--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I found 'The Twin' sitting on a coffee…" description: "\"I found 'The Twin' sitting on a coffee table at a writers' colony in 2009. It carried praise from J.M. Coetzee. That seemed ample justification for usi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/566/amy-waldman-14698_coffee_i-found-the-twin-sitting-on-a-coffee-tab_1478795.jpg" --- # I found 'The Twin' sitting on a coffee table at a writers'… ![“I found 'The Twin' sitting on a coffee table at a writers' colony in 2009. It carried praise from J.M. Coetzee. That seemed ample justification for using it to avoid my own writing. I finished it - weeping - a day later, and I've been puzzling over its powerful hold on me ever since.” quote by Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/566/amy-waldman-14698_coffee_i-found-the-twin-sitting-on-a-coffee-tab_1478795.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/566/amy-waldman-14698_coffee_i-found-the-twin-sitting-on-a-coffee-tab_1478795.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/566/amy-waldman-14698_coffee_i-found-the-twin-sitting-on-a-coffee-tab_1478795.jpg) > “I found 'The Twin' sitting on a coffee table at a writers' colony in 2009. It carried praise from J.M. Coetzee. That seemed ample justification for using it to avoid my own writing. I finished it - weeping - a day later, and I've been puzzling over its powerful hold on me ever since.” [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Using acclaimed literature as a crutch can delay personal creative work, yet the experience can be transformative. **In simple terms:** Reading famous books can stall your own writing. Key Takeaway Read for inspiration, not avoidance. Themes creativity literary influence self‑sabotage inspiration Mood reflective thoughtful Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - writer's block - research phases - academic study - book clubs Key Concepts literary criticism psychology creative process Questions to Reflect On - Why did you seek escape in that book? - How can you turn its impact into your own work? A Different Perspective Relying on others' work may hinder original voice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Coffee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coffee/) [Colony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colony/) [Justification](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justification/) [Praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/praise/) [Puzzling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/puzzling/) [Twin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twin/) [Twins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twins/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [There's an old saying: 'No piece of writing is ever finished, it's just abandoned.' But my own rule is: No piece of work is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/there-s-an-old-saying-no-piece-of-writing-is-ever-finished-it-s-just/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [No piece of writing is ever finished. It’s just due.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-condon/no-piece-of-writing-is-ever-finished-it-s-just-due/) [Bill Condon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-condon/) > [The dilemma for women - writing after everything else was finished - has prevented women from reaching their literary potential for centuries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-m-drury/the-dilemma-for-women-writing-after-everything-else-was-finished-has/) Joan M. Drury > [Most investors are pretty smart. Yet most investors also remain heavily invested in actively managed stock funds. This is puzzling. The temptation, of course,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-clements/most-investors-are-pretty-smart-yet-most-investors-also-remain/) [Jonathan Clements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-clements/) > [One puzzling thing about men -- they allow their sex instinct to drive them to where their intelligence never would take them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-fontaine/one-puzzling-thing-about-men-they-allow-their-sex-instinct-to-drive/) [Joan Fontaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-fontaine/) > [“The days began to fly now, and yet each one of them was stretched by renewed expectations and swollen with silent, private experiences. Yes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/the-days-began-to-fly-now-and-yet-each-one-of-them-was-stretched-by/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) > [What's somewhat puzzling is that Churchill himself knew what the reaction would be to any sort of aerial attack on cities, because in 1938…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholson-baker/what-s-somewhat-puzzling-is-that-churchill-himself-knew-what-the/) [Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/) > [It is puzzling why anyone would want to (become governor of California). It's like vying to become Roseanne Barr's next husband. Sure you'd get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/it-is-puzzling-why-anyone-would-want-to-become-governor-of-california/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [She said she’d often wondered why she wanted to do some things and not do other things at all. Well, it was obvious with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/she-said-she-d-often-wondered-why-she-wanted-to-do-some-things-and/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [I try to weave a secret into each plot. It's the thread that holds the rest of the story fabric together. In fact, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-brown/i-try-to-weave-a-secret-into-each-plot-it-s-the-thread-that-holds-the/) [Sandra Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-brown/) > [It took some time before the public learned