--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The human race may be compared to a…" description: "\"The human race may be compared to a writer. At the outset a writer has often only a vague general notion of the plan of his work, and of the thought he..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7a/felix-adler-10212_discovering_the-human-race-may-be-compared-to-a-writ_101488.jpg" --- # The human race may be compared to a writer. At the outset… ![“The human race may be compared to a writer. At the outset a writer has often only a vague general notion of the plan of his work, and of the thought he intends to elaborate. As he proceeds, penetrating his material, laboring to express himself fitly, he lays a firmer grasp on his thought; he finds…” quote by Felix Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7a/felix-adler-10212_discovering_the-human-race-may-be-compared-to-a-writ_101488.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7a/felix-adler-10212_discovering_the-human-race-may-be-compared-to-a-writ_101488.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7a/felix-adler-10212_discovering_the-human-race-may-be-compared-to-a-writ_101488.jpg) > “The human race may be compared to a writer. At the outset a writer has often only a vague general notion of the plan of his work, and of the thought he intends to elaborate. As he proceeds, penetrating his material, laboring to express himself fitly, he lays a firmer grasp on his thought; he finds himself. So the human race is writing its story, finding itself, discovering its own underlying purpose, revising, recasting a tale pathetic often, yet none the less sublime.” [Felix Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-adler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human history unfolds like a writer drafting a story: initial vague ideas become clearer through reflection, revision, and self‑discovery. **In simple terms:** Humanity writes its story, finding purpose over time. Key Takeaway Collective identity emerges through iterative self‑exploration. Themes humanity storytelling self‑discovery evolution Mood thoughtful hopeful Type philosophical metaphorical When to use this quote - national cultural policy - personal life planning - educational curricula on history Key Concepts narrative identity philosophical introspection Practical Applications - reflect on past actions to guide future direction - embrace revision as growth Questions to Reflect On - What role does intentional storytelling play in shaping societies? - Can we ever truly 'find' a singular purpose? A Different Perspective The metaphor may oversimplify chaotic, non‑linear aspects of history. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Compared Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compared-writer-1229078/) [Discovering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovering/) [Findings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/findings/) [Human race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-race/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Lays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lays/) [Materials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materials/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Notion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notion/) [Pathetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pathetic/) [Plans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plans/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [Race Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race-writing-478696/) [Revising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revising/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Sublime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sublime/) [Tales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tales/) [Vague](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vague/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-story/) ## Related quotes > [I was very conscious of race as I was writing. I was lucky to have spent real time in Portuguese Africa, but I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-weisman/i-was-very-conscious-of-race-as-i-was-writing-i-was-lucky-to-have/) [Jon Weisman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-weisman/) > [I'm conscious of race whenever I'm writing, just as I'm conscious of class, religion, human psychology, politics — everything that makes up the human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-mcduffie/i-m-conscious-of-race-whenever-i-m-writing-just-as-i-m-conscious-of/) [Dwayne McDuffie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-mcduffie/) > [Nothing quite has reality for me till I write it all down--revising and embellishing as I go. I'm always waiting for things to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/nothing-quite-has-reality-for-me-till-i-write-it-all-down-revising/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [In a story, for example, you'll start off with a character who is a little bit of a cartoon. That's not satisfying and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/in-a-story-for-example-you-ll-start-off-with-a-character-who-is-a/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [I work on one page, revising and polishing until I can't make it better, then move on to the next. Some pages might get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/i-work-on-one-page-revising-and-polishing-until-i-can-t-make-it/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [ \[While designing\] I'm mixing two lines of thought really: me as a designer for women and then me as a man. At the start… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-louboutin/while-designing-i-m-mixing-two-lines-of-thought-really-me-as-a/) [Christian Louboutin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-louboutin/) > [Sometimes I can spend as long revising a manuscript as I spent writing it in the first place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-haddix/sometimes-i-can-spend-as-long-revising-a-manuscript-as-i-spent/) [Margaret