--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You don't need to be able to string a…" description: "\"You don't need to be able to string a sentence together in a way that is elegant or even vaguely meaningful to produce a bestseller - as Dan Brown has ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fa/anthony-horowitz-1452_able_you-don-t-need-to-be-able-to-string-a-se_1868317.png" --- # You don't need to be able to string a sentence together in… ![“You don't need to be able to string a sentence together in a way that is elegant or even vaguely meaningful to produce a bestseller - as Dan Brown has demonstrated time and again.” quote by Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fa/anthony-horowitz-1452_able_you-don-t-need-to-be-able-to-string-a-se_1868317.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fa/anthony-horowitz-1452_able_you-don-t-need-to-be-able-to-string-a-se_1868317.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fa/anthony-horowitz-1452_able_you-don-t-need-to-be-able-to-string-a-se_1868317.png) > “You don't need to be able to string a sentence together in a way that is elegant or even vaguely meaningful to produce a bestseller - as Dan Brown has demonstrated time and again.” [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success can come without literary skill; market appeal can outweigh craft. **In simple terms:** Bestsellers need not be well‑written. Key Takeaway Focus on audience demand. Themes marketing success craft Mood critical analytical Type advice observational When to use this quote - author branding - product positioning - media hype Key Concepts consumer behavior publishing industry Questions to Reflect On - Is popularity a reliable quality metric? - What trade‑offs are you willing to accept? A Different Perspective Skill still matters for lasting impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Bestseller Dan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bestseller-dan-2560519/) [Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brown/) [Brown Demonstrated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brown-demonstrated-2560522/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dan-brown-464097/) [Elegant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elegant/) [Elegant Vaguely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elegant-vaguely-2560521/) [Meaningful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaningful/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Produce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/produce/) [Produce Bestseller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/produce-bestseller-2560520/) [Sentences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentences/) [Strings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strings/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/together/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [I didn't know anything about Opus Die except from pop culture, like Dan Brown novels, which I knew wasn't really knowing anything about Opus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-bentley/i-didn-t-know-anything-about-opus-die-except-from-pop-culture-like/) [Wes Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-bentley/) > [My love for Dan Brown knows no bounds. It literally has no mass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/my-love-for-dan-brown-knows-no-bounds-it-literally-has-no-mass/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I think Dan Brown is a terribly bad writer, but he has cliff-hangers after every chapter which makes you continue reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stellan-skarsgard/i-think-dan-brown-is-a-terribly-bad-writer-but-he-has-cliff-hangers/) [Stellan Skarsgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stellan-skarsgard/) > [I just felt like I was mining Dan Brown's work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-zukerman/i-just-felt-like-i-was-mining-dan-brown-s-work/) [Ashley Zukerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-zukerman/) > [Dan Brown and the 'Da Vinci Code' have been around well over a decade now, and to be perfectly honest, both he and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/dan-brown-and-the-da-vinci-code-have-been-around-well-over-a-decade/) [Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/) > [“Hello Everyone! My name is Dan Brown and in the course of writing my first novel, some other guy, claiming to be me, had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-bruce-brown/hello-everyone-my-name-is-dan-brown-and-in-the-course-of-writing-my/) [Daniel Bruce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-bruce-brown/) > [Dan Brown is a character from 'Foucault's Pendulum!' I invented him. He shares my characters' fascinations - the world conspiracy of Rosicrucians, Masons, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/dan-brown-is-a-character-from-foucault-s-pendulum-i-invented-him-he/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [“This man could say anything in the world to me and he’d still be the one shame-buying Dan Brown.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-kepnes/this-man-could-say-anything-in-the-world-to-me-and-he-d-still-be-the/) [Caroline Kepnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-kepnes/) > [Not taking yourself seriously is one of the most elegant things in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-owens/not-taking-yourself-seriously-is-one-of-the-most-elegant-things-in/) [Rick Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-owens/) > [White makes your house more peaceful and elegant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sana-khan/white-makes-your-house-more-peaceful-and-elegant/) [Sana Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sana-khan/) > [When you first start off trying to solve a problem, the first solutions you come up with are very complex, and most people stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/when-you-first-start-off-trying-to-solve-a-problem-the-first/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [My dad had a personal style which was very attractive. It was quite reserved and quite elegant, and it was infectious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/my-dad-had-a-personal-style-which-was-very-attractive-it-was-quite/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [Even if I did have, you know, a 'Sports Illustrated' body, I'd still wear elegant