--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I began to think that the finest modern…" description: "\"I began to think that the finest modern writer was the screen actor. This was in the spirit of the Fifties where a very antiliterary literature was eme..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b06/jack-nicholson-1283_actors_i-began-to-think-that-the-finest-modern_1204606.jpg" --- # I began to think that the finest modern writer was the… ![“I began to think that the finest modern writer was the screen actor. This was in the spirit of the Fifties where a very antiliterary literature was emerging - Kenneth Patchen and others. I kind of believed what Nietzsche said, that nothing not written in your blood is worth reading; it's just more…” quote by Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b06/jack-nicholson-1283_actors_i-began-to-think-that-the-finest-modern_1204606.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b06/jack-nicholson-1283_actors_i-began-to-think-that-the-finest-modern_1204606.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b06/jack-nicholson-1283_actors_i-began-to-think-that-the-finest-modern_1204606.jpg) > “I began to think that the finest modern writer was the screen actor. This was in the spirit of the Fifties where a very antiliterary literature was emerging - Kenneth Patchen and others. I kind of believed what Nietzsche said, that nothing not written in your blood is worth reading; it's just more pollution of the airwaves.” [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker suggests that true writing must be deeply personal and authentic, dismissing work that feels superficial or commercial. **In simple terms:** Authentic writing comes from personal experience, not empty trends. Key Takeaway Seek genuine expression over trendiness. Themes authenticity literature personal voice Mood reflective critical Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - writing workshops - publishing decisions - creative self‑assessment - media criticism Key Concepts existentialism artistic integrity Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate authenticity from self‑indulgence? - Can popular works still hold artistic merit? A Different Perspective May overlook the value of skilled craft that isn’t autobiographical. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Pollution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pollution/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“The way contemporary literature is emerging, soon we can expect "Item poetry" in novels.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/himmilicious/the-way-contemporary-literature-is-emerging-soon-we-can-expect-item/) Himmilicious > [“Was it not said and written that give unto God what belongs to God and to Ceaser what belongs to him? 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Leave women, then, to find their sphere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-stone/too-much-has-already-been-said-and-written-about-women-s-sphere-leave/) [Lucy Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-stone/) > [What can be said, should never be written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/what-can-be-said-should-never-be-written/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [“The world was full of waistrels and waifs, sycophants and spies - all of whom put words to the wrong use, who made everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/the-world-was-full-of-waistrels-and-waifs-sycophants-and-spies-all-of/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [Writing takes gall. I like to think that's true even for writers with several books under their belt, writers who have been doing it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumaan-alam/writing-takes-gall-i-like-to-think-that-s-true-even-for-writers-with/) [Rumaan Alam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumaan-alam/) > [What can't be said can be written. Because writing is a silent act, a labor from the head to the hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herta-m-ller/what-can-t-be-said-can-be-written-because-writing-is-a-silent-act-a/) [Herta Muller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herta-m-ller/) > [The modern writer who has influenced me most is W. Somerset Maugham .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/the-modern-writer-who-has-influenced-me-most-is-w-somerset-maugham/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“The modern writer (scriptor) is born simultaneously with his text; he is in no way supplied with a being which precedes or transcends his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/the-modern-writer-scriptor-is-born-simultaneously-with-his-text-he-is/) [Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/) > [I think our material is our lives. That's part of being a modern writer, and we have to use it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-roiphe/i-think-our-material-is-our-lives-that-s-part-of-being-a-modern/) [Anne Roiphe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-roiphe/) > [The important thing is not what we write but how we write, and in my opinion the modern writer must be an adventurer above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/the-important-thing-is-not-what-we-write-but-how-we-write-and-in-my/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [A modern writer likens coquettes to those hunters who do not eat the game which they have successfully pursued.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-braddon/a-modern-writer-likens-coquettes-to-those-hunters-who-do-not-eat-the/) [Mary Elizabeth Braddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-braddon/) > [Charles McCarry is the best modern writer on the subject of intrigue - by the breadth of Alan Furst, by the fathom of Eric…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/charles-mccarry-is-the-best-modern-writer-on-the-subject-of-intrigue/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) ## More by Jack Nicholson > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [Women are sort of like motorcycle gangs with me. They get really shy and polite. I don't know why.