--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was an outsider, never quite part of…" description: "\"I was an outsider, never quite part of what was going on, always looking in. It turned out to be great preparation for writing fiction.\" — Hallie Ephron" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d99/hallie-ephron-27003_always_i-was-an-outsider-never-quite-part-of-wh_365507.png" --- # I was an outsider, never quite part of what was going on… ![“I was an outsider, never quite part of what was going on, always looking in. It turned out to be great preparation for writing fiction.” quote by Hallie Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d99/hallie-ephron-27003_always_i-was-an-outsider-never-quite-part-of-wh_365507.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d99/hallie-ephron-27003_always_i-was-an-outsider-never-quite-part-of-wh_365507.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d99/hallie-ephron-27003_always_i-was-an-outsider-never-quite-part-of-wh_365507.png) > “I was an outsider, never quite part of what was going on, always looking in. It turned out to be great preparation for writing fiction.” [Hallie Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-ephron/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Being an outsider provides unique perspective that can enrich creative work by observing without bias. **In simple terms:** Outside view offers fresh insight for writing. Key Takeaway Embrace observation, use it to inform your art. Themes creativity observation identity Mood thoughtful inspired Type advice motivational When to use this quote - writing - storytelling - career development - personal growth Key Concepts detachment empathy Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance detachment with authentic connection? - What outsider insights have you used creatively? A Different Perspective Outsider status may limit access to insider knowledge. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Never quit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never-quit/) [Outsider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outsider/) [Outsiders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outsiders/) [Preparation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preparation/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-fiction/) ## Related quotes > [If youve ever had that feeling of loneliness, of being an outsider, it never quite leaves you. You can be happy or successful or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-burton/if-youve-ever-had-that-feeling-of-loneliness-of-being-an-outsider-it/) [Tim Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-burton/) > [I believe that people make their own luck by great preparation and good strategy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-canfield/i-believe-that-people-make-their-own-luck-by-great-preparation-and/) [Jack Canfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-canfield/) > [I feel like I've always been a weirdo. I always grew up with the sense of being a total outsider. I grew up so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/young-jean-lee/i-feel-like-i-ve-always-been-a-weirdo-i-always-grew-up-with-the-sense/) Young Jean Lee > [I wouldn't consider myself an outsider artist because I have a university degree in painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-dzama/i-wouldn-t-consider-myself-an-outsider-artist-because-i-have-a/) [Marcel Dzama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-dzama/) > [People have asked me about playing outsiders. I don't consider myself an outsider. Maybe that's why I'm interested in that. I'm not really sure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/people-have-asked-me-about-playing-outsiders-i-don-t-consider-myself/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [Once again she would arrive at a foreign place. Once again be the newcomer, an outsider, the one who did not belong. She knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-esquivel/once-again-she-would-arrive-at-a-foreign-place-once-again-be-the/) [Laura Esquivel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-esquivel/) > [I never thought of myself as an outsider. Because outside of what? You would have to give advantage to this space where you're not,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-never-thought-of-myself-as-an-outsider-because-outside-of-what-you/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) > [Donald Trump is sort of the first candidate of his type that non-politician, true outsider, was coming to shake up the system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellyanne-conway/donald-trump-is-sort-of-the-first-candidate-of-his-type-that-non/) [Kellyanne Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellyanne-conway/) > [I've always felt myself to be an outsider. I've always felt awkward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-paxman/i-ve-always-felt-myself-to-be-an-outsider-i-ve-always-felt-awkward/) [Jeremy Paxman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-paxman/) > [How many times have we brought in an outsider to tell us what we already knew?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-block/how-many-times-have-we-brought-in-an-outsider-to-tell-us-what-we/) [Peter Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-block/) > [I cannot imagine anyone being more of an outsider than the first woman president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-cannot-imagine-anyone-being-more-of-an-outsider-than-the-first/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [I've always - and not always happily - considered myself an outsider. Certainly at Fettes. And then the Scots are always outsiders in England.