--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you had told me twenty years ago that…" description: "\"If you had told me twenty years ago that I would write a novel set in Russia, much less two, I simply wouldn't have believed you. I had no familiarity ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8aa/debra-dean-17204_books_if-you-had-told-me-twenty-years-ago-that_2447311.jpg" --- # If you had told me twenty years ago that I would write a… ![“If you had told me twenty years ago that I would write a novel set in Russia, much less two, I simply wouldn't have believed you. I had no familiarity with Russia or its history, but part of what drives me as a reader, and more and more as a writer, is curiosity, the desire to explore unfamiliar…” quote by Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8aa/debra-dean-17204_books_if-you-had-told-me-twenty-years-ago-that_2447311.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8aa/debra-dean-17204_books_if-you-had-told-me-twenty-years-ago-that_2447311.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8aa/debra-dean-17204_books_if-you-had-told-me-twenty-years-ago-that_2447311.jpg) > “If you had told me twenty years ago that I would write a novel set in Russia, much less two, I simply wouldn't have believed you. I had no familiarity with Russia or its history, but part of what drives me as a reader, and more and more as a writer, is curiosity, the desire to explore unfamiliar terrain and inhabit alternate lives.” [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Curiosity drives creative work, urging us to explore unknown cultures and perspectives. **In simple terms:** Curiosity fuels writing and learning. Key Takeaway Embrace curiosity to expand horizons. Themes curiosity creativity exploration Mood inquisitive inspirational Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - writing projects - travel planning - language study - research - education Key Concepts cultural immersion imaginative empathy Questions to Reflect On - What unknown area excites you? - How can you start learning about it? A Different Perspective Unfamiliar subjects can feel overwhelming without guidance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Curiosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curiosity/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Russia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/russia/) [Twenties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twenties/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I find it really difficult when you make a movie where it is set in Russia and everyone speaks in English. It drives me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-macdonald/i-find-it-really-difficult-when-you-make-a-movie-where-it-is-set-in/) [Kevin Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-macdonald/) > [My fear, as a writer, is that I am a curiosity. That I can only bring you this peculiar condition from far away, from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-burgess/my-fear-as-a-writer-is-that-i-am-a-curiosity-that-i-can-only-bring/) [Tony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-burgess/) > [Theories that diseases are caused by mental states and can be cured by will power, are always an index of how much is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/theories-that-diseases-are-caused-by-mental-states-and-can-be-cured/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [Foreign policy - dealing as it does with the most charged political subjects of all, the safety and dignity of the nation - will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/foreign-policy-dealing-as-it-does-with-the-most-charged-political/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [For far too long economists have sought to define themselves in terms of their supposedly scientific methods. In fact, those methods rely on an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-piketty/for-far-too-long-economists-have-sought-to-define-themselves-in-terms/) [Thomas Piketty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-piketty/) > [My novels about medieval Wales were set in unexplored terrain; my readers did not know what lay around every bend in the road.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-kay-penman/my-novels-about-medieval-wales-were-set-in-unexplored-terrain-my/) [Sharon Kay Penman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-kay-penman/) > [It's completely different, for instance, to report on poor farmers in Africa than it is to report on, say, poor African-Americans. 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I find flawed characters much more interesting than perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-try-to-write-about-real-women-real-people-in-other-words-flawed-2/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [Unlike running on a road or concrete, natural surfaces are more forgiving and offer a more varied terrain, ultimately resulting in less repetitive micro-trauma…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-karnazes/unlike-running-on-a-road-or-concrete-natural-surfaces-are-more/) [Dean Karnazes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-karnazes/) > [Occasionally, I like to select a mentor, a master, and let him guide me through a revision of one of my paintings... I try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rico-lebrun/occasionally-i-like-to-select-a-mentor-a-master-and-let-him-guide-me/) [Rico Lebrun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rico-lebrun/) > [There is no freeway to the future, no paved highway from here to there. There is only wilderness, uncertain terrain. There are no roadmaps,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-kouzes/there-is-no-freeway-to-the-future-no-paved-highway-from-here-to-there/) [James M. Kouzes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-kouzes/) > [I viewed the station as a place, a terrain where I could put a new architecture in place. The station was, of course, an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gae-aulenti/i-viewed-the-station-as-a-place-a-terrain-where-i-could-put-a-new/) [Gae Aulenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gae-aulenti/) > [Photographers find themselves directly in competition with mass media's misrepresentations of women. So the photographic terrain is particularly contested from a political point of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-r-lippard/photographers-find-themselves-directly-in-competition-with-mass-media/) [Lucy R. Lippard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-r-lippard/) ## More by Debra Dean > [“Whatever we know as children, this is the world, eaten whole and without question.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/whatever-we-know-as-children-this-is-the-world-eaten-whole-and/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [“What is heartbreaking is that there is still beauty in the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/what-is-heartbreaking-is-that-there-is-still-beauty-in-the-world/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [I kept writing short stories and sending out my manuscript, and it kept coming back like a bad penny. It was rejected all over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/i-kept-writing-short-stories-and-sending-out-my-manuscript-and-it/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [That requires quite an imaginative leap because it's hard for me to imagine that my biography would be of much interest to anyone, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/that-requires-quite-an-imaginative-leap-because-it-s-hard-for-me-to/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [“Whatever is eating her brain consumes only the fresher memories, the unripe moments”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/whatever-is-eating-her-brain-consumes-only-the-fresher-memories-the/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [With the historical fictions, I was already doing so much research, and so much of the stories was anchored by historical truth that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/with-the-historical-fictions-i-was-already-doing-so-much-research-and/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [Whatever one may say about the perils of workshops, they help writers internalize an awareness of audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/whatever-one-may-say-about-the-perils-of-workshops-they-help-writers/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [Peculiar as I was, and remain, I was trained to be practical. I'm still amazed at the radical temerity of my friends, you included,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/peculiar-as-i-was-and-remain-i-was-trained-to-be-practical-i-m-still/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [Unless you're Stephen King or Joyce Carol Oates, no one's going to recognize you on the street, and you're promoting your book, not yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/unless-you-re-stephen-king-or-joyce-carol-oates-no-one-s-going-to/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [I tell my students, if you're interested in marine biology or llama farming, follow that string. 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She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/each-day-the-world-is-made-fresh-again-holy-and-she-takes-it-in-in/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [Practicality continues to be a challenge for me - it's at odds with being an artist. I actually had a career on stage in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/practicality-continues-to-be-a-challenge-for-me-it-s-at-odds-with/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [“is eating her brain consumes only the fresher memories, the unripe moments. Her distant past is preserved, better than preserved. Moments that occurred in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/is-eating-her-brain-consumes-only-the-fresher-memories-the-unripe/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) [Explore all 37 Debra Dean quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) ## More Books 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/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [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/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [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/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. 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Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you had told me twenty years ago that I would write a novel set in Russia, much less two, I simply wouldn't have believed you. 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