--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To choose a writer for a friend is like…" description: "\"To choose a writer for a friend is like palling around with your cardiologist, who might be musing as you talk to him that you are a sinking man. A wri..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe5/anatole-broyard-14101_cardiologist_to-choose-a-writer-for-a-friend-is-like_1323262.jpg" --- # To choose a writer for a friend is like palling around… ![“To choose a writer for a friend is like palling around with your cardiologist, who might be musing as you talk to him that you are a sinking man. A writer's love for another writer is never quite free of malice. He may enjoy discussing your failures even more than you do. He probably sees you as…” quote by Anatole Broyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe5/anatole-broyard-14101_cardiologist_to-choose-a-writer-for-a-friend-is-like_1323262.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe5/anatole-broyard-14101_cardiologist_to-choose-a-writer-for-a-friend-is-like_1323262.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe5/anatole-broyard-14101_cardiologist_to-choose-a-writer-for-a-friend-is-like_1323262.jpg) > “To choose a writer for a friend is like palling around with your cardiologist, who might be musing as you talk to him that you are a sinking man. A writer's love for another writer is never quite free of malice. He may enjoy discussing your failures even more than you do. He probably sees you as tragic, like his characters - or unworthy of tragedy, which is worse.” [Anatole Broyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-broyard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing a writer as a confidant mirrors selecting a doctor who may exploit your vulnerabilities, revealing that literary love often carries hidden malice and judgment. **In simple terms:** Choosing a writer can be risky because they may judge you harshly. Key Takeaway Beware of hidden motives in close literary relationships. Themes trust vulnerability literary criticism Mood cautious reflective Type advice critical When to use this quote - personal counseling - writing workshops - literary circles - editorial feedback Key Concepts malice projection self‑reflection Questions to Reflect On - Do you truly trust the writer’s motives? - How does literary criticism affect self‑esteem? A Different Perspective Even trusted writers may impose their own narratives onto you. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cardiologist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cardiologist/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Choose Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choose-writer-3371405/) [Discussing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discussing/) [Enjoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoy/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-writer-469104/) [Malice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/malice/) [Man Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-writer-971020/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Musings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/musings/) [Never quit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never-quit/) [Sinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sinking/) [Tragedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragedy/) [Tragic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragic/) [Unworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unworthy/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writer Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-friend-464468/) [Writer Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-love-1453541/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [One doesn't choose to become a writer. One is just born that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-prawer-jhabvala/one-doesn-t-choose-to-become-a-writer-one-is-just-born-that-way/) [Ruth Prawer Jhabvala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-prawer-jhabvala/) > [I realize that I am typically vulnerable only when and where and how much it suits me. I can choose my writer words and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-armstrong/i-realize-that-i-am-typically-vulnerable-only-when-and-where-and-how/) [Kristin Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-armstrong/) > [“I have a comedy writer friend, Sandy, whose husband left her for another woman the moment his restaurant (which Sandy had invested in and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-kaling/i-have-a-comedy-writer-friend-sandy-whose-husband-left-her-for/) [Mindy Kaling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-kaling/) > [“A great writer is the friend and benefactor of his readers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macaulay/a-great-writer-is-the-friend-and-benefactor-of-his-readers/) [Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macaulay/) > [We love to start from a real place, whether it's us or our friends or working on a story from a writer's friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbi-jacobson/we-love-to-start-from-a-real-place-whether-it-s-us-or-our-friends-or/) [Abbi Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbi-jacobson/) > [I tend to write, either myself, or I sometimes write with a co-writer, my friend that lives up the road. It's usually a relatively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/i-tend-to-write-either-myself-or-i-sometimes-write-with-a-co-writer/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [I don't think any writer is a friend to the reader if he or she is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitava-kumar/i-don-t-think-any-writer-is-a-friend-to-the-reader-if-he-or-she-is/) [Amitava Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitava-kumar/) > [When a man becomes a writer, I think he takes on a sacred obligation to produce beauty and enlightenment and comfort at top speed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/when-a-man-becomes-a-writer-i-think-he-takes-on-a-sacred-obligation/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [One