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Achilles Quote by James A. Michener

“I would suppose I learned how to write when I was very young indeed. When I read a child's book about the Trojan War and decided that the Greeks were really a bunch of frauds with their tricky horses and the terrible things they did, stealing one another's wives, and so on, so at that very early…” quote by James A. Michener
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“I would suppose I learned how to write when I was very young indeed. When I read a child's book about the Trojan War and decided that the Greeks were really a bunch of frauds with their tricky horses and the terrible things they did, stealing one another's wives, and so on, so at that very early age, I re-wrote the ending of the Iliad so that the Trojans won. And boy, Achilles and Ajax got what they wanted, believe me. And thereafter, at frequent intervals, I would write something. It was really quite extraordinary. Never of very high merit, but the daringness of it was.”

James A. Michener

About This Quote

Describes early imaginative rewriting of myths, showing youthful creativity and daring.

In simple terms: Child rewrote myths, showing daring.

Key Takeaway

Encourage bold imagination early.

Themes

creativity mythology imagination

Mood

playful inspirational

Type

reflective creative

When to use this quote

  • school projects
  • personal storytelling
  • playful rewriting

Key Concepts

literary play early writing alternative narratives

Questions to Reflect On

  • What drives you to rewrite familiar stories?
  • How does daring imagination shape later work?
A Different Perspective

May lack technical skill; novelty over depth.

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