--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was starting out there was no…" description: "\"When I was starting out there was no Internet, there wasn't this sense that you could be connected to other writers around the world. And that created ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aea/dani-shapiro-2273_around-the-world_when-i-was-starting-out-there-was-no-int_916972.png" --- # When I was starting out there was no Internet, there… ![“When I was starting out there was no Internet, there wasn't this sense that you could be connected to other writers around the world. And that created a kind of innocence, or parochial quality, even in NYC.” quote by Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aea/dani-shapiro-2273_around-the-world_when-i-was-starting-out-there-was-no-int_916972.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aea/dani-shapiro-2273_around-the-world_when-i-was-starting-out-there-was-no-int_916972.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aea/dani-shapiro-2273_around-the-world_when-i-was-starting-out-there-was-no-int_916972.png) > “When I was starting out there was no Internet, there wasn't this sense that you could be connected to other writers around the world. And that created a kind of innocence, or parochial quality, even in NYC.” [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early writing lacked internet connectivity, fostering a more isolated and innocent creative environment. **In simple terms:** Before the internet, writers felt more isolated and innocent. Key Takeaway Value focused, offline creativity. Themes isolation innocence technology writing community Mood nostalgic contemplative Type reflective analytical When to use this quote - writer retreats - offline workshops - historical analysis - literary criticism - personal essays Key Concepts digital vs analog creation creative solitude Questions to Reflect On - How does connectivity shape your writing? - What benefits come from digital isolation? A Different Perspective May romanticize past hardships. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Around the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/around-the-world/) [Innocence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innocence/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) [Starting out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starting-out/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“It's a razor's edge kind of innocence, which relies on a willingness to be duped for the sake of transcending ordinary experience, for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maud-casey/it-s-a-razor-s-edge-kind-of-innocence-which-relies-on-a-willingness/) Maud Casey > [“Ah no, he did not want May to have that kind of innocence that seals the mind against imagination and the heart against experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/ah-no-he-did-not-want-may-to-have-that-kind-of-innocence-that-seals/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Ah, no, he did not want May to have that kind of innocence, the innocence that seals the mind against imagination and the heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/ah-no-he-did-not-want-may-to-have-that-kind-of-innocence-the/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [The Internet wasn't even an option for me, so one of the reasons I was so motivated to do street art was because there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shepard-fairey/the-internet-wasn-t-even-an-option-for-me-so-one-of-the-reasons-i-was/) [Shepard Fairey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shepard-fairey/) > [The Internet wasn't useful until some basic infrastructure was built.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brock-pierce/the-internet-wasn-t-useful-until-some-basic-infrastructure-was-built/) [Brock Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brock-pierce/) > [The internet wasn't created for mockery, it was supposed to help researchers at different universities share data sets. It was!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/the-internet-wasn-t-created-for-mockery-it-was-supposed-to-help/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/) > [Thirty years ago, the Pandora's box of the Internet wasn't yet a fact of life, and celebrities inhabited a more remote, hard-to-reach plane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-sneed/thirty-years-ago-the-pandora-s-box-of-the-internet-wasn-t-yet-a-fact/) [Christine Sneed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-sneed/) > [I have a lot of feminist idols. My favorite thing about growing up in Arkansas - well, not favorite but something I've always felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/i-have-a-lot-of-feminist-idols-my-favorite-thing-about-growing-up-in/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [I always had a big fan base on the Internet, but it wasn't as a rapper. 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"BabyGirl" Reynolds-Frasier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/qwana-m-babygirl-reynolds-frasier/) > [“There is nothing Tourettic about the New York City subways.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/there-is-nothing-tourettic-about-the-new-york-city-subways/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) > [That's how quickly New York City comes about - like a weather wane - or the head of a cobra. Time tells which.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/that-s-how-quickly-new-york-city-comes-about-like-a-weather-wane-or/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [I went to a college in New York called New Paltz. I studied theater there for four years. I also studied privately in NYC…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aida-turturro/i-went-to-a-college-in-new-york-called-new-paltz-i-studied-theater/) [Aida Turturro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aida-turturro/) ## More by Dani Shapiro > [“The writer’s life requires courage, patience, empathy, openness. It requires the ability to be alone with oneself. Gentle with oneself. To be disciplined, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/the-writer-s-life-requires-courage-patience-empathy-openness-it/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [I never troll for material. It simply presents itself, and is always unmistakable. This is why I want to roll my eyes when people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-never-troll-for-material-it-simply-presents-itself-and-is-always/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [I had never really felt settled in Brooklyn. I think it had to do with growing up in New Jersey and being someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-had-never-really-felt-settled-in-brooklyn-i-think-it-had-to-do-with/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [When I near the end of a book, it feels as if the entire universe meets me more than halfway and supports me. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/when-i-near-the-end-of-a-book-it-feels-as-if-the-entire-universe/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [Everything you need to know about life can be learned from a genuine and ongoing attempt to write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/everything-you-need-to-know-about-life-can-be-learned-from-a-genuine/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [We don't choose what's going to wake us up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/we-don-t-choose-what-s-going-to-wake-us-up/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [Everything changes. The more I try to hold on to the moment, the more it slips through my fingers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/everything-changes-the-more-i-try-to-hold-on-to-the-moment-the-more/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [There is no end to the promotion. There is no end to the possibilities. You can continue to promote a book for years, literally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/there-is-no-end-to-the-promotion-there-is-no-end-to-the-possibilities/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [We can't protect ourselves from pain and heartache.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/we-can-t-protect-ourselves-from-pain-and-heartache/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [A writer with her work needs to be like a dog with a bone all the time. She needs to know where she's hidden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/a-writer-with-her-work-needs-to-be-like-a-dog-with-a-bone-all-the/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [“Oh, child! Somewhere inside you, your future has already unfurled like one of those coiled-up party streamers, once shiny, shaken loose, floating gracefully for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/oh-child-somewhere-inside-you-your-future-has-already-unfurled-like/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [I never feel so alive as when I'm writing and the work is going well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-never-feel-so-alive-as-when-i-m-writing-and-the-work-is-going-well/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [I do strongly identify with being Jewish. I was raised Orthodox and had a childhood complicated by the fact that my father was deeply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-do-strongly-identify-with-being-jewish-i-was-raised-orthodox-and/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [The fact is that most husbands, regardless of religion - it's an old-fashioned gender divide where the husband wants to stay home and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/the-fact-is-that-most-husbands-regardless-of-religion-it-s-an-old/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [Novels are my favorite to write and read. I do like writing personal essays, too. I'm not really a short story writer, nor do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/novels-are-my-favorite-to-write-and-read-i-do-like-writing-personal/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) [Explore all 175 Dani Shapiro quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) ## More Around the world quotes > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [I guess, it's a father's dream for his daughter to be known around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-soberano/i-guess-it-s-a-father-s-dream-for-his-daughter-to-be-known-around-the/) [Liza Soberano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-soberano/) > [Look at music for what it's worth around the world and not just America. In other countries, people are still buying CDs and going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/look-at-music-for-what-it-s-worth-around-the-world-and-not-just/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [Throughout our history, the words of the Declaration have inspired immigrants from around the world to set sail to our shores. These immigrants have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/throughout-our-history-the-words-of-the-declaration-have-inspired/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [It's difficult to believe in yourself because the idea of self is an artificial construction. You are, in fact, part of the glorious oneness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-brand/it-s-difficult-to-believe-in-yourself-because-the-idea-of-self-is-an/) [Russell Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-brand/) > [We know the candidate Barack Obama, what he was like - the anti-war government nig... America was a source for division around the world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/we-know-the-candidate-barack-obama-what-he-was-like-the-anti-war/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) > [Since 'coming out,' I've marched in gay pride parades all around the world, I've filled my home full of rainbow tat and I've become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carr/since-coming-out-i-ve-marched-in-gay-pride-parades-all-around-the/) [Liz Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carr/) > [Once, as an experiment, I travelled around the world with a single suit. Before I left, I went to a tailor in Savile Row…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hamilton/once-as-an-experiment-i-travelled-around-the-world-with-a-single-suit/) [George Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hamilton/) > [Thanks to all members of the military around the world for giving me the ultimate motivation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalya-neidhart/thanks-to-all-members-of-the-military-around-the-world-for-giving-me/) [Natalya Neidhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalya-neidhart/) > [I look at what's happening around the world and I see Iran four years closer to a bomb. I see the Middle East with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/i-look-at-what-s-happening-around-the-world-and-i-see-iran-four-years/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [“The low point occurred in July, during Romney’s junior week abroad, in which the press became increasingly frustrated over Romney’s refusal to talk to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/the-low-point-occurred-in-july-during-romney-s-junior-week-abroad-in/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [I believe there definitely are good things about social networking. It's a way for people to connect all around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizzie-velasquez/i-believe-there-definitely-are-good-things-about-social-networking-it/) [Lizzie Velasquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizzie-velasquez/) > [“Isn’t everyone on the planet or at least everyone on the planet called me stuck between the two impulses of wanting to walk away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/isn-t-everyone-on-the-planet-or-at-least-everyone-on-the-planet/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [You always can improve and I think that's the beauty of international cricket, particularly test cricket, is playing all around the world against different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kane-williamson/you-always-can-improve-and-i-think-that-s-the-beauty-of-international/) [Kane Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kane-williamson/) > [Trump is reviled around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-reid/trump-is-reviled-around-the-world/) [Joy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-reid/) [Browse all 3,349 Around the world quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/around-the-world/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was starting out there was no Internet, there wasn't this sense that you could be connected to other writers around the world. 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