--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We can skip through a lot of the stuff…" description: "\"We can skip through a lot of the stuff people might ask about the writing of the book, and so their comments always start well, well down into the nitt..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/897/chang-rae-lee-3318_asks_we-can-skip-through-a-lot-of-the-stuff-p_963175.png" --- # We can skip through a lot of the stuff people might ask… ![“We can skip through a lot of the stuff people might ask about the writing of the book, and so their comments always start well, well down into the nitty-gritty.” quote by Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/897/chang-rae-lee-3318_asks_we-can-skip-through-a-lot-of-the-stuff-p_963175.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/897/chang-rae-lee-3318_asks_we-can-skip-through-a-lot-of-the-stuff-p_963175.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/897/chang-rae-lee-3318_asks_we-can-skip-through-a-lot-of-the-stuff-p_963175.png) > “We can skip through a lot of the stuff people might ask about the writing of the book, and so their comments always start well, well down into the nitty-gritty.” [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Discussions often skip to details, avoiding broader context that shapes the narrative. **In simple terms:** Focus on big picture before minutiae. Key Takeaway Start with overview, then dive deep. Themes writing communication detail Mood reflective analytical Type advice instructional When to use this quote - novel planning - academic research - journalistic reporting - project management Key Concepts narrative structure contextual framing Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance detail with overview? - When is depth most valuable? A Different Perspective Over‑emphasis on detail can obscure purpose. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ask Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ask-writing-1762551/) [Asks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Book Comments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-comments-1795813/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Comment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comment/) [Comments Start](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comments-start-1795812/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Nitty Gritty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nitty-gritty-1795811/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Ask](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-ask/) [Skip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skip/) [Stuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stuff/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I'm still startled when people ask me for writing advice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayobami-adebayo/i-m-still-startled-when-people-ask-me-for-writing-advice/) [Ayobami Adebayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayobami-adebayo/) > [People who are kind of at the cutting edge of life and survival, and being near the nitty-gritty, like my films, and I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-craven/people-who-are-kind-of-at-the-cutting-edge-of-life-and-survival-and/) [Wes Craven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-craven/) > [As I've probably said before, television exposes writers to far more of the nitty-gritty than film does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-beacham/as-i-ve-probably-said-before-television-exposes-writers-to-far-more/) [Travis Beacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-beacham/) > [Motherhood is nitty and gritty and brutal and wonderful, but everything I read is about the wonderful parts. Sometimes, you're really in the trenches!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-marie/motherhood-is-nitty-and-gritty-and-brutal-and-wonderful-but/) [Constance Marie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-marie/) > [So raise your glass if you are wrong In all the right ways, all my underdogs. We will never be, never be anything but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-nk/so-raise-your-glass-if-you-are-wrong-in-all-the-right-ways-all-my/) [P!nk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-nk/) > [When you get down to the nitty gritty, isn't it a pity that in this big city not one little bitty man will admit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-presley/when-you-get-down-to-the-nitty-gritty-isn-t-it-a-pity-that-in-this/) [Elvis Presley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-presley/) > [I abide by a rule concerning reviews: I will never ask, neither in writing nor in person, that a word be put in about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/i-abide-by-a-rule-concerning-reviews-i-will-never-ask-neither-in/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [“If there’s a single idea I emphasize when people ask about writing, it’s that there’s no right way to produce a book. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-finch/if-there-s-a-single-idea-i-emphasize-when-people-ask-about-writing-it/) [Charles Finch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-finch/) > [When people ask me which I would rather give up, writing or medicine, it's like being asked which eye I'd prefer to have poked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-adrian/when-people-ask-me-which-i-would-rather-give-up-writing-or-medicine/) [Chris Adrian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-adrian/) > [That's all you have to ask from yourself writing a book. That it's the best you can do and that you did it without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/that-s-all-you-have-to-ask-from-yourself-writing-a-book-that-it-s-the/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [“When people ask me why I'm writing 15 books, I tell them I didn't choose to write 15 books, they chose me!!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diem-burden/when-people-ask-me-why-i-m-writing-15-books-i-tell-them-i-didn-t/) [Diem Burden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diem-burden/) > [They ask me what I'm writing for - I'm writing to show you what we're fighting for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-kweli/they-ask-me-what-i-m-writing-for-i-m-writing-to-show-you-what-we-re/) [Talib Kweli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-kweli/) > [The first thing to ask when writing a sentence is 'What am I trying to do?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-fish/the-first-thing-to-ask-when-writing-a-sentence-is-what-am-i-trying-to/) [Stanley Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-fish/) > [I can never understand why people who have not seen me for a while ask if I am still writing. They might as well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-reynolds-naylor/i-can-never-understand-why-people-who-have-not-seen-me-for-a-while/) [Phyllis Reynolds Naylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-reynolds-naylor/) > [“When someone gives you advice, just ask them to give it in writing and they will either keep mum or will run from there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/when-someone-gives-you-advice-just-ask-them-to-give-it-in-writing-and/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) ## More by Chang-Rae Lee > [The truth, finally, is who can tell it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/the-truth-finally-is-who-can-tell-it/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [I think my parents recognised that I'd always wanted to be a writer, and so they didn't think that this was some idle, faddish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-think-my-parents-recognised-that-i-d-always-wanted-to-be-a-writer/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [Some writers are writing one great, big book and just taking all these different avenues towards it. They might seem on the outside to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/some-writers-are-writing-one-great-big-book-and-just-taking-all-these/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [I try to be aware of what I'm concerned about, aware of how I feel about myself in the world, aware of how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-try-to-be-aware-of-what-i-m-concerned-about-aware-of-how-i-feel/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [“Behold a fire from the opposite shore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/behold-a-fire-from-the-opposite-shore/) [Chang-rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [“I would give most anything to hear my father's talk again, the crash and bang and stop of his language, always hurtling by. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-would-give-most-anything-to-hear-my-father-s-talk-again-the-crash/) [Chang-rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [We have hopes and make plans, and if they are dashed or waylaid, we naturally rationalize and redraw the map to locate ourselves anew.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/we-have-hopes-and-make-plans-and-if-they-are-dashed-or-waylaid-we/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [I remember when I was in art classes, I hated following the assignments. And I would get in trouble for doing something totally different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-remember-when-i-was-in-art-classes-i-hated-following-the/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [The past, as you suggest, is absolutely present at all times and the present is born from the past. I wouldn't want to suggest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/the-past-as-you-suggest-is-absolutely-present-at-all-times-and-the/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [Most people don't think about race as much as I do. They don't have to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/most-people-don-t-think-about-race-as-much-as-i-do-they-don-t-have-to/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [Not to any really influential effect, but certainly there have been comments that have surprised me. It's surprising sometimes to get particular perspectives on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/not-to-any-really-influential-effect-but-certainly-there-have-been/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [My family immigrated when I was 3, and our predecessors inhabited the Korean Peninsula for as long as can be recalled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/my-family-immigrated-when-i-was-3-and-our-predecessors-inhabited-the/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [After college, I was living in New York and wrote furiously, a huge novel that I knew was a failure. I hoped that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/after-college-i-was-living-in-new-york-and-wrote-furiously-a-huge/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [Usually, when you're talking about work with other writers it's because something seriously bad is going on with your work and you've absolutely thrown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/usually-when-you-re-talking-about-work-with-other-writers-it-s/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [ I had a visceral connection to the period \[of Korean War\]. By visceral I suppose I mean emotional. But every fiction requires so much… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-had-a-visceral-connection-to-the-period-of-korean-war-by-visceral-i/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) [Explore all 133 Chang-Rae Lee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) ## More Asks quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-wear-a-watch-because-i-want-my-arms-to-weigh-the-same-so-if/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I am a practicing Catholic, but my lineage is Jewish, so if someone asks me if I'm Jewish, I say yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-campbell/i-am-a-practicing-catholic-but-my-lineage-is-jewish-so-if-someone/) [Neve Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-campbell/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [Why did Erich von Stronheim leave Germany? Why did Hitchcock leave England? If you were a director you'd like to work in Hollywood too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/why-did-erich-von-stronheim-leave-germany-why-did-hitchcock-leave/) [Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/) > [There is nothing more I ask of this life than this moment, exactly so. And suddenly forever seems like too short a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-andreas/there-is-nothing-more-i-ask-of-this-life-than-this-moment-exactly-so/) [Brian Andreas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-andreas/) > [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [The most fundamental question we can ever ask ourselves is whether or not the universe we live in is friendly or hostile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-most-fundamental-question-we-can-ever-ask-ourselves-is-whether-or/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [Ask God for temp'rance. That's th' appliance only Which your disease requires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/ask-god-for-temp-rance-that-s-th-appliance-only-which-your-disease/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I don't know how to say it exactly. Only...I want to die as myself. Does that make any sense?' he asks. I shake my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-don-t-know-how-to-say-it-exactly-only-i-want-to-die-as-myself-does/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [Physicist Isador Isaac Rabi, who won a Nobel Prize for inventing a technique that permitted scientists to probe the structure of atoms and molecules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/physicist-isador-isaac-rabi-who-won-a-nobel-prize-for-inventing-a/) [Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/) [Browse all 7,138 Asks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We can skip through a lot of the stuff people might ask about the writing of the book, and so their comments always start well, well down into the nitty-gritty.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Chang-Rae Lee" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/we-can-skip-through-a-lot-of-the-stuff-people-might-ask-about-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Asks" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/we-can-skip-through-a-lot-of-the-stuff-people-might-ask-about-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/897/chang-rae-lee-3318_asks_we-can-skip-through-a-lot-of-the-stuff-p_963175.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/897/chang-rae-lee-3318_asks_we-can-skip-through-a-lot-of-the-stuff-p_963175.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/897/chang-rae-lee-3318_asks_we-can-skip-through-a-lot-of-the-stuff-p_963175.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We can skip through a lot of the stuff people might ask about the writing of the book, and so their comments…” — Chang-Rae Lee", "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": "Chang-Rae Lee", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We can skip through a lot...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/we-can-skip-through-a-lot-of-the-stuff-people-might-ask-about-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/we-can-skip-through-a-lot-of-the-stuff-people-might-ask-about-the/#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 } } ] } ```