--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The feeling of being an outsider, and the…" description: "\"The feeling of being an outsider, and the identity theme, are hardwired into me. If there's anything really autobiographical in my fiction, it's that f..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78a/dan-chaon-2729_feeling_the-feeling-of-being-an-outsider-and-the_1115476.png" --- # The feeling of being an outsider, and the identity theme… ![“The feeling of being an outsider, and the identity theme, are hardwired into me. If there's anything really autobiographical in my fiction, it's that feeling. I always feel that way.” quote by Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78a/dan-chaon-2729_feeling_the-feeling-of-being-an-outsider-and-the_1115476.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78a/dan-chaon-2729_feeling_the-feeling-of-being-an-outsider-and-the_1115476.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78a/dan-chaon-2729_feeling_the-feeling-of-being-an-outsider-and-the_1115476.png) > “The feeling of being an outsider, and the identity theme, are hardwired into me. If there's anything really autobiographical in my fiction, it's that feeling. I always feel that way.” [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Feeling like an outsider is a deep, personal truth that informs the author’s work. **In simple terms:** Feeling like an outsider shapes his writing. Key Takeaway Acknowledge and explore feelings of otherness. Themes alienation identity creativity Mood introspective melancholic Type literary personal When to use this quote - writing - teaching - community building - self‑reflection Key Concepts literary analysis psychology Questions to Reflect On - When do you feel most like an outsider? - How does this feeling influence your creative output? A Different Perspective May generalize personal feeling to all outsiders. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Outsiders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outsiders/) ## Related quotes > [Metal is the feeling of being an outsider, but still being part of something huge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-posehn/metal-is-the-feeling-of-being-an-outsider-but-still-being-part-of/) [Brian Posehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-posehn/) > [I truly love science fiction; it's feeling you're something more than your present position in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hewlett/i-truly-love-science-fiction-it-s-feeling-you-re-something-more-than/) [David Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hewlett/) > [“The proper stuff of fiction” does not exist everything is the proper stuff of fiction every feeling every thought every quality of brain and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-proper-stuff-of-fiction-does-not-exist-everything-is-the-proper-2/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [The proper stuff of fiction' does not exist; everything is the proper stuff of fiction, every feeling, every thought; every quality of brain and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-proper-stuff-of-fiction-does-not-exist-everything-is-the-proper/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [Fiction is about feeling, which is to say that short stories are about all of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bailey/fiction-is-about-feeling-which-is-to-say-that-short-stories-are-about/) Tom Bailey > [The feeling of being an outsider was a big part of my childhood. I think that helps comedians. That feeling of being an outsider.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-braunohler/the-feeling-of-being-an-outsider-was-a-big-part-of-my-childhood-i/) [Kurt Braunohler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-braunohler/) > [I can't go back and label myself as an outcast because I was a pretty well-adjusted kid, but I can certainly relate to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lasse-hallstrom/i-can-t-go-back-and-label-myself-as-an-outcast-because-i-was-a-pretty/) [Lasse Hallstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lasse-hallstrom/) > [In some ways, my most comfortable feeling has been that of being an outsider coming in, but over the years I've tired of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-washburn/in-some-ways-my-most-comfortable-feeling-has-been-that-of-being-an/) [Abigail Washburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-washburn/) > [No matter what you eventually become - free, empowered - the lingering feeling of 'once an outsider, always an outsider' is very vivid for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-and-the-queens/no-matter-what-you-eventually-become-free-empowered-the-lingering/) [Christine and the Queens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-and-the-queens/) > [I think the thing is that you're very affected by your early life, and I think that if you ever had that feeling of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-burton/i-think-the-thing-is-that-you-re-very-affected-by-your-early-life-and/) [Tim Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-burton/) > [I don't view my memory as accurate or static - and, in autobiographical fiction, my focus is still on creating an effect, not on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/i-don-t-view-my-memory-as-accurate-or-static-and-in-autobiographical/) [Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) > [It is so common to write autobiographical fiction in which your own experience is thinly disguised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-leavitt/it-is-so-common-to-write-autobiographical-fiction-in-which-your-own/) [David Leavitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-leavitt/) > [I don't think there's such a thing as autobiographical fiction. If I say it happened, it happened, even if only in my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-don-t-think-there-s-such-a-thing-as-autobiographical-fiction-if-i/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Reading the several thousand pages of Christopher Isherwood's complete journals is an instructive corrective to the prissiness of reading fiction. Isherwood had faults that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/reading-the-several-thousand-pages-of-christopher-isherwood-s/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [“Perhaps for many Japanese, autobiographical fiction writing is life. We are a people expected to complement, to harmonize, to anticipate one another's needs. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-minatoya/perhaps-for-many-japanese-autobiographical-fiction-writing-is-life-we/) [Lydia Minatoya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-minatoya/) ## More by Dan Chaon > [“Maybe love, like suffering, is relative. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/maybe-love-like-suffering-is-relative/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [Even when our death is imminent, we carry the image of ourselves moving forward, alive, into the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/even-when-our-death-is-imminent-we-carry-the-image-of-ourselves/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [For the last few years I've tried to force myself to write at least one page every day, which doesn't sound like much but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/for-the-last-few-years-i-ve-tried-to-force-myself-to-write-at-least/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“It's hard to believe that this is how it's done. That this is how we get here into the world, by accident or design,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/it-s-hard-to-believe-that-this-is-how-it-s-done-that-this-is-how-we/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [I also have just my own limits about stuff. I'm not interested in writing graphically about sexual assault for example. I feel like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/i-also-have-just-my-own-limits-about-stuff-i-m-not-interested-in/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“I