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-deaton/i-ve-always-and-not-always-happily-considered-myself-an-outsider/) [Angus Deaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-deaton/) > [I was always an outsider, proud of being an outsider. I always reveled in the outsiders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/i-was-always-an-outsider-proud-of-being-an-outsider-i-always-reveled/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [I've always been an outsider kid. But I had always wanted to be in a group - growing up, I loved bands like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-angelique/i-ve-always-been-an-outsider-kid-but-i-had-always-wanted-to-be-in-a/) [Dawn Angelique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-angelique/) > [I know always that I am an outsider; a stranger in this century and among those who are still men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-know-always-that-i-am-an-outsider-a-stranger-in-this-century-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Hallie Ephron > [Phoebe Wolkind Ephron cracked wise like Dorothy Parker and looked like Katharine Hepburn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-ephron/phoebe-wolkind-ephron-cracked-wise-like-dorothy-parker-and-looked/) [Hallie Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-ephron/) > [Outlining is like putting on training wheels. It gives me the courage to write, but we always go off the outline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-ephron/outlining-is-like-putting-on-training-wheels-it-gives-me-the-courage/) [Hallie Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-ephron/) > [I haven't given any thought to collaborating with my sisters. It would be great fun. My daughter Molly is a wonderful writer - someday…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-ephron/i-haven-t-given-any-thought-to-collaborating-with-my-sisters-it-would/) [Hallie Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-ephron/) > [My rule of writing is that no one can do what you can do, so jealousy or competitiveness are pointless. I am always happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-ephron/my-rule-of-writing-is-that-no-one-can-do-what-you-can-do-so-jealousy/) [Hallie Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-ephron/) > [The truth is rarely as dreadful or as terrifying as what one imagines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-ephron/the-truth-is-rarely-as-dreadful-or-as-terrifying-as-what-one-imagines/) [Hallie Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-ephron/) > [A man notices a womans figure when she walks in a room. Women have eight million words for blue; a man says dark blue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-ephron/a-man-notices-a-womans-figure-when-she-walks-in-a-room-women-have/) [Hallie Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-ephron/) > [Even though I got a late start, first publishing an essay when I was 50 years old, I've since written eight suspense novels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-ephron/even-though-i-got-a-late-start-first-publishing-an-essay-when-i-was/) [Hallie Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-ephron/) > [A man notices a woman's figure when she walks in a room. Women have eight million words for blue; a man says dark blue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-ephron/a-man-notices-a-woman-s-figure-when-she-walks-in-a-room-women-have/) [Hallie Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-ephron/) > [I'm someone who sits at a computer eight hours a day, and I look in that pinhole camera at the top of my screen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-ephron/i-m-someone-who-sits-at-a-computer-eight-hours-a-day-and-i-look-in/) [Hallie Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-ephron/) > [As we got older, we grew comfortable in roles that met our parents' expectations. Nora was the smart one. Delia, the comedian. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-ephron/as-we-got-older-we-grew-comfortable-in-roles-that-met-our-parents/) [Hallie Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-ephron/) > [When you put your characters in a dire situation, they often do things that surprise even you, so you have to go back and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-ephron/when-you-put-your-characters-in-a-dire-situation-they-often-do-things/) [Hallie Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-ephron/) > [Everyone thinks when they start writing that they can't do it. I was lucky. My sister Delia was the most important person in terms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-ephron/everyone-thinks-when-they-start-writing-that-they-can-t-do-it-i-was/) [Hallie Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-ephron/) > [Our house was awash in books, and my mother doled out her favorites like they were special treats - which they were.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-ephron/our-house-was-awash-in-books-and-my-mother-doled-out-her-favorites/) [Hallie Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-ephron/) > [When something happens far back in the past, people often can't recall exact details. Blame depends upon point of view. There may be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-ephron/when-something-happens-far-back-in-the-past-people-often-can-t-recall/) [Hallie Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-ephron/) > [I'd long wanted to write about that moment when a woman steps off the career track to have her first child. For me, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-ephron/i-d-long-wanted-to-write-about-that-moment-when-a-woman-steps-off-the/) [Hallie Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-ephron/) [Explore all 21 Hallie Ephron quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-ephron/) ## More Always quotes > [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/) [Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I have really good lateral movement. I've always had quick lateral movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/i-have-really-good-lateral-movement-i-ve-always-had-quick-lateral/) [Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [Bayern is always a team that can win the Champions League title in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lothar-matthaus/bayern-is-always-a-team-that-can-win-the-champions-league-title-in/) [Lothar Matthaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lothar-matthaus/) Browse all 36,048 Always quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was an outsider, never quite part of what was going on, always looking in. 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