---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's surprising that readers don't see…"
description: "\"It's surprising that readers don't see challenging writing as morally hazardous, when it might be pushing the same kinds of boundaries as art does.\" — ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook-34527_art_it-s-surprising-that-readers-don-t-see-c_1397284.jpg"
---

#  It's surprising that readers don't see challenging writing…

![“It's surprising that readers don't see challenging writing as morally hazardous, when it might be pushing the same kinds of boundaries as art does.” quote by Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook-34527_art_it-s-surprising-that-readers-don-t-see-c_1397284.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook-34527_art_it-s-surprising-that-readers-don-t-see-c_1397284.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook-34527_art_it-s-surprising-that-readers-don-t-see-c_1397284.jpg)

> “It's surprising that readers don't see challenging writing as morally hazardous, when it might be pushing the same kinds of boundaries as art does.”

[Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/)

## About This Quote

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

Readers often overlook that challenging literature can be as risky as avant‑garde art, pushing moral limits.

**In simple terms:** Risky writing can be like risky art.

Key Takeaway

Question assumptions about dangerous content.

Themes

art literature ethics

Mood

provocative critical

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- academic critique
- publishing
- creative workshops

Key Concepts

boundary‑pushing censorship creative freedom

Questions to Reflect On

- Should art and literature be judged by the same moral standards?
- What responsibilities do writers have?

A Different Perspective

Some may argue moral hazard is overstated.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boundaries/) [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [Sometimes reactions can be quite surprising: readers like things that you, the author, feel you've barely gotten away with; or they dislike one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/sometimes-reactions-can-be-quite-surprising-readers-like-things-that/)

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

> [I write when the urge hits me, getting the words down as fast as I can type and then I step back from what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-mckay/i-write-when-the-urge-hits-me-getting-the-words-down-as-fast-as-i-can/)

[Donald McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-mckay/)

> [It's very hard to find good and wholesome, edifying and challenging writing for the students to perform. In my classroom I strive to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mauceri/it-s-very-hard-to-find-good-and-wholesome-edifying-and-challenging/)

[Patricia Mauceri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mauceri/)

> [We take, and must continue to take, morally hazardous actions to preserve our civilization. We must exercise our power. But we ought neither to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/we-take-and-must-continue-to-take-morally-hazardous-actions-to/)

[Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/)

> [Liberal democracy has endured because its institutions are designed for handling morally hazardous forms of coercive power. It puts the question of how far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/liberal-democracy-has-endured-because-its-institutions-are-designed/)

[Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/)

> [I prefer to just jump into something instead of put it on the back burner, and I suppose that's how I deal with most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bosworth/i-prefer-to-just-jump-into-something-instead-of-put-it-on-the-back/)

[Kate Bosworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bosworth/)

> [It takes a lot out of you to do a stage play, but I'd love to do that. I'd love to continue to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-renner/it-takes-a-lot-out-of-you-to-do-a-stage-play-but-i-d-love-to-do-that/)

[Jeremy Renner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-renner/)

> [I can't imagine anything more debilitating, anything more challenging, anything more thrilling than to get on a stage and do any kind of play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-monaghan/i-can-t-imagine-anything-more-debilitating-anything-more-challenging/)

[Michelle Monaghan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-monaghan/)

> [I must say, I don't think there's any more challenging music out there in jazz than what we're doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-barber/i-must-say-i-don-t-think-there-s-any-more-challenging-music-out-there/)

[Patricia Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-barber/)

> [Sci-Fi is incredibly challenging and has its own language. I have to speak its language; it's not going to learn mine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-mahoney/sci-fi-is-incredibly-challenging-and-has-its-own-language-i-have-to/)

[Victoria Mahoney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-mahoney/)

> [Ultimately the most challenging thing, always, is to just be convincing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-pearce/ultimately-the-most-challenging-thing-always-is-to-just-be-convincing/)

[Guy Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-pearce/)

> [As the generalization goes about the art industry, people can be really challenging and thought-provoking in their thinking and questioning the status quo, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-cole/as-the-generalization-goes-about-the-art-industry-people-can-be/)

[Lily Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-cole/)

