--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I could start over today, I would…" description: "\"If I could start over today, I would choose literature again. If the answers exist in the world or in the universe, I still think that's where we're go..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a9/elif-batuman-2172_answers_if-i-could-start-over-today-i-would-choo_519869.png" --- # If I could start over today, I would choose literature… ![“If I could start over today, I would choose literature again. If the answers exist in the world or in the universe, I still think that's where we're going to find them.” quote by Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a9/elif-batuman-2172_answers_if-i-could-start-over-today-i-would-choo_519869.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a9/elif-batuman-2172_answers_if-i-could-start-over-today-i-would-choo_519869.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a9/elif-batuman-2172_answers_if-i-could-start-over-today-i-would-choo_519869.png) > “If I could start over today, I would choose literature again. If the answers exist in the world or in the universe, I still think that's where we're going to find them.” [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She reflects that literature remains the primary path to understanding existence and truth. **In simple terms:** Literature is the key to finding answers. Key Takeaway Re‑engage with reading. Themes literature search for meaning personal growth Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career decisions - academic study - personal reflection - creative writing Key Concepts existential inquiry knowledge seeking Questions to Reflect On - What does literature offer you that other fields do not? - How can you integrate literary insights into daily life? A Different Perspective Reading alone may not provide concrete answers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Starting over](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starting-over/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [I didn't choose literature. Literature chose me. There was no decision on my side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manuel-puig/i-didn-t-choose-literature-literature-chose-me-there-was-no-decision/) [Manuel Puig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manuel-puig/) > [We can look high or we can look low in books or in journals, but the result is the same. The scientific literature has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-behe/we-can-look-high-or-we-can-look-low-in-books-or-in-journals-but-the/) [Michael Behe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-behe/) > [Science and literature give me answers. And they ask me questions I will never be able to answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/science-and-literature-give-me-answers-and-they-ask-me-questions-i/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [“TODAY, I can choose what affects me, to not be afraid, to not let this break-up depress me, to look at mistakes as learning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doobie-shemer/today-i-can-choose-what-affects-me-to-not-be-afraid-to-not-let-this/) Doobie Shemer > [Look to see what you are doing today. Is this how you choose to define yourself? Look to see what you are thinking today.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/look-to-see-what-you-are-doing-today-is-this-how-you-choose-to-define/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [I possess the greatest power ever bestowed upon mankind, the power of choice. Today, I choose to persist without exception. No longer will I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-andrews/i-possess-the-greatest-power-ever-bestowed-upon-mankind-the-power-of/) [Andy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-andrews/) > [I am in charge of how I feel, and today I choose happiness...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-in-charge-of-how-i-feel-and-today-i-choose-happiness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Today I choose to enjoy all my yesterdays ~ Big Al Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-al-connolly/today-i-choose-to-enjoy-all-my-yesterdays-big-al-connolly/) [Big Al Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-al-connolly/) > [“Today I choose to forgive myself for past mistakes. Today I choose happiness, contentment and inner-peace. Today I choose to free myself of negativity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-lee/today-i-choose-to-forgive-myself-for-past-mistakes-today-i-choose/) [Becca Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-lee/) > [We are all stronger than we can ever imagine being. Every choice matters starting with today. And today, I choose to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-ford/we-are-all-stronger-than-we-can-ever-imagine-being-every-choice/) [Debbie Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-ford/) > [Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/each-morning-when-i-open-my-eyes-i-say-to-myself-i-not-events-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“1. The buck stops here. I am responsible for my past and my future. 2. I will seek wisdom. I will be a servant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-andrews/1-the-buck-stops-here-i-am-responsible-for-my-past-and-my-future-2-i/) [Andy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-andrews/) > [Life is very simple. What I give out comes back to me. Today, I choose to give love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-hay/life-is-very-simple-what-i-give-out-comes-back-to-me-today-i-choose/) [Louise Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-hay/) > [Just remember, you will have to answer to God tomorrow for the choices you made today. Choose wisely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/just-remember-you-will-have-to-answer-to-god-tomorrow-for-the-choices/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Options abound in our world. You can choose where to stay and how to stay there. Where you are Today is as a result…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agu-jaachynma-n-e-2/options-abound-in-our-world-you-can-choose-where-to-stay-and-how-to/) Agu, Jaachynma N.E ## More by Elif Batuman > [My parents were born into a secular country. They met in Turkey's top medical school, moved to America in the nineteen-seventies, and became researchers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/my-parents-were-born-into-a-secular-country-they-met-in-turkey-s-top/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [“I leafed through the phrase book. If a Martian read it, the Martian would probably decide to avoid Hungary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/i-leafed-through-the-phrase-book-if-a-martian-read-it-the-martian/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [You can't invent something you have no epistemological access to. In a way, it's all recombination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/you-can-t-invent-something-you-have-no-epistemological-access-to-in-a/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [Poetry is another space, like love, where we extend that extra credit to the writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/poetry-is-another-space-like-love-where-we-extend-that-extra-credit/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [“Svetlana said that she identified with that Madonna more than with any other woman in any other painting. She kept asking me what painting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/svetlana-said-that-she-identified-with-that-madonna-more-than-with/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [One of the most painful parts of a breakup is having the feeling that your life is a story, and then the other person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/one-of-the-most-painful-parts-of-a-breakup-is-having-the-feeling-that/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [“Dracula visited the Wolf Department at the Zoological Gardens. "These wolves seem upset at something," he observed. The next morning the cage was all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/dracula-visited-the-wolf-department-at-the-zoological-gardens-these/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [I like to think that I know a lot of words, but I definitely don't know all of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/i-like-to-think-that-i-know-a-lot-of-words-but-i-definitely-don-t/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [“I don't know if I ended up siding with the academics just because I happened to end up in graduate school, or if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/i-don-t-know-if-i-ended-up-siding-with-the-academics-just-because-i/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [People don't become writers because they love having spontaneous, real-world interactions with living people as bodies with clothes in time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/people-don-t-become-writers-because-they-love-having-spontaneous-real/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [“Each work of criticism is supposed to build on the body of work, to increase the total sum of human understanding. It's not like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/each-work-of-criticism-is-supposed-to-build-on-the-body-of-work-to/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [Humor is really important to me. All my favorite writers are writers I consider to be funny, including Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, even though that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/humor-is-really-important-to-me-all-my-favorite-writers-are-writers-i/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [Every time a meteor comes close to the earth, we all think about the end of the world - but our internal soundtrack doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/every-time-a-meteor-comes-close-to-the-earth-we-all-think-about-the/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [I felt grateful to Ataturk that my parents were so well educated, that they weren't held back by superstition or religion, that they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/i-felt-grateful-to-ataturk-that-my-parents-were-so-well-educated-that/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [“For a moment it felt like we weren’t in the Danube at all but in the river of time, and everyone was at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/for-a-moment-it-felt-like-we-weren-t-in-the-danube-at-all-but-in-the/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) [Explore all 182 Elif Batuman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) ## More Answers quotes > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [“As long as you keep searching,the answers will come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kynock/as-long-as-you-keep-searching-the-answers-will-come/) [Mitch Kynock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kynock/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/) [Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/) > [A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/a-religious-person-answers-to-god-not-to-the-elected-or-non-elected/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. The lyrics are the answer to all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-asking-a-girl-how-she-feels-try-looking-through-her/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [Enjoying life isn't about finding the answers, but living the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-margolis/enjoying-life-isn-t-about-finding-the-answers-but-living-the-questions/) [Sue Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-margolis/) Browse all 7,843 Answers quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If I could start over today, I would choose literature again. 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