---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wanted to highlight that whole dreadful…"
description: "\"I wanted to highlight that whole dreadful process in book publishing that 'nothing succeeds like success.'\" — Doris Lessing"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/084/doris-lessing-501_book_i-wanted-to-highlight-that-whole-dreadfu_2488091.png"
---

#  I wanted to highlight that whole dreadful process in book…

![“I wanted to highlight that whole dreadful process in book publishing that 'nothing succeeds like success.'” quote by Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/084/doris-lessing-501_book_i-wanted-to-highlight-that-whole-dreadfu_2488091.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/084/doris-lessing-501_book_i-wanted-to-highlight-that-whole-dreadfu_2488091.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/084/doris-lessing-501_book_i-wanted-to-highlight-that-whole-dreadfu_2488091.png)

> “I wanted to highlight that whole dreadful process in book publishing that 'nothing succeeds like success.'”

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The publishing industry often repeats successful formulas, stifling originality.

**In simple terms:** Publishing repeats what works, limiting new ideas.

Key Takeaway

Seek and support innovative voices.

Themes

creativity industry critique originality

Mood

critical reflective

Type

analytical inspirational

When to use this quote

- publishing houses
- literary awards
- writing workshops
- marketing strategies

Key Concepts

literary market cultural stagnation authorial risk

Questions to Reflect On

- What risks can you take in your work?
- How do you identify genuine innovation?

A Different Perspective

Success can also arise from unconventional approaches.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Book publishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-publishing/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Dreadful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreadful/) [Dreadful Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreadful-process-936486/) [Highlight Dreadful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/highlight-dreadful-936488/) [Highlights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/highlights/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Publishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/publishing/) [Publishing Succeeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/publishing-succeeds-936487/) [Succeed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/succeed/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) [Whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole/)

## Related quotes

> [I thought, 'Okay, what's going to be my edge, and how am I going to define what I'm doing differently?' Once I had that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trip-hawkins/i-thought-okay-what-s-going-to-be-my-edge-and-how-am-i-going-to/)

[Trip Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trip-hawkins/)

> [I came into book publishing without any particular impulse to be in book publishing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/i-came-into-book-publishing-without-any-particular-impulse-to-be-in/)

[Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/)

> [“Book publishing is a passion that one hopes eventually becomes a good paying job.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/book-publishing-is-a-passion-that-one-hopes-eventually-becomes-a-good/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [I had a lot of space as a kid. My mother worked with human rights for the government, and my dad had a book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yung-lean/i-had-a-lot-of-space-as-a-kid-my-mother-worked-with-human-rights-for/)

[Yung Lean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yung-lean/)

> [Many writers hate the shilling process, and I understand that. However, it's really the only thing about the publication process you can somewhat control.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/many-writers-hate-the-shilling-process-and-i-understand-that-however/)

[Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/)

> [Now, almost twenty years since my last job in book publishing, I know that there are far more socially inept people in book than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/now-almost-twenty-years-since-my-last-job-in-book-publishing-i-know/)

[Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/)

> [Book publishing was never a heaven "run by editors", and it is by no means today a hell "run by accountants." If our "sole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-nielsen-hayden/book-publishing-was-never-a-heaven-run-by-editors-and-it-is-by-no/)

[Patrick Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-nielsen-hayden/)

> [I think I'm gonna attach myself to the sinking ship that is book publishing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-clowes/i-think-i-m-gonna-attach-myself-to-the-sinking-ship-that-is-book/)

[Daniel Clowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-clowes/)

> [I think that the economics of book publishing favor hits with long book runs. You make all your money on the last bunch of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-think-that-the-economics-of-book-publishing-favor-hits-with-long/)

[Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/)

> [Trade book publishing is by nature a cottage industry, decentralized, improvisational, personal; best performed by small groups of like-minded people, devoted to their craft,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-epstein/trade-book-publishing-is-by-nature-a-cottage-industry-decentralized/)

[Jason Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-epstein/)

> [Book publishing would be so much easier without the authors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/book-publishing-would-be-so-much-easier-without-the-authors/)

[Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/)

> [“The grossest offenders are in the field of, in connection with, in order to, in respect of, so far as… is concerned. All sorts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-evans/the-grossest-offenders-are-in-the-field-of-in-connection-with-in/)

[Harold Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-evans/)

