--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you really think back to the great…" description: "\"If you really think back to the great writers, there's a lot of happiness in Tolstoy; there's a lot of love, there's childbirth, and there's dances. An..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1da/george-saunders-317_celebration_if-you-really-think-back-to-the-great-wr_1364838.jpg" --- # If you really think back to the great writers, there's a… ![“If you really think back to the great writers, there's a lot of happiness in Tolstoy; there's a lot of love, there's childbirth, and there's dances. And likewise in Shakespeare and even Cervantes, there's a lot of celebrations of the positive manifestations of life. Technically, I found it harder…” quote by George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1da/george-saunders-317_celebration_if-you-really-think-back-to-the-great-wr_1364838.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1da/george-saunders-317_celebration_if-you-really-think-back-to-the-great-wr_1364838.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1da/george-saunders-317_celebration_if-you-really-think-back-to-the-great-wr_1364838.jpg) > “If you really think back to the great writers, there's a lot of happiness in Tolstoy; there's a lot of love, there's childbirth, and there's dances. And likewise in Shakespeare and even Cervantes, there's a lot of celebrations of the positive manifestations of life. Technically, I found it harder to do, so that's kind of a good late-life challenge - without getting sentimental or chirpy.” [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. Saunders observes that classic literature often celebrates life’s joys—love, birth, dance—yet modern writers may find such positivity challenging without slipping into sentimentality. **In simple terms:** Great writers celebrate life’s joys; modern writers may find it hard. Key Takeaway Embrace positive themes without sentimentality. Themes literature joy challenge sentimentality celebration Mood reflective inspirational thoughtful Type literary philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - creative writing - teaching literature - personal reflection - artistic growth Key Concepts human experience balance authenticity Questions to Reflect On - How can writers celebrate joy authentically? - What techniques avoid sentimentality? A Different Perspective Risk of becoming overly sentimental or shallow. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Celebration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/celebration/) [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Childbirth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childbirth/) [Great writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-writers/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Life Challenge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-challenge/) [Life challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-challenges/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Manifestation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manifestation/) [Positive Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive-man/) [Sentimental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentimental/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I turned 54 this year and I find myself feeling like I'm in a bit of a race to get down on paper the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/i-turned-54-this-year-and-i-find-myself-feeling-like-i-m-in-a-bit-of/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“Getting all sentimental PMSL!! Oh dear #LongingAgainInSilence”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-williams/getting-all-sentimental-pmsl-oh-dear-longingagaininsilence/) [Ellie Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-williams/) > [“She could feel herself getting sentimental, which she always was. Sometimes she missed people before they even left her, got depressed about a vacation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-close/she-could-feel-herself-getting-sentimental-which-she-always-was/) [Jennifer Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-close/) > [It is technically very hard to show positive manifestations. But I can look back at the way I thought and felt even as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/it-is-technically-very-hard-to-show-positive-manifestations-but-i-can/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [People change, no use getting sentimental about it. Move on, find someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/people-change-no-use-getting-sentimental-about-it-move-on-find/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [I had been a part of dance and drama clubs at school and art gave me a lot of happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-cassandra/i-had-been-a-part-of-dance-and-drama-clubs-at-school-and-art-gave-me/) [Regina Cassandra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-cassandra/) > [“A happy life is not a life with a lot of results; it’s a life with a lot of happiness in the process.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-grace-saunders/a-happy-life-is-not-a-life-with-a-lot-of-results-it-s-a-life-with-a/) [Elizabeth Grace Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-grace-saunders/) > [You know what, if I had to do it all again, I would do the same things as before. I would meet the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-rodrigo-nogueira/you-know-what-if-i-had-to-do-it-all-again-i-would-do-the-same-things/) [Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-rodrigo-nogueira/) > [The arrival of any child brings you a lot of happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seal/the-arrival-of-any-child-brings-you-a-lot-of-happiness/) [Seal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seal/) > [Man is fond of counting his troubles, but he does not count his joys. If he counted them up as he ought to, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoevsky/man-is-fond-of-counting-his-troubles-but-he-does-not-count-his-joys/) [Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoevsky/) > [I have been very fortunate in my life. I have had a lot of happiness. I have a great family and I work a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-devito/i-have-been-very-fortunate-in-my-life-i-have-had-a-lot-of-happiness-i/) [Danny