--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I read 'Greenberg,' I had a really…" description: "\"When I read 'Greenberg,' I had a really strong sense if I could be any kind of writer I wanted to be, I'd be this kind of writer. And I felt like, even..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/487/greta-gerwig-2602_books_when-i-read-greenberg-i-had-a-really-str_456928.jpg" --- # When I read 'Greenberg,' I had a really strong sense if I… ![“When I read 'Greenberg,' I had a really strong sense if I could be any kind of writer I wanted to be, I'd be this kind of writer. And I felt like, even in my experiences, what writing I had done, even on a small scale, when it was good, it shared some quality with it.” quote by Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/487/greta-gerwig-2602_books_when-i-read-greenberg-i-had-a-really-str_456928.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/487/greta-gerwig-2602_books_when-i-read-greenberg-i-had-a-really-str_456928.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/487/greta-gerwig-2602_books_when-i-read-greenberg-i-had-a-really-str_456928.jpg) > “When I read 'Greenberg,' I had a really strong sense if I could be any kind of writer I wanted to be, I'd be this kind of writer. And I felt like, even in my experiences, what writing I had done, even on a small scale, when it was good, it shared some quality with it.” [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Seeing a role model inspires confidence to pursue any writing style. **In simple terms:** Inspiration fuels creative freedom. Key Takeaway Seek mentors to expand creative vision. Themes creativity inspiration identity confidence Mood hopeful reflective Type creative inspirational When to use this quote - starting a novel - writing workshop - career change - personal branding Key Concepts literary influence self‑discovery artistic freedom Questions to Reflect On - Who inspires your creative voice? - How do you balance influence and originality? A Different Perspective Over‑identifying with a model can limit originality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Mike Greenberg and I are really good friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booger-mcfarland/mike-greenberg-and-i-are-really-good-friends/) [Booger McFarland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booger-mcfarland/) > [Through my former experiences, writing poetry and learning other languages leading up to English I find ways to stitch words together that may seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masiela-lusha/through-my-former-experiences-writing-poetry-and-learning-other/) [Masiela Lusha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masiela-lusha/) > [I'm a firm believer in putting your experiences in your writing, of bleeding into the page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-king/i-m-a-firm-believer-in-putting-your-experiences-in-your-writing-of/) [Tom King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-king/) > [“In fact, my experiences as I was writing the 3:16 book weren't that different from writing computer books, although I wasn't using integral signs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-e-knuth/in-fact-my-experiences-as-i-was-writing-the-3-16-book-weren-t-that/) Donald E. Knuth > [If a reader comes across a story that makes them cry, you can be sure that the writer felt every single thing that makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/if-a-reader-comes-across-a-story-that-makes-them-cry-you-can-be-sure/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [As a writer, I first felt successful before I was published.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/as-a-writer-i-first-felt-successful-before-i-was-published/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [There is that doll dress-up quality of adorable teenage girl writer, and I never felt either as adorable as I was supposed to be,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-forrest/there-is-that-doll-dress-up-quality-of-adorable-teenage-girl-writer/) [Emma Forrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-forrest/) > [There were many times in my initial days as a writer when I had felt the need to talk to someone, to leverage on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-subramanian/there-were-many-times-in-my-initial-days-as-a-writer-when-i-had-felt/) [Ravi Subramanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-subramanian/) > [And I definitely wanted to be a writer, but I felt a duty now, having used up those educational resources, I felt a duty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keneally/and-i-definitely-wanted-to-be-a-writer-but-i-felt-a-duty-now-having/) [Thomas Keneally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keneally/) > [“I read not for entertainment but to feel what the writer has felt while writing even though if it was fiction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pushpa-rana/i-read-not-for-entertainment-but-to-feel-what-the-writer-has-felt/) [Pushpa Rana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pushpa-rana/) > [I've always felt that I'm affected by the world, by the way we treat each other, by the way different countries treat each other.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pj-harvey/i-ve-always-felt-that-i-m-affected-by-the-world-by-the-way-we-treat/) [PJ Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pj-harvey/) > [At the beginning of my career as a writer, I felt I knew nothing of Chinese culture. I was writing about emotional confusion with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/at-the-beginning-of-my-career-as-a-writer-i-felt-i-knew-nothing-of/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [She's a writer. The kind of writer who wouldn't be published outside. She believes that when one deals with words, one deals with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-s-a-writer-the-kind-of-writer-who-wouldn-t-be-published-outside/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Sometimes what I'm looking for is the thing that will help renew people's interest in a writer that they may have written off as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/sometimes-what-i-m-looking-for-is-the-thing-that-will-help-renew/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [“What kind of writer are you?” You can’t think of a single sentence that would satisfy Hyong-chol. Your”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyung-sook-shin/what-kind-of-writer-are-you-you-can-t-think-of-a-single-sentence-that/) [Kyung-Sook Shin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyung-sook-shin/) ## More by Greta Gerwig > [I didn't know the city at all, but I was so happy to be in New York I cried. I was so excited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/i-didn-t-know-the-city-at-all-but-i-was-so-happy-to-be-in-new-york-i/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [I think I've always wanted to direct, but I didn't go to film school. I was lucky enough to work in movies, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/i-think-i-ve-always-wanted-to-direct-but-i-didn-t-go-to-film-school-i/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [You only get one life, so you might as well feel all the feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/you-only-get-one-life-so-you-might-as-well-feel-all-the-feelings/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [I always have a soft spot in my heart for New York designers and independent designers, people who are doing the fashion equivalent of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/i-always-have-a-soft-spot-in-my-heart-for-new-york-designers-and/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [I don't really decide what the core of the story is before I write. I write to figure out what the story is. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/i-don-t-really-decide-what-the-core-of-the-story-is-before-i-write-i/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [I don't do well when I don't work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/i-don-t-do-well-when-i-don-t-work/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [Sacramento is where I grew up, so I felt like it had not been given its proper due in cinema.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/sacramento-is-where-i-grew-up-so-i-felt-like-it-had-not-been-given/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [I'm interested in characters that have just a touch of madness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/i-m-interested-in-characters-that-have-just-a-touch-of-madness/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [Something people say about acting is that acting is listening. But I think that writing is listening, too. That you really have to listen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/something-people-say-about-acting-is-that-acting-is-listening-but-i/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [As a kid, I was a big reader. Books and theater were the way I understood the world, and also the way I organized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/as-a-kid-i-was-a-big-reader-books-and-theater-were-the-way-i/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [Movies are now more often watched on the small screen anyway. But at least for me, what got lost in that is the difference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/movies-are-now-more-often-watched-on-the-small-screen-anyway-but-at/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > ['A People's History of the United States' was actually a very big book for me. I read it in high school, and I felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/a-people-s-history-of-the-united-states-was-actually-a-very-big-book/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [I love New York, but it's a rough city. It's not dangerous now the way it was in the 70's or the 80's, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/i-love-new-york-but-it-s-a-rough-city-it-s-not-dangerous-now-the-way/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [There's an economy in sports that I always think is a useful metaphor for acting. You have an objective. You're trying to win, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/there-s-an-economy-in-sports-that-i-always-think-is-a-useful-metaphor/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [When I was a kid, I used to do my homework in the living room, where there was a picture window. I was hoping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/when-i-was-a-kid-i-used-to-do-my-homework-in-the-living-room-where/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) [Explore all 158 Greta Gerwig quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) ## More Books 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/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. 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There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I read 'Greenberg,' I had a really strong sense if I could be any kind of writer I wanted to be, I'd be this kind of writer. 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