--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In fiction if nowhere else, I must have a…" description: "\"“In fiction if nowhere else, I must have a little meaning, a little coherence, or I will go mad.”\" — Anne Rice" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3a/anne-rice-238_lestat-de-lioncourt_in-fiction-if-nowhere-else-i-must-have-a_1157753.jpg" --- # In fiction if nowhere else, I must have a little meaning… ![“In fiction if nowhere else, I must have a little meaning, a little coherence, or I will go mad.” quote by Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3a/anne-rice-238_lestat-de-lioncourt_in-fiction-if-nowhere-else-i-must-have-a_1157753.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3a/anne-rice-238_lestat-de-lioncourt_in-fiction-if-nowhere-else-i-must-have-a_1157753.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3a/anne-rice-238_lestat-de-lioncourt_in-fiction-if-nowhere-else-i-must-have-a_1157753.jpg) > ““In fiction if nowhere else, I must have a little meaning, a little coherence, or I will go mad.”” [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fiction must provide personal meaning and coherence, otherwise the writer risks mental instability. **In simple terms:** Stories need meaning to keep sanity. Key Takeaway Cultivate coherence in creative work. Themes meaning coherence madness creativity purpose Mood thoughtful introspective inspirational Type creative philosophical When to use this quote - writing process - mental health - creative blocks Key Concepts psychological health narrative structure authorial intent Questions to Reflect On - What gives your writing purpose? - How do you balance coherence with imagination? A Different Perspective Too much focus on meaning can stifle spontaneity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Lestat de lioncourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lestat-de-lioncourt/) ## Related quotes > [“I'm a little sadder for all of it, and a little meaner and a little more conscientious as well.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-m-a-little-sadder-for-all-of-it-and-a-little-meaner-and-a-little/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [“I love you,' Marius whispered suddenly, passionately as a mortal man might. 'I have always loved you. I wish that I could believe in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-love-you-marius-whispered-suddenly-passionately-as-a-mortal-man/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [Claudia, you've been a very very naughty little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/claudia-you-ve-been-a-very-very-naughty-little-girl/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [Yet I saw crypts when I looked at him, and I heard the beat of kettledrums. I saw torchlit fields where I had never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/yet-i-saw-crypts-when-i-looked-at-him-and-i-heard-the-beat-of/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [“What would Christ need have done to make me follow him like Matthew or Peter? Dress well, to begin with. 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A third will emerge mad and raving, another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/one-will-hate-you-for-taking-his-life-another-will-run-to-excesses/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [“I realized aloud in the midst of saying it that even when we die we probably don't find out the answer as to why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-realized-aloud-in-the-midst-of-saying-it-that-even-when-we-die-we/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [In these last few days, we were close because we were both mortal men. We saw the same sun and the same twilight, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/in-these-last-few-days-we-were-close-because-we-were-both-mortal-men/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [“Also there was something vampiric about rock music. It must have sounded supernatural even to those who don’t believe in the supernatural. I mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/also-there-was-something-vampiric-about-rock-music-it-must-have/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [Oh Lestat, you deserved everything that's ever happened to you. You better not die. You might actually go to hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/oh-lestat-you-deserved-everything-that-s-ever-happened-to-you-you/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [Drink from me and live forever. Lestat de Lioncourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/drink-from-me-and-live-forever-lestat-de-lioncourt/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [Lestat: I despise you! I ought to destroy you-finish what I started when I made you. Turn you into ashes and sift them through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/lestat-i-despise-you-i-ought-to-destroy-you-finish-what-i-started/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [Lestat: Toughen up baby. I'm looking for the eternal scum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/lestat-toughen-up-baby-i-m-looking-for-the-eternal-scum/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) ## More by Anne Rice > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [“There had never been any talent, any talent to draw or paint or to make music or to write or to make any of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/there-had-never-been-any-talent-any-talent-to-draw-or-paint-or-to/) [anne rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [“there are only two things which I believe—the first is that no mortal can refuse the Dark Gift once he really knows what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/there-are-only-two-things-which-i-believe-the-first-is-that-no-mortal/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [“Lie quiet and you will lapse back into peace again. Be like the god Heimdall before the battle call, so still that you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/lie-quiet-and-you-will-lapse-back-into-peace-again-be-like-the-god/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [All the stories I have told you are finally as useless as all ancient knowledge is to man and to us. Its images and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/all-the-stories-i-have-told-you-are-finally-as-useless-as-all-ancient/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [If you want to be a writer, write. Write and write and write. If you stop, start again. Save everything that you write. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/if-you-want-to-be-a-writer-write-write-and-write-and-write-if-you/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [How can so much beauty hide such a bruised and steely heart, and why must I love him, why must I lean in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/how-can-so-much-beauty-hide-such-a-bruised-and-steely-heart-and-why/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [“you do get wiser when you live for hundreds of years; but you also have more time to turn out as badly as your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/you-do-get-wiser-when-you-live-for-hundreds-of-years-but-you-also/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [I never lie," I said offhand. "At least not to those I don't love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-never-lie-i-said-offhand-at-least-not-to-those-i-don-t-love/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [“I don't need to sleep to play. I'm crazy anyway. Being crazier still could only help.