--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Lists are based on realism - on the…" description: "\"Lists are based on realism - on the coldly contemplated finitude of resources.\" — Elif Batuman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41a/elif-batuman-2172_based_lists-are-based-on-realism-on-the-coldly_2516338.png" --- # Lists are based on realism - on the coldly contemplated… ![“Lists are based on realism - on the coldly contemplated finitude of resources.” quote by Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41a/elif-batuman-2172_based_lists-are-based-on-realism-on-the-coldly_2516338.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41a/elif-batuman-2172_based_lists-are-based-on-realism-on-the-coldly_2516338.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41a/elif-batuman-2172_based_lists-are-based-on-realism-on-the-coldly_2516338.png) > “Lists are based on realism - on the coldly contemplated finitude of resources.” [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. Realistic planning acknowledges limited resources and finite time. **In simple terms:** Plan with realistic limits. Key Takeaway Plan realistically. Themes resource management realism planning Mood analytical pragmatic Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - budgeting - project management - personal time use - environmental planning Key Concepts finite resources strategic allocation Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance realism with ambition? - What resources are most critical for your project? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on limits may stifle creativity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Based](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/based/) [Based Realism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/based-realism-1205606/) [Coldly Contemplated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coldly-contemplated-1205607/) [Lists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lists/) [Realism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realism/) [Realism Coldly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realism-coldly-1205605/) [Resources](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resources/) ## Related quotes > [I'm always looking for authenticity in my films. They're based in realism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-baker/i-m-always-looking-for-authenticity-in-my-films-they-re-based-in/) [Sean Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-baker/) > [Style is based on limitations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hartford/style-is-based-on-limitations/) [John Hartford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hartford/) > [Conservatism is about the basic rights of individuals. God created us. As far as the government goes, the Founding Fathers based the Constitution off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-wurzelbacher/conservatism-is-about-the-basic-rights-of-individuals-god-created-us/) [Joe Wurzelbacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-wurzelbacher/) > [“Teach me about some taxes. Why didn't nobody teach me about taxes on TV? Why don't nobody teach us about none of that man?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-mccartney/teach-me-about-some-taxes-why-didn-t-nobody-teach-me-about-taxes-on/) [Brandon McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-mccartney/) > [Christianity is based on a book. It centers in a Person. It expresses itself in a message. It authenticates itself in an experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-sidlow-baxter/christianity-is-based-on-a-book-it-centers-in-a-person-it-expresses/) [J. Sidlow Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-sidlow-baxter/) > [Pro-lifers have long been castigated for bringing private values into the public square. But actually it is the pro-abortion position that is based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/pro-lifers-have-long-been-castigated-for-bringing-private-values-into/) [Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/) > [I've always made my decisions based on two factors: intellectual analysis and my gut. And when they meet, that's a go from me. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ovitz/i-ve-always-made-my-decisions-based-on-two-factors-intellectual/) [Michael Ovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ovitz/) > [I used to be a columnist for 'Golf Monthly' and have contributed articles for national newspapers based on the humour that is in abundance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-carrott/i-used-to-be-a-columnist-for-golf-monthly-and-have-contributed/) [Jasper Carrott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-carrott/) > [At Inter, I earned my wages based on the results on the field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-mancini/at-inter-i-earned-my-wages-based-on-the-results-on-the-field/) [Roberto Mancini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-mancini/) > [I'm a fact-based leader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/london-breed/i-m-a-fact-based-leader/) [London Breed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/london-breed/) > [I'd always wanted the show to be more reality based science fiction, something along the lines of The Day the Earth Stood Still, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-gerard/i-d-always-wanted-the-show-to-be-more-reality-based-science-fiction/) [Gil Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-gerard/) > [An art which isn't based on feeling isn't an art at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/an-art-which-isn-t-based-on-feeling-isn-t-an-art-at-all/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) > [Because there is actually something very interesting in Goodfellas, how the style of the film changes as time goes by and based on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-cox/because-there-is-actually-something-very-interesting-in-goodfellas/) [Alex Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-cox/) > [The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-shelves-of-many-evangelicals-are-full-of-books-that-point-out-the/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [Like in nature, I like things which are based on a