> [There is a comfort zone of knowing where things are going and having characters in place, but the action gets more and more dramatic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-b-jenkins/there-is-a-comfort-zone-of-knowing-where-things-are-going-and-having/)

[Jerry B. Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-b-jenkins/)

> [I like to play people that are real, a real person, and then something that's interesting with that person. I think it's a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-bostick/i-like-to-play-people-that-are-real-a-real-person-and-then-something/)

[Devon Bostick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-bostick/)

> [Anytime I get the chance to sing or work with Michael John, it is such an incredibly fertile and incredibly creative and safe and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/anytime-i-get-the-chance-to-sing-or-work-with-michael-john-it-is-such/)

[Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/)

## More by Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook

> [Thai society rarely attempts to control literature in the same way that it vigilantly polices visual art. It's ironic because people in this society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/thai-society-rarely-attempts-to-control-literature-in-the-same-way/)

[Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/)

> [Women in Thai society have been placed in the space of the home. It is possible that women have assuredly taken up that place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/women-in-thai-society-have-been-placed-in-the-space-of-the-home-it-is/)

[Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/)

> [When I began making art, I just thought I liked it. As a woman who was placed in spaces with various conditions, conventions, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/when-i-began-making-art-i-just-thought-i-liked-it-as-a-woman-who-was/)

[Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/)

> [I probably sensed the serious formality of the ceremonies and felt what others were feeling then. Looking back, I'd guess that it had opened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/i-probably-sensed-the-serious-formality-of-the-ceremonies-and-felt/)

[Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/)

> [What is difficult is to keep the sweet voice with an aggressive message.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/what-is-difficult-is-to-keep-the-sweet-voice-with-an-aggressive/)

[Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/)

> [It is interesting to ask why people who come to view art suddenly posture themselves as full of righteousness. It's as if my artwork…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/it-is-interesting-to-ask-why-people-who-come-to-view-art-suddenly/)

[Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/)

> [I'm still useful in my capacity as an arts educator and caretaker for the stray dogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/i-m-still-useful-in-my-capacity-as-an-arts-educator-and-caretaker-for/)

[Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/)

> [My art practice eventually arrived at a point where I had freedom from various limiting conditions; the institutional mindset is not airtight and isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/my-art-practice-eventually-arrived-at-a-point-where-i-had-freedom/)

[Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/)

> [I eventually shifted to video. Video opened up new conditions, or freed me from old conditions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/i-eventually-shifted-to-video-video-opened-up-new-conditions-or-freed/)

[Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/)

> [In shows where the audience wants to try to understand the work, the work is placed in a space of possibility where it becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/in-shows-where-the-audience-wants-to-try-to-understand-the-work-the/)

[Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/)

> [In academic circles, especially, I was criticized for lacking morals, values, and ethics. I'm feeding that angry feminist reading of my work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/in-academic-circles-especially-i-was-criticized-for-lacking-morals/)

[Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/)

> [There might just be a universal expectation to respect the dead, but my work is also born from another aspect of Thai society -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/there-might-just-be-a-universal-expectation-to-respect-the-dead-but/)

[Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/)

> [I extol life so much that I cannot make art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/i-extol-life-so-much-that-i-cannot-make-art/)

[Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/)

[Explore all 14 Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/)

## More Art quotes

> [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/)

[Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/)

> [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/)

Taf Teh

> [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/)

[Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/)

[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/)

> [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/)

[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/)

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

[Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It's surprising that readers don't see challenging writing as morally hazardous, when it might be pushing the same kinds of boundaries as art does.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/it-s-surprising-that-readers-don-t-see-challenging-writing-as-morally/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/it-s-surprising-that-readers-don-t-see-challenging-writing-as-morally/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook-34527_art_it-s-surprising-that-readers-don-t-see-c_1397284.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook-34527_art_it-s-surprising-that-readers-don-t-see-c_1397284.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ad/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook-34527_art_it-s-surprising-that-readers-don-t-see-c_1397284.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It's surprising that readers don't see challenging writing as morally hazardous, when it might be pushing…” — Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook",
                "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": "Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It's surprising that readers don't see...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/it-s-surprising-that-readers-don-t-see-challenging-writing-as-morally/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/araya-rasdjarmrearnsook/it-s-surprising-that-readers-don-t-see-challenging-writing-as-morally/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
