--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was saving the name of 'Geisel' for the…" description: "\"I was saving the name of 'Geisel' for the Great American Novel.\" — Dr. Seuss" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fb/dr-seuss-1224_american_i-was-saving-the-name-of-geisel-for-the_380527.png" --- # I was saving the name of 'Geisel' for the Great American… ![“I was saving the name of 'Geisel' for the Great American Novel.” quote by Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fb/dr-seuss-1224_american_i-was-saving-the-name-of-geisel-for-the_380527.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fb/dr-seuss-1224_american_i-was-saving-the-name-of-geisel-for-the_380527.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fb/dr-seuss-1224_american_i-was-saving-the-name-of-geisel-for-the_380527.png) > “I was saving the name of 'Geisel' for the Great American Novel.” [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He reserves the name 'Geisel' for a grand literary work, reflecting reverence for literary legacy. **In simple terms:** Saving a name for a great novel shows respect for legacy. Key Takeaway Honor literary influences while creating original work. Themes legacy literature respect Mood inspirational reflective Type quote literary When to use this quote - writing workshops - publishing - literary criticism Key Concepts authorial identity creative ambition cultural homage Questions to Reflect On - What does 'Geisel' symbolize for you? - How balance homage with innovation? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on legacy can stifle originality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) [American Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-novel/) [Geisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/geisel-3452181/) [Geisel Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/geisel-great-3452180/) [Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great/) [Great american](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-american/) [Name](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/name/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Saving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saving/) [Saving Geisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saving-geisel-3452179/) ## Related quotes > [Theodor Geisel (otherwise known as Dr. Seuss) spent his workdays ensconced in his private studio, the walls lined with sketches and drawings, in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/theodor-geisel-otherwise-known-as-dr-seuss-spent-his-workdays/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [The great American novel has not only already been written, it has already been rejected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/the-great-american-novel-has-not-only-already-been-written-it-has/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [This is, if not a lifetime process, it's awfully close to it. The writer broadens, becomes deeper, becomes more observant, becomes more tempered, becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/this-is-if-not-a-lifetime-process-it-s-awfully-close-to-it-the-writer/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [I have no doubt that 'On the Road' is a Great American Novel. But I'm also certain my students will do fine without it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-d-souza/i-have-no-doubt-that-on-the-road-is-a-great-american-novel-but-i-m/) [Tony D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-d-souza/) > [Of course I planned to write the Great American Novel; that lasted about a week, at which point I decided I had nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-cresswell/of-course-i-planned-to-write-the-great-american-novel-that-lasted/) [Jasmine Cresswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-cresswell/) > [I don't think everyone wants to create the great American novel, but we all have a dream of telling our stories-of realizing what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/i-don-t-think-everyone-wants-to-create-the-great-american-novel-but/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [It’s Fitzgerald’s thin-but-durable urge to affirm that finally makes Gatsby worthy of being our Great American Novel. Its soaring conclusion tells us that, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-corrigan/it-s-fitzgerald-s-thin-but-durable-urge-to-affirm-that-finally-makes/) [Maureen Corrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-corrigan/) > [“I have often been mildly amused when I think that the great American novel was not written about New England or Chicago. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/i-have-often-been-mildly-amused-when-i-think-that-the-great-american/) [James A. 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I think he wanted to write the great American novel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-waldman/my-father-was-a-frustrated-writer-i-think-he-wanted-to-write-the/) [Anne Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-waldman/) > [People think that they will sit down and produce the great American novel in one sitting. It doesn't work that way. This is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/people-think-that-they-will-sit-down-and-produce-the-great-american/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) ## More by Dr. Seuss > [ \[A\]s you partake of the world's bill of fare, that's darned good advice to follow. Do a lot of spitting out the hot air.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/a-s-you-partake-of-the-world-s-bill-of-fare-that-s-darned-good-advice/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [And this mess is so big And so deep and so tall, We cannot pick it up. There is no way at all!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/and-this-mess-is-so-big-and-so-deep-and-so-tall-we-cannot-pick-it-up/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [Even though we may all become extinct, we can still leave our footprint in the sand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/even-though-we-may-all-become-extinct-we-can-still-leave-our/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [My alphabet starts with this letter called yuzz. It s the letter I use to spell yuzz a ma tuzz. You ll be sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/my-alphabet-starts-with-this-letter-called-yuzz-it-s-the-letter-i-use/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [Things may happen and often do to people as brainy and footsy as you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/things-may-happen-and-often-do-to-people-as-brainy-and-footsy-as-you/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [If I were invited to a dinner party with my characters, I wouldn't show up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/if-i-were-invited-to-a-dinner-party-with-my-characters-i-wouldn-t/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [And what would you do if you met a jibboo?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/and-what-would-you-do-if-you-met-a-jibboo/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [Being crazy isn't enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/being-crazy-isn-t-enough/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [Remember me and smile, for it's better to forget than to remember me and cry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/remember-me-and-smile-for-it-s-better-to-forget-than-to-remember-me/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [Fame you'll be famous, as famous as can be, with everyone watching you win on TV, Except when they don't because sometimes they won't..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/fame-you-ll-be-famous-as-famous-as-can-be-with-everyone-watching-you/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [Did you ever fly a kite in bed? Did you ever walk with ten cats on your head? Did you ever milk this kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/did-you-ever-fly-a-kite-in-bed-did-you-ever-walk-with-ten-cats-on/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/with-your-head-full-of-brains-and-your-shoes-full-of-feet-you-re-too/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [Through three cheese trees three free fleas flew. While these fleas flew, freezy breeze blew. Freezy breeze made these three trees freeze. Freezy trees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/through-three-cheese-trees-three-free-fleas-flew-while-these-fleas/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/oh-the-places-you-ll-go-there-is-fun-to-be-done-there-are-points-to/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [Oh, the thinks you can think!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/oh-the-thinks-you-can-think/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) [Explore all 270 Dr. Seuss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) ## More American quotes > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [I have fallen in love with American names, the sharp names that never get fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/i-have-fallen-in-love-with-american-names-the-sharp-names-that-never/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [I really like a lot of American country stuff, so my music has that influence, but I don't like to be set within a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-bird/i-really-like-a-lot-of-american-country-stuff-so-my-music-has-that/) [Jade Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-bird/) > [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/) [H. 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The words I use are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/although-i-write-in-english-and-despite-the-fact-that-i-m-from/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [Firefighters and rescue workers are American superheroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/firefighters-and-rescue-workers-are-american-superheroes/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [New York and San Francisco are distinctly different. San Francisco is driving the American media, not New York. You have young, microwaved millionaires and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/new-york-and-san-francisco-are-distinctly-different-san-francisco-is/) [Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. 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But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) [Browse all 7,717 American quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was saving the name of 'Geisel' for the Great American Novel.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dr. Seuss" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/i-was-saving-the-name-of-geisel-for-the-great-american-novel/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/i-was-saving-the-name-of-geisel-for-the-great-american-novel/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fb/dr-seuss-1224_american_i-was-saving-the-name-of-geisel-for-the_380527.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fb/dr-seuss-1224_american_i-was-saving-the-name-of-geisel-for-the_380527.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fb/dr-seuss-1224_american_i-was-saving-the-name-of-geisel-for-the_380527.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was saving the name of 'Geisel' for the Great American Novel.” — Dr. Seuss", "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": "Dr. Seuss", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was saving the name of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/i-was-saving-the-name-of-geisel-for-the-great-american-novel/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/i-was-saving-the-name-of-geisel-for-the-great-american-novel/#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 } } ] } ```