--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I would like to provoke ambiguous…" description: "\"I would like to provoke ambiguous responses in my readers.\" — James Ellroy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30a/james-ellroy-2967_ambiguous_i-would-like-to-provoke-ambiguous-respon_1754296.jpg" --- # I would like to provoke ambiguous responses in my readers. ![“I would like to provoke ambiguous responses in my readers.” quote by James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30a/james-ellroy-2967_ambiguous_i-would-like-to-provoke-ambiguous-respon_1754296.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30a/james-ellroy-2967_ambiguous_i-would-like-to-provoke-ambiguous-respon_1754296.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30a/james-ellroy-2967_ambiguous_i-would-like-to-provoke-ambiguous-respon_1754296.jpg) > “I would like to provoke ambiguous responses in my readers.” [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The writer aims to elicit unclear, thought‑provoking reactions from readers. **In simple terms:** Provoking ambiguity engages readers. Key Takeaway Use ambiguity to challenge reader expectations. Themes ambiguity provocation reader engagement Mood provocative introspective Type literary psychological When to use this quote - creative writing - marketing - education - public speaking Key Concepts literary technique psychology communication Questions to Reflect On - What effect do you want ambiguous responses to have? - When is clarity preferable? A Different Perspective Ambiguity can alienate if overused. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ambiguous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambiguous/) [Ambiguous Responses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambiguous-responses-1632839/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Provoke Ambiguous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/provoke-ambiguous-1632840/) [Provoking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/provoking/) [Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader/) [Response](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/response/) [Responses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responses/) [Responses Readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responses-readers-1632841/) ## Related quotes > [“There are as many different kinds of books as there are writers - as many different responses as there are readers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/there-are-as-many-different-kinds-of-books-as-there-are-writers-as/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [Even if that statement was ambiguous, we kind of wanted to cause a stir. We thought that by having the name "Cabaret Voltaire", that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/even-if-that-statement-was-ambiguous-we-kind-of-wanted-to-cause-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [“the more entrenched and reactive we are about an issue, the more we need to investigate our responses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/the-more-entrenched-and-reactive-we-are-about-an-issue-the-more-we/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [I think the further away you get from completing a book, the more responses you see to it from readers, the more your own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-abercrombie/i-think-the-further-away-you-get-from-completing-a-book-the-more/) [Joe Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-abercrombie/) > [One of the most frequent responses I get from non-Christian readers is: 'I'm not sure I agree with all this, but I must say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/one-of-the-most-frequent-responses-i-get-from-non-christian-readers/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“Every day try to convert your reactions to responses. Reactions are always instinctive, whereas responses are always well thought of, just and right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-ratna/every-day-try-to-convert-your-reactions-to-responses-reactions-are/) [Abhishek Ratna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-ratna/) > [My youngest son's pre-school class was recently asked what their dads do for work. The responses were things like, my dad sells money, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hawk/my-youngest-son-s-pre-school-class-was-recently-asked-what-their-dads/) [Tony Hawk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hawk/) > [I have very human responses to things, so I had to learn to just be still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mallory-jansen/i-have-very-human-responses-to-things-so-i-had-to-learn-to-just-be/) [Mallory Jansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mallory-jansen/) > [I think the reason we're so crazy sexually in America is that all our responses are acting. We don't know how to feel. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-robinson/i-think-the-reason-we-re-so-crazy-sexually-in-america-is-that-all-our/) [Jill Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-robinson/) > [I was an awful critic. I operated on the assumption that there was an absolute scale of values against which art could be measured.