have to admit that most of the time I read in the same way that I smoke and chew gum and jiggle my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/i-have-to-admit-that-most-of-the-time-i-read-in-the-same-way-that-i/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“Outside, the sleet had gotten thicker. You could hear it pebbling against the large glass windows, you could see it swirling wildly through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/outside-the-sleet-had-gotten-thicker-you-could-hear-it-pebbling/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [I was worried that, as a college teacher, if I wrote too much about intergenerational sex my students would be creeped out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/i-was-worried-that-as-a-college-teacher-if-i-wrote-too-much-about/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [Plot and scene are still the hardest things for me, though I think they're the building blocks of what makes a story work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/plot-and-scene-are-still-the-hardest-things-for-me-though-i-think/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“I've been talking to myself a lot lately. I don't know what that's about, but my mother was the same way. She hated to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/i-ve-been-talking-to-myself-a-lot-lately-i-don-t-know-what-that-s/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“Your Mom's Car. Think about that. Try to wrap your brain around the supernatural and spiritual implications that the name bears down you. Your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/your-mom-s-car-think-about-that-try-to-wrap-your-brain-around-the/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“He pictures amputated human arms flopping like fish down the center of the road; syringes floating on beds of liposuctioned fat; gelatinous human eyeballs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/he-pictures-amputated-human-arms-flopping-like-fish-down-the-center/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“In the basement of Sydney's new house is a little room that is about the size and shape of a coffin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/in-the-basement-of-sydney-s-new-house-is-a-little-room-that-is-about/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“It’s called apophenia. It’s the tendency we humans have to find meaning in disconnected information. For example, some people believe in what’s called the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/it-s-called-apophenia-it-s-the-tendency-we-humans-have-to-find/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [I would say that all short stories have mystery naturally built into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/i-would-say-that-all-short-stories-have-mystery-naturally-built-into/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) [Explore all 152 Dan Chaon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) ## More Feeling quotes > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My feeling has always been that 'Good Eats' would have never happened had it been left to a committee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alton-brown/my-feeling-has-always-been-that-good-eats-would-have-never-happened/) [Alton Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alton-brown/) > [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/) [Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/) > [Tryna hide this pain with these pain killers, she said the storms only will last a little while but shit it got me feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myself/tryna-hide-this-pain-with-these-pain-killers-she-said-the-storms-only/) Myself > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) Jennifer Siebel Newsom > [Hate not knowing when things are going to happen feeling different every single day. It is called LIFE…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-valdovinos/hate-not-knowing-when-things-are-going-to-happen-feeling-different/) Stephanie Valdovinos > [The best feeling comes when you realise, that you are perfectly happy without the things, once you thought you needed the most…!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-best-feeling-comes-when-you-realise-that-you-are-perfectly-happy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I love transforming myself constantly because it gives me that 'new' feeling that I'm very much addicted to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-mondo/i-love-transforming-myself-constantly-because-it-gives-me-that-new/) [Brad Mondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-mondo/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [There has always been a feeling with people that they love my singing but not always the choice of material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/there-has-always-been-a-feeling-with-people-that-they-love-my-singing/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) Ryan Newman > [What I do miss that I don't get anymore? You're going to think I'm crazy, but you want the truth, so here it is.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mandrell/what-i-do-miss-that-i-don-t-get-anymore-you-re-going-to-think-i-m/) [Barbara Mandrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mandrell/) > [I think kids growing up, if they were picked on and feeling inferior at 12, they're going to feel that way at 72. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvester-stallone/i-think-kids-growing-up-if-they-were-picked-on-and-feeling-inferior/) [Sylvester Stallone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvester-stallone/) > [I don't think Alfonso was a big expert on Potter either. He was feeling his way through it more than I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-thewlis/i-don-t-think-alfonso-was-a-big-expert-on-potter-either-he-was/) [David Thewlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-thewlis/) > [The most difficult part for me is feeling connected to the people that I love but always being on the go to different places.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-franti/the-most-difficult-part-for-me-is-feeling-connected-to-the-people/) [Michael Franti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-franti/) Browse all 8,809 Feeling quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The feeling of being an outsider, and the identity theme, are hardwired into me. If there's anything really autobiographical in my fiction, it's that feeling. I always feel that way.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dan Chaon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/the-feeling-of-being-an-outsider-and-the-identity-theme-are-hardwired/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Feeling" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/the-feeling-of-being-an-outsider-and-the-identity-theme-are-hardwired/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78a/dan-chaon-2729_feeling_the-feeling-of-being-an-outsider-and-the_1115476.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78a/dan-chaon-2729_feeling_the-feeling-of-being-an-outsider-and-the_1115476.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78a/dan-chaon-2729_feeling_the-feeling-of-being-an-outsider-and-the_1115476.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The feeling of being an outsider, and the identity theme, are hardwired into me. If there's anything really…” — Dan Chaon", "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": "Dan Chaon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The feeling of being an outsider,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/the-feeling-of-being-an-outsider-and-the-identity-theme-are-hardwired/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/the-feeling-of-being-an-outsider-and-the-identity-theme-are-hardwired/#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 } } ] } ```