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/women-are-sort-of-like-motorcycle-gangs-with-me-they-get-really-shy/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [I love writing, but I stopped because I felt I was more effective approaching filmmaking from a different vantage point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-love-writing-but-i-stopped-because-i-felt-i-was-more-effective/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [I've been too many places. I'm like the bad penny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-ve-been-too-many-places-i-m-like-the-bad-penny/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [I was invited to join the MGM cartoon department. But if I'd started work in animation I'd have had to take a cut in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-was-invited-to-join-the-mgm-cartoon-department-but-if-i-d-started/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [I don't play golf competitively. I tell everybody that I cheat so they won't gamble with me. That's why you can't watch football. Everybody's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-don-t-play-golf-competitively-i-tell-everybody-that-i-cheat-so-they/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [I'm such a perfectionist. I always feel overpraised or whatever. In the abstract, I know I'm a good person, a good professional. But it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-m-such-a-perfectionist-i-always-feel-overpraised-or-whatever-in-the/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [Men dominate because of physicality, and thus they have mercy where women do not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/men-dominate-because-of-physicality-and-thus-they-have-mercy-where/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [I think it's good if a man gives a woman some time to herself because I think we all need that and we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-think-it-s-good-if-a-man-gives-a-woman-some-time-to-herself-because/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [The most difficult thing about being well known? Getting out of a hotel room at 4am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/the-most-difficult-thing-about-being-well-known-getting-out-of-a/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [ He \[Castro\] is a genius. We spoke about everything. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/he-castro-is-a-genius-we-spoke-about-everything/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [I've always had an urge to feed my need to have fun and feel free. I don't see any interesting alternatives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-ve-always-had-an-urge-to-feed-my-need-to-have-fun-and-feel-free-i/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [Take caution in your tone, commander. I'm a fair man, but this -- heat is making me absolutely crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/take-caution-in-your-tone-commander-i-m-a-fair-man-but-this-heat-is/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [The stage has a certain discipline. But the ultimate standard is more exacting in film, because you have to see yourself and you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/the-stage-has-a-certain-discipline-but-the-ultimate-standard-is-more/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [Comedy is much harder, it's a lot more exacting. You can't just be real and you can't just use the same kind of techniques…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/comedy-is-much-harder-it-s-a-lot-more-exacting-you-can-t-just-be-real/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) [Explore all 261 Jack Nicholson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) ## More Actors quotes > [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/) [Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/) > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. 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We don't get paid even one-third of what male actors get. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kangana-ranaut/forget-the-credit-they-male-actors-take-all-the-money-as-well-we-don/) [Kangana Ranaut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kangana-ranaut/) > [I love film people and actors and I am in the right world because I am one of those people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-love-film-people-and-actors-and-i-am-in-the-right-world-because-i/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [When we watch a film as actors, you have to understand that we always see much more than what's on screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kunal-khemu/when-we-watch-a-film-as-actors-you-have-to-understand-that-we-always/) [Kunal Khemu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kunal-khemu/) > [As actors, you become an expert at starting over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupita-nyong-o/as-actors-you-become-an-expert-at-starting-over/) [Lupita Nyong'o](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupita-nyong-o/) > [The whole concept of stage fright is fascinating. 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Being an actor is about changing who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/a-rapper-is-about-being-completely-true-to-yourself-being-an-actor-is/) [Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) > [I've been a professional actor for almost 40 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-perlman/i-ve-been-a-professional-actor-for-almost-40-years/) [Ron Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-perlman/) > [American actors are coy. We all have pricks and cunts, or are you different from the rest of us?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/american-actors-are-coy-we-all-have-pricks-and-cunts-or-are-you/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) [Browse all 11,394 Actors quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actors/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I began to think that the finest modern writer was the screen actor. 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