-the-critics-say-in-fact-she/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Some writers are so enthralled by ideas (one thinks of Doris Lessing) that their characters become debaters, and their fables approach allegory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/some-writers-are-so-enthralled-by-ideas-one-thinks-of-doris-lessing/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [“Why are women so ungenerous to other women? Is it because we have been tokens for so long? 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I still soaked up Susan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janine-di-giovanni/i-m-not-sure-that-finding-a-husband-at-university-made-me-any-less-of/) [Janine di Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janine-di-giovanni/) > [“Martha had been struck by a line in a Doris Lessing novel—“I don’t enjoy pleasure”—and decided that what she enjoyed in life were surprises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-moorehead/martha-had-been-struck-by-a-line-in-a-doris-lessing-novel-i-don-t/) [Caroline Moorehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-moorehead/) > [As a playwright, I imagine that in one fashion or another I've been influenced by every single play I've ever experienced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/as-a-playwright-i-imagine-that-in-one-fashion-or-another-i-ve-been/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [I've benefited greatly from studying many effective people from history. Among those who've influenced me the most are Ronald Reagan, Theodore Roosevelt, and Winston…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-strock/i-ve-benefited-greatly-from-studying-many-effective-people-from/) [James M Strock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-strock/) ## More by Amy Bloom > [My target audience is anyone who finds the world interesting and human behavior fascinating, terrible, inspiring, funny, and occasionally, mysterious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/my-target-audience-is-anyone-who-finds-the-world-interesting-and/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > [I assume as a writer that most of the time I'm going to fall down and fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/i-assume-as-a-writer-that-most-of-the-time-i-m-going-to-fall-down-and/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > [It is a wonderful, moving, heart-filling experience to sit with the man or woman you love and your beloved children and know that all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/it-is-a-wonderful-moving-heart-filling-experience-to-sit-with-the-man/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > [If you're an American reader, you can love short stories the way other Americans love baseball; this is our game, people! We have more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/if-you-re-an-american-reader-you-can-love-short-stories-the-way-other/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > [My father certainly believed that one could make a living outside of an office, as he did. And that if I didn't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/my-father-certainly-believed-that-one-could-make-a-living-outside-of/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > ['Normal' is not clinical, it's not autobiographical, and I don't claim to be objective. 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Its a long, intricate, intimate dance together and nothing matters more than your own sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/marriage-is-not-a-ritual-or-an-end-its-a-long-intricate-intimate/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > [All intimacy is rare-that's what makes it precious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/all-intimacy-is-rare-that-s-what-makes-it-precious/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > [“She believes in will. It is so frail and delicate at night that she can’t even imagine the next morning, but it is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/she-believes-in-will-it-is-so-frail-and-delicate-at-night-that-she/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) [Explore all 112 Amy Bloom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) ## More Alice quotes > [“How was she supposed to bear the prospect of never seeing him again? 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