--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Digression is my passion. I'm not…" description: "\"Digression is my passion. I'm not kidding. I love telling the main stories, but in some ways, what I love most is using those narratives as a way of st..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/691/erik-larson-1710_digression_digression-is-my-passion-i-m-not-kidding_3078193.png" --- # Digression is my passion. I'm not kidding. I love telling… ![“Digression is my passion. I'm not kidding. I love telling the main stories, but in some ways, what I love most is using those narratives as a way of stringing together the interesting stories that people have kind of forgotten and that are kind of surprising.” quote by Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/691/erik-larson-1710_digression_digression-is-my-passion-i-m-not-kidding_3078193.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/691/erik-larson-1710_digression_digression-is-my-passion-i-m-not-kidding_3078193.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/691/erik-larson-1710_digression_digression-is-my-passion-i-m-not-kidding_3078193.png) > “Digression is my passion. I'm not kidding. I love telling the main stories, but in some ways, what I love most is using those narratives as a way of stringing together the interesting stories that people have kind of forgotten and that are kind of surprising.” [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He enjoys weaving forgotten, surprising anecdotes into main narratives, using digressions to enrich storytelling. **In simple terms:** He loves adding side stories to make the main tale richer. Key Takeaway Embrace digressions to deepen narratives. Themes storytelling creativity memory structure Mood playful reflective Type inspirational analytical When to use this quote - writing workshops - podcast episodes - lecture series - personal essays - documentary scripts Key Concepts narrative layering historical recall engagement Questions to Reflect On - How can side stories support the main point? - When do digressions become filler? A Different Perspective Overuse can distract from core message. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Digression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/digression/) [Digression Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/digression-passion-4964092/) [I love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-love/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Narratives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narratives/) [Narratives Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narratives-way-4964093/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [Together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/together/) [Using Narratives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/using-narratives-4964091/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [Digression is my passion. I love telling the main stories, but in some ways, what I love most is using those narratives as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/digression-is-my-passion-i-love-telling-the-main-stories-but-in-some/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [I'm often associated with parallel narratives or dual narratives. The 'Devil in the White City' was a fluke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/i-m-often-associated-with-parallel-narratives-or-dual-narratives-the/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [In a general sense, to convert any short story, novel, play, or opera into a movie, you have to re-rig it. Even though they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-payne/in-a-general-sense-to-convert-any-short-story-novel-play-or-opera/) [Alexander Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-payne/) > [Gradually it occurred to me that we spend a great deal of life asleep and that dreams are little narratives, little stories. I thought,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/gradually-it-occurred-to-me-that-we-spend-a-great-deal-of-life-asleep/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“News organizations are coy about admitting that what they present us with each day are minuscule extracts of narratives whose true shape and logic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/news-organizations-are-coy-about-admitting-that-what-they-present-us/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [I was an English-literature major, and that's all about stories and narratives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-weisz/i-was-an-english-literature-major-and-that-s-all-about-stories-and/) [Rachel Weisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-weisz/) > [I think we all are born inside of our parents' narratives. We stay there for a good while. We are taught their narratives about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-think-we-all-are-born-inside-of-our-parents-narratives-we-stay/) [Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/) > [Narration is as much a part of human nature as breath and the circulation of the blood… storytelling is intrinsic to biological time, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-byatt-2/narration-is-as-much-a-part-of-human-nature-as-breath-and-the/) [A. S. Byatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-byatt-2/) > [We breathe, we think, we conceive of our lives as narratives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lehmann-haupt/we-breathe-we-think-we-conceive-of-our-lives-as-narratives/) [Christopher Lehmann-Haupt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lehmann-haupt/) > [“When she smiles, the lines in her face become epic narratives that trace the stories of generations that no book can replace.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-tyrone-jones/when-she-smiles-the-lines-in-her-face-become-epic-narratives-that/) [Curtis Tyrone Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-tyrone-jones/) > [Narratives can be misconstrued.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-poole/narratives-can-be-misconstrued/) [Jordan Poole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-poole/) > [“(This is not a digression.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/this-is-not-a-digression/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [“the feeling of being a digression not the link in the argument, a new direction, an offshoot, the limb going on elsewhere, and liking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorie-graham/the-feeling-of-being-a-digression-not-the-link-in-the-argument-a-new/) [Jorie Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorie-graham/) > [“The real secret, though, is that nobody belongs, whether they are natives or not. After expulsion from paradise all humans are in exile. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-codrescu/the-real-secret-though-is-that-nobody-belongs-whether-they-are/) [Andrei Codrescu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-codrescu/) > [Digression is the soul of wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/digression-is-the-soul-of-wit/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) ## More by Erik Larson > [I've heard from the movie marketplace that James Cameron did such a killer job with 'Titanic' that it's almost impossible to do anything better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/i-ve-heard-from-the-movie-marketplace-that-james-cameron-did-such-a/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [As a rule, I am very skeptical of tying books to anniversaries. I don't think readers care. I also feel that it just about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/as-a-rule-i-am-very-skeptical-of-tying-books-to-anniversaries-i-don-t/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [“look as if they had been plucked from the Palace of Versailles or a Jacobean mansion—that you were aboard a ship being propelled far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/look-as-if-they-had-been-plucked-from-the-palace-of-versailles-or-a/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [That's what I love about history - nuance. I don't believe in unalloyed heroes. Everyone's got warts, and everyone's got a surprise side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/that-s-what-i-love-about-history-nuance-i-don-t-believe-in-unalloyed/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [“Holmes was charming and gracious, but something about him made Belknap uneasy. He could not have defined it. Indeed, for the next several decades…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/holmes-was-charming-and-gracious-but-something-about-him-made-belknap/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [. . . why some men choose to fill their brief allotment of time engaging the impossible, others in the manufacture of sorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/why-some-men-choose-to-fill-their-brief-allotment-of-time-engaging/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [“At present," he said, "I am responsible for conveying my associates to a place called Chicago. I understand it is somewhere in the hinterland.