---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Those close to [Patricia Highsmith]…"
description: "\"“Those close to [Patricia Highsmith], particularly her family, often commented on how Highsmith's vision of reality was a warped one. In April 1947, sh..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e62/andrew-wilson-62688_asperger-syndrome_those-close-to-patricia-highsmith-partic_616562.jpg"
---

#  Those close to \[Patricia Highsmith\], particularly her…

![“Those close to &#91;Patricia Highsmith&#93;, particularly her family, often commented on how Highsmith's vision of reality was a warped one. In April 1947, she transcribed into her notebook what was, presumably, a real dialogue between herself and her mother, in which Mary accused her of not facing the…” quote by Andrew Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e62/andrew-wilson-62688_asperger-syndrome_those-close-to-patricia-highsmith-partic_616562.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e62/andrew-wilson-62688_asperger-syndrome_those-close-to-patricia-highsmith-partic_616562.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e62/andrew-wilson-62688_asperger-syndrome_those-close-to-patricia-highsmith-partic_616562.jpg)

> ““Those close to \[Patricia Highsmith\], particularly her family, often commented on how Highsmith's vision of reality was a warped one. In April 1947, she transcribed into her notebook what was, presumably, a real dialogue between herself and her mother, in which Mary accused her of not facing the world. Highsmith replied that she did indeed view the world 'sideways, but since the world faces reality sideways, sideways is the only way the world can be looked at in true perspective.' The problem, Highsmith said, was that her psychic optics were different to those around her, but if that was the case, her mother replied, then she should equip herself with a pair of new spectacles. Highsmith was not convinced. 'Then I need a new birth,' she concluded.””

[Andrew Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-wilson/)

## About This Quote

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

Highsmith felt her perception of reality was fundamentally different, and she resisted conforming to conventional viewpoints, even when urged to adapt.

**In simple terms:** She saw the world differently and refused to change her view.

Key Takeaway

Embrace unique perspectives, even if they clash with the norm.

Themes

perception individuality conformity

Mood

thoughtful analytical

Type

literary psychological

When to use this quote

- creative work
- personal relationships
- mental health
- self-acceptance

Key Concepts

subjectivity psychology artistic vision

Questions to Reflect On

- Can you see value in a perspective that challenges yours?
- When is it worth adapting your view?

A Different Perspective

Unique views can isolate and cause conflict with others.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Aspergers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aspergers/) [Autism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autism/) [Birth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [New Birth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-birth/) [Perspective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perspective/) [Psychic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychic/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Vision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vision/) [Warped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warped/)

## Related quotes

> [“- Mom, can I tell them there that I'm Romanian? - Sure, why not tell them? - I was thinking that they wouldn't think...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-enescu/mom-can-i-tell-them-there-that-i-m-romanian-sure-why-not-tell-them-i/)

George Enescu

> [“Overstimulated. Light, sound, touch, all had been amped up. He closed his eyes to shut out the excess information and tried to get his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-shay-hornung/overstimulated-light-sound-touch-all-had-been-amped-up-he-closed-his/)

Carol Shay Hornung

> [“Imagine a young Isaac Newton time-travelling from 1670s England to teach Harvard undergrads in 2017. After the time-jump, Newton still has an obsessive, paranoid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-miller/imagine-a-young-isaac-newton-time-travelling-from-1670s-england-to/)

[Geoffrey Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-miller/)

> [“How very scared I was of everything, and in the end how very scared I was of her. This woman I knew, and did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-christie/how-very-scared-i-was-of-everything-and-in-the-end-how-very-scared-i/)

James Christie

> [“Oh if only I could take my mother away and never know of these things again. But it was impossible, the machine would go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/oh-if-only-i-could-take-my-mother-away-and-never-know-of-these-things/)

[Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/)

> [“Never stand in the way of letting God use people’s actions, in order to solve a greater issue in the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/never-stand-in-the-way-of-letting-god-use-people-s-actions-in-order/)

[Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/)

> [You cannot put straight in others what is warped in yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athanasius-of-alexandria/you-cannot-put-straight-in-others-what-is-warped-in-yourself/)

[Athanasius of Alexandria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athanasius-of-alexandria/)

> [I was exactly having fun. I was stone miserable, but I wasn't hating doing it; I was loving doing it, but it's just damaged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-farren/i-was-exactly-having-fun-i-was-stone-miserable-but-i-wasn-t-hating/)

[Mick Farren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-farren/)

> [“She was like a candle that just went out. All the circles that made her up suddenly got lopsided and warped.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yevgeny-zamyatin/she-was-like-a-candle-that-just-went-out-all-the-circles-that-made/)

[Yevgeny Zamyatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yevgeny-zamyatin/)

