---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But I do think it's important to remember…"
description: "\"But I do think it's important to remember that writers do not have a monopoly of wisdom on their books. They can be wrong about their own books, they c..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c9/china-mi-ville-1303_book_but-i-do-think-it-s-important-to-remembe_2091587.png"
---

#  But I do think it's important to remember that writers do…

![“But I do think it's important to remember that writers do not have a monopoly of wisdom on their books. They can be wrong about their own books, they can often learn about their own books.” quote by China Mieville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c9/china-mi-ville-1303_book_but-i-do-think-it-s-important-to-remembe_2091587.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c9/china-mi-ville-1303_book_but-i-do-think-it-s-important-to-remembe_2091587.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c9/china-mi-ville-1303_book_but-i-do-think-it-s-important-to-remembe_2091587.png)

> “But I do think it's important to remember that writers do not have a monopoly of wisdom on their books. They can be wrong about their own books, they can often learn about their own books.”

[China Mieville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/)

## About This Quote

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

Writers, like any creators, can misinterpret their own work, so readers should critically engage rather than accept authority.

**In simple terms:** Authors can be wrong about their books.

Key Takeaway

Question the author's intent and form your own view.

Themes

critical thinking authorial humility interpretation

Mood

analytical inquisitive

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- book clubs
- literary analysis
- writing workshops
- academic courses

Key Concepts

subjectivity creative process

Questions to Reflect On

- What evidence supports your reading?
- How does author bias affect interpretation?

A Different Perspective

Readers may lack context to fully assess a work.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Books Learn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-learn-362303/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Learn Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learn-books-491100/) [Monopoly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monopoly/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Remember Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember-writers-461801/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers/) [Writers Monopoly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers-monopoly-4137165/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [“Yes, it’s true that you can’t learn everything from books. But you do learn something about everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-zafra/yes-it-s-true-that-you-can-t-learn-everything-from-books-but-you-do/)

[Jessica Zafra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-zafra/)

> [You can only learn so much from books. You can only learn so much from education. Ultimately, it is the wisdom of God that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/you-can-only-learn-so-much-from-books-you-can-only-learn-so-much-from/)

[Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/)

> [That is one last thing to remember: writers are always selling somebody out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/that-is-one-last-thing-to-remember-writers-are-always-selling/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [Remember, when the writers refer to themselves as 'we' and to the reader as 'you,' this is two against one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-rascoe/remember-when-the-writers-refer-to-themselves-as-we-and-to-the-reader/)

[Judith Rascoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-rascoe/)

> [People tend to forget that my presence runs counter to their best interests. And it always does. That is one last thing to remember.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/people-tend-to-forget-that-my-presence-runs-counter-to-their-best/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [“You say you're a writer but you're depressed. Not an excuse; write from there. Write some depressing sh\*t. Believe me. You will have plenty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-christopher/you-say-you-re-a-writer-but-you-re-depressed-not-an-excuse-write-from/)

[Stanley Christopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-christopher/)

> [Teachers try to teach me things in books but I learn better by experience. That's what life is anyways, a experience. I can watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-bognar/teachers-try-to-teach-me-things-in-books-but-i-learn-better-by/)

[Jenna Bognar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-bognar/)

> [I like to co-author books to learn from those I write with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-ulrich/i-like-to-co-author-books-to-learn-from-those-i-write-with/)

[Dave Ulrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-ulrich/)

> [“We are very fond of books. You can learn nearly everything from them that rabbits can't teach you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-snow/we-are-very-fond-of-books-you-can-learn-nearly-everything-from-them/)

[Alan Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-snow/)

> [“You can´t learn leadership from books. You learn it by following.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alin-sav/you-can-t-learn-leadership-from-books-you-learn-it-by-following/)

[Alin Sav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alin-sav/)

> [“You don't learn anything just by reading books. You learn only by receiving blows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-prajnanpad/you-don-t-learn-anything-just-by-reading-books-you-learn-only-by/)

[Swami Prajnanpad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-prajnanpad/)

> [My philosophy on writing books is that if you learn only one new thing, or even get a new take on something you already…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-scott-bell/my-philosophy-on-writing-books-is-that-if-you-learn-only-one-new/)

[James Scott Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-scott-bell/)