that to appreciate an Impressionist painting one has to step back a few yards, and enjoy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-gombrich/it-took-some-time-before-the-public-learned-that-to-appreciate-an/) [Ernst Gombrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-gombrich/) > [ In 1975, ... \[speaking with Shiing Shen Chern\], I told him I had finally learned ... the beauty of fiber-bundle theory and the profound… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chen-ning-yang/in-1975-speaking-with-shiing-shen-chern-i-told-him-i-had-finally/) Chen-Ning Yang > [When I first began examining the global-warming scare, I found nothing more puzzling than the way officially approved scientists kept on being shown to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-booker/when-i-first-began-examining-the-global-warming-scare-i-found-nothing/) [Christopher Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-booker/) > [The most puzzling development in politics during the last decade is the apparent determination of Western European leaders to re-create the Soviet Union in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-gorbachev/the-most-puzzling-development-in-politics-during-the-last-decade-is/) [Mikhail Gorbachev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-gorbachev/) > [To refer even in passing to unpublished or struggling authors and their problems is to put oneself at some risk, so I will say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/to-refer-even-in-passing-to-unpublished-or-struggling-authors-and/) [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) ## More by Amy Waldman > [I'm kind of a mash-up of taste - Graham Greene and Jane Austen; W.G. Sebald and Alice Munro.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/i-m-kind-of-a-mash-up-of-taste-graham-greene-and-jane-austen-w-g/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [Nothing in life gets dropped without someone else having to pick it up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/nothing-in-life-gets-dropped-without-someone-else-having-to-pick-it-up/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [I wasn't sitting around years ago thinking, 'I really want to write a novel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/i-wasn-t-sitting-around-years-ago-thinking-i-really-want-to-write-a/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [“She ate ramen noodles from the vending machine, their texture just a few molecular recombinations from the Styrofoam cup containing them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/she-ate-ramen-noodles-from-the-vending-machine-their-texture-just-a/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [My children, who are almost two: watching them develop has made me pay much closer attention to how we become who we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/my-children-who-are-almost-two-watching-them-develop-has-made-me-pay/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [The rhetoric is the first step, it coarsens attitudes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/the-rhetoric-is-the-first-step-it-coarsens-attitudes/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [In life, redemption was walking up the down escalator: stop to congratulate yourself, and back you slid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/in-life-redemption-was-walking-up-the-down-escalator-stop-to/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [Perhaps this was the secret to being at peace: want nothing but what is given to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/perhaps-this-was-the-secret-to-being-at-peace-want-nothing-but-what/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [Eden, paradise - all the best gardens are imaginary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/eden-paradise-all-the-best-gardens-are-imaginary/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [My parents are aging and there are difficult issues. It's strange to have children at the beginning of life and parents nearing the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/my-parents-are-aging-and-there-are-difficult-issues-it-s-strange-to/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [Imagination, it turns out, is a great deal like reporting in your own head. Here is a paradox of fiction-writing. You are crafting something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/imagination-it-turns-out-is-a-great-deal-like-reporting-in-your-own/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [“Don't succumb to the fear; don't mistake the absolutism of Khan's opposition for morality”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/don-t-succumb-to-the-fear-don-t-mistake-the-absolutism-of-khan-s/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [Fabricating reality was criminal; editing it, commonplace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/fabricating-reality-was-criminal-editing-it-commonplace/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [I had been a reporter for 15 years when I set out to write my first novel. I knew how to research an article…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/i-had-been-a-reporter-for-15-years-when-i-set-out-to-write-my-first/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [So the premise of 'The Submission' is that there's an anonymous competition to design a 9/11 memorial and it's won by an American Muslim,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/so-the-premise-of-the-submission-is-that-there-s-an-anonymous/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) [Explore all 45 Amy Waldman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) ## More Coffee quotes > [I would drink gallons of coffee a day. Even now, off caffeine, I talk faster than anyone you've ever met. I finally recognized