---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My favorite anything is always relative…"
description: "\"My favorite anything is always relative to the context of present time, place and mood. When I finish a book and want to immediately find another by th..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23e/amy-tan-730_book_my-favorite-anything-is-always-relative_2451402.jpg"
---

#  My favorite anything is always relative to the context of…

![“My favorite anything is always relative to the context of present time, place and mood. When I finish a book and want to immediately find another by the same author and no other, that author is elevated to my favorite.” quote by Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23e/amy-tan-730_book_my-favorite-anything-is-always-relative_2451402.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23e/amy-tan-730_book_my-favorite-anything-is-always-relative_2451402.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23e/amy-tan-730_book_my-favorite-anything-is-always-relative_2451402.jpg)

> “My favorite anything is always relative to the context of present time, place and mood. When I finish a book and want to immediately find another by the same author and no other, that author is elevated to my favorite.”

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

## About This Quote

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

Favorites shift with context; a recent read can elevate an author’s status temporarily.

**In simple terms:** Favorites are context‑dependent.

Key Takeaway

Stay open to new perspectives.

Themes

literature subjectivity context

Mood

thoughtful nostalgic

Type

personal analytical

When to use this quote

- book clubs
- personal libraries
- recommendations

Key Concepts

reading habits author loyalty

Questions to Reflect On

- How does mood affect your reading choices?
- Do you revisit favorites later?

A Different Perspective

Preferences can be fleeting, not absolute.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Mood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mood/) [Present time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/present-time/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [“He was seeking no particular place, but a mood, an influence—indeed, a way of life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/he-was-seeking-no-particular-place-but-a-mood-an-influence-indeed-a/)

[Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/)

> [We can say the stars are moving because we have a relative context.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/we-can-say-the-stars-are-moving-because-we-have-a-relative-context/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [“If your mind is not in the present time, your body will look like a dead body, cold and insensible!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-your-mind-is-not-in-the-present-time-your-body-will-look-like-a/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [Are there not some places where we seem to breathe sadness? — why, we cannot tell. It is a chain of recollections — an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-dumas/are-there-not-some-places-where-we-seem-to-breathe-sadness-why-we/)

[Alexandre Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-dumas/)

> [“Perhaps the solicitation to pamper the way men live is too strong for them, for much of the business of philosophy at the present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/perhaps-the-solicitation-to-pamper-the-way-men-live-is-too-strong-for/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [The Talmud derives its authority from the position held by the ancient (Pharisee) academies. The teachers of those academies, both of Babylonia and of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-finkelstein/the-talmud-derives-its-authority-from-the-position-held-by-the/)

[Louis Finkelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-finkelstein/)

> [I have to say that one of the most important things Scientology has given me is the ability to keep my integrity together. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-masterson/i-have-to-say-that-one-of-the-most-important-things-scientology-has/)

[Danny Masterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-masterson/)

> [I think the stock market is a very dangerous place to be at the present time. In fact, the stock market today is almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-stockman/i-think-the-stock-market-is-a-very-dangerous-place-to-be-at-the/)

[David Stockman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-stockman/)

> [“Time is inexplicable because it moves – clicks away – at steady increments, while increasing the past and bringing the future into the present.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/time-is-inexplicable-because-it-moves-clicks-away-at-steady/)

[Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/)

> [For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-the-apostle/for-the-creation-was-subjected-to-frustration-not-by-its-own-choice/)

[Paul the Apostle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-the-apostle/)

> [Our present time is indeed a criticizing and critical time, hovering between the wish, and the inability to believe. Our complaints are like arrows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-temple/our-present-time-is-indeed-a-criticizing-and-critical-time-hovering/)

[William Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-temple/)

> [The leafy blossoming present time springs from the whole past, remembered and unrememberable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/the-leafy-blossoming-present-time-springs-from-the-whole-past/)

[Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

> [In winter, play with the snow; in summer, play with the Sun! Do not wait for something to come; everything is already here! In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/in-winter-play-with-the-snow-in-summer-play-with-the-sun-do-not-wait/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [“According to Greek mythology, Medusa is a Triple Goddess, one of three gorgon sisters—Sthenno, Euryale, and Medusa—representing past, present, and future. Only Medusa exists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-marler/according-to-greek-mythology-medusa-is-a-triple-goddess-one-of-three/)

[Joan Marler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-marler/)

> [In the present time you don't really establish what you're going through, but after time it's declared something. Right now there could be some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-hedlund/in-the-present-time-you-don-t-really-establish-what-you-re-going/)

[Garrett Hedlund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-hedlund/)

## More by Amy Tan

> [So sad! This is the saddest part when you lose someone you love- that person keeps changing. And later you wonder, Is this the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/so-sad-this-is-the-saddest-part-when-you-lose-someone-you-love-that/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [Too many good things all seem the same after a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/too-many-good-things-all-seem-the-same-after-a-while/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [“bad, how likely is it to come”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/bad-how-likely-is-it-to-come/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [“A mother is always the beginning. She is how things begin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/a-mother-is-always-the-beginning-she-is-how-things-begin/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [Shanghainese people are good negotiators, they're very persistent, and you grow up in an atmosphere like that - very competitive. That becomes part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/shanghainese-people-are-good-negotiators-they-re-very-persistent-and/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [But now that I am old, moving every year closer to the end of my life, I also feel closer to the beginning. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/but-now-that-i-am-old-moving-every-year-closer-to-the-end-of-my-life/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [You should think about your character. Know where you are changing, how you will be changed, what cannot be changed back again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/you-should-think-about-your-character-know-where-you-are-changing-how/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [Now you see,' said the turtle, drifting back into the pond, 'why it is useless to cry. Your tears do not wash away your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/now-you-see-said-the-turtle-drifting-back-into-the-pond-why-it-is/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [I hid my deepest feelings so well I forgot where I placed them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-hid-my-deepest-feelings-so-well-i-forgot-where-i-placed-them/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [“Lebih baik jadi orang yang TIDAK TERLUPAKAN daripada orang yang MEMBOSANKAN -”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/lebih-baik-jadi-orang-yang-tidak-terlupakan-daripada-orang-yang/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [After all, Bao Bomu says, what is the past but what we choose to remember?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/after-all-bao-bomu-says-what-is-the-past-but-what-we-choose-to/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [We all become different readers in how we respond to books, why we need them, what we take from them. We become different in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/we-all-become-different-readers-in-how-we-respond-to-books-why-we/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [“I was no longer scared. I could see what was inside me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-was-no-longer-scared-i-could-see-what-was-inside-me/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [When I go back and read my journals or fiction, I am always surprised. I may not remember having those thoughts, but they still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/when-i-go-back-and-read-my-journals-or-fiction-i-am-always-surprised/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

> [“I am ashamed she is ashamed. Because she is my daughter and I am proud of her, and I am her mother but she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-am-ashamed-she-is-ashamed-because-she-is-my-daughter-and-i-am-proud/)

[Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

[Explore all 383 Amy Tan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/)

## More Book 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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

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

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/)

[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/)

> [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/)

[Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/)

> [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/)

[Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/)

> [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/)

[Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/)

[Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "My favorite anything is always relative to the context of present time, place and mood. When I finish a book and want to immediately find another by the same author and no other, that author is elevated to my favorite.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Amy Tan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/my-favorite-anything-is-always-relative-to-the-context-of-present/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/my-favorite-anything-is-always-relative-to-the-context-of-present/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23e/amy-tan-730_book_my-favorite-anything-is-always-relative_2451402.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23e/amy-tan-730_book_my-favorite-anything-is-always-relative_2451402.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23e/amy-tan-730_book_my-favorite-anything-is-always-relative_2451402.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“My favorite anything is always relative to the context of present time, place and mood. When I finish a book…” — Amy Tan",
                "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": "Amy Tan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "My favorite anything is always relative...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/my-favorite-anything-is-always-relative-to-the-context-of-present/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/my-favorite-anything-is-always-relative-to-the-context-of-present/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
