--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For me, the fiction writer's job is to…" description: "\"For me, the fiction writer's job is to take the small, stupid process of learning to use an iPhone - and suddenly you're the guy who's asking your daug..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/213/george-saunders-317_asking_for-me-the-fiction-writer-s-job-is-to-ta_2372599.jpg" --- # For me, the fiction writer's job is to take the small… ![“For me, the fiction writer's job is to take the small, stupid process of learning to use an iPhone - and suddenly you're the guy who's asking your daughter, "When I go on Facebook, can it see me?"” quote by George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/213/george-saunders-317_asking_for-me-the-fiction-writer-s-job-is-to-ta_2372599.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/213/george-saunders-317_asking_for-me-the-fiction-writer-s-job-is-to-ta_2372599.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/213/george-saunders-317_asking_for-me-the-fiction-writer-s-job-is-to-ta_2372599.jpg) > “For me, the fiction writer's job is to take the small, stupid process of learning to use an iPhone - and suddenly you're the guy who's asking your daughter, "When I go on Facebook, can it see me?"” [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The writer transforms mundane tech learning into a comedic, relatable scenario that highlights generational gaps and digital anxiety. **In simple terms:** Writers turn everyday tech frustrations into humor. Key Takeaway Use humor to bridge tech gaps. Themes humor technology generational gaps Mood lighthearted reflective Type observational comic When to use this quote - family conversations - teaching elders - stand‑up comedy - online tutorials Key Concepts digital literacy social media anxiety family dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can humor help teach tech? - What anxieties arise from new platforms? A Different Perspective Humor may oversimplify deeper tech issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Daughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daughter/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-writer/) [Fiction writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-writers/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Twitter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twitter/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Are you planning on asking my daughter's permission to ravish me as I deserve? If so, please take heed when she informs you that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-macalister/are-you-planning-on-asking-my-daughter-s-permission-to-ravish-me-as-i/) [Katie MacAlister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-macalister/) > [“Your mom seems like someone who gets her way a lot." Adrian cast a covert look to where Lissa and my mom stood talking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/your-mom-seems-like-someone-who-gets-her-way-a-lot-adrian-cast-a/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [I shall clasp my hands together and bow to the corners of the world. May your villages remain ignorant of tax collectors, and may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hughart/i-shall-clasp-my-hands-together-and-bow-to-the-corners-of-the-world/) [Barry Hughart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hughart/) > [Teacher: "If your daughter knew her spelling words as well as her Bible stories she'd get into Harvard." Me: "I'll settle for Heaven."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hart/teacher-if-your-daughter-knew-her-spelling-words-as-well-as-her-bible/) [Mark Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hart/) > [It's a great joy but no test of love or commitment to take your son to a ball game. You really prove your credentials…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-josephson/it-s-a-great-joy-but-no-test-of-love-or-commitment-to-take-your-son/) [Michael Josephson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-josephson/) > [ Marry your sonne when you will; your daughter when you can. \[Marry your son when you will, your daughter when you can.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/marry-your-sonne-when-you-will-your-daughter-when-you-can-marry-your/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [That's why you and I had friction? God, I always thought it was 'cause, 'cause I fooled around with your daughter freshman year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-reynolds/that-s-why-you-and-i-had-friction-god-i-always-thought-it-was-cause/) [Ryan Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-reynolds/) > [What I would like to give my daughter is freedom. And this is something that must be given by example, not exhortation. Freedom is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/what-i-would-like-to-give-my-daughter-is-freedom-and-this-is/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [My therapist said to me 'OK, let's just say your daughters do end up marrying someone like him. When the abuse starts they'll think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-moon-zombie/my-therapist-said-to-me-ok-let-s-just-say-your-daughters-do-end-up/) [Sheri Moon Zombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-moon-zombie/) > [Just imagine what would happen if your daughter was standing there. What would you do, how would you fight? So you have to join…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anuradha-koirala/just-imagine-what-would-happen-if-your-daughter-was-standing-there/) Anuradha Koirala > [Honour your daughters, trust them and most importantly, educate them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziauddin-yousafzai/honour-your-daughters-trust-them-and-most-importantly-educate-them/) [Ziauddin Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziauddin-yousafzai/) > [Nothing can burst your fatherly bubble faster than hearing your daughter come home from a date and saying: 'Some nights I don't know why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-henry/nothing-can-burst-your-fatherly-bubble-faster-than-hearing-your/) [David Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-henry/) > [It is cruel for you to leave your daughter, so full of hopeand resolve, to suffer the humiliations of disfranchisement she already feels so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-b-anthony/it-is-cruel-for-you-to-leave-your-daughter-so-full-of-hopeand-resolve/) [Susan B. Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-b-anthony/) > [So, this is my government's agenda: educate your daughter and save your daughter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/so-this-is-my-government-s-agenda-educate-your-daughter-and-save-your/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [This is as 'alone' as I'm likely to get with you - you're not half so fetching as your daughter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-morris/this-is-as-alone-as-i-m-likely-to-get-with-you-you-re-not-half-so/) [Janet Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-morris/) ## More by George Saunders > [Success is like a mountain in front of you that keeps growing. If you're not careful, it will take up your whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/success-is-like-a-mountain-in-front-of-you-that-keeps-growing-if-you/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“Wow wow wow is all I can say! Remember how I always buy lunchtime Scratch-Off ticket? Have I said? Maybe did not say? Well,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/wow-wow-wow-is-all-i-can-say-remember-how-i-always-buy-lunchtime/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“None of it was real; nothing was real. Everything was real; inconceivably real, infinitely dear. These and all things started as nothing, latent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/none-of-it-was-real-nothing-was-real-everything-was-real/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“We must see God not as a Him (some linear rewarding fellow) but an IT, a great beast beyond our understanding, who wants something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/we-must-see-god-not-as-a-him-some-linear-rewarding-fellow-but-an-it-a/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [America, to me, should be shouting all the time, a bunch of shouting voices, most of them wrong, some of them nuts, but please,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/america-to-me-should-be-shouting-all-the-time-a-bunch-of-shouting/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [In my case, when I am trying to be "kind" I often default in a sort of toothless loving-all stance that is, actually, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/in-my-case-when-i-am-trying-to-be-kind-i-often-default-in-a-sort-of/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [Whatever your supposed politics are - left, right - if you put it in a human connection, most people will rise to the occasion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/whatever-your-supposed-politics-are-left-right-if-you-put-it-in-a/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“A Clinton staffer tells me his theory. Think about Frank Sinatra, he says: born to sing. Think about Willie Mays: born to play ball.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/a-clinton-staffer-tells-me-his-theory-think-about-frank-sinatra-he/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [We try, we fail, we posture, we aspire, we pontificate - and then we age, shrink, die, and vanish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/we-try-we-fail-we-posture-we-aspire-we-pontificate-and-then-we-age/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“You were torturing a cat," she says. "With a freaking prod." "A prod I built myself in metal shop," he says. "But of course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/you-were-torturing-a-cat-she-says-with-a-freaking-prod-a-prod-i-built/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“Rachel got up and did this happy little shuffle, like she was some cheerful farmer chick who'd just stepped outside to find the hick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/rachel-got-up-and-did-this-happy-little-shuffle-like-she-was-some/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [What America is, to me, is a guy doesn't want to buy, you let him not buy, you respect his not buying. A guy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/what-america-is-to-me-is-a-guy-doesn-t-want-to-buy-you-let-him-not/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [What good the prophet in the wilderness may do is incremental and personal. It's good for us to hear someone speak the irrational truth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/what-good-the-prophet-in-the-wilderness-may-do-is-incremental-and/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [We're in the transition between birth and death. But the one that people often know about is the transition between the moment of death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/we-re-in-the-transition-between-birth-and-death-but-the-one-that/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [You don't want to be that parent - the one who dresses his kid in a cloth sack when all the other kids are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/you-don-t-want-to-be-that-parent-the-one-who-dresses-his-kid-in-a/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) [Explore all 690 George Saunders quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) ## More Asking quotes > [Why did Erich von Stronheim leave Germany? Why did Hitchcock leave England? If you were a director