--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writing, Im convinced, should be a…" description: "\"Writing, Im convinced, should be a subversive activity - frowned on by the authorities - and not one cooed over and praised beyond common sense by some..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5a/dan-simmons-968_activity_writing-im-convinced-should-be-a-subvers_452341.jpg" --- # Writing, Im convinced, should be a subversive activity… ![“Writing, Im convinced, should be a subversive activity - frowned on by the authorities - and not one cooed over and praised beyond common sense by some teacher.” quote by Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5a/dan-simmons-968_activity_writing-im-convinced-should-be-a-subvers_452341.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5a/dan-simmons-968_activity_writing-im-convinced-should-be-a-subvers_452341.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5a/dan-simmons-968_activity_writing-im-convinced-should-be-a-subvers_452341.jpg) > “Writing, Im convinced, should be a subversive activity - frowned on by the authorities - and not one cooed over and praised beyond common sense by some teacher.” [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author suggests that true writing should challenge authority and resist conformity, rather than being praised by those who enforce the status quo. **In simple terms:** Writing should be rebellious, not just praised. Key Takeaway Embrace subversive writing. Themes creativity rebellion authority education Mood defiant provocative Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - academic settings - political dissent - artistic workshops - personal journals Key Concepts postmodernism literary criticism social critique Questions to Reflect On - How can writers balance critique with accessibility? - When does subversion become self‑indulgent? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on rebellion can alienate readers seeking comfort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Activity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/activity/) [Activity Frowned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/activity-frowned-3945549/) [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) [Common sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-sense/) [Convinced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convinced/) [Convinced Subversive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convinced-subversive-3945548/) [Frowned Authorities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frowned-authorities-3945550/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Subversive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subversive/) [Subversive Activity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subversive-activity-3945551/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Writing, I'm convinced, should be a subversive activity - frowned on by the authorities - and not one cooed over and praised beyond common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/writing-i-m-convinced-should-be-a-subversive-activity-frowned-on-by/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [Art is maybe a subversive activity. 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Grandparents can also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-stephens/that-s-the-privilege-of-being-a-grandparent-they-can-indulge-the/) [Toby Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-stephens/) > [Our Christian faith is actually very subversive of the conventional notion of success - the notion that what invests a person with worth is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/our-christian-faith-is-actually-very-subversive-of-the-conventional/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [“Like symbolism, decadence puts forth the idea that the function of literature is to evoke impressions and 'correspondences', rather than to realistically depict the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asti-hustvedt/like-symbolism-decadence-puts-forth-the-idea-that-the-function-of/) [Asti Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asti-hustvedt/) > [“Men circle like bees around honey, buzzing to communicate their sexual despair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-h-krueger/men-circle-like-bees-around-honey-buzzing-to-communicate-their-sexual/) [Carla H Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-h-krueger/) ## More by Dan Simmons > [“That’s all! 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If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [And also I think the rise of other, you could say, destinations for international jihadis mean that Pakistan isn't necessarily the place where people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/and-also-i-think-the-rise-of-other-you-could-say-destinations-for/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [To evoke in oneself a feeling one has once experienced, and having evoked it in oneself, then by means of movements, lines, colors, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-evoke-in-oneself-a-feeling-one-has-once-experienced-and-having/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Fighting's fun, man. 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