--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think fiction is about small ambition…" description: "\"I think fiction is about small ambition, small failed ambition.\" — Ethan Canin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/082/ethan-canin-27277_ambition_i-think-fiction-is-about-small-ambition_3032516.png" --- # I think fiction is about small ambition, small failed… ![“I think fiction is about small ambition, small failed ambition.” quote by Ethan Canin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/082/ethan-canin-27277_ambition_i-think-fiction-is-about-small-ambition_3032516.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/082/ethan-canin-27277_ambition_i-think-fiction-is-about-small-ambition_3032516.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/082/ethan-canin-27277_ambition_i-think-fiction-is-about-small-ambition_3032516.png) > “I think fiction is about small ambition, small failed ambition.” [Ethan Canin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-canin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fiction often explores modest goals and their inevitable failures, highlighting human vulnerability. **In simple terms:** Stories show small ambitions and their failures. Key Takeaway Accept that ambition may be modest and flawed. Themes ambition failure human nature Mood reflective melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - writing workshops - creative writing - personal reflection Key Concepts narrative realism Questions to Reflect On - What modest goals drive your creative work? - How do failures shape character? A Different Perspective Not all fiction aims for grand triumphs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ambition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambition/) [Crafts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crafts/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I just always try to find an interesting story and tell it well. That's a hard enough thing to do, whether it's a piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-haggis/i-just-always-try-to-find-an-interesting-story-and-tell-it-well-that/) [Paul Haggis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-haggis/) > [“This was our ambition: to be small and clear and free. Alas, the summer’s energy wanes quickly, A moment and it is gone. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashbery/this-was-our-ambition-to-be-small-and-clear-and-free-alas-the-summer/) [John Ashbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashbery/) > [“Stay away from people who belittle your ambition, small people do that, but great people make you like to be great!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twian/stay-away-from-people-who-belittle-your-ambition-small-people-do-that/) Mark Twian > [I just think that fiction that isn't exploring what it means to be human today isn't art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/i-just-think-that-fiction-that-isn-t-exploring-what-it-means-to-be/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [I'm a novelist. I think fiction is important or I wouldn't be doing it, but most of it's bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-peck/i-m-a-novelist-i-think-fiction-is-important-or-i-wouldn-t-be-doing-it/) [Dale Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-peck/) > [“I think fiction lends itself to messiness rather than the ideal, and plays well with the ironies surrounding what happens versus what should happen.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/i-think-fiction-lends-itself-to-messiness-rather-than-the-ideal-and/) [Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [Fiction is truth. I think fiction is the truest thing there ever was. My whole effort is to remove that distinction. The writer is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/fiction-is-truth-i-think-fiction-is-the-truest-thing-there-ever-was/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [I think every fiction writer, to a certain extent, is a schizophrenic and able to have two or three or five voices in his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ridley-pearson/i-think-every-fiction-writer-to-a-certain-extent-is-a-schizophrenic/) [Ridley Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ridley-pearson/) > [“An author has to fit into the skin of her characters, to imagine being trapped by unfortunate and sometimes violent circumstances she herself has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loretta-h-marion/an-author-has-to-fit-into-the-skin-of-her-characters-to-imagine-being/) Loretta H. Marion > [I think fiction recues history from its confusions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/i-think-fiction-recues-history-from-its-confusions/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [I don't believe a poet has a better hold on truth or morality than a fiction writer has. And I don't think a fiction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/i-don-t-believe-a-poet-has-a-better-hold-on-truth-or-morality-than-a/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [“I would say, for the moment, that community, at least community larger than the immediate family, consists very largely of imaginative love for people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/i-would-say-for-the-moment-that-community-at-least-community-larger/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [If you think about it, fiction is nothing more than gossip about the people you've made up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dufresne/if-you-think-about-it-fiction-is-nothing-more-than-gossip-about-the/) [John Dufresne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dufresne/) > [Everybody should read fiction… I don’t think serious fiction is written for a few people. I think we live in a stupid culture that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percival-everett/everybody-should-read-fiction-i-don-t-think-serious-fiction-is/) [Percival Everett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percival-everett/) > [I think fiction allows you to inhabit new domains and it's you, the reader living in that domain for a few days that results…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/i-think-fiction-allows-you-to-inhabit-new-domains-and-it-s-you-the/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) ## More by Ethan Canin > [Art is so personal. I'm very comforted by the fact that certain movies that I love, other people hate. Certain books that I love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-canin/art-is-so-personal-i-m-very-comforted-by-the-fact-that-certain-movies/) [Ethan Canin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-canin/) > [I work with wood a lot. I like building. I think of building. I would love to buy land on some water somewhere and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-canin/i-work-with-wood-a-lot-i-like-building-i-think-of-building-i-would/) [Ethan Canin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-canin/) > [You have to be smart enough to see the world for yourself and honest. The whole book-publicity thing is not really honest, at base.