that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-englander/i-would-drink-gallons-of-coffee-a-day-even-now-off-caffeine-i-talk/) [Nathan Englander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-englander/) > [I had developed a relationship with one of the anti-abortion sidewalk counselors who stood in front of my facility. We talked regularly through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-johnson/i-had-developed-a-relationship-with-one-of-the-anti-abortion-sidewalk/) [Abby Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-johnson/) > [Academically, I was never that interested. I skipped classes. My biggest dream was to have a coffee shop, but I had no idea how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-espinosa/academically-i-was-never-that-interested-i-skipped-classes-my-biggest/) [Daniel Espinosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-espinosa/) > [I like to sit down, relax, have a cup of coffee on the terrace and read a book. I like to travel the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-vos/i-like-to-sit-down-relax-have-a-cup-of-coffee-on-the-terrace-and-read/) [Marianne Vos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-vos/) > [White Coffee Really Helps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anwar-saicha/white-coffee-really-helps/) [Anwar Saicha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anwar-saicha/) > [“The whole purpose of places like Starbucks is for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/the-whole-purpose-of-places-like-starbucks-is-for-people-with-no/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [If you think of people as making decisions actively, every time we think about the cup of coffee, we say, "How much will I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/if-you-think-of-people-as-making-decisions-actively-every-time-we/) [Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/) > [Coffee and tobacco are complete repose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/coffee-and-tobacco-are-complete-repose/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Life is like coffee, the darker it gets, the more it energizes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ankita-singhal/life-is-like-coffee-the-darker-it-gets-the-more-it-energizes/) [Ankita Singhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ankita-singhal/) > [I spend a lot of time loathing the sentences that I put down on the page. Once I'm past that phase, it doesn't really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-link/i-spend-a-lot-of-time-loathing-the-sentences-that-i-put-down-on-the/) [Kelly Link](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-link/) > [If Japanese tea 'stands,' it acquires a coarse bitterness and an unwholesome astringency. Milk and sugar are not used.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabella-bird/if-japanese-tea-stands-it-acquires-a-coarse-bitterness-and-an/) [Isabella Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabella-bird/) > [...it isn't foolish or wicked to enjoy. Wickedness is hurting people on purpose. I love what you are and who you are and how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-macdonald/it-isn-t-foolish-or-wicked-to-enjoy-wickedness-is-hurting-people-on/) [John D. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-macdonald/) > [I don't typically drink coffee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cavallari/i-don-t-typically-drink-coffee/) [Kristin Cavallari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cavallari/) > [I put hibiscus flower in every cup of tea I have. It's sweet, sexy, and cleansing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-batali/i-put-hibiscus-flower-in-every-cup-of-tea-i-have-it-s-sweet-sexy-and/) [Mario Batali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-batali/) > [“That is why I love Starbucks. It doesn't matter how much money you have or what social world you're from, chances are you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyra-davis/that-is-why-i-love-starbucks-it-doesn-t-matter-how-much-money-you/) [Kyra Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyra-davis/) [Browse all 3,625 Coffee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coffee/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I found 'The Twin' sitting on a coffee table at a writers' colony in 2009. It carried praise from J.M. Coetzee. That seemed ample justification for using it to avoid my own writing. I finished it - weeping - a day later, and I've been puzzling over its powerful hold on me ever since.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Amy Waldman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/i-found-the-twin-sitting-on-a-coffee-table-at-a-writers-colony-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Coffee" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/i-found-the-twin-sitting-on-a-coffee-table-at-a-writers-colony-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/566/amy-waldman-14698_coffee_i-found-the-twin-sitting-on-a-coffee-tab_1478795.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/566/amy-waldman-14698_coffee_i-found-the-twin-sitting-on-a-coffee-tab_1478795.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/566/amy-waldman-14698_coffee_i-found-the-twin-sitting-on-a-coffee-tab_1478795.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I found 'The Twin' sitting on a coffee table at a writers' colony in 2009. It carried praise from J.M…” — Amy Waldman", "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 Waldman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I found 'The Twin' sitting on...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/i-found-the-twin-sitting-on-a-coffee-table-at-a-writers-colony-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/i-found-the-twin-sitting-on-a-coffee-table-at-a-writers-colony-in/#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 } } ] } ```