---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My own approach to literary problems is…"
description: "\"My own approach to literary problems is very like the one Dr. Johnson's blind housekeeper used when she poured tea-she put her finger inside the cup.\" ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/deb/flannery-o-connor-639_approach_my-own-approach-to-literary-problems-is_1583067.png"
---

#  My own approach to literary problems is very like the one…

![“My own approach to literary problems is very like the one Dr. Johnson's blind housekeeper used when she poured tea-she put her finger inside the cup.” quote by Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/deb/flannery-o-connor-639_approach_my-own-approach-to-literary-problems-is_1583067.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/deb/flannery-o-connor-639_approach_my-own-approach-to-literary-problems-is_1583067.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/deb/flannery-o-connor-639_approach_my-own-approach-to-literary-problems-is_1583067.png)

> “My own approach to literary problems is very like the one Dr. Johnson's blind housekeeper used when she poured tea-she put her finger inside the cup.”

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Uses a metaphor of a blind housekeeper testing tea to illustrate probing problems indirectly and intuitively.

**In simple terms:** Probe problems indirectly like feeling a cup.

Key Takeaway

Use indirect, sensory approaches to solve issues.

Themes

intuition creativity problem solving literature

Mood

reflective analytical

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- creative writing
- research methodology
- teaching
- design thinking

Key Concepts

metaphor critical thinking analysis

Questions to Reflect On

- What indirect methods help you understand a problem?
- When does intuition fail?

A Different Perspective

May be misinterpreted as vague or overly poetic.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/) [Blind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blind/) [Coffee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coffee/) [Dr johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dr-johnson/) [Housekeepers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/housekeepers/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Tea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tea/)

## Related quotes

> [I would solve a lot of literary problems just thinking about a character in the subway, where you can't do anything anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/i-would-solve-a-lot-of-literary-problems-just-thinking-about-a/)

[Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/)

> [It's almost like he has Dr. Who's Tardis because he always turns up on time. (on Teddy Sheringham)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-pardew/it-s-almost-like-he-has-dr-who-s-tardis-because-he-always-turns-up-on/)

[Alan Pardew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-pardew/)

> [...I like Dr.Ducks Ax Wax …](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-beck/i-like-dr-ducks-ax-wax/)

Joe Beck

> [I'd love to have a program like 'Dr. Laura.' I studied psychology at the University of Miami, and when I rode the bus home…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-estefan/i-d-love-to-have-a-program-like-dr-laura-i-studied-psychology-at-the/)

[Gloria Estefan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-estefan/)

> [I was lucky, as many of my generation was, in having a man like Dr. King in our lives. He came at a time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-horne/i-was-lucky-as-many-of-my-generation-was-in-having-a-man-like-dr-king/)

[Lena Horne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-horne/)

> [“Honestly, yes.” I nodded heartily. “I like Dr. West. It’s like having a—a—a relationship coach. Or a good mechanic on staff, keeping our engines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-reid/honestly-yes-i-nodded-heartily-i-like-dr-west-it-s-like-having-a-a-a/)

[Penny Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-reid/)

> [I am just like Dr. Armaan - fun-loving, flirtatious, and tension-free. I am serious about my work, but apart from that, I am always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-singh-grover/i-am-just-like-dr-armaan-fun-loving-flirtatious-and-tension-free-i-am/)

[Karan Singh Grover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-singh-grover/)

> [Remy look good in person jus like she do in the magazine, so ima stay close to ms.martin like dr.king.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/papoose/remy-look-good-in-person-jus-like-she-do-in-the-magazine-so-ima-stay/)

[Papoose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/papoose/)

> [I feel like Dr. Death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-mckee/i-feel-like-dr-death/)

[Ann McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-mckee/)

> [I like to bring a level of vulnerability and real humanity to the characters I play when appropriate, and I feel like Dr. Culber…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-cruz/i-like-to-bring-a-level-of-vulnerability-and-real-humanity-to-the/)

[Wilson Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-cruz/)

> [“There was nothing more infuriating than when a person like Dr. Madsen was right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-meyer/there-was-nothing-more-infuriating-than-when-a-person-like-dr-madsen/)

[Scott Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-meyer/)

> [I wanted to talk to the animals like Dr. Dolittle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/i-wanted-to-talk-to-the-animals-like-dr-dolittle/)

[Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/)

> [A good marriage is like Dr Who's Tardis: small and banal from the outside but spacious and interesting from within.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-whitehorn/a-good-marriage-is-like-dr-who-s-tardis-small-and-banal-from-the/)

[Katharine Whitehorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-whitehorn/)

> [“How are you coming with your home library? Do you need some good ammunition on why it's so important to read? The last time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/how-are-you-coming-with-your-home-library-do-you-need-some-good/)

[Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/)

> [“Listen, I wanted to say, I don't need your judgment, okay? I have enough to deal with without you contributing, so can we just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-verdi/listen-i-wanted-to-say-i-don-t-need-your-judgment-okay-i-have-enough/)

[Jessica Verdi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-verdi/)

