--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Never underestimate the narcissism of a…" description: "\"Never underestimate the narcissism of a writer.\" — Elia Kazan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22e/elia-kazan-6753_narcissism_never-underestimate-the-narcissism-of-a_61639.jpg" --- # Never underestimate the narcissism of a writer. ![“Never underestimate the narcissism of a writer.” quote by Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22e/elia-kazan-6753_narcissism_never-underestimate-the-narcissism-of-a_61639.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22e/elia-kazan-6753_narcissism_never-underestimate-the-narcissism-of-a_61639.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22e/elia-kazan-6753_narcissism_never-underestimate-the-narcissism-of-a_61639.jpg) > “Never underestimate the narcissism of a writer.” [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writers often overestimate their own importance and influence, overlooking how audiences perceive them. **In simple terms:** Self‑importance bias in authors Key Takeaway Beware of ego in creative work Themes ego perception creativity humility Mood reflective cautious Type observation advice When to use this quote - writing workshops - publishing meetings - literary criticism Key Concepts authorial bias self‑awareness Practical Applications - self‑editing - peer review Questions to Reflect On - How does ego shape a writer’s voice? - Can humility improve storytelling? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Narcissism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narcissism/) [Never underestimate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never-underestimate/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [Never underestimate the power of sitting quietly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-mcdermitt/never-underestimate-the-power-of-sitting-quietly/) [Josh McDermitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-mcdermitt/) > [Never underestimate the power of a city to regenerate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/never-underestimate-the-power-of-a-city-to-regenerate/) [Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/) > [History has taught us: never underestimate the amount of money, time, and effort someone will expend to thwart a security system. It's always better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-schneier/history-has-taught-us-never-underestimate-the-amount-of-money-time/) [Bruce Schneier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-schneier/) > [Never underestimate those who you scar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauryn-hill/never-underestimate-those-who-you-scar/) [Lauryn Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauryn-hill/) > [Never underestimate the enemy, above all if he is a stupid one and deserves to be killed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/never-underestimate-the-enemy-above-all-if-he-is-a-stupid-one-and/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [Never underestimate the effect of clutter on your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-kingston/never-underestimate-the-effect-of-clutter-on-your-life/) [Karen Kingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-kingston/) > [The point is, stories can be all lengths. Never underestimate the power of “less is more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darynda-jones/the-point-is-stories-can-be-all-lengths-never-underestimate-the-power/) [Darynda Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darynda-jones/) > [You can never underestimate the ability of the Democrats to wet their finger and hold it in the wind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/you-can-never-underestimate-the-ability-of-the-democrats-to-wet-their/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Never underestimate your own ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/never-underestimate-your-own-ignorance/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Never underestimate opponents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-riggs/never-underestimate-opponents/) [Bobby Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-riggs/) > [Beware the power of the dark side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-angleberger/beware-the-power-of-the-dark-side/) [Tom Angleberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-angleberger/) > [Never underestimate a man's ability to make you feel guilty for his mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rihanna/never-underestimate-a-man-s-ability-to-make-you-feel-guilty-for-his/) [Rihanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rihanna/) > [When Allah puts barakah (His blessings) in something, it will come beyond your expectations- never underestimate the power of one good deed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nouman-ali-khan/when-allah-puts-barakah-his-blessings-in-something-it-will-come/) [Nouman Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nouman-ali-khan/) > [Never underestimate the power of a simple tool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-underestimate-the-power-of-a-simple-tool/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Elia Kazan > [The essence of the stage is concentration and penetration. Of the screen action, movement, sweep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/the-essence-of-the-stage-is-concentration-and-penetration-of-the/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [I didn't have the problem of finding myself at 45 on the wrong course - I always wanted to be a film director.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/i-didn-t-have-the-problem-of-finding-myself-at-45-on-the-wrong-course/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [What's called a difficult decision is a difficult decision because either way you go there are penalties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/what-s-called-a-difficult-decision-is-a-difficult-decision-because/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [You can't just sit there and do the lines. You have to do something revealing or unusual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/you-can-t-just-sit-there-and-do-the-lines-you-have-to-do-something/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [I'm small, but I'm neither compliant nor agreeable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/i-m-small-but-i-m-neither-compliant-nor-agreeable/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [If you're going to play a cowboy, show up with the horse at the audition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/if-you-re-going-to-play-a-cowboy-show-up-with-the-horse-at-the/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [I value peace, too, when it is not bought at the price of fundamental decencies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/i-value-peace-too-when-it-is-not-bought-at-the-price-of-fundamental/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [You have no idea how fragile an actor's self-worth is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/you-have-no-idea-how-fragile-an-actor-s-self-worth-is/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [There was no doubt that there was a vast organization which was making fools of all the liberals in Hollywood and taking their money,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/there-was-no-doubt-that-there-was-a-vast-organization-which-was/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [The makers of entertainment must try, in our field, to be honest and grown-up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/the-makers-of-entertainment-must-try-in-our-field-to-be-honest-and/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [I'm