> [“We read Books to Learn, Earn our Living above all to live wisely and Creative Never forget good books are Long term investments with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-t-v-rao-md/we-read-books-to-learn-earn-our-living-above-all-to-live-wisely-and/)

[Dr.T.V.Rao MD](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-t-v-rao-md/)

> [We learn so much about the world by what we take in through movies and TV and books - we learn who's worthy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-han/we-learn-so-much-about-the-world-by-what-we-take-in-through-movies/)

[Jenny Han](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-han/)

> [Lovers of audio books learn to live with compromise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/lovers-of-audio-books-learn-to-live-with-compromise/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

## More by China Mieville

> [“I just can't get with this idea that literature is a 12-step program. If someone wants to read a book to see good people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/i-just-can-t-get-with-this-idea-that-literature-is-a-12-step-program/)

[China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/)

> [“Houses built on bridges are scandals. A bridge wants to not be. If it could choose its shape, a bridge would be no shape,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/houses-built-on-bridges-are-scandals-a-bridge-wants-to-not-be-if-it/)

[China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/)

> [Remember the movements that don't look like moving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/remember-the-movements-that-don-t-look-like-moving/)

[China Mieville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/)

> [“Either way, it is a curio of the moment that hard-left advocates of ‘all power to the soviets’ were delegated by a soviet opponent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/either-way-it-is-a-curio-of-the-moment-that-hard-left-advocates-of/)

[China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/)

> [It felt like being a child again, though it was not. Being a child is like nothing. It's only being. Later, when we think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/it-felt-like-being-a-child-again-though-it-was-not-being-a-child-is/)

[China Mieville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/)

> [“We have to establish our credentials as an explorocracy; so to survive and rule ourselves, we have to explore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/we-have-to-establish-our-credentials-as-an-explorocracy-so-to-survive/)

[China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/)

> [“So long as it fated, fate didn’t care what it fated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/so-long-as-it-fated-fate-didn-t-care-what-it-fated/)

[China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/)

> [“Everything's fit to be worshipped.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/everything-s-fit-to-be-worshipped/)

[China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/)

> [“Death isn't what it used to be”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/death-isn-t-what-it-used-to-be/)

[China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/)

> [“almanacs, or what was left of them when those pages making incorrect predictions and offering unhelpful advice had been torn out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/almanacs-or-what-was-left-of-them-when-those-pages-making-incorrect/)

[China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/)

> [“There are no telepaths in this universe, I think, but there are empathics, with languages so silent that they may as well be sharing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/there-are-no-telepaths-in-this-universe-i-think-but-there-are/)

[China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/)

> [“The poets and artists and philosophers, resistance activists, secret scouts and troublemakers, had become, as they must, soldiers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/the-poets-and-artists-and-philosophers-resistance-activists-secret/)

[China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/)

> [“The city’s a heart, I said, and in that a heart and a city were sutured into a third thing, a heartish city, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/the-city-s-a-heart-i-said-and-in-that-a-heart-and-a-city-were-sutured/)

[China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/)

> [“As he got older, Billy suspected, he would, Dicaprio-like, simply become like an increasingly wizened child.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/as-he-got-older-billy-suspected-he-would-dicaprio-like-simply-become/)

[China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/)

> [Scars are memory. Like sutures. They stitch the past to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/scars-are-memory-like-sutures-they-stitch-the-past-to-me/)

[China Mieville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/)

[Explore all 257 China Mieville quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/)

## 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": "But I do think it's important to remember that writers do not have a monopoly of wisdom on their books. They can be wrong about their own books, they can often learn about their own books.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "China Mieville"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/but-i-do-think-it-s-important-to-remember-that-writers-do-not-have-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/but-i-do-think-it-s-important-to-remember-that-writers-do-not-have-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c9/china-mi-ville-1303_book_but-i-do-think-it-s-important-to-remembe_2091587.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c9/china-mi-ville-1303_book_but-i-do-think-it-s-important-to-remembe_2091587.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c9/china-mi-ville-1303_book_but-i-do-think-it-s-important-to-remembe_2091587.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“But I do think it's important to remember that writers do not have a monopoly of wisdom on their books. They…” — China Mieville",
                "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": "China Mieville",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "But I do think it's important...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/but-i-do-think-it-s-important-to-remember-that-writers-do-not-have-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/but-i-do-think-it-s-important-to-remember-that-writers-do-not-have-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