few simple principles, even though their manifestation can be very rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fabiola-gianotti/like-in-nature-i-like-things-which-are-based-on-a-few-simple/) [Fabiola Gianotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fabiola-gianotti/) ## 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 Based quotes > [Like in nature, I like things which are based on a few simple principles, even though their manifestation can be very rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fabiola-gianotti/like-in-nature-i-like-things-which-are-based-on-a-few-simple/) [Fabiola Gianotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fabiola-gianotti/) > [The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-shelves-of-many-evangelicals-are-full-of-books-that-point-out-the/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [Because there is actually something very interesting in Goodfellas, how the style of the film changes as time goes by and based on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-cox/because-there-is-actually-something-very-interesting-in-goodfellas/) [Alex Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-cox/) > [An art which isn't based on feeling isn't an art at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/an-art-which-isn-t-based-on-feeling-isn-t-an-art-at-all/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) > [I'd always wanted the show to be more reality based science fiction, something along the lines of The Day the Earth Stood Still, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-gerard/i-d-always-wanted-the-show-to-be-more-reality-based-science-fiction/) [Gil Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-gerard/) > [I'm a fact-based leader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/london-breed/i-m-a-fact-based-leader/) [London Breed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/london-breed/) > [At Inter, I earned my wages based on the results on the field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-mancini/at-inter-i-earned-my-wages-based-on-the-results-on-the-field/) [Roberto Mancini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-mancini/) > [I used to be a columnist for 'Golf Monthly' and have contributed articles for national newspapers based on the humour that is in abundance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-carrott/i-used-to-be-a-columnist-for-golf-monthly-and-have-contributed/) [Jasper Carrott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-carrott/) > [I've always made my decisions based on two factors: intellectual analysis and my gut. And when they meet, that's a go from me. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ovitz/i-ve-always-made-my-decisions-based-on-two-factors-intellectual/) [Michael Ovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ovitz/) > [Pro-lifers have long been castigated for bringing private values into the public square. But actually it is the pro-abortion position that is based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/pro-lifers-have-long-been-castigated-for-bringing-private-values-into/) [Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/) > [Christianity is based on a book. It centers in a Person. It expresses itself in a message. It authenticates itself in an experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-sidlow-baxter/christianity-is-based-on-a-book-it-centers-in-a-person-it-expresses/) [J. Sidlow Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-sidlow-baxter/) > [“Teach me about some taxes. Why didn't nobody teach me about taxes on TV? Why don't nobody teach us about none of that man?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-mccartney/teach-me-about-some-taxes-why-didn-t-nobody-teach-me-about-taxes-on/) [Brandon McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-mccartney/) > [Conservatism is about the basic rights of individuals. God created us. As far as the government goes, the Founding Fathers based the Constitution off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-wurzelbacher/conservatism-is-about-the-basic-rights-of-individuals-god-created-us/) [Joe Wurzelbacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-wurzelbacher/) > [Style is based on limitations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hartford/style-is-based-on-limitations/) [John Hartford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hartford/) > [Pacifism as a mass movement aims to avoid suffering; pacifists often say that no cause is worth suffering or dying for. The ethos of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-michnik/pacifism-as-a-mass-movement-aims-to-avoid-suffering-pacifists-often/) [Adam Michnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-michnik/) [Browse all 830 Based quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/based/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Lists are based on realism - on the coldly contemplated finitude of resources.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elif Batuman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/lists-are-based-on-realism-on-the-coldly-contemplated-finitude-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Based" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/lists-are-based-on-realism-on-the-coldly-contemplated-finitude-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41a/elif-batuman-2172_based_lists-are-based-on-realism-on-the-coldly_2516338.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41a/elif-batuman-2172_based_lists-are-based-on-realism-on-the-coldly_2516338.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41a/elif-batuman-2172_based_lists-are-based-on-realism-on-the-coldly_2516338.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Lists are based on realism - on the coldly contemplated finitude of resources.” — Elif Batuman", "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": "Elif Batuman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Lists are based on realism -...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/lists-are-based-on-realism-on-the-coldly-contemplated-finitude-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/lists-are-based-on-realism-on-the-coldly-contemplated-finitude-of/#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 } } ] } ```