--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am not sure how a novel changes the…" description: "\"I am not sure how a novel changes the world. I think it alters a reader's perspective by asking him or her to see the world through another consciousne..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b2/edan-lepucki-20626_asking_i-am-not-sure-how-a-novel-changes-the-wo_3222110.jpg" --- # I am not sure how a novel changes the world. I think it… ![“I am not sure how a novel changes the world. I think it alters a reader's perspective by asking him or her to see the world through another consciousness. That can perhaps cause people to see their own lives differently. Or just give a single day, a single moment, a slightly different sheen.” quote by Edan Lepucki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b2/edan-lepucki-20626_asking_i-am-not-sure-how-a-novel-changes-the-wo_3222110.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b2/edan-lepucki-20626_asking_i-am-not-sure-how-a-novel-changes-the-wo_3222110.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b2/edan-lepucki-20626_asking_i-am-not-sure-how-a-novel-changes-the-wo_3222110.jpg) > “I am not sure how a novel changes the world. I think it alters a reader's perspective by asking him or her to see the world through another consciousness. That can perhaps cause people to see their own lives differently. Or just give a single day, a single moment, a slightly different sheen.” [Edan Lepucki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edan-lepucki/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Novels reshape readers by immersing them in different consciousnesses, prompting self‑reflection and altered perception. **In simple terms:** Stories change how we see ourselves. Key Takeaway Read to broaden perspective. Themes empathy perspective growth Mood thoughtful inspirational Type literary educational When to use this quote - book clubs - education - personal development - creative writing Key Concepts Narrative empathy cognitive shift Questions to Reflect On - Which character changed your view? - How can fiction inspire real change? A Different Perspective Impact varies by reader engagement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alters Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alters-reader-6061767/) [Asking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asking/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Causes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes/) [Changes World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changes-world/) [Changing the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changing-the-world/) [Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Not sure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-sure/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Novel Changes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel-changes-6061768/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Perspective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perspective/) [Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader/) [Reader Perspective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader-perspective-5282819/) [Single mom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/single-mom/) [Single moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/single-moment/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I have never written a novel that volleys back and forth between a couple of different first person perspectives. It's definitely a challenge because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-have-never-written-a-novel-that-volleys-back-and-forth-between-a/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [You are so addicted and you have become so habituated that you cannot allow the cup to be empty even for a single moment.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/you-are-so-addicted-and-you-have-become-so-habituated-that-you-cannot/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [To stake all one's life on a single moment, to risk everything on one throw, whether the stake be power or pleasure, I care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/to-stake-all-one-s-life-on-a-single-moment-to-risk-everything-on-one/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [The completely simultaneous and perfect possession of unlimited life at a single moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boethius/the-completely-simultaneous-and-perfect-possession-of-unlimited-life/) [Boethius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boethius/) > [Any life, no matter how long and complex it may be, is made up of a single moment-the moment in which a man finds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/any-life-no-matter-how-long-and-complex-it-may-be-is-made-up-of-a/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [Few photographers have ever considered the photography of wild animals, as distinctly opposed to the genre of Wildlife Photography, as an art form. