--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most great books have been about striving…" description: "\"Most great books have been about striving in some sense. In a sense, money is the great topic of the novel. You couldn't necessarily say that about poe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/381/chad-harbach-3109_book_most-great-books-have-been-about-strivin_515987.png" --- # Most great books have been about striving in some sense… ![“Most great books have been about striving in some sense. In a sense, money is the great topic of the novel. You couldn't necessarily say that about poetry.” quote by Chad Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/381/chad-harbach-3109_book_most-great-books-have-been-about-strivin_515987.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/381/chad-harbach-3109_book_most-great-books-have-been-about-strivin_515987.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/381/chad-harbach-3109_book_most-great-books-have-been-about-strivin_515987.png) > “Most great books have been about striving in some sense. In a sense, money is the great topic of the novel. You couldn't necessarily say that about poetry.” [Chad Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-harbach/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Books often explore ambition, while novels frequently focus on money, unlike poetry which rarely does. **In simple terms:** Books chase ambition; novels chase money; poetry stays away. Key Takeaway Recognize genre tendencies. Themes literature ambition money poetry genre Mood analytical contemplative Type observational critical When to use this quote - writing - reading - teaching - literary analysis Key Concepts Narrative focus economic themes Questions to Reflect On - How does genre shape thematic focus? - Can poetry address economic topics? A Different Perspective Not all novels prioritize money; many explore other themes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Books Striving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-striving-4361477/) [Great book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-book/) [Great Topic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-topic-2352147/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Novel Couldn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel-couldn-1887058/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Say Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-poetry-1097376/) [Strive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strive/) [Topic Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/topic-novel-4361476/) [Topics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/topics/) ## Related quotes > [When something actually shocks me, that's when you know it's a great topic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-conover/when-something-actually-shocks-me-that-s-when-you-know-it-s-a-great/) [Adam Conover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-conover/) > [One sad consequence of this is that people don't feel permitted to try understand Internet infrastructure, so I'm really grateful to groups like Free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astra-taylor/one-sad-consequence-of-this-is-that-people-don-t-feel-permitted-to/) [Astra Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astra-taylor/) > [I always think first about the nature of the story. 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Que diran de mi poesia los que no tocaron mi sangre?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/what-will-they-say-about-my-poetry-who-never-touched-my-blood-que/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [I had no one to help me, but the T. S. Eliot helped me. So when people say that poetry is a luxury, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/i-had-no-one-to-help-me-but-the-t-s-eliot-helped-me-so-when-people/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“I would say poetry is language charged with emotion. It's words, rhythmically organized . . . A poem is a complete little universe. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carlos-williams/i-would-say-poetry-is-language-charged-with-emotion-it-s-words/) [William Carlos Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carlos-williams/) > [What shall I say about poetry? What shall I say about those clouds, or about the sky? 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