very pro-America, but I feel it necessary to keep in touch with Europe to maintain a perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/i-m-very-pro-america-but-i-feel-it-necessary-to-keep-in-touch-with/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [It's difficult, if not impossible, to get away with anything false before the camera. That instrument penetrates the husk of the actor; it reveals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/it-s-difficult-if-not-impossible-to-get-away-with-anything-false/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [For years after I resigned, I was still faithful to their way of thinking. But not in the American Communists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/for-years-after-i-resigned-i-was-still-faithful-to-their-way-of/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [You've got to keep fighting; you've got to risk your life every six months to stay alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/you-ve-got-to-keep-fighting-you-ve-got-to-risk-your-life-every-six/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [Look for the contradictions in every character, especially in your heroes and villains. No one should be what they first seem to be. Surprise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/look-for-the-contradictions-in-every-character-especially-in-your/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) [Explore all 97 Elia Kazan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) ## More Narcissism quotes > [I don't know if it's naivete or just narcissism, but I start out with this notion that I can do anything. It's not until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-pfeiffer/i-don-t-know-if-it-s-naivete-or-just-narcissism-but-i-start-out-with/) [Michelle Pfeiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-pfeiffer/) > [“Sugar is for the body as narcissism is for the soul. Both pleasures kill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sacredfire/sugar-is-for-the-body-as-narcissism-is-for-the-soul-both-pleasures/) [Robin Sacredfire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sacredfire/) > [Listen, young people, I understand narcissism - clearly. But at least I have the decency to hate myself. And that's what's missing from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/listen-young-people-i-understand-narcissism-clearly-but-at-least-i/) [Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/) > [Criticism is the fountainhead of control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-forward/criticism-is-the-fountainhead-of-control/) [Susan Forward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-forward/) > [There's like a little bit of a narcissism - I think there's more than a little bit of narcissism about it, but it's just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-harrison/there-s-like-a-little-bit-of-a-narcissism-i-think-there-s-more-than-a/) [Patti Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-harrison/) > [Well-being is possible to the degree to which one has overcome one's narcissism; to the degree to which one is open, responsive, sensitive, awake,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/well-being-is-possible-to-the-degree-to-which-one-has-overcome-one-s/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [“Often, her mate is the child of a narcissist, already indoctrinated to regard exploitation and disregard as love. Others lured by the narcissistic aura…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elan-golomb/often-her-mate-is-the-child-of-a-narcissist-already-indoctrinated-to/) Elan Golomb > [“If I’m my biggest fan, the only person in the stadium is probably me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/if-i-m-my-biggest-fan-the-only-person-in-the-stadium-is-probably-me/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [Adolescents swing from euphoric self-confidence and a kind of narcissistic strength in which they feel invulnerable and even immortal, to despair, self-emptiness, self-deprecation. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-e-apter/adolescents-swing-from-euphoric-self-confidence-and-a-kind-of/) [Terri E Apter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-e-apter/) > [“In Donald Trump, we have a frightening Venn diagram consisting of three circles: the first is extreme present hedonism; the second, narcissism; and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bandy-x-lee/in-donald-trump-we-have-a-frightening-venn-diagram-consisting-of/) [Bandy X Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bandy-x-lee/) > [The whole narcissism and echo syndrome is usually the result of early childhood training. Those are very hard habits for anyone to break.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merrill-markoe/the-whole-narcissism-and-echo-syndrome-is-usually-the-result-of-early/) [Merrill Markoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merrill-markoe/) > [“But that’s the thing about narcissists. They can try to fool you, with all their heart, but in the end, they’re just fooling themselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-fox/but-that-s-the-thing-about-narcissists-they-can-try-to-fool-you-with/) [Ellie Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-fox/) > [It is in an artist's real interest to congratulate herself more often: not out of narcissism, but in her role as her own dear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-maisel/it-is-in-an-artist-s-real-interest-to-congratulate-herself-more-often/) [Eric Maisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-maisel/) > [It would have been convenient to be gay. Just because of the grooming, the narcissism, stuff like that. But I have this kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-brand/it-would-have-been-convenient-to-be-gay-just-because-of-the-grooming/) [Russell Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-brand/) > [Courage is impulsive; it is narcissism tempered with nihilism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayelet-waldman/courage-is-impulsive-it-is-narcissism-tempered-with-nihilism/) [Ayelet Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayelet-waldman/) [Browse all 398 Narcissism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narcissism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Never underestimate the narcissism of a writer.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elia Kazan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/never-underestimate-the-narcissism-of-a-writer/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Narcissism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/never-underestimate-the-narcissism-of-a-writer/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22e/elia-kazan-6753_narcissism_never-underestimate-the-narcissism-of-a_61639.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22e/elia-kazan-6753_narcissism_never-underestimate-the-narcissism-of-a_61639.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22e/elia-kazan-6753_narcissism_never-underestimate-the-narcissism-of-a_61639.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Never underestimate the narcissism of a writer.” — Elia Kazan", "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": "Elia Kazan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Never underestimate the narcissism of a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/never-underestimate-the-narcissism-of-a-writer/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/never-underestimate-the-narcissism-of-a-writer/#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 } } ] } ```