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-don-t-need-to-sleep-to-play-i-m-crazy-anyway-being-crazier-still/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [“what I felt was inexpressible gratitude for the music, that in this horror there could be something as beautiful as that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/what-i-felt-was-inexpressible-gratitude-for-the-music-that-in-this/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [I stumble through a carnival of horrors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-stumble-through-a-carnival-of-horrors/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [“Look up at heaven and hell in the sky, for the stars are balls of fire suspended there by the angels.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/look-up-at-heaven-and-hell-in-the-sky-for-the-stars-are-balls-of-fire/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [I do not allow fan-fiction. The characters are copyrighted. It upsets me terribly to even think about fan-fiction with my characters. I advise my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-do-not-allow-fan-fiction-the-characters-are-copyrighted-it-upsets/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [Truth is a risky proposition. It's the nature of mediocre human beings to believe that lies are necessary, that they serve a purpose, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/truth-is-a-risky-proposition-it-s-the-nature-of-mediocre-human-beings/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Explore all 826 Anne Rice quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) ## More Fiction quotes > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) Phil Hogan > [The thing about science fiction is that it's totally wide open. But it's wide open in a conditional way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-butler/the-thing-about-science-fiction-is-that-it-s-totally-wide-open-but-it/) [Octavia Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-butler/) > [I do think that theater is a great venue for science fiction, and not just adaptations but also original work. I also think some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-einhorn/i-do-think-that-theater-is-a-great-venue-for-science-fiction-and-not/) Edward Einhorn > [Fiction is a way of exploring possibilities present but undreamt of in the living of a single life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/fiction-is-a-way-of-exploring-possibilities-present-but-undreamt-of/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [I love writing fiction and can do it anywhere - I once even missed a flight because I was so engrossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prue-leith/i-love-writing-fiction-and-can-do-it-anywhere-i-once-even-missed-a/) [Prue Leith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prue-leith/) > [“The fiction will seek the real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coheed-and-cambria/the-fiction-will-seek-the-real/) Coheed and Cambria > [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [The danger that may really threaten (crime fiction) is that soon there will be more writers than readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-danger-that-may-really-threaten-crime-fiction-is-that-soon-there/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/) [L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/) > [Inspiration comes from so many sources. Music, other fiction, the non-fiction I read, TV shows, films, news reports, people I know, stories I hear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/inspiration-comes-from-so-many-sources-music-other-fiction-the-non/) [Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/) > [I'm not interested in making a diagnostic novel or a concern. I'm 100 percent committed in fiction to the pleasure principle - that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/i-m-not-interested-in-making-a-diagnostic-novel-or-a-concern-i-m-100/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [“His hands on my waist he gently pulled me n embrace. I could feel his breath on my face our lips were about to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-eglinger/his-hands-on-my-waist-he-gently-pulled-me-n-embrace-i-could-feel-his/) [Nicole Eglinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-eglinger/) > [In early drafts, one of the trickiest things for me to do was to realize that the techniques and devices that make readable and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rooney/in-early-drafts-one-of-the-trickiest-things-for-me-to-do-was-to/) [Kathleen Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-rooney/) > [I don't think it's always a sign of respect for persons (inside or outside of fiction) to pretend to be able to represent, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/i-don-t-think-it-s-always-a-sign-of-respect-for-persons-inside-or/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [Metafiction says something. It has to do with taking a large fiction itself and writing within it; that kind of self-reflecting writing that emerges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-coover/metafiction-says-something-it-has-to-do-with-taking-a-large-fiction/) [Robert Coover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-coover/) [Browse all 7,410 Fiction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In fiction if nowhere else, I must have a little meaning, a little coherence, or I will go mad.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anne Rice" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/in-fiction-if-nowhere-else-i-must-have-a-little-meaning-a-little/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fiction" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/in-fiction-if-nowhere-else-i-must-have-a-little-meaning-a-little/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3a/anne-rice-238_lestat-de-lioncourt_in-fiction-if-nowhere-else-i-must-have-a_1157753.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3a/anne-rice-238_lestat-de-lioncourt_in-fiction-if-nowhere-else-i-must-have-a_1157753.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3a/anne-rice-238_lestat-de-lioncourt_in-fiction-if-nowhere-else-i-must-have-a_1157753.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In fiction if nowhere else, I must have a little meaning, a little coherence, or I will go mad.” — Anne Rice", "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": "Anne Rice", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“In fiction if nowhere else, I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/in-fiction-if-nowhere-else-i-must-have-a-little-meaning-a-little/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/in-fiction-if-nowhere-else-i-must-have-a-little-meaning-a-little/#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 } } ] } ```