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/i-was-an-awful-critic-i-operated-on-the-assumption-that-there-was-an/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [Except under rare circumstances, I don't write responses to criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-p-huntington/except-under-rare-circumstances-i-don-t-write-responses-to-criticism/) [Samuel P. Huntington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-p-huntington/) > [There are two responses to really awful things. One is to lament and say, "Oh my God, oh lord." And the other is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcbride/there-are-two-responses-to-really-awful-things-one-is-to-lament-and/) [James McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcbride/) > [The best strategy relies upon an unlimited set of responses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morihei-ueshiba/the-best-strategy-relies-upon-an-unlimited-set-of-responses/) [Morihei Ueshiba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morihei-ueshiba/) > [Although our inattention can contribute to our lack of total well-being, we also have the power to choose positive behaviors and responses. In that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-anderson/although-our-inattention-can-contribute-to-our-lack-of-total-well/) [Greg Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-anderson/) > [There are always proper responses, even to rude questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-martin/there-are-always-proper-responses-even-to-rude-questions/) [Judith Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-martin/) ## More by James Ellroy > [“Fear and I played peek-a-boo - it always seemed to grab my balls and twist just when it felt like something inside me could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/fear-and-i-played-peek-a-boo-it-always-seemed-to-grab-my-balls-and/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [My father actually went to college, and my mother went to nursing school, so, you know. I wouldn't... They were actually too square and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/my-father-actually-went-to-college-and-my-mother-went-to-nursing/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [I've created a narrative of the world. I live in the world - tenuously, most times. I've avoided the digital world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/i-ve-created-a-narrative-of-the-world-i-live-in-the-world-tenuously/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [Some men get the world, some men get ex-hookers and a trip to Arizona. You're in with the former, but my God I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/some-men-get-the-world-some-men-get-ex-hookers-and-a-trip-to-arizona/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [In the time just before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, when Perfidia opens, we were pre-psychologized. There were no concepts of identity, no politics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/in-the-time-just-before-the-bombing-of-pearl-harbor-when-perfidia/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [“It all came down to money - the great equalizer and common denominator.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/it-all-came-down-to-money-the-great-equalizer-and-common-denominator/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [I think the great unspoken theme in noir fiction is male self-pity. It pervades noir movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/i-think-the-great-unspoken-theme-in-noir-fiction-is-male-self-pity-it/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [“Don't make a career out of underestimating me." — Claire de Haven”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/don-t-make-a-career-out-of-underestimating-me-claire-de-haven/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [“I didn't care who we were. I required no consummation. I knew that whoever we were and whatever we had would never stop.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/i-didn-t-care-who-we-were-i-required-no-consummation-i-knew-that/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [Where’s your sketch pad?” I asked. … “I gave that up,” Kay said. “I wasn’t very good, so I changed my major.” “To what?”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/where-s-your-sketch-pad-i-asked-i-gave-that-up-kay-said-i-wasn-t-very/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [I am a master of fiction. I am also the greatest crime novelist who ever lived. I am to the crime novel in specific…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/i-am-a-master-of-fiction-i-am-also-the-greatest-crime-novelist-who/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [ I don't want to recover from writing this book \[The Onion\]. I feel very poised. I feel like I'm with my mother for the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/i-don-t-want-to-recover-from-writing-this-book-the-onion-i-feel-very/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [Rock and rollers can get you the youth buzz, and younger people are fanatical readers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/rock-and-rollers-can-get-you-the-youth-buzz-and-younger-people-are/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [I don't know anybody in the underworld. I make this stuff up. I don't know any criminals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/i-don-t-know-anybody-in-the-underworld-i-make-this-stuff-up-i-don-t/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [“He took three shots a night-no more, no less. He switched from whisky to straight gin. The bum compensated for the scant volume. Three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/he-took-three-shots-a-night-no-more-no-less-he-switched-from-whisky/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) [Explore all 143 James Ellroy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) ## More Ambiguous quotes > [Virtually every major technological advance in the history of the human species- back to the invention of stone tools and the domestication of fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/virtually-every-major-technological-advance-in-the-history-of-the/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [Happiness can be bought with a bottle of wine and has become ambiguous through overuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/happiness-can-be-bought-with-a-bottle-of-wine-and-has-become/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Somehow, in the novel format, I don't really like to do upfront, ideological discussion. In my heart, literature remains a poetic and ambiguous medium.