clothes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adele/even-if-i-did-have-you-know-a-sports-illustrated-body-i-d-still-wear/) [Adele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adele/) > [This is a time in my life where I'm gonna behave like an elegant human being. Or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-stritch/this-is-a-time-in-my-life-where-i-m-gonna-behave-like-an-elegant/) [Elaine Stritch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-stritch/) > [I swam with my first shark in the 1980s. I was 20 miles off the coast of Rhode Island, working with a group of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-skerry/i-swam-with-my-first-shark-in-the-1980s-i-was-20-miles-off-the-coast/) [Brian Skerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-skerry/) ## More by Anthony Horowitz > [My writing has always been what you call 'narrative fiction' in the sense that it's got very strong plots and twists at the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/my-writing-has-always-been-what-you-call-narrative-fiction-in-the/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [A children's author on a soapbox is not a pleasant sight but I have become drawn into issues, slightly unwillingly, relating to young people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/a-children-s-author-on-a-soapbox-is-not-a-pleasant-sight-but-i-have/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [Was it fate? Was it destiny?" "I think it was Alan Blunt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/was-it-fate-was-it-destiny-i-think-it-was-alan-blunt/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [With every year that passes, I get further away from my target audience, and while I've been happy to think of myself as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/with-every-year-that-passes-i-get-further-away-from-my-target/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [“By the time Dimitrov realised what had happened, it was too late. He had taken aim but Bond had already fired. Three bullets spat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/by-the-time-dimitrov-realised-what-had-happened-it-was-too-late-he/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [Smiling back at her, it occurs to me that I've never met a mean librarian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/smiling-back-at-her-it-occurs-to-me-that-i-ve-never-met-a-mean/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [“I am perfectly qualified to give you an injection. You're not going to tell me you're afraid of a little prick?" "I wouldn't call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/i-am-perfectly-qualified-to-give-you-an-injection-you-re-not-going-to/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [“Life may imitate art – but it usually falls short of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/life-may-imitate-art-but-it-usually-falls-short-of-it/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [As a children's author, reviewers are generally very nice to you. I only ever wrote one adult book and received such a kicking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/as-a-children-s-author-reviewers-are-generally-very-nice-to-you-i/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [You're trying to tell me that everything you've done is for a good cause. You think that all this killing is worth it because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/you-re-trying-to-tell-me-that-everything-you-ve-done-is-for-a-good/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [Your name?"The movements of the man's mouth didn't quite match what he was saying, so seeing him speak was a bit like watching a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/your-name-the-movements-of-the-man-s-mouth-didn-t-quite-match-what-he/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [McCain might have suffered hardships in his life, but what had happened to him had nothing to do with his background or his color;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/mccain-might-have-suffered-hardships-in-his-life-but-what-had/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [What is this place? Hogwarts?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/what-is-this-place-hogwarts/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [I'm a private victim of a peculiar household.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/i-m-a-private-victim-of-a-peculiar-household/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [My generation has left the globe in a mess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/my-generation-has-left-the-globe-in-a-mess/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) [Explore all 236 Anthony Horowitz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) [Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/) > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) [Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You don't need to be able to string a sentence together in a way that is elegant or even vaguely meaningful to produce a bestseller - as Dan Brown has demonstrated time and again.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anthony Horowitz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/you-don-t-need-to-be-able-to-string-a-sentence-together-in-a-way-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Able" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/you-don-t-need-to-be-able-to-string-a-sentence-together-in-a-way-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fa/anthony-horowitz-1452_able_you-don-t-need-to-be-able-to-string-a-se_1868317.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fa/anthony-horowitz-1452_able_you-don-t-need-to-be-able-to-string-a-se_1868317.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fa/anthony-horowitz-1452_able_you-don-t-need-to-be-able-to-string-a-se_1868317.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You don't need to be able to string a sentence together in a way that is elegant or even vaguely meaningful…” — Anthony Horowitz", "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": "Anthony Horowitz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You don't need to be able...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/you-don-t-need-to-be-able-to-string-a-sentence-together-in-a-way-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/you-don-t-need-to-be-able-to-string-a-sentence-together-in-a-way-that/#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 } } ] } ```