--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The writing has been on the wall for some…" description: "\"The writing has been on the wall for some years now, but we are a nation illiterate in the language of the wall. The writing just gets bigger. Somethin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d2/barbara-kingsolver-200_bigger_the-writing-has-been-on-the-wall-for-som_1520386.png" --- # The writing has been on the wall for some years now, but… ![“The writing has been on the wall for some years now, but we are a nation illiterate in the language of the wall. The writing just gets bigger. Something will eventually bring down the charming, infuriating naïveté of Americans that allows us our blithe consumption and cheerful ignorance of the…” quote by Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d2/barbara-kingsolver-200_bigger_the-writing-has-been-on-the-wall-for-som_1520386.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d2/barbara-kingsolver-200_bigger_the-writing-has-been-on-the-wall-for-som_1520386.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d2/barbara-kingsolver-200_bigger_the-writing-has-been-on-the-wall-for-som_1520386.png) > “The writing has been on the wall for some years now, but we are a nation illiterate in the language of the wall. The writing just gets bigger. Something will eventually bring down the charming, infuriating naïveté of Americans that allows us our blithe consumption and cheerful ignorance of the secret ugliness that bring us whatever we want.” [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. America ignores warning signs, becoming complacent and ignorant of hidden problems. **In simple terms:** America ignores warnings. Key Takeaway Stay aware, question complacency. Themes politics ignorance complacency media Mood critical concerned Type analytical activist When to use this quote - policy analysis - public discourse - education reform Key Concepts critical thinking social critique environmental awareness Questions to Reflect On - What warnings are we overlooking? - How can we break naive consumption? A Different Perspective Complex issues may be oversimplified. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bigger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigger/) [Blithe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blithe/) [Charming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charming/) [Cheerful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheerful/) [Consumerism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consumerism/) [Consumption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consumption/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) [Illiterate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illiterate/) [Infuriating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infuriating/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Language Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language-wall-5618353/) [Naïveté Americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/na-vet-americans-5618351/) [Nation Illiterate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nation-illiterate-5618352/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Overconsumption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overconsumption/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Ugliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ugliness/) [Vets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vets/) [Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall/) [Wall Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall-writing-5321606/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-wall-235187/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [I don't care about truth; I care about art and style and writing and occupying the wall. For me, my writing style is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-calle/i-don-t-care-about-truth-i-care-about-art-and-style-and-writing-and/) [Sophie Calle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-calle/) > [Growing up, you don't see the writing on the wall. Passing by, moving straight ahead you knew it all. But maybe sometimes if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-parr/growing-up-you-don-t-see-the-writing-on-the-wall-passing-by-moving/) [John Parr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-parr/) > [Mark my words, when a society has to resort to the lavatory for its humour, the writing is on the wall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/mark-my-words-when-a-society-has-to-resort-to-the-lavatory-for-its/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [He who commits a wrong will himself inevitably see the writing on the wall, though the world may not count him guilty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-farquhar-tupper/he-who-commits-a-wrong-will-himself-inevitably-see-the-writing-on-the/) [Martin Farquhar Tupper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-farquhar-tupper/) > [Your eyes will see the dawn of the day and the writing on the wall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pantera/your-eyes-will-see-the-dawn-of-the-day-and-the-writing-on-the-wall/) [Pantera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pantera/) > [Now the writing's on a wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prodigy/now-the-writing-s-on-a-wall/) [Prodigy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prodigy/) > [“What are you thinking? She smiled. I think you can figure it out. You can read the writing on the wall. And as she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kami-garcia/what-are-you-thinking-she-smiled-i-think-you-can-figure-it-out-you/) [Kami Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kami-garcia/) > [I think the writing on the wall is definitely there this year that this is probably our last year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shanks/i-think-the-writing-on-the-wall-is-definitely-there-this-year-that/) [Michael Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shanks/) > [Most of us can read the writing on the wall; we just assume it's addressed to someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/most-of-us-can-read-the-writing-on-the-wall-we-just-assume-it-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A human being tends to believe that the mood of the moment, be it troubled or blithe, peaceful or stormy, is the true, native,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-e-mann/a-human-being-tends-to-believe-that-the-mood-of-the-moment-be-it/) [Thomas E. Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-e-mann/) > [O' who will walk with me along lifes merry way? A comrade blithe and full of glee, who dares to laugh out loud and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-van-dyke/o-who-will-walk-with-me-along-lifes-merry-way-a-comrade-blithe-and/) [Henry Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-van-dyke/) > [The bosom can ache beneath diamond brooches; and many a blithe heart dances under coarse wool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/the-bosom-can-ache-beneath-diamond-brooches-and-many-a-blithe-heart/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) > [I dwell no more in Arcady, But when the sky is blue with May, And birds are blithe and winds are free, I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-chandler-moulton/i-dwell-no-more-in-arcady-but-when-the-sky-is-blue-with-may-and-birds/) [Louise Chandler Moulton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-chandler-moulton/) > [Sigh no more ladies, sigh no more, men were deceivers ever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/sigh-no-more-ladies-sigh-no-more-men-were-deceivers-ever/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Hail to thee, blithe Spirit!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/hail-to-thee-blithe-spirit/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) ## More by Barbara Kingsolver > [“Jesus was a more reliable backer, evidently, less likely to drink himself unconscious or get liver cancer. No wonder people chose Him as their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/jesus-was-a-more-reliable-backer-evidently-less-likely-to-drink/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Now I'm starting to think he wasn't supposed to be my whole life, he was just this doorway to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/now-i-m-starting-to-think-he-wasn-t-supposed-to-be-my-whole-life-he/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Cooking is 80 percent confidence, a skill best acquired starting from when the apron strings wrap around you twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/cooking-is-80-percent-confidence-a-skill-best-acquired-starting-from/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“In Bobby Ogle's version of heaven everyone would wind up in one place, criminals and Muslims included.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/in-bobby-ogle-s-version-of-heaven-everyone-would-wind-up-in-one-place/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“Weeds are job security for the gardener.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/weeds-are-job-security-for-the-gardener/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“It's what you do that makes your soul, not the other way around.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/it-s-what-you-do-that-makes-your-soul-not-the-other-way-around/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“Lusa turned to Crys, her eyes shining. "That was a luna." Crys shrugged. "So?" "So? So what? You want it should sing, too?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/lusa-turned-to-crys-her-eyes-shining-that-was-a-luna-crys-shrugged-so/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [The strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/the-strength-of-motherhood-is-greater-than-natural-laws/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“An imperfectly remembered life is a useless treachery. Every day, more fragments of the past roll around heavily in the chambers of an empty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/an-imperfectly-remembered-life-is-a-useless-treachery-every-day-more/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Respecting the dignity of a spectacular food means enjoying it at its best. Europeans celebrate the short season of abundant asparagus as a form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/respecting-the-dignity-of-a-spectacular-food-means-enjoying-it-at-its/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“Somehow it had come to pass that this man was her whole world, and she had failed to take his measure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/somehow-it-had-come-to-pass-that-this-man-was-her-whole-world-and-she/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [After 'The Poisonwood Bible' was published, several people believed that my parents were missionaries, which could not be further from the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/after-the-poisonwood-bible-was-published-several-people-believed-that/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [I can count all the ways in which being a mother has enriched my understanding of the world, of character, my sense of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/i-can-count-all-the-ways-in-which-being-a-mother-has-enriched-my/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [But we've all ended up giving body and soul to Africa, one way or another. Even Adah, who's becoming an expert in tropical epidemiology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/but-we-ve-all-ended-up-giving-body-and-soul-to-africa-one-way-or/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [If the Lord hasn't got a boyfriend lined up for me to marry, that's his business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/if-the-lord-hasn-t-got-a-boyfriend-lined-up-for-me-to-marry-that-s/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) [Explore all 939 Barbara Kingsolver quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) ## More Bigger quotes > [The bigger the canvas, the better I do. I'm not so good at understated, kitchen-sink kinds of parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/the-bigger-the-canvas-the-better-i-do-i-m-not-so-good-at-understated/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [In China, people are moving from bigger cars to small hatches, and interestingly, the Indian market is graduating to bigger cars and sedans. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winfried-vahland/in-china-people-are-moving-from-bigger-cars-to-small-hatches-and/) [Winfried Vahland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winfried-vahland/) > [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/) [Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/) > [I just think structure can make a book feel so much bigger. It's the architecture. 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I held my wings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/max-you-have-a-bigger-mission-than-finding-the-flock-s-parents-focus/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [Sometimes people can write really great scenes and even a great episode, but they can't see the bigger picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-night-shyamalan/sometimes-people-can-write-really-great-scenes-and-even-a-great/) [M. Night Shyamalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-night-shyamalan/) > [Never be too busy for the people you love. Never allow pursuits or possessions to become bigger priorities than your relationships. 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And they are being encouraged - sometimes even incentivized, as we recently learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-jain/athletes-at-all-ages-are-bigger-and-stronger-than-ever-before-and/) [Naveen Jain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-jain/) [Browse all 3,614 Bigger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigger/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The writing has been on the wall for some years now, but we are a nation illiterate in the language of the wall. The writing just gets bigger. 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