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xiaolu-guo/somehow-in-the-novel-format-i-don-t-really-like-to-do-upfront/) [Xiaolu Guo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xiaolu-guo/) > [Redundancy is ambiguous because it seems like a waste if nothing unusual happens. Except that something unusual happens-usually .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/redundancy-is-ambiguous-because-it-seems-like-a-waste-if-nothing/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“In general we are reminded that the word heimlich is not unambiguous, but belongs to two sets of ideas, which, without being contradictory, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/in-general-we-are-reminded-that-the-word-heimlich-is-not-unambiguous/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [I want each poem to be ambiguous enough that its meaning can shift, depending on the reader's own frame of reference, and depending on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/i-want-each-poem-to-be-ambiguous-enough-that-its-meaning-can-shift/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [Photography appears to be an easy activity; in fact it is a varied and ambiguous process in which the only common denominator among its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cartier-bresson/photography-appears-to-be-an-easy-activity-in-fact-it-is-a-varied-and/) [Henri Cartier-Bresson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cartier-bresson/) > [My drawings inspire, and are not to be defined. They place us, as does music, in the ambiguous realm of the undetermined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/odilon-redon/my-drawings-inspire-and-are-not-to-be-defined-they-place-us-as-does/) [Odilon Redon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/odilon-redon/) > [Words are such gross machinery, so primitive and ambiguous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/words-are-such-gross-machinery-so-primitive-and-ambiguous/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [Wave particle duality is a core feature of our world. Or rather, we should say, it is a core feature of our mathematical descriptions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-wertheim/wave-particle-duality-is-a-core-feature-of-our-world-or-rather-we/) [Margaret Wertheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-wertheim/) > [Humor is really one of the hardest things to define, very hard. And it's very ambiguous. You have it or you don't. You can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-b-ll/humor-is-really-one-of-the-hardest-things-to-define-very-hard-and-it/) [Heinrich Böll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-b-ll/) > [I was perceiving myself as good as a man or equal to a man and as powerful and I wanted to look ambiguous because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-lennox/i-was-perceiving-myself-as-good-as-a-man-or-equal-to-a-man-and-as/) [Annie Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-lennox/) > [I was always, like, ambiguous. Is that how you say it? When I was turning 16 I talked to my mom about transitioning and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adore-delano/i-was-always-like-ambiguous-is-that-how-you-say-it-when-i-was-turning/) [Adore Delano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adore-delano/) > [I am Indian-American, but I often play ethnically ambiguous roles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiya-sircar/i-am-indian-american-but-i-often-play-ethnically-ambiguous-roles/) [Tiya Sircar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiya-sircar/) > [Humor is really one of the hardest things to define, very hard. And it's very ambiguous. You have it, or you don't. You can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-b-ll/humor-is-really-one-of-the-hardest-things-to-define-very-hard-and-it-2/) [Heinrich Boll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-b-ll/) [Browse all 271 Ambiguous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambiguous/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I would like to provoke ambiguous responses in my readers.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Ellroy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/i-would-like-to-provoke-ambiguous-responses-in-my-readers/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ambiguous" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/i-would-like-to-provoke-ambiguous-responses-in-my-readers/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30a/james-ellroy-2967_ambiguous_i-would-like-to-provoke-ambiguous-respon_1754296.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30a/james-ellroy-2967_ambiguous_i-would-like-to-provoke-ambiguous-respon_1754296.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30a/james-ellroy-2967_ambiguous_i-would-like-to-provoke-ambiguous-respon_1754296.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I would like to provoke ambiguous responses in my readers.” — James Ellroy", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "James Ellroy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I would like to provoke ambiguous...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/i-would-like-to-provoke-ambiguous-responses-in-my-readers/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/i-would-like-to-provoke-ambiguous-responses-in-my-readers/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```