you'd like to work in Hollywood too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/why-did-erich-von-stronheim-leave-germany-why-did-hitchcock-leave/) [Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/) > [And in your new lives you'll have to live entirely for that one sensation-that of imminent truth. And you're going to have to holler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/and-in-your-new-lives-you-ll-have-to-live-entirely-for-that-one/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [“Stop asking yourself how or why and tell yourself you can." - Charmainism”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charmaine-smith-ladd/stop-asking-yourself-how-or-why-and-tell-yourself-you-can-charmainism/) [Charmaine Smith Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charmaine-smith-ladd/) > [Closing his eyes, he sent up a prayer to anyone who was listening, asking please, for God's sake, stop sending him signals that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/closing-his-eyes-he-sent-up-a-prayer-to-anyone-who-was-listening/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [People will identify with a persecuted minority without asking themselves what they are identifying with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/people-will-identify-with-a-persecuted-minority-without-asking/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [If you're having a bad day already and everybody is just asking you petty questions, it drives people to the edge, or something really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-weixler/if-you-re-having-a-bad-day-already-and-everybody-is-just-asking-you/) [Jess Weixler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-weixler/) > [You never give away your heart; you lend it from time to time. If it were not so, how could we take it back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/you-never-give-away-your-heart-you-lend-it-from-time-to-time-if-it/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [I'm not asking people to feel sorry for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/i-m-not-asking-people-to-feel-sorry-for-me/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) > [The boldness of asking deep questions may require unforeseen flexibility if we are to accept the answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/the-boldness-of-asking-deep-questions-may-require-unforeseen/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [Use Google Before Asking A Stupid Question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muskaan/use-google-before-asking-a-stupid-question/) [Muskaan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muskaan/) > [There were people asking 'Can women be funny?' People still ask that. It's like asking: 'Can women breathe in and out?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-walters/there-were-people-asking-can-women-be-funny-people-still-ask-that-it/) [Julie Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-walters/) > [Whether that's speaking up in your job or asking for a promotion or saying, 'I think I can do that.' Using your voice in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-shriver/whether-that-s-speaking-up-in-your-job-or-asking-for-a-promotion-or/) [Maria Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-shriver/) > [Love cannot be had for the asking; it comes only as a gift from the heart of another](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/love-cannot-be-had-for-the-asking-it-comes-only-as-a-gift-from-the/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [The Baseball Hall of Fame is something every player dreams about, but being a member of God's Hall of Fame is the greatest achievement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-carter/the-baseball-hall-of-fame-is-something-every-player-dreams-about-but/) [Gary Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-carter/) > [“In such a regime, I say you died a good death if your life had inspired someone to come forward and shoot your murdered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/in-such-a-regime-i-say-you-died-a-good-death-if-your-life-had/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) Browse all 3,313 Asking quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For me, the fiction writer's job is to take the small, stupid process of learning to use an iPhone - and suddenly you're the guy who's asking your daughter, \"When I go on Facebook, can it see me?\"", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Saunders" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/for-me-the-fiction-writer-s-job-is-to-take-the-small-stupid-process/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Asking" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/for-me-the-fiction-writer-s-job-is-to-take-the-small-stupid-process/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/213/george-saunders-317_asking_for-me-the-fiction-writer-s-job-is-to-ta_2372599.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/213/george-saunders-317_asking_for-me-the-fiction-writer-s-job-is-to-ta_2372599.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/213/george-saunders-317_asking_for-me-the-fiction-writer-s-job-is-to-ta_2372599.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For me, the fiction writer's job is to take the small, stupid process of learning to use an iPhone - and…” — George Saunders", "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": "George Saunders", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For me, the fiction writer's job...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/for-me-the-fiction-writer-s-job-is-to-take-the-small-stupid-process/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/for-me-the-fiction-writer-s-job-is-to-take-the-small-stupid-process/#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 } } ] } ```