--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You have to be practical. So every time I…" description: "\"You have to be practical. So every time I say, if you want to write a novel you have to be practical, people get bored. They are disappointed. They are..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/haruki-murakami-21_artistic_you-have-to-be-practical-so-every-time-i_522150.jpg" --- # You have to be practical. So every time I say, if you want… ![“You have to be practical. So every time I say, if you want to write a novel you have to be practical, people get bored. They are disappointed. They are expecting a more dynamic, creative, artistic thing to say. What I want to say is: you have to be practical.” quote by Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/haruki-murakami-21_artistic_you-have-to-be-practical-so-every-time-i_522150.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/haruki-murakami-21_artistic_you-have-to-be-practical-so-every-time-i_522150.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/haruki-murakami-21_artistic_you-have-to-be-practical-so-every-time-i_522150.jpg) > “You have to be practical. So every time I say, if you want to write a novel you have to be practical, people get bored. They are disappointed. They are expecting a more dynamic, creative, artistic thing to say. What I want to say is: you have to be practical.” [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Practicality often outweighs artistic flair in expectations, leading to disappointment when novelty is lacking. **In simple terms:** Being practical beats lofty expectations. Key Takeaway Prioritize usefulness over flash. Themes practicality expectations creativity Mood reflective critical Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - writing workshops - creative projects - client pitches - teaching - marketing Key Concepts artistic expression audience reception Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance practicality with creativity? - When does practicality become a barrier? A Different Perspective Practicality may stifle innovation if overemphasized. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artistic/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Bored](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bored/) [Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) [Disappointed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappointed/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [To say it is not practical, one has to also admit that integration is not practical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/to-say-it-is-not-practical-one-has-to-also-admit-that-integration-is/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [I really want to write a novel. I also want to learn to play the mandolin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-watson/i-really-want-to-write-a-novel-i-also-want-to-learn-to-play-the/) [Emma Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-watson/) > [If you want to write a novel, it's the Divine mind wanting to express.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/if-you-want-to-write-a-novel-it-s-the-divine-mind-wanting-to-express/) [Julia Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/) > [I don't want to write a novel per year. I know that I need a break of one or two years. 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Your parents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-lipsyte/one-of-my-big-revelations-was-that-nobody-cares-whether-you-write/) [Sam Lipsyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-lipsyte/) > [I wasn't sitting around years ago thinking, 'I really want to write a novel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/i-wasn-t-sitting-around-years-ago-thinking-i-really-want-to-write-a/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [“I want to write a novel that is so good it causes readers to ignore meals, sleep, work, friends and spouses!!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-e-fisher/i-want-to-write-a-novel-that-is-so-good-it-causes-readers-to-ignore/) R.E. Fisher > [Whenever I write a novel, music just sort of naturally slips in (much like cats do, I suppose).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/whenever-i-write-a-novel-music-just-sort-of-naturally-slips-in-much/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [When I write a novel I put into play all the information inside me. It might be Japanese information or it might be Western;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-i-write-a-novel-i-put-into-play-all-the-information-inside-me-it/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Whenever I write a novel, I have a strong sense that I am doing something I was unable to do before. With each new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/whenever-i-write-a-novel-i-have-a-strong-sense-that-i-am-doing/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Despite the heat in her face, it felt as if cold needles of ice were running up and down her veins. "What are you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/despite-the-heat-in-her-face-it-felt-as-if-cold-needles-of-ice-were/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [The restaurant chefs in Spain are breaking ground, but in terms of the everyday cooking in Spain I still hear people coming back and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-schneider/the-restaurant-chefs-in-spain-are-breaking-ground-but-in-terms-of-the/) [Sally Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-schneider/) > [Phresine showed him where he could sleep, in an interior room with no windows, a narrow bed, and a washstand. There were chests stacked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-whalen-turner/phresine-showed-him-where-he-could-sleep-in-an-interior-room-with-no/) [Megan Whalen Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-whalen-turner/) ## More by Haruki Murakami > [I always feel like I'm struggling to become someone else. Like I'm trying to find a new place, grab hold of a new life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-always-feel-like-i-m-struggling-to-become-someone-else-like-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [If writing novels is like planting a forest, then writing short stories is more like planting a garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-writing-novels-is-like-planting-a-forest-then-writing-short/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“The sad truth is that what I could recall in five seconds all too soon needed ten, then thirty, thena full minute...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sad-truth-is-that-what-i-could-recall-in-five-seconds-all-too/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Intelligent teenage girls were often instinctively theatrical, purposely eccentric, mouthing highly suggestive words to confuse people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/intelligent-teenage-girls-were-often-instinctively-theatrical/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Memory is like fiction; or else it's fiction that's like memory. 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The rest is mass-produced garbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-you-listen-to-the-radio-for-a-whole-hour-there-s-maybe-one-decent/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“that one of our problems was our inability to recognize and accept our own deformities”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/that-one-of-our-problems-was-our-inability-to-recognize-and-accept/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“When I look back at myself at age twenty, what I remember most is being alone and lonely. I had no girlfriend to warm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-i-look-back-at-myself-at-age-twenty-what-i-remember-most-is/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“There's not a branch of publishing or broadcasting that doesn't depend in some way on advertising. It'd be like an aquarium without water. 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