Haddix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-haddix/) > [“I’ve lost count of the number of times that I’ve sat at my kitchen table working on these pages, been interrupted by a breaking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/i-ve-lost-count-of-the-number-of-times-that-i-ve-sat-at-my-kitchen/) [Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/) > [One of the things women poets have been engaged in - among the other things they've been doing - is revising parts of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eavan-boland/one-of-the-things-women-poets-have-been-engaged-in-among-the-other/) [Eavan Boland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eavan-boland/) > [Most writers want to share their essay or book much too quickly. Those who accept the pain of hard work and revising are those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-gutkind/most-writers-want-to-share-their-essay-or-book-much-too-quickly-those/) [Lee Gutkind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-gutkind/) > [I do so much revising as I go along; I wonder how I could write books if I hadn't grown up in the computer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-mccafferty/i-do-so-much-revising-as-i-go-along-i-wonder-how-i-could-write-books/) [Megan McCafferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-mccafferty/) > [For example, if it's a sad scene, I need to feel that way, at least to a slight degree and for a short while,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-ray-pollock/for-example-if-it-s-a-sad-scene-i-need-to-feel-that-way-at-least-to-a/) [Donald Ray Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-ray-pollock/) > [One must keep one's character. Earn a character first if you can, and if you can't, then assume one. From the code of morals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/one-must-keep-one-s-character-earn-a-character-first-if-you-can-and/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I believe Jack Smith might have written THE BOOK on writing and revising for publication. Clean, direct, succinct--a book that is full of pure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil-suarez/i-believe-jack-smith-might-have-written-the-book-on-writing-and/) [Virgil Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil-suarez/) > [“Revising while you generate text is like drinking decaffeinated coffee in the early morning: noble idea, wrong time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-j-silvia/revising-while-you-generate-text-is-like-drinking-decaffeinated/) [Paul J. Silvia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-j-silvia/) ## More by Felix Adler > [Love is the expansion of two natures in such fashion that each include the other, each is enriched by the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-adler/love-is-the-expansion-of-two-natures-in-such-fashion-that-each/) [Felix Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-adler/) > [Act so as to elicit the best in others and thereby in thyself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-adler/act-so-as-to-elicit-the-best-in-others-and-thereby-in-thyself/) [Felix Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-adler/) > [May the humanity that is within every human being be held precious. The vice that underlies all vices is that we are held cheap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-adler/may-the-humanity-that-is-within-every-human-being-be-held-precious/) [Felix Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-adler/) > [It is the moral element contained in it that alone gives value and dignity to a religion, and only in so far as its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-adler/it-is-the-moral-element-contained-in-it-that-alone-gives-value-and/) [Felix Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-adler/) > [It is written that the last enemy to be vanquished is death. We should begin early in life to vanquish this enemy by obliterating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-adler/it-is-written-that-the-last-enemy-to-be-vanquished-is-death-we-should/) [Felix Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-adler/) > [ “\[His research into biblical criticism had lead him to the conclusion that most of what was contained in traditional religion simply wasn't true\] Was… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-adler/his-research-into-biblical-criticism-had-lead-him-to-the-conclusion/) [Felix Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-adler/) > [We measure our enjoyments by the sum expended.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-adler/we-measure-our-enjoyments-by-the-sum-expended/) [Felix Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-adler/) > [An anxious unrest, a fierce craving desire for gain has taken possession of the commercial world, and in instances no longer rare the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-adler/an-anxious-unrest-a-fierce-craving-desire-for-gain-has-taken/) [Felix Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-adler/) > [The conception of worth, that each person is an end per se, is not a mere abstraction. Our interest in it is not merely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-adler/the-conception-of-worth-that-each-person-is-an-end-per-se-is-not-a/) [Felix Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-adler/) > [Few are there that will leave the secure seclusion of the scholar's life, the peaceful walks of literature and learning, to stand out a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-adler/few-are-there-that-will-leave-the-secure-seclusion-of-the-scholar-s/) [Felix Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-adler/) > [The right for the right's sake is the motto which everyone should take for his own life. With that as a standard of value…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-adler/the-right-for-the-right-s-sake-is-the-motto-which-everyone-should/) [Felix Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-adler/) > [FOR a long time