> [Always from day one, we were the band on Warped Tour with a fog machine, and our backdrop had to be up - everyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-shadows/always-from-day-one-we-were-the-band-on-warped-tour-with-a-fog/)

[M. Shadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-shadows/)

> [I think the only festival I ever went to was Warped Tour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendon-urie/i-think-the-only-festival-i-ever-went-to-was-warped-tour/)

[Brendon Urie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendon-urie/)

> [“Modern architects and engineers are still trying to understand how the ancient Greeks were able to build the Parthenon in ten years when the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dunn/modern-architects-and-engineers-are-still-trying-to-understand-how/)

Christopher Dunn

> [“My mind warped and twisted, From too many years in a personal hell, You’d think I’d run from triggering emotions, But I’ve come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-woodard/my-mind-warped-and-twisted-from-too-many-years-in-a-personal-hell-you/)

[Frances Woodard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-woodard/)

> [“Life is warped. I'm just in sync.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/life-is-warped-i-m-just-in-sync/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“The bright blue sky remained cloudless, and the aquamarine ocean still crashed gently onto the white sand beach, but the scene was suddenly warped.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-matson/the-bright-blue-sky-remained-cloudless-and-the-aquamarine-ocean-still/)

Lynne Matson

## More by Andrew Wilson

> [“If too much has been made of the symptoms of Plath’s mental illness, so too little attention has been paid to its possible causes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-wilson/if-too-much-has-been-made-of-the-symptoms-of-plath-s-mental-illness/)

[Andrew Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-wilson/)

> [ “Ever since she was a young girl, \[Patricia Highsmith\] had felt an extraordinary empathy for animals, particularly cats. The creatures, she said, 'provide something… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-wilson/ever-since-she-was-a-young-girl-patricia-highsmith-had-felt-an/)

[Andrew Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-wilson/)

> [“From the beginning of her development, Sylvia—or Sivvy, as her family called her—came to associate words as a substitute for love”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-wilson/from-the-beginning-of-her-development-sylvia-or-sivvy-as-her-family/)

[Andrew Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-wilson/)

> [“Sylvia Plath is an example of the egotistical sublime: her subject is herself, her predicament, her violent Romantic emotions,” wrote the poet Craig Raine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-wilson/sylvia-plath-is-an-example-of-the-egotistical-sublime-her-subject-is/)

[Andrew Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-wilson/)

[Explore all 5 Andrew Wilson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-wilson/)

## More Asperger-syndrome quotes

> [“How very scared I was of everything, and in the end how very scared I was of her. This woman I knew, and did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-christie/how-very-scared-i-was-of-everything-and-in-the-end-how-very-scared-i/)

James Christie

> [“Overstimulated. Light, sound, touch, all had been amped up. He closed his eyes to shut out the excess information and tried to get his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-shay-hornung/overstimulated-light-sound-touch-all-had-been-amped-up-he-closed-his/)

Carol Shay Hornung

> [“Imagine a young Isaac Newton time-travelling from 1670s England to teach Harvard undergrads in 2017. After the time-jump, Newton still has an obsessive, paranoid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-miller/imagine-a-young-isaac-newton-time-travelling-from-1670s-england-to/)

[Geoffrey Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-miller/)

Browse all 4 Asperger-syndrome quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Those close to [Patricia Highsmith], particularly her family, often commented on how Highsmith's vision of reality was a warped one. In April 1947, she transcribed into her notebook what was, presumably, a real dialogue between herself and her mother, in which Mary accused her of not facing the world. Highsmith replied that she did indeed view the world 'sideways, but since the world faces reality sideways, sideways is the only way the world can be looked at in true perspective.' The problem, Highsmith said, was that her psychic optics were different to those around her, but if that was the case, her mother replied, then she should equip herself with a pair of new spectacles. Highsmith was not convinced. 'Then I need a new birth,' she concluded.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Andrew Wilson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-wilson/those-close-to-patricia-highsmith-particularly-her-family-often/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Asperger-syndrome"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-wilson/those-close-to-patricia-highsmith-particularly-her-family-often/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e62/andrew-wilson-62688_asperger-syndrome_those-close-to-patricia-highsmith-partic_616562.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e62/andrew-wilson-62688_asperger-syndrome_those-close-to-patricia-highsmith-partic_616562.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e62/andrew-wilson-62688_asperger-syndrome_those-close-to-patricia-highsmith-partic_616562.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Those close to [Patricia Highsmith], particularly her family, often commented on how Highsmith's vision of…” — Andrew Wilson",
                "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": "Andrew Wilson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-wilson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Those close to [Patricia Highsmith], particularly...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-wilson/those-close-to-patricia-highsmith-particularly-her-family-often/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-wilson/those-close-to-patricia-highsmith-particularly-her-family-often/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