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/at-present-he-said-i-am-responsible-for-conveying-my-associates-to-a/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [I knew from an online search that the Wisconsin State Historical Society, on the vast University of Wisconsin campus, held the papers of Sigrid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/i-knew-from-an-online-search-that-the-wisconsin-state-historical/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [Dodd continued to hope that the murders would so outrage the German public that the regime would fall, but as the days passed he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/dodd-continued-to-hope-that-the-murders-would-so-outrage-the-german/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [I envy other writers who claim to have a backlog of books they'd like to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/i-envy-other-writers-who-claim-to-have-a-backlog-of-books-they-d-like/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [Trying to find ideas is the hardest part of my job. You'd think it would be the most fun. Just sitting around reading whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/trying-to-find-ideas-is-the-hardest-part-of-my-job-you-d-think-it/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [“Her blind endorsement of Hitler’s regime first faded to a kind of sympathetic skepticism, but as summer approached,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/her-blind-endorsement-of-hitler-s-regime-first-faded-to-a-kind-of/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [“Perhaps, Herr Ditzen, it is less important where one lives than how one lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/perhaps-herr-ditzen-it-is-less-important-where-one-lives-than-how-one/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [I figured, correctly, that Berlin in February was not a destination coveted by tourists. I found good airfares on Lufthansa, an airline I quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/i-figured-correctly-that-berlin-in-february-was-not-a-destination/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [“It was truly a transitional moment: There he was, at the cusp of the twentieth century, using the telephone to send a telegram.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/it-was-truly-a-transitional-moment-there-he-was-at-the-cusp-of-the/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) [Explore all 214 Erik Larson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) ## More Digression quotes > [“The real secret, though, is that nobody belongs, whether they are natives or not. After expulsion from paradise all humans are in exile. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-codrescu/the-real-secret-though-is-that-nobody-belongs-whether-they-are/) [Andrei Codrescu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-codrescu/) > [“(This is not a digression.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/this-is-not-a-digression/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [“the feeling of being a digression not the link in the argument, a new direction, an offshoot, the limb going on elsewhere, and liking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorie-graham/the-feeling-of-being-a-digression-not-the-link-in-the-argument-a-new/) [Jorie Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorie-graham/) > [Digression is the soul of wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/digression-is-the-soul-of-wit/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [The inclination to digress is human. But the dramatist must avoid it even more strenuously than the saint must avoid sin, for while sin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/the-inclination-to-digress-is-human-but-the-dramatist-must-avoid-it/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“That digression business got on my nerves. I don't now. The trouble with me is, I like it when somebody digresses. It's more interesting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/that-digression-business-got-on-my-nerves-i-don-t-now-the-trouble/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [Oh, I don’t know. That digression business got on my nerves. I don’t know. The trouble with me is, I like it when somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/oh-i-don-t-know-that-digression-business-got-on-my-nerves-i-don-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“For, let's face it, digression is the soul of wit. Take philosophic asides away from Dante, Milton or Hamlet's father's ghost and what stays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/for-let-s-face-it-digression-is-the-soul-of-wit-take-philosophic/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“Nothing is more to the point than a good digression.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/nothing-is-more-to-the-point-than-a-good-digression/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [“I have digressed, which is also the kind of writer I would become.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-have-digressed-which-is-also-the-kind-of-writer-i-would-become/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“The Duchess looked at Chloe with a look that said, You had the chance to tell him, but you chose to carry on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-walliams/the-duchess-looked-at-chloe-with-a-look-that-said-you-had-the-chance/) [David Walliams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-walliams/) > [Digression is my passion. I love telling the main stories, but in some ways, what I love most is using those narratives as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/digression-is-my-passion-i-love-telling-the-main-stories-but-in-some/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [The more learned a writer, the more digression beckons him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-more-learned-a-writer-the-more-digression-beckons-him/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [“It seemed that digression was the true principle of the universe, that the only real subject was the way the subject kept changing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/it-seemed-that-digression-was-the-true-principle-of-the-universe-that/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“If I have any fault, it is digression”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gordon-byron/if-i-have-any-fault-it-is-digression/) [George Gordon Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gordon-byron/) [Browse all 19 Digression quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/digression/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Digression is my passion. 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