the conviction has been dimly felt in the community that, without prejudice to existing institutions, the legal day of weekly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-adler/for-a-long-time-the-conviction-has-been-dimly-felt-in-the-community/) [Felix Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-adler/) > [Admitting the force of these contentions, nevertheless, the custom of meeting together in public assembly for the consideration of the most serious, the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-adler/admitting-the-force-of-these-contentions-nevertheless-the-custom-of/) [Felix Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-adler/) > [The office of the public teacher is an unenviable and thankless one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-adler/the-office-of-the-public-teacher-is-an-unenviable-and-thankless-one/) [Felix Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-adler/) > [An optimist is a person who sees only the lights in the picture, whereas a pessimist sees only the shadows. An idealist, however, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-adler/an-optimist-is-a-person-who-sees-only-the-lights-in-the-picture/) [Felix Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-adler/) [Explore all 67 Felix Adler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-adler/) ## More Discovering quotes > [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) > [Like a child exploring the attic of an old house on a rainy day, discovering a trunk full of treasure and then calling all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/like-a-child-exploring-the-attic-of-an-old-house-on-a-rainy-day/) [Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/) > [Discovering witnesses is just as important as catching criminals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-wiesenthal/discovering-witnesses-is-just-as-important-as-catching-criminals/) [Simon Wiesenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-wiesenthal/) > [I think the best SF writers are very aware of what we, in the scientific community, are doing, thinking, and discovering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grinspoon/i-think-the-best-sf-writers-are-very-aware-of-what-we-in-the/) [David Grinspoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grinspoon/) > [There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/there-is-no-power-for-change-greater-than-a-community-discovering/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [The future teachers I try to recruit are those show have refused to let themselves be neutered in this way, either in their private…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-kozol/the-future-teachers-i-try-to-recruit-are-those-show-have-refused-to/) [Jonathan Kozol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-kozol/) > [There are people I'll always love to listen to, and I'm always ending up discovering new songs by them, which is crazy. Like Stevie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-armstrong/there-are-people-i-ll-always-love-to-listen-to-and-i-m-always-ending/) [Neil Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-armstrong/) > [TV is, as I'm discovering now, a marathon. You have to keep going and going and going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-nolan/tv-is-as-i-m-discovering-now-a-marathon-you-have-to-keep-going-and/) [Jonathan Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-nolan/) > [ “d\] One speaks in a language one doesn't understand, uses money whose worth one does not know, and wanders down streets for the very… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/d-one-speaks-in-a-language-one-doesn-t-understand-uses-money-whose/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [We can go up or we can do down. I think generally the world is going on an upward swing. We're in a part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-harrison/we-can-go-up-or-we-can-do-down-i-think-generally-the-world-is-going/) [George Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-harrison/) > [Marx, however imperfectly he worked out the details, set himself the task of discovering the law of motion of capitalism, and if there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-robinson/marx-however-imperfectly-he-worked-out-the-details-set-himself-the/) [Joan Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-robinson/) > [“There were a lot of stressed out people in the company as we were discovering how dangerous the DeSoto Solar Farm was!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/there-were-a-lot-of-stressed-out-people-in-the-company-as-we-were/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Coming to appreciate your worth can, in some cases, dramatically improve your circumstances by changing the choices you make and the actions you take.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-millman/coming-to-appreciate-your-worth-can-in-some-cases-dramatically/) [Dan Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-millman/) > [Melbourne, where I grew up, is one of the street art capitals of the world. Something about discovering freshly painted walls always fills me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-mitchell/melbourne-where-i-grew-up-is-one-of-the-street-art-capitals-of-the/) [Penelope Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-mitchell/) > [“It's kind of impressive...you know, the idea of discovering something that, for all intents and purposes, goes against your abilities, and yet still deciding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/it-s-kind-of-impressive-you-know-the-idea-of-discovering-something/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) [Browse all 881 Discovering quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovering/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The human race may be compared to a writer. At the outset a writer has often only a vague general notion of the plan of his work, and of the thought he intends to elaborate. 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