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-brandt/few-photographers-have-ever-considered-the-photography-of-wild/) [Nick Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-brandt/) > [The secret to happiness is to lower your expectations. ...that is what you compare your experience with. If your expectations and standards are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/the-secret-to-happiness-is-to-lower-your-expectations-that-is-what/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [I always say every single moment that has led me to this moment has made me who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-stewart/i-always-say-every-single-moment-that-has-led-me-to-this-moment-has/) [Kristen Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-stewart/) > [“Living like that utterly convinced me of the extreme limitations of language. I was just a child then, so I had only an intuitive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banana-yoshimoto/living-like-that-utterly-convinced-me-of-the-extreme-limitations-of/) [Banana Yoshimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banana-yoshimoto/) > [They say you don't get over someone until you find someone or something better. As humans, we don't deal well with emptiness. Any empty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/they-say-you-don-t-get-over-someone-until-you-find-someone-or/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [By meditation we try to slow down the mechanism of projections. If the mechanism is slowed down and even for a single moment you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/by-meditation-we-try-to-slow-down-the-mechanism-of-projections-if-the/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [The photograph is an undeniably powerful medium. Free from the constraints of language, and harnessing the unique qualities of a single moment frozen in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-mccurry/the-photograph-is-an-undeniably-powerful-medium-free-from-the/) [Steve McCurry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-mccurry/) > [How can one become enlightened in one single moment? One can, because one is enlightened -- one just has to recognize the fact. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/how-can-one-become-enlightened-in-one-single-moment-one-can-because/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [The perfect mystic is not an ecstatic devotee lost in contemplation of Oneness, nor a saintly recluse shunning all commerce with mankind, but "the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abu-sa-id-abul-khayr/the-perfect-mystic-is-not-an-ecstatic-devotee-lost-in-contemplation/) [Abu-Sa'id Abul-Khayr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abu-sa-id-abul-khayr/) > [Every single moment, an ignorant discovers an idea that has been known for centuries!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/every-single-moment-an-ignorant-discovers-an-idea-that-has-been-known/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) ## More by Edan Lepucki > [ I am glad it's \[California novel\] resonated with people because, for me, most apocalyptic novels aren't scary, because they feel so very far off. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edan-lepucki/i-am-glad-it-s-california-novel-resonated-with-people-because-for-me/) [Edan Lepucki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edan-lepucki/) > [ The messiness \[in my books\] is nothing like an Atwood novel. For me, the deeper subjects are secrets versus intimacy, and how both beget… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edan-lepucki/the-messiness-in-my-books-is-nothing-like-an-atwood-novel-for-me-the/) [Edan Lepucki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edan-lepucki/) > [It's a bit scary to see my book come true: the recent (if minor) LA earthquakes, Hurricane Sandy, the Boston bomber, and so on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edan-lepucki/it-s-a-bit-scary-to-see-my-book-come-true-the-recent-if-minor-la/) [Edan Lepucki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edan-lepucki/) > [“The thing Lady didn't get, or the thing she'd forgotten, was that being a child was painful too. She was so wrapped up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edan-lepucki/the-thing-lady-didn-t-get-or-the-thing-she-d-forgotten-was-that-being/) [Edan Lepucki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edan-lepucki/) > [have a much harder time writing stories than novels. I need the expansiveness of a novel and the propulsive energy it provides. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edan-lepucki/have-a-much-harder-time-writing-stories-than-novels-i-need-the/) [Edan Lepucki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edan-lepucki/) > [California seemed to me to be all about secrets and the need for safety. And this leads to this thematic messiness I'm still trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edan-lepucki/california-seemed-to-me-to-be-all-about-secrets-and-the-need-for/) [Edan Lepucki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edan-lepucki/) > [“Girls who want to be warriors can't afford to be so careless. And: Girls will bleed, and they will cry.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edan-lepucki/girls-who-want-to-be-warriors-can-t-afford-to-be-so-careless-and/) [Edan Lepucki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edan-lepucki/) > [All crises, once averted, become jokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edan-lepucki/all-crises-once-averted-become-jokes/) [Edan Lepucki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edan-lepucki/) > [“I'm married. And pregnant.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edan-lepucki/i-m-married-and-pregnant/) [Edan Lepucki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edan-lepucki/) > [“The jugness of the jug" was how he explained Heidegger to Cal, as if that explained anything at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edan-lepucki/the-jugness-of-the-jug-was-how-he-explained-heidegger-to-cal-as-if/) [Edan Lepucki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edan-lepucki/) > [“With a single refusal, Zachary plucked the apathy off of me like a petal from a flower.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edan-lepucki/with-a-single-refusal-zachary-plucked-the-apathy-off-of-me-like-a/) [Edan Lepucki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edan-lepucki/) > [“There is a moment, when a woman’s foolishness slips into delusion. The former is forgivable, the latter isn’t. You will never live it down.