DeVito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-devito/) > [One cannot create happiness with beautiful objects, but one can spoil quite a lot of happiness with bad ones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/finn-juhl/one-cannot-create-happiness-with-beautiful-objects-but-one-can-spoil/) Finn Juhl > [I find a lot of happiness in playing characters that have a lot of emotions. But even more important is the team that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sobhita-dhulipala/i-find-a-lot-of-happiness-in-playing-characters-that-have-a-lot-of/) [Sobhita Dhulipala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sobhita-dhulipala/) > [The fact that there is always a positive side to life is the one thing that gives me a lot of happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/the-fact-that-there-is-always-a-positive-side-to-life-is-the-one-2/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [I think sports can bring a lot of happiness to people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-cabrera/i-think-sports-can-bring-a-lot-of-happiness-to-people/) [Miguel Cabrera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-cabrera/) ## 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. 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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 Celebration quotes > [Spiritually, life is a festival, a celebration. Joy is of the essence of life;](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnivesh/spiritually-life-is-a-festival-a-celebration-joy-is-of-the-essence-of/) [Agnivesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnivesh/) > [The official independence celebration was going to be held over four or five days, and a group of journalists from all over the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryszard-kapuscinski/the-official-independence-celebration-was-going-to-be-held-over-four/) [Ryszard Kapuscinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryszard-kapuscinski/) > [Missouri has a rich history and diverse heritage that deserves a proper celebration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-parson/missouri-has-a-rich-history-and-diverse-heritage-that-deserves-a/) [Mike Parson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-parson/) > [Every day we have a special reason to make a good celebration! And that reason is our very existence!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/every-day-we-have-a-special-reason-to-make-a-good-celebration-and/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“At the water's edge, barrels of pitch blazed like huge bonfires. Their reflection, crimson as the rising moon, crept to meet us in long,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/at-the-water-s-edge-barrels-of-pitch-blazed-like-huge-bonfires-their/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [One of my earliest memories is being backstage at 'Bran Nue Dae' in Darwin when I was about eight. It's such a fun, happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shari-sebbens/one-of-my-earliest-memories-is-being-backstage-at-bran-nue-dae-in/) [Shari Sebbens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shari-sebbens/) > [God does not ask your ability Or your inability. He asks only your availability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-kay-ash/god-does-not-ask-your-ability-or-your-inability-he-asks-only-your/) [Mary Kay Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-kay-ash/) > [My 'Idea of India' calls not just for tolerance, but a celebration of all points of view. Where the sensibilities of every individual are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/my-idea-of-india-calls-not-just-for-tolerance-but-a-celebration-of/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Growing up, there were a lot of funerals that I attended, and the adults at the funerals went out of their way to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-fuller/growing-up-there-were-a-lot-of-funerals-that-i-attended-and-the/) [Bryan Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-fuller/) > [So your life becomes a vital celebration, your relationship becomes a festive thing. Whatsoever you do, every moment is a festival. You eat, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/so-your-life-becomes-a-vital-celebration-your-relationship-becomes-a/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [What I love about the East End is that there's a great perseverance, determination and courage. What I dislike about it is that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-marsan/what-i-love-about-the-east-end-is-that-there-s-a-great-perseverance/) [Eddie Marsan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-marsan/) > [“This was the image Angeline had of him at the time; always moving to the edges of some sort of celebration.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-coplin/this-was-the-image-angeline-had-of-him-at-the-time-always-moving-to/) [Amanda Coplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-coplin/) > [People of our time are losing the power of celebration. Instead of celebrating we seek to be amused or entertained. Celebration is an active…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-joshua-heschel/people-of-our-time-are-losing-the-power-of-celebration-instead-of/) [Abraham Joshua Heschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-joshua-heschel/) > [Thinking about writing as an act of celebration is sometimes a helpful framework for me. It allows me to prioritize what I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/thinking-about-writing-as-an-act-of-celebration-is-sometimes-a/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [Tolerance and celebration of individual differences is the fire that fuels lasting love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hannah/tolerance-and-celebration-of-individual-differences-is-the-fire-that/) Tom Hannah [Browse all 963 Celebration quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/celebration/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you really think back to the great writers, there's a lot of happiness in Tolstoy; there's a lot of love, there's childbirth, and there's dances. And likewise in Shakespeare and even Cervantes, there's a lot of celebrations of the positive manifestations of life. 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