must never judge the writer by the man; but one may fairly judge the man by the writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-kronenberger/one-must-never-judge-the-writer-by-the-man-but-one-may-fairly-judge/) [Louis Kronenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-kronenberger/) > [“Just as a fighter has to feel that he possesses the right to do physical damage to another man, so a writer has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/just-as-a-fighter-has-to-feel-that-he-possesses-the-right-to-do/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [“No, I don’t think my conscience would let me support a strike like that. When a man becomes a writer, I think he takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/no-i-don-t-think-my-conscience-would-let-me-support-a-strike-like/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [“This is man: a writer of books, a putter-down of words, a painter of pictures, a maker of ten thousand philosophies. He grows passionate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/this-is-man-a-writer-of-books-a-putter-down-of-words-a-painter-of/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [There ought to be some sign in a book about man, that the writer knows thoroughly one man at least.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-moore-colby/there-ought-to-be-some-sign-in-a-book-about-man-that-the-writer-knows/) [Frank Moore Colby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-moore-colby/) > [He asked, "What makes a man a writer?" "Well," I said, "it's simple. You either get it down on paper, or jump off a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/he-asked-what-makes-a-man-a-writer-well-i-said-it-s-simple-you-either/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [“There is no lonelier man than a writer when he's writing, except the suicide.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hemingway-ernest-2/there-is-no-lonelier-man-than-a-writer-when-he-s-writing-except-the/) [Hemingway, Ernest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hemingway-ernest-2/) ## More by Anatole Broyard > [The more I like a book, the more reluctant I am to turn the page. Lovers, even book lovers, tend to cling. No one-night…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-broyard/the-more-i-like-a-book-the-more-reluctant-i-am-to-turn-the-page/) [Anatole Broyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-broyard/) > [If a book is really good, it deserves to be read again, and if it's great, it should be read at least three times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-broyard/if-a-book-is-really-good-it-deserves-to-be-read-again-and-if-it-s/) [Anatole Broyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-broyard/) > [It is one of the paradoxes of American literature that our writers are forever looking back with love and nostalgia at lives they couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-broyard/it-is-one-of-the-paradoxes-of-american-literature-that-our-writers/) [Anatole Broyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-broyard/) > [“The contents of someone's bookcase are part of his history, like and ancestral portrait.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-broyard/the-contents-of-someone-s-bookcase-are-part-of-his-history-like-and/) [Anatole Broyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-broyard/) > [A whole generation of writers dined out on the dialectic between original cultures and their culture by "progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-broyard/a-whole-generation-of-writers-dined-out-on-the-dialectic-between/) [Anatole Broyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-broyard/) > [“When we were in bed, the only part of me she touched was my penis, because it was the most detached.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-broyard/when-we-were-in-bed-the-only-part-of-me-she-touched-was-my-penis/) [Anatole Broyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-broyard/) > [The contents of someone's bookcase are part of his history, like an ancestral portrait.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-broyard/the-contents-of-someone-s-bookcase-are-part-of-his-history-like-an/) [Anatole Broyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-broyard/) > [There is something about seeing real people on a stage that makes a bad play more intimately, more personally offensive than any other art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-broyard/there-is-something-about-seeing-real-people-on-a-stage-that-makes-a/) [Anatole Broyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-broyard/) > [Travel is like adultery: one is always tempted to be unfaithful to one's own country. To have imagination is inevitably to be dissatisfied with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-broyard/travel-is-like-adultery-one-is-always-tempted-to-be-unfaithful-to-one/) [Anatole Broyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-broyard/) > [The tension between 'yes' and no', between 'I can' and 'I cannot,' makes us feel that, in so many instances, human life is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-broyard/the-tension-between-yes-and-no-between-i-can-and-i-cannot-makes-us/) [Anatole Broyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-broyard/) > [Paranoids are the only ones who notice things anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-broyard/paranoids-are-the-only-ones-who-notice-things-anymore/) [Anatole Broyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-broyard/) > [Lapped in poetry, wrapped in the picturesque, armed with logical sentences and inalienable words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-broyard/lapped-in-poetry-wrapped-in-the-picturesque-armed-with-logical/) [Anatole Broyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-broyard/) > [“The most dangerous part of lending books lies in the returning. At such times, friendships hang by a thread. I look for agony, ecstasy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-broyard/the-most-dangerous-part-of-lending-books-lies-in-the-returning-at/) [Anatole Broyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-broyard/) > [In an age like ours, which is not given to letter-writing, we forget what an important part it used to play in people's lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-broyard/in-an-age-like-ours-which-is-not-given-to-letter-writing-we-forget/) [Anatole Broyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-broyard/) > [“The contents of someone's bookcase are part of his history, like an ancestral portrait." ( About Books; Recoiling, Rereading, Retelling , New York Times, February 22, 1987)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-broyard/the-contents-of-someone-s-bookcase-are-part-of-his-history-like-an-2/) [Anatole Broyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-broyard/) [Explore all 48 Anatole Broyard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-broyard/) ## More Cardiologist quotes > [as we acquire new aches and new pains, our health care is, of necessity, being supplied by internists, cardiologists, dermatologists, podiatrists, urologists, periodontists, gynecologists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-viorst/as-we-acquire-new-aches-and-new-pains-our-health-care-is-of-necessity/) [Judith Viorst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-viorst/) > [My father was a doctor, an army cardiologist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/my-father-was-a-doctor-an-army-cardiologist/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“Revenge is the sweetest of all human experiences, its sweetness stays forver. Page 41. THE SCALPEL – GAME BENEATH](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-s-rissam/revenge-is-the-sweetest-of-all-human-experiences-its-sweetness-stays/) [H.S. Rissam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-s-rissam/) > [People who might normally have to travel hours to a distant city to see a cardiologist can now do so virtually, through Cisco technology,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-t-chambers/people-who-might-normally-have-to-travel-hours-to-a-distant-city-to/) [John T. Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-t-chambers/) > [Bypass surgery, angioplasty,and even diagnostic angiograms are so over used that, in my opinion, it constitutes criminal behaviour by the cardiologists and surgeons involved.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-whitaker/bypass-surgery-angioplasty-and-even-diagnostic-angiograms-are-so-over/) [Julian Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-whitaker/) > [True love is night jasmine, a diamond in darkness, the heartbeat no cardiologist has ever heard. It is the most common of miracles, fashioned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bishop/true-love-is-night-jasmine-a-diamond-in-darkness-the-heartbeat-no/) [Jim Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-bishop/) > [I've always wanted to be a cardiologist. If I have time I want to study Medicine someday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alessandra-ambrosio/i-ve-always-wanted-to-be-a-cardiologist-if-i-have-time-i-want-to/) [Alessandra Ambrosio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alessandra-ambrosio/) > [I think of guitar players in terms of doctors: you have the doctor for your heart, the cardiologist, then one that works on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-b-king/i-think-of-guitar-players-in-terms-of-doctors-you-have-the-doctor-for/) [B. B. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-b-king/) > [I am not a cardiologist but except me no one can Cure your heart ;)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-yadav/i-am-not-a-cardiologist-but-except-me-no-one-can-cure-your-heart/) [Jay Yadav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-yadav/) > [I have unemployed my girlfriend. She had a job working for a cardiologist and now she can hang out, put her feet up, buy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-mcgregor/i-have-unemployed-my-girlfriend-she-had-a-job-working-for-a/) [Conor McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-mcgregor/) > [“LOVE is the most incendiary element ever known, once it sparks the heart, the flame is inextinguishable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-s-rissam/love-is-the-most-incendiary-element-ever-known-once-it-sparks-the/) [H.S. Rissam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-s-rissam/) > [“HATE is the shortest of human emotions, it is stronger than love, more compelling than lust. Page 30. THE SCALPEL – GAME BENEATH](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-s-rissam/hate-is-the-shortest-of-human-emotions-it-is-stronger-than-love-more/) [H.S. Rissam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-s-rissam/) > [President Bartlet: There's a delegation of cardiologists having their pictures taken in the Blue Room. You wouldn't think you could find a group of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-sorkin/president-bartlet-there-s-a-delegation-of-cardiologists-having-their/) [Aaron Sorkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-sorkin/) > [Some people think plant-based diet, whole foods diet is extreme. Half a million people a year will have their chests opened up and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caldwell-esselstyn/some-people-think-plant-based-diet-whole-foods-diet-is-extreme-half-a/) [Caldwell Esselstyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caldwell-esselstyn/) > [My cranky cardiologist says I'm destined to die in the kitchen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-carey/my-cranky-cardiologist-says-i-m-destined-to-die-in-the-kitchen/) [Drew Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-carey/) [Browse all 21 Cardiologist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cardiologist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To choose a writer for a friend is like palling around with your cardiologist, who might be musing as you talk to him that you are a sinking man. A writer's love for another writer is never quite free of malice. He may enjoy discussing your failures even more than you do. 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