--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's a huge distance between who I am…" description: "\"There's a huge distance between who I am as a regular person and what takes place in my fiction.\" — David Means" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df5/david-means-12399_distance_there-s-a-huge-distance-between-who-i-am_2363384.jpg" --- # There's a huge distance between who I am as a regular… ![“There's a huge distance between who I am as a regular person and what takes place in my fiction.” quote by David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df5/david-means-12399_distance_there-s-a-huge-distance-between-who-i-am_2363384.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df5/david-means-12399_distance_there-s-a-huge-distance-between-who-i-am_2363384.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/df5/david-means-12399_distance_there-s-a-huge-distance-between-who-i-am_2363384.jpg) > “There's a huge distance between who I am as a regular person and what takes place in my fiction.” [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) ## 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 distinguishes his personal identity from the characters and events he creates in fiction. **In simple terms:** Separate self from fictional world. Key Takeaway Maintain boundaries between personal life and creative work. Themes identity creativity boundary Mood reflective introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - writing workshops - personal journaling - creative blocks Key Concepts self‑concept artistic expression Questions to Reflect On - How do you keep personal bias out of your stories? - Can fiction ever be truly separate from the author? A Different Perspective Fiction can unintentionally reveal personal truths. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) ## Related quotes > [It is true that some of my fiction was based on actual events. 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I want to be able to enjoy everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-embiid/i-always-think-about-myself-as-like-a-regular-person-i-want-to-be/) [Joel Embiid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-embiid/) > [I'm really pretty much a regular person who just got very lucky. I got involved early on in my life with a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-mathis/i-m-really-pretty-much-a-regular-person-who-just-got-very-lucky-i-got/) [Johnny Mathis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-mathis/) > [I love being with my family and just being a regular person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-guest/i-love-being-with-my-family-and-just-being-a-regular-person/) [Christopher Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-guest/) > [I identify with the regular person, because that is who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-griffin/i-identify-with-the-regular-person-because-that-is-who-i-am/) [Kathy Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-griffin/) > [“I know I'm a little different from everyone else, but I'm still human being. That's what I'd like you to realize. I'm just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-know-i-m-a-little-different-from-everyone-else-but-i-m-still-human/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [In terms of being a vessel for female empowerment and a role model for young girls, I take it on gladly and seriously, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kylie-bunbury/in-terms-of-being-a-vessel-for-female-empowerment-and-a-role-model/) [Kylie Bunbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kylie-bunbury/) > [I'm just a regular person, nothing more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-walker/i-m-just-a-regular-person-nothing-more/) [Summer Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-walker/) > [Sometimes I'm happy - you can tell via Twitter. Sometimes I'm pissed off - you can tell via Twitter. I just think, at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wale/sometimes-i-m-happy-you-can-tell-via-twitter-sometimes-i-m-pissed-off/) [Wale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wale/) > [I don't always want to play the wacky, crazy parts. I love having the opportunity to play a regular person in an irregular situation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-gries/i-don-t-always-want-to-play-the-wacky-crazy-parts-i-love-having-the/) [Jon Gries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-gries/) > [I was bringing my attitude as a regular person 'cause this is my attitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-danzig/i-was-bringing-my-attitude-as-a-regular-person-cause-this-is-my/) [Glenn Danzig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-danzig/) > [I'm a regular person. I'm a regular guy. As a kid, I played games. As a kid, I liked poetry. As a kid, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myles-garrett/i-m-a-regular-person-i-m-a-regular-guy-as-a-kid-i-played-games-as-a/) [Myles Garrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myles-garrett/) > [Food as a hobby used to be an elite pastime, and it has become something that is totally ordinary for people of every background.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/food-as-a-hobby-used-to-be-an-elite-pastime-and-it-has-become/) [Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/) ## More by David Means > [In the days following 9/11, when we were reeling and disoriented, there was a kind of solace to be found in old recordings, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/in-the-days-following-9-11-when-we-were-reeling-and-disoriented-there/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) > [Wars never simply end, not for those in combat and not for the culture, and one way or another, they shape-shift from generation to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/wars-never-simply-end-not-for-those-in-combat-and-not-for-the-culture/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) > [Every interaction with another person involves a dance of expectation, even when you're just passing someone in the street. Inside those moments - however…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/every-interaction-with-another-person-involves-a-dance-of-expectation/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) > [I love the nooks and crannies of the American