---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All novels are impossible. We would not…"
description: "\"“All novels are impossible. We would not wish to read them if they were not. Can you imagine how dull a tale would be if it were completely founded in ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/976/caitlin-williams-90157_books_all-novels-are-impossible-we-would-not-w_1624561.jpg"
---

#  All novels are impossible. We would not wish to read them…

![“All novels are impossible. We would not wish to read them if they were not. Can you imagine how dull a tale would be if it were completely founded in reality. I declare implausibility a must if the reader is not to be bored to tears.” quote by Caitlin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/976/caitlin-williams-90157_books_all-novels-are-impossible-we-would-not-w_1624561.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/976/caitlin-williams-90157_books_all-novels-are-impossible-we-would-not-w_1624561.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/976/caitlin-williams-90157_books_all-novels-are-impossible-we-would-not-w_1624561.jpg)

> ““All novels are impossible. We would not wish to read them if they were not. Can you imagine how dull a tale would be if it were completely founded in reality. I declare implausibility a must if the reader is not to be bored to tears.””

Caitlin Williams

## About This Quote

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

Fiction’s impossibility fuels imagination; reality alone would be dull, so readers need implausible stories to stay engaged.

**In simple terms:** Imagination thrives on impossibility.

Key Takeaway

Read imaginative fiction.

Themes

creativity imagination storytelling escape engagement

Mood

inspired playful

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- book clubs
- writing workshops
- personal leisure

Key Concepts

literary theory psychology of reading creative writing

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do you enjoy fantasy?
- How does fiction inspire you?

A Different Perspective

Some may prefer realism.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Novels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novels/)

## Related quotes

> [For many years, I read mystery novels for relaxation. But my tastes were too narrow - and, having read all of Agatha Christie and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/for-many-years-i-read-mystery-novels-for-relaxation-but-my-tastes/)

[John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/)

> [ \[Barack Obama failed to sell a health care reform plan to American voters\] because the utter implausibility of its central promise - expanded coverage… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/barack-obama-failed-to-sell-a-health-care-reform-plan-to-american/)

[Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/)

> [We shall not read it for its sociological insights, which are non-existent, nor as science fiction, because it has a general air of implausibility;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-medawar/we-shall-not-read-it-for-its-sociological-insights-which-are-non/)

[Peter Medawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-medawar/)

> [“This is the plot up to the moment when the writer leaves the woman still dolefully enmeshed in it, and, suitcase in hand, tiptoeing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/this-is-the-plot-up-to-the-moment-when-the-writer-leaves-the-woman/)

[Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/)

> [Once I learned to read, I could not imagine my life otherwise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-donohue/once-i-learned-to-read-i-could-not-imagine-my-life-otherwise/)

[Keith Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-donohue/)

> [No, but it is something I really enjoy speaking about. You've got to do something with all the books you've read, so you might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/no-but-it-is-something-i-really-enjoy-speaking-about-you-ve-got-to-do/)

[Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/)

> [You sit and you read that, and you have to imagine turning it into a film that people are going to sit and watch.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-petersen/you-sit-and-you-read-that-and-you-have-to-imagine-turning-it-into-a/)

[Wolfgang Petersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-petersen/)

> [“Living is worth the effort if only because without life we could not read or imagine stories.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/living-is-worth-the-effort-if-only-because-without-life-we-could-not/)

[Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/)

> [You've got to do something with all the books you've read, so you might as well imagine you've optioned them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/you-ve-got-to-do-something-with-all-the-books-you-ve-read-so-you/)

[Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/)

> [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [I'm a geek - I read fantasy novels, I play 'World of Warcraft,' I'm a massive gamer, I have 'Star Trek' outfits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kazinsky/i-m-a-geek-i-read-fantasy-novels-i-play-world-of-warcraft-i-m-a/)

[Robert Kazinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kazinsky/)

> [I have often heard that the novel is dead. But I see novels produced, I don't know how many a week, in France. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathalie-sarraute/i-have-often-heard-that-the-novel-is-dead-but-i-see-novels-produced-i/)

[Nathalie Sarraute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathalie-sarraute/)

> [I think of novels as houses. You live in them over the course of a long period, both as a reader and as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/i-think-of-novels-as-houses-you-live-in-them-over-the-course-of-a/)

[Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/)

> [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/)

> [“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/)

## More by Caitlin Williams

> [“Two parts cynical to one part obdurate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-williams/two-parts-cynical-to-one-part-obdurate/)

Caitlin Williams

Explore all 2 Caitlin Williams quotes

## 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": "“All novels are impossible. We would not wish to read them if they were not. Can you imagine how dull a tale would be if it were completely founded in reality. I declare implausibility a must if the reader is not to be bored to tears.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Caitlin Williams"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-williams/all-novels-are-impossible-we-would-not-wish-to-read-them-if-they-were/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-williams/all-novels-are-impossible-we-would-not-wish-to-read-them-if-they-were/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/976/caitlin-williams-90157_books_all-novels-are-impossible-we-would-not-w_1624561.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/976/caitlin-williams-90157_books_all-novels-are-impossible-we-would-not-w_1624561.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/976/caitlin-williams-90157_books_all-novels-are-impossible-we-would-not-w_1624561.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“All novels are impossible. We would not wish to read them if they were not. Can you imagine how dull a tale…” — Caitlin Williams",
                "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": "Caitlin Williams",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-williams/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“All novels are impossible. We would...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-williams/all-novels-are-impossible-we-would-not-wish-to-read-them-if-they-were/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-williams/all-novels-are-impossible-we-would-not-wish-to-read-them-if-they-were/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