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edan-lepucki/there-is-a-moment-when-a-woman-s-foolishness-slips-into-delusion-the/) [Edan Lepucki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edan-lepucki/) > [I tossed off a mention of the pirates early on. And they became integral to the backstory. Sometimes now I imagine them in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edan-lepucki/i-tossed-off-a-mention-of-the-pirates-early-on-and-they-became/) [Edan Lepucki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edan-lepucki/) > [At Ucross I learned that I am capable of focusing deeply for long periods of time. I love to write. I don't think I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edan-lepucki/at-ucross-i-learned-that-i-am-capable-of-focusing-deeply-for-long/) [Edan Lepucki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edan-lepucki/) > [I suppose that it's my impulse to mine, as a writer, these scary parts of ourselves and the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edan-lepucki/i-suppose-that-it-s-my-impulse-to-mine-as-a-writer-these-scary-parts/) [Edan Lepucki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edan-lepucki/) [Explore all 30 Edan Lepucki quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edan-lepucki/) ## More Asking quotes > [Why did Erich von Stronheim leave Germany? Why did Hitchcock leave England? If you were a director you'd like to work in Hollywood too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/why-did-erich-von-stronheim-leave-germany-why-did-hitchcock-leave/) [Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/) > [And in your new lives you'll have to live entirely for that one sensation-that of imminent truth. And you're going to have to holler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/and-in-your-new-lives-you-ll-have-to-live-entirely-for-that-one/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [“Stop asking yourself how or why and tell yourself you can." - Charmainism”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charmaine-smith-ladd/stop-asking-yourself-how-or-why-and-tell-yourself-you-can-charmainism/) [Charmaine Smith Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charmaine-smith-ladd/) > [Closing his eyes, he sent up a prayer to anyone who was listening, asking please, for God's sake, stop sending him signals that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/closing-his-eyes-he-sent-up-a-prayer-to-anyone-who-was-listening/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [People will identify with a persecuted minority without asking themselves what they are identifying with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/people-will-identify-with-a-persecuted-minority-without-asking/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [If you're having a bad day already and everybody is just asking you petty questions, it drives people to the edge, or something really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-weixler/if-you-re-having-a-bad-day-already-and-everybody-is-just-asking-you/) [Jess Weixler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-weixler/) > [You never give away your heart; you lend it from time to time. If it were not so, how could we take it back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/you-never-give-away-your-heart-you-lend-it-from-time-to-time-if-it/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [I'm not asking people to feel sorry for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/i-m-not-asking-people-to-feel-sorry-for-me/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) > [The boldness of asking deep questions may require unforeseen flexibility if we are to accept the answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/the-boldness-of-asking-deep-questions-may-require-unforeseen/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [Use Google Before Asking A Stupid Question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muskaan/use-google-before-asking-a-stupid-question/) [Muskaan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muskaan/) > [There were people asking 'Can women be funny?' People still ask that. It's like asking: 'Can women breathe in and out?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-walters/there-were-people-asking-can-women-be-funny-people-still-ask-that-it/) [Julie Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-walters/) > [Whether that's speaking up in your job or asking for a promotion or saying, 'I think I can do that.' Using your voice in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-shriver/whether-that-s-speaking-up-in-your-job-or-asking-for-a-promotion-or/) [Maria Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-shriver/) > [Love cannot be had for the asking; it comes only as a gift from the heart of another](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/love-cannot-be-had-for-the-asking-it-comes-only-as-a-gift-from-the/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [The Baseball Hall of Fame is something every player dreams about, but being a member of God's Hall of Fame is the greatest achievement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-carter/the-baseball-hall-of-fame-is-something-every-player-dreams-about-but/) [Gary Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-carter/) > [“In such a regime, I say you died a good death if your life had inspired someone to come forward and shoot your murdered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/in-such-a-regime-i-say-you-died-a-good-death-if-your-life-had/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) [Browse all 3,313 Asking quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asking/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I am not sure how a novel changes the world. 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