## More by Flannery O'Connor

> [“Wait here, wait here!" he cried and jumped up and began to run for help toward a cluster of lights he saw in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/wait-here-wait-here-he-cried-and-jumped-up-and-began-to-run-for-help/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [... the man in the violent situation reveals those qualities least dispensable in his personality, those qualities which are all he will have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/the-man-in-the-violent-situation-reveals-those-qualities-least/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [“I don’t know how to cure the source-itis except to tell you that I can discover a good many possible sources myself for Wise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/i-don-t-know-how-to-cure-the-source-itis-except-to-tell-you-that-i/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [“For the fiction writer himself the whole story is the meaning, because it is an experience, not an abstraction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/for-the-fiction-writer-himself-the-whole-story-is-the-meaning-because/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [Everything that gave her pleasure was small and depressed him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/everything-that-gave-her-pleasure-was-small-and-depressed-him/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [To the hard of hearing you shout, and for the almost blind you draw large and startling figures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/to-the-hard-of-hearing-you-shout-and-for-the-almost-blind-you-draw/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [“He felt his hunger no longer as a pain but as a tide. He felt it rising in himself through time and darkness, rising…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/he-felt-his-hunger-no-longer-as-a-pain-but-as-a-tide-he-felt-it/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [“Where you come from is gone, where you thought you were going to never was there, and where you are is no good unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/where-you-come-from-is-gone-where-you-thought-you-were-going-to-never/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [Technique in the minds of many is something rigid, something like a formula that you impose on the material; but in the best stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/technique-in-the-minds-of-many-is-something-rigid-something-like-a/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [“There are all kinds of truth ... but behind all of them there is only one truth and that is that there's no truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/there-are-all-kinds-of-truth-but-behind-all-of-them-there-is-only-one/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [“Mrs. May winced. She thought the word Jesus should be kept inside the church building like other words inside the bedroom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/mrs-may-winced-she-thought-the-word-jesus-should-be-kept-inside-the/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [I feel that discussing story-writing in terms of plot, character, and theme is like trying to describe the expression on a face by saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/i-feel-that-discussing-story-writing-in-terms-of-plot-character-and/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [She had observed that the more education they got, the less they could do. Their father had gone to a one-room schoolhouse through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/she-had-observed-that-the-more-education-they-got-the-less-they-could/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [One of the awful things about writing when you are a Christian is that for you the ultimate reality is the Incarnation, the present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/one-of-the-awful-things-about-writing-when-you-are-a-christian-is/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [“Hazel Motes sat at a forward angel on the green plush train seat, looking one minute at the window as if he might want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/hazel-motes-sat-at-a-forward-angel-on-the-green-plush-train-seat/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

[Explore all 432 Flannery O'Connor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

## More Approach quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [I'm in a business where there's complete anarchy. You can't control it - you can only react to it. The control that people traditionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-sorrell/i-m-in-a-business-where-there-s-complete-anarchy-you-can-t-control-it/)

[Martin Sorrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-sorrell/)

> [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/)

[Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/)

> [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/)

[Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/)

> [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/)

[Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/)

> [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/)

[Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/)

> [I don't have any particular method, my approach is very simple. I try to understand the emotional graph of the character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pratik-gandhi/i-don-t-have-any-particular-method-my-approach-is-very-simple-i-try/)

[Pratik Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pratik-gandhi/)

> [“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/)

> [Everything, every part that you approach has to be somehow rooted in yourself. You have to somehow root everything so that it's not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judi-dench/everything-every-part-that-you-approach-has-to-be-somehow-rooted-in/)

[Judi Dench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judi-dench/)

> [Literature transforms and intensifies ordinary language, deviates systematically from everyday speech. If you approach me at a bus stop and murmur Thou still unravished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/literature-transforms-and-intensifies-ordinary-language-deviates/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

> [The whole secret to mastering the game of golf - and this applies to the beginner as well as the pro - is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-palmer/the-whole-secret-to-mastering-the-game-of-golf-and-this-applies-to/)

[Arnold Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-palmer/)

> [The essence of Christianity...is an ever-new encounter with... the God who speaks to us, who approaches us and who befriends us!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/the-essence-of-christianity-is-an-ever-new-encounter-with-the-god-who/)

[Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/)

> [Like a morning dream, life becomes more and more bright the longer we live, and the reason of everything appears more clear. What has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/like-a-morning-dream-life-becomes-more-and-more-bright-the-longer-we/)

[Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/)

> [What begins as a Utopian vision, always - always - ends in bloodshed. Because you have to force a utopia on a free people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/what-begins-as-a-utopian-vision-always-always-ends-in-bloodshed/)

[Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/)

> [The only two good words that can be said for a hurricane are that it gives sufficient warning of its approach, and that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-atherton/the-only-two-good-words-that-can-be-said-for-a-hurricane-are-that-it/)

[Gertrude Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-atherton/)

[Browse all 3,949 Approach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "My own approach to literary problems is very like the one Dr. Johnson's blind housekeeper used when she poured tea-she put her finger inside the cup.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Flannery O'Connor"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/my-own-approach-to-literary-problems-is-very-like-the-one-dr-johnson/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Approach"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/my-own-approach-to-literary-problems-is-very-like-the-one-dr-johnson/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/deb/flannery-o-connor-639_approach_my-own-approach-to-literary-problems-is_1583067.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/deb/flannery-o-connor-639_approach_my-own-approach-to-literary-problems-is_1583067.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/deb/flannery-o-connor-639_approach_my-own-approach-to-literary-problems-is_1583067.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“My own approach to literary problems is very like the one Dr. Johnson's blind housekeeper used when she…” — Flannery O'Connor",
                "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": "Flannery O'Connor",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "My own approach to literary problems...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/my-own-approach-to-literary-problems-is-very-like-the-one-dr-johnson/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/my-own-approach-to-literary-problems-is-very-like-the-one-dr-johnson/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