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-canin/you-have-to-be-smart-enough-to-see-the-world-for-yourself-and-honest/) [Ethan Canin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-canin/) > [“The forgotten of this country have a consistent history of turning on their champions, and I suppose the way working men and women have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-canin/the-forgotten-of-this-country-have-a-consistent-history-of-turning-on/) [Ethan Canin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-canin/) > [There are writers who draw immediate attention to the fact that it's fiction. And I like some of that, but it doesn't really have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-canin/there-are-writers-who-draw-immediate-attention-to-the-fact-that-it-s/) [Ethan Canin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-canin/) > [Don't write about a character. Become that character, and then write your story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-canin/don-t-write-about-a-character-become-that-character-and-then-write/) [Ethan Canin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-canin/) > [If someone doesn't like your fiction, it's really insulting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-canin/if-someone-doesn-t-like-your-fiction-it-s-really-insulting/) [Ethan Canin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-canin/) > [You're never so alive as after you thought you were going to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-canin/you-re-never-so-alive-as-after-you-thought-you-were-going-to-die/) [Ethan Canin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-canin/) > [I've written five books, a book every three years. I'm fairly lazy and it doesn't take that much...people who are not lazy are Isaac…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-canin/i-ve-written-five-books-a-book-every-three-years-i-m-fairly-lazy-and/) [Ethan Canin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-canin/) > [There are some advantages to being a writer: you do generally get better as you get older. I think I understand things better. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-canin/there-are-some-advantages-to-being-a-writer-you-do-generally-get/) [Ethan Canin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-canin/) > [To have too much time is not good, you have to force yourself. And human beings aren't meant for true freedom. I've learned that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-canin/to-have-too-much-time-is-not-good-you-have-to-force-yourself-and/) [Ethan Canin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-canin/) > [I think talent has a huge amount to do with concentration, concentration rather than the athletic ability of your neurons. If you can concentrate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-canin/i-think-talent-has-a-huge-amount-to-do-with-concentration/) [Ethan Canin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-canin/) > [“Now she was smiling. “And while you’re at it,” she said, “here’s another one for you. Theodicy. That’s another word Leibniz used. As long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-canin/now-she-was-smiling-and-while-you-re-at-it-she-said-here-s-another/) [Ethan Canin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-canin/) > [Writing a book is like an unknown abyss, every time. Every book is different. Contrary to what unpublished writers think, it's horrible to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-canin/writing-a-book-is-like-an-unknown-abyss-every-time-every-book-is/) [Ethan Canin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-canin/) > [You can tell within a sentence if something is fiction or non-fiction. You can tell in the artifice of the language or the care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-canin/you-can-tell-within-a-sentence-if-something-is-fiction-or-non-fiction/) [Ethan Canin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-canin/) [Explore all 20 Ethan Canin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-canin/) ## More Ambition quotes > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [One needs more than ambition and talent to make a success of anything, really. There must be love and a vocation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessye-norman/one-needs-more-than-ambition-and-talent-to-make-a-success-of-anything/) [Jessye Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessye-norman/) > [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [A man's worth is no greater than the worth of his ambitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-s-worth-is-no-greater-than-the-worth-of-his-ambitions/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm hungry and ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julen-lopetegui/i-m-hungry-and-ambitious/) [Julen Lopetegui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julen-lopetegui/) > [“I was ambitious and desperate to direct my first film, so I capitulated and blew it. Never again. Never fucking again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/i-was-ambitious-and-desperate-to-direct-my-first-film-so-i/) [Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/) > [I was always attracted most to joining City, and I am pleased to be at such a good club with such a big ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edin-dzeko/i-was-always-attracted-most-to-joining-city-and-i-am-pleased-to-be-at/) [Edin Dzeko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edin-dzeko/) > [Work towards your goal and dont watch the post size,its either they hate,or like you.there is no room for both sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-buabeng/work-towards-your-goal-and-dont-watch-the-post-size-its-either-they/) [Isaac Buabeng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-buabeng/) > [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I almost never have a plan for myself... I'm not ambitious in that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/i-almost-never-have-a-plan-for-myself-i-m-not-ambitious-in-that-way/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [I play for high stakes and given an audience - there is no act too daring or too noble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/i-play-for-high-stakes-and-given-an-audience-there-is-no-act-too/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [There's nothing worse than a leader who lacks ambition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-nothing-worse-than-a-leader-who-lacks-ambition/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If i can't even protect my captain's dream, then whatever ambition i have is nothing but talk..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoro/if-i-can-t-even-protect-my-captain-s-dream-then-whatever-ambition-i/) [Zoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoro/) > [It may seem unattainable but if you put actions, your heart and your mind into it, you will prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/london-mond/it-may-seem-unattainable-but-if-you-put-actions-your-heart-and-your/) [London Mond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/london-mond/) > [Obligation is what's leading us to toward successful, and what keeps us moving towards the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wazim-shaw/obligation-is-what-s-leading-us-to-toward-successful-and-what-keeps/) [Wazim Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wazim-shaw/) [Browse all 4,601 Ambition quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambition/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think fiction is about small ambition, small failed ambition.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ethan Canin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-canin/i-think-fiction-is-about-small-ambition-small-failed-ambition/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ambition" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-canin/i-think-fiction-is-about-small-ambition-small-failed-ambition/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/082/ethan-canin-27277_ambition_i-think-fiction-is-about-small-ambition_3032516.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/082/ethan-canin-27277_ambition_i-think-fiction-is-about-small-ambition_3032516.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/082/ethan-canin-27277_ambition_i-think-fiction-is-about-small-ambition_3032516.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think fiction is about small ambition, small failed ambition.” — Ethan Canin", "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": "Ethan Canin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-canin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think fiction is about small...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-canin/i-think-fiction-is-about-small-ambition-small-failed-ambition/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-canin/i-think-fiction-is-about-small-ambition-small-failed-ambition/#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 } } ] } ```