--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Confession time: I doubt I would ever…" description: "\"“ Confession time: I doubt I would ever have picked up one of Marjorie’s books, had I not met her in person. The reason is they’re categorized as Roman..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7a/bill-willingham-16391_books_confession-time-i-doubt-i-would-ever-hav_240575.jpg" --- # Confession time: I doubt I would ever have picked up one… ![“Confession time: I doubt I would ever have picked up one of Marjorie’s books, had I not met her in person. The reason is they’re categorized as Romances, which is where they are shelved in bookstores. Though I have no justification for avoiding it, the romance section is an area in bookstores I…” quote by Bill Willingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7a/bill-willingham-16391_books_confession-time-i-doubt-i-would-ever-hav_240575.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7a/bill-willingham-16391_books_confession-time-i-doubt-i-would-ever-hav_240575.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7a/bill-willingham-16391_books_confession-time-i-doubt-i-would-ever-hav_240575.jpg) > ““ Confession time: I doubt I would ever have picked up one of Marjorie’s books, had I not met her in person. The reason is they’re categorized as Romances, which is where they are shelved in bookstores. Though I have no justification for avoiding it, the romance section is an area in bookstores I seldom wander into. Her novels also have traditional-looking romance book covers, which are occasionally a bit off-putting to us mighty manly men. Then again, who knows? I don’t carry many biases where good storytelling is concerned. I’m willing to find it anywhere, as too many of my friends will attest, when I try to drag them to wonderful movies that they aren’t eager to go to, simply because they fall under the chick-flick rubric. So, in any case, I’m glad I did meet Marjorie Liu in person, because it would have been a shame to miss out on the work of an author this talented due to whatever degree of cultural prejudices I might still possess. I trust you who read this won’t make the same mistake. ”” [Bill Willingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-willingham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author acknowledges personal bias against romance genre but discovers value after meeting the writer, urging readers to set aside stereotypes. **In simple terms:** Bias can hide good stories; meeting creators helps overcome it. Key Takeaway Challenge your genre assumptions. Themes bias genre stereotypes discovery open‑mindedness Mood curious reflective Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - bookstore browsing - choosing books - discussing literature with friends - overcoming genre stigma Key Concepts prejudice cultural expectations author‑reader connection Questions to Reflect On - How do you decide which books to explore? - What stereotypes limit your reading? A Different Perspective Some may still cling to genre labels despite personal experience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Masculinity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masculinity/) [Prejudices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prejudices/) [Romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romance/) [Romance-novels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romance-novels/) [Stereotypes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stereotypes/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [If you look for me, I'm in the fiction section. Romance has its own section.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/if-you-look-for-me-i-m-in-the-fiction-section-romance-has-its-own/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [“In a bookstore you can find me in the romance section, because I’m not a lover, I’m a reader.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/in-a-bookstore-you-can-find-me-in-the-romance-section-because-i-m-not/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [My novels are in the literature section as opposed to the romance section of bookstores because they're not romance novels. 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Kolodziej](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-j-kolodziej/) > [“What really goes on behind the scenes at the Romance Book Club?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-hughes/what-really-goes-on-behind-the-scenes-at-the-romance-book-club/) [Michelle Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-hughes/) > [“I'd curl up with a good romance book with my current book boyfriend and pretend the real world didn't exist for a little while.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-mclaughlin/i-d-curl-up-with-a-good-romance-book-with-my-current-book-boyfriend/) [Jen McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-mclaughlin/) > [“There’s going to be just a teeny bit of angst (this is a romance book) and then there’s going to be a Happily Ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-pageant/there-s-going-to-be-just-a-teeny-bit-of-angst-this-is-a-romance-book/) [Nick Pageant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-pageant/) ## More by Bill Willingham > [“One of the advantages of -- of this -- is that dying men are allowed complete and brutal candor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-willingham/one-of-the-advantages-of-of-this-is-that-dying-men-are-allowed/) [Bill Willingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-willingham/) > [“Murderers don't get forgiven just because we promise to be good from now on. 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It cant make up for the evil done to you, but it can destroy the remaining good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-willingham/perhaps-only-that-revenge-is-ultimately-unsatisfying-it-cant-make-up/) [Bill Willingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-willingham/) > [Freedom is sloppy. But since tyranny's the only guaranteed byproduct of those who insist on a perfect world, freedom will have to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-willingham/freedom-is-sloppy-but-since-tyranny-s-the-only-guaranteed-byproduct/) [Bill Willingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-willingham/) > [“I love you, Snow, and have since the hour we first met. Hell, I wanted you even before then. Since before we existed. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-willingham/i-love-you-snow-and-have-since-the-hour-we-first-met-hell-i-wanted/) [Bill Willingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-willingham/) > [“Stories create stories, create stories, create stories, or nothing gets done.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-willingham/stories-create-stories-create-stories-create-stories-or-nothing-gets/) [Bill Willingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-willingham/) > [“I'm about to start reading it again, because what good is a story you only want to read once?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-willingham/i-m-about-to-start-reading-it-again-because-what-good-is-a-story-you/) [Bill Willingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-willingham/) > [“Wooden 1: "How many kinds of guns have you meatheads created?" Gun Shop Clerk: "Thousands. Hundreds of thousands?" Wooden 2: "That's extravagance beyond credulity."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-willingham/wooden-1-how-many-kinds-of-guns-have-you-meatheads-created-gun-shop/) [Bill Willingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-willingham/) > [“Sometimes impossible things are entirely possible, if there's magic enough in the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-willingham/sometimes-impossible-things-are-entirely-possible-if-there-s-magic/) [Bill Willingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-willingham/) > [“Isn't there a statute of limitation on playing the poor abused victim?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-willingham/isn-t-there-a-statute-of-limitation-on-playing-the-poor-abused-victim/) [Bill Willingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-willingham/) > [It is my fondest desire to bust a host of caps into multitudes of fleshy personages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-willingham/it-is-my-fondest-desire-to-bust-a-host-of-caps-into-multitudes-of/) [Bill Willingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-willingham/) > [“The turtle stands on a turtle, which stands on a turtle. That's the universe in whole, boy. It's turtles all the way down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-willingham/the-turtle-stands-on-a-turtle-which-stands-on-a-turtle-that-s-the/) [Bill Willingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-willingham/) > [“Why is it you intense political types insist on living entirely in the symbolic world?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-willingham/why-is-it-you-intense-political-types-insist-on-living-entirely-in/) [Bill Willingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-willingham/) [Explore all 40 Bill Willingham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-willingham/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“ Confession time: I doubt I would ever have picked up one of Marjorie’s books, had I not met her in person. The reason is they’re categorized as Romances, which is where they are shelved in bookstores. Though I have no justification for avoiding it, the romance section is an area in bookstores I seldom wander into. Her novels also have traditional-looking romance book covers, which are occasionally a bit off-putting to us mighty manly men. Then again, who knows? I don’t carry many biases where good storytelling is concerned. I’m willing to find it anywhere, as too many of my friends will attest, when I try to drag them to wonderful movies that they aren’t eager to go to, simply because they fall under the chick-flick rubric. So, in any case, I’m glad I did meet Marjorie Liu in person, because it would have been a shame to miss out on the work of an author this talented due to whatever degree of cultural prejudices I might still possess. 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