--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't think any good book is based on…" description: "\"I don't think any good book is based on factual experience. Bad books are about things the writer already knew before he wrote them.\" — Carlos Fuentes" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/385/carlos-fuentes-1696_book_i-don-t-think-any-good-book-is-based-on_1637456.jpg" --- # I don't think any good book is based on factual… ![“I don't think any good book is based on factual experience. Bad books are about things the writer already knew before he wrote them.” quote by Carlos Fuentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/385/carlos-fuentes-1696_book_i-don-t-think-any-good-book-is-based-on_1637456.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/385/carlos-fuentes-1696_book_i-don-t-think-any-good-book-is-based-on_1637456.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/385/carlos-fuentes-1696_book_i-don-t-think-any-good-book-is-based-on_1637456.jpg) > “I don't think any good book is based on factual experience. Bad books are about things the writer already knew before he wrote them.” [Carlos Fuentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-fuentes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Great books stem from imagination, not merely lived experience; they explore deeper truths beyond facts. **In simple terms:** Good books arise from imagination, not just facts. Key Takeaway Value imagination over mere experience. Themes creativity literature truth Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - writing workshops - creative retreats - literary criticism - storytelling practice Key Concepts fiction narrative theory artistic insight Questions to Reflect On - Can fiction capture truth better than fact? - How does personal experience shape imagination? A Different Perspective Focusing solely on imagination may ignore valuable insights from real-world experience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Good book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-book/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“I'm trying to write a book based on myself, but i keep changing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-stanton/i-m-trying-to-write-a-book-based-on-myself-but-i-keep-changing/) [Brandon Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-stanton/) > [“All books are good,’ he said. ‘That’s not true,’ I said. ‘I’ve read some really bad books.’ I was thinking specifically of Anne of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/all-books-are-good-he-said-that-s-not-true-i-said-i-ve-read-some/) [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) > [As always, a lot of bad books will be published. Some good books will be published, and you have to seek them out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/as-always-a-lot-of-bad-books-will-be-published-some-good-books-will/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [Good books get praised, bad books get praised. Good books get ignored, bad books get ignored](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/good-books-get-praised-bad-books-get-praised-good-books-get-ignored/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Bad books engender bad habits, but bad habits engender good books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/bad-books-engender-bad-habits-but-bad-habits-engender-good-books/) [Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/reading-good-books-ruins-you-for-enjoying-bad-books/) [Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/) > [Even the bad books I write are satisfying. I'm my least critical reader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-voigt/even-the-bad-books-i-write-are-satisfying-i-m-my-least-critical-reader/) [Cynthia Voigt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-voigt/) > [There are no bad books any more than there are ugly women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/there-are-no-bad-books-any-more-than-there-are-ugly-women/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [It is far better to be silent than merely to increase the quantity of bad books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/it-is-far-better-to-be-silent-than-merely-to-increase-the-quantity-of/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [The books one reads in childhood, and perhaps most of all the bad and good bad books, create in one's mind a sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/the-books-one-reads-in-childhood-and-perhaps-most-of-all-the-bad-and-2/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“I read a lot of bad books- books so bad that they aren't even published,which is quite a feat, when you consider what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/i-read-a-lot-of-bad-books-books-so-bad-that-they-aren-t-even/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [Many bad books have had great influence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/many-bad-books-have-had-great-influence/) [Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) > [“Life is too short to waste your time with bad books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kr-ger/life-is-too-short-to-waste-your-time-with-bad-books/) Michael Krüger > [There is a sort of theory that you should adapt bad books because they always make more successful films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hampton/there-is-a-sort-of-theory-that-you-should-adapt-bad-books-because/) [Christopher Hampton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hampton/) > [In the course of my research, I've read a lot of incredibly bad books - mostly by academics. I'm puzzled as to just why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kurlansky/in-the-course-of-my-research-i-ve-read-a-lot-of-incredibly-bad-books/) [Mark Kurlansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kurlansky/) ## More by Carlos Fuentes > [No, it's not that they're bad. It's that they're obliged to pretend they're good. They've been brought up to deceive and be cunning, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-fuentes/no-it-s-not-that-they-re-bad-it-s-that-they-re-obliged-to-pretend/) [Carlos Fuentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-fuentes/) > [Contrary to the macho culture of Mexico, both my grandmothers were very brave young widows. I was always very close to these hard-working, intelligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-fuentes/contrary-to-the-macho-culture-of-mexico-both-my-grandmothers-were/) [Carlos Fuentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-fuentes/) > [The contract between the author and the reader is a game. And the game . . . is one of the greatest invetions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-fuentes/the-contract-between-the-author-and-the-reader-is-a-game-and-the-game/) [Carlos Fuentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-fuentes/) > [Love can isolate us from everything around us. But in its absence, we can be filled with the fear that something comparable exists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-fuentes/love-can-isolate-us-from-everything-around-us-but-in-its-absence-we/) [Carlos Fuentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-fuentes/) > [You start by writing to live. You end by writing so as not to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-fuentes/you-start-by-writing-to-live-you-end-by-writing-so-as-not-to-die/) [Carlos Fuentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-fuentes/) > [“Because it’s a fucking disaster to be creative when you know you’re not Mozart or Keats. Dammit, I got tired of scratching around in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-fuentes/because-it-s-a-fucking-disaster-to-be-creative-when-you-know-you-re/) [Carlos Fuentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-fuentes/) > [In the name of certainty, the greatest crimes have been committed against humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-fuentes/in-the-name-of-certainty-the-greatest-crimes-have-been-committed/) [Carlos Fuentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-fuentes/) > [Mexico is a very complex, mysterious country. I will never understand it fully, and that's why I write so much about it, in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-fuentes/mexico-is-a-very-complex-mysterious-country-i-will-never-understand/) [Carlos Fuentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-fuentes/) > [chaos: it has no plural.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-fuentes/chaos-it-has-no-plural/) [Carlos Fuentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-fuentes/) > [“Sólo el imbécil no duda. Sólo el idiota no sufre".”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-fuentes/s-lo-el-imb-cil-no-duda-s-lo-el-idiota-no-sufre/) [Carlos Fuentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-fuentes/) > [I have no literary fears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-fuentes/i-have-no-literary-fears/) [Carlos Fuentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-fuentes/) > [“You will have given another moment to the moment you are living and to the moments you are going to live; you have perverted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-fuentes/you-will-have-given-another-moment-to-the-moment-you-are-living-and/) [Carlos Fuentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-fuentes/) > [I am a Mexican. The United States lived seventy-five years with the one party system in Mexico - the PRI - without batting an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-fuentes/i-am-a-mexican-the-united-states-lived-seventy-five-years-with-the/) [Carlos Fuentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-fuentes/) > [“It is true that every mountain has four faces, and one tends to know but one. ― Carlos Fuentes, Terra Nostra”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-fuentes/it-is-true-that-every-mountain-has-four-faces-and-one-tends-to-know/) [Carlos Fuentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-fuentes/) > [To read and write is a paradise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-fuentes/to-read-and-write-is-a-paradise/) [Carlos Fuentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-fuentes/) [Explore all 134 Carlos Fuentes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-fuentes/) ## More Book 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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't think any good book is based on factual experience. 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