> [When we first did 'Modernist Cuisine,' I think most people in cookbook publishing would have said, 'This is insane.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/when-we-first-did-modernist-cuisine-i-think-most-people-in-cookbook/)

[Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/)

> [Australian SF book publishing has undergone a boom recently, and sometimes it's easier for new writers to sell a book to a local publisher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-egan/australian-sf-book-publishing-has-undergone-a-boom-recently-and/)

[Greg Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-egan/)

> [Google helps us sort the Internet by providing a sense of hierarchy to information. Facebook uses its algorithms and its intricate understanding of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-foer/google-helps-us-sort-the-internet-by-providing-a-sense-of-hierarchy/)

[Franklin Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-foer/)

## More by Doris Lessing

> [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“In the morning, when she wishes me to wake, she crouches on my chest, and pats my face with her paw. Or, if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/in-the-morning-when-she-wishes-me-to-wake-she-crouches-on-my-chest/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [You know, whenever women make imaginary female kingdoms in literature, they are always very permissive, to use the jargon word, and easy and generous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/you-know-whenever-women-make-imaginary-female-kingdoms-in-literature/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [There is only one real sin and that is to persuade oneself that the second best is anything but second best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/there-is-only-one-real-sin-and-that-is-to-persuade-oneself-that-the/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“She was using the water as she had used the fruit earlier—to calm herself, to assure herself of the possibility of normality. Yet all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/she-was-using-the-water-as-she-had-used-the-fruit-earlier-to-calm/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [I remember World War II when there were very few books, very little paper available. For me to walk into a shop or look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/i-remember-world-war-ii-when-there-were-very-few-books-very-little/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [They can't give a Nobel to someone who's dead so I think they were probably thinking they had better give it to me now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/they-can-t-give-a-nobel-to-someone-who-s-dead-so-i-think-they-were/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“While she strode rapidly through the ward to the door at the other end, she was able to see that every bed or cot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/while-she-strode-rapidly-through-the-ward-to-the-door-at-the-other/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [I do not think that marriage is one of my talents. I've been much happier unmarried than married.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/i-do-not-think-that-marriage-is-one-of-my-talents-i-ve-been-much/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [I haven't got the energy to write now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/i-haven-t-got-the-energy-to-write-now/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [What really fascinates me is this need that is so strong now that if you read a work of the imagination you instantly have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/what-really-fascinates-me-is-this-need-that-is-so-strong-now-that-if/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“The charge that the United Nations are using bacteriological warfare in Korea cannot be dismissed merely because it would be insane.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/the-charge-that-the-united-nations-are-using-bacteriological-warfare/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [What I did have, which others perhaps didn't, was a capacity for sticking at it, which really is the point, not the talent at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/what-i-did-have-which-others-perhaps-didn-t-was-a-capacity-for/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [The human community is evolving... . We can survive anything you care to mention. We are supremely equipped to survive, to adapt and even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/the-human-community-is-evolving-we-can-survive-anything-you-care-to/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [So love is rest? The cosy corner? The little nook? Sometimes it ought to be. Sometimes it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/so-love-is-rest-the-cosy-corner-the-little-nook-sometimes-it-ought-to/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

[Explore all 508 Doris Lessing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

## More Book 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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/)

[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/)

> [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/)

[Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/)

> [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/)

[Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/)

> [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/)

[Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/)

[Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I wanted to highlight that whole dreadful process in book publishing that 'nothing succeeds like success.'",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Doris Lessing"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/i-wanted-to-highlight-that-whole-dreadful-process-in-book-publishing/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/i-wanted-to-highlight-that-whole-dreadful-process-in-book-publishing/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/084/doris-lessing-501_book_i-wanted-to-highlight-that-whole-dreadfu_2488091.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/084/doris-lessing-501_book_i-wanted-to-highlight-that-whole-dreadfu_2488091.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/084/doris-lessing-501_book_i-wanted-to-highlight-that-whole-dreadfu_2488091.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I wanted to highlight that whole dreadful process in book publishing that 'nothing succeeds like success.'” — Doris Lessing",
                "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": "Doris Lessing",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I wanted to highlight that whole...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/i-wanted-to-highlight-that-whole-dreadful-process-in-book-publishing/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/i-wanted-to-highlight-that-whole-dreadful-process-in-book-publishing/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
