--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why shouldn’t I? I demand silently. Why…" description: "\"“Why shouldn’t I? I demand silently. Why shouldn’t I become a famous writer? Like Norman Mailer. Or Philip Roth. And F. Scott Fitzgerald and Hemmingway..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccc/candace-bushnell-1562_dreams_why-shouldn-t-i-i-demand-silently-why-sh_2619834.jpg" --- # Why shouldn’t I? I demand silently. Why shouldn’t I become… ![“Why shouldn’t I? I demand silently. Why shouldn’t I become a famous writer? Like Norman Mailer. Or Philip Roth. And F. Scott Fitzgerald and Hemmingway and all those other men. Why can’t I be like them? I mean, what is the point of becoming a writer if no one reads what you’ve written? Damn Viktor…” quote by Candace Bushnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccc/candace-bushnell-1562_dreams_why-shouldn-t-i-i-demand-silently-why-sh_2619834.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccc/candace-bushnell-1562_dreams_why-shouldn-t-i-i-demand-silently-why-sh_2619834.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccc/candace-bushnell-1562_dreams_why-shouldn-t-i-i-demand-silently-why-sh_2619834.jpg) > ““Why shouldn’t I? I demand silently. Why shouldn’t I become a famous writer? Like Norman Mailer. Or Philip Roth. And F. Scott Fitzgerald and Hemmingway and all those other men. Why can’t I be like them? I mean, what is the point of becoming a writer if no one reads what you’ve written? Damn Viktor Greene and The New School. Why do I have to keep proving myself all of the time? Why can’t I be like L’il, with everyone praising and encouraging me? Or Rainbow, with her sense of entitlement. I bet Viktor Greene never asked Rainbow why she wanted to be a writer. Or what if-I wince-Viktor Greene is right? I’m not a writer after all.”” [Candace Bushnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-bushnell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Desire for fame and validation fuels self‑doubt and endless comparison. **In simple terms:** Seeking fame creates self‑doubt. Key Takeaway Focus on authentic purpose over external approval. Themes ambition validation self‑doubt Mood anxious reflective Type literary psychological When to use this quote - writing career - social media presence - career counseling Key Concepts identity creative drive Questions to Reflect On - What defines success for you? - How can you nurture intrinsic motivation? A Different Perspective Obsessing over fame can erode mental health. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Asked Rainbow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asked-rainbow-2100151/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Fame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fame/) [Famous Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/famous-writer-818300/) [Greene Asked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greene-asked-2100152/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Proving Myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proving-myself/) [Sense of entitlement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-of-entitlement/) [Wanted Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted-writer/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writer Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-like/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Being famous as a writer is like being famous in a village. 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But the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-gore/maybe-it-goes-without-saying-that-if-you-want-to-become-a-famous/) [Ariel Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-gore/) > [I've enjoyed being a famous writer-except that every once in a while you have to write something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/i-ve-enjoyed-being-a-famous-writer-except-that-every-once-in-a-while/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [I would want to travel the world and write about it. To be a famous writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shantel-vansanten/i-would-want-to-travel-the-world-and-write-about-it-to-be-a-famous/) [Shantel VanSanten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shantel-vansanten/) > [Being a famous writer is a little like being a tall dwarf. 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I had an awesome dream.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-had-a-dream-i-had-an-awesome-dream/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 40,599 Dreams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Why shouldn’t I? I demand silently. Why shouldn’t I become a famous writer? Like Norman Mailer. Or Philip Roth. And F. Scott Fitzgerald and Hemmingway and all those other men. Why can’t I be like them? I mean, what is the point of becoming a writer if no one reads what you’ve written? Damn Viktor Greene and The New School. Why do I have to keep proving myself all of the time? Why can’t I be like L’il, with everyone praising and encouraging me? Or Rainbow, with her sense of entitlement. I bet Viktor Greene never asked Rainbow why she wanted to be a writer. Or what if-I wince-Viktor Greene is right? 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