landscape; the back roads and back alleys, the places that are still untouched by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/i-love-the-nooks-and-crannies-of-the-american-landscape-the-back/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) > [I love novels, and I read them more than anything, but stories cut in sharp and hard and are able to reveal things in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/i-love-novels-and-i-read-them-more-than-anything-but-stories-cut-in/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) > [The more you know about Bob Dylan, the less you know. A truly enigmatic artist, Mr. Dylan's work and life offer vaporous handholds, explanations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/the-more-you-know-about-bob-dylan-the-less-you-know-a-truly-enigmatic/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) > [As a story writer, you have work with sharp but relatively small tools, the picks of metaphor, the shovel blade of images, the trowel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/as-a-story-writer-you-have-work-with-sharp-but-relatively-small-tools/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) > [In 'Kid A' and 'Amnesiac,' Mr. Yorke's lyrics were often unfathomable, moaned and mumbled and forced beneath the surface of the music. In 'Hail…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/in-kid-a-and-amnesiac-mr-yorke-s-lyrics-were-often-unfathomable/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) > [Alice Munro is an atomic writer blasting doors into narrative time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/alice-munro-is-an-atomic-writer-blasting-doors-into-narrative-time/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) > [Iggy Pop is a pure Michigan product - gritty, smart, but not afraid of looking stupid or foolish. His father was once a high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/iggy-pop-is-a-pure-michigan-product-gritty-smart-but-not-afraid-of/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) > [I like landscape, I guess. It's kind of a game to see how you can describe it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/i-like-landscape-i-guess-it-s-kind-of-a-game-to-see-how-you-can/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) > [You don't know what you need when you're a young writer. You can get small slivers of critical input, advice, comments, but if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/you-don-t-know-what-you-need-when-you-re-a-young-writer-you-can-get/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) > [I'm not sure if a writer should talk about themes. Themes arrive out of the deeper structure and concerns, but to me, the main…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/i-m-not-sure-if-a-writer-should-talk-about-themes-themes-arrive-out/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) > [I was an at-home father, taking care of them for seven years when they were babies. I was one of those new-age, at-home dads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/i-was-an-at-home-father-taking-care-of-them-for-seven-years-when-they/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) > [I'm a relatively optimistic kind of guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-means/i-m-a-relatively-optimistic-kind-of-guy/) [David Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) [Explore all 55 David Means quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-means/) ## More Distance quotes > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I raised another shot. "That sound you hear is the heads of moral conservatives spontaneously exploding in the distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-thurman/i-raised-another-shot-that-sound-you-hear-is-the-heads-of-moral/) [Rob Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-thurman/) > [I think hair gel was invented to make it easier to identify assholes from a distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-think-hair-gel-was-invented-to-make-it-easier-to-identify-assholes/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [Distance sometimes endears friendship, and absence sweeteneth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howell/distance-sometimes-endears-friendship-and-absence-sweeteneth-it/) [James Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howell/) > [Prison experience puts distance between me and any person who hasn't been there, done that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/prison-experience-puts-distance-between-me-and-any-person-who-hasn-t/) [Patricia McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcconnell/) > [At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/at-a-distance-we-cannot-conceive-of-the-authority-of-a-despot-who/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [When somebody mentions that I did a play with George C. Scott, I'm like, it can't have happened. What was I doing on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/when-somebody-mentions-that-i-did-a-play-with-george-c-scott-i-m-like/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [She watched the prairies the rivers, the towns slipping past at an untouchable distance below - and she noted that the sense of detachment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-watched-the-prairies-the-rivers-the-towns-slipping-past-at-an/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Memories seem to surface in no particular order, with no time attached. Yesterday can seem as distant as last year. My life now consists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-olsson/memories-seem-to-surface-in-no-particular-order-with-no-time-attached/) [Linda Olsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-olsson/) > [I've never bought this idea of taking a therapeutic distance. If I see a student or house staff cry, I take great faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-ve-never-bought-this-idea-of-taking-a-therapeutic-distance-if-i-see/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [Combining the experience of a seasoned university president with the analysis of a respected legal scholar, Derek Bok explores what he concludes are 'signs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-h-t-rhodes/combining-the-experience-of-a-seasoned-university-president-with-the/) Frank H. T. 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