--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The point of what I do is that it doesn't…" description: "\"The point of what I do is that it doesn't really matter what a book or a story is as long it moves you, informs you, challenges you, entertains you, or..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/james-frey-1108_book_the-point-of-what-i-do-is-that-it-doesn_1741324.png" --- # The point of what I do is that it doesn't really matter… ![“The point of what I do is that it doesn't really matter what a book or a story is as long it moves you, informs you, challenges you, entertains you, or changes you.” quote by James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/james-frey-1108_book_the-point-of-what-i-do-is-that-it-doesn_1741324.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/james-frey-1108_book_the-point-of-what-i-do-is-that-it-doesn_1741324.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/james-frey-1108_book_the-point-of-what-i-do-is-that-it-doesn_1741324.png) > “The point of what I do is that it doesn't really matter what a book or a story is as long it moves you, informs you, challenges you, entertains you, or changes you.” [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The value of a work lies in its impact on you, not its label or genre. **In simple terms:** Impact matters more than category. Key Takeaway Seek works that move or challenge you. Themes growth impact literature Mood reflective inspired Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - choosing books - seeking inspiration - evaluating media - personal growth Key Concepts Reader response personal development Questions to Reflect On - What experiences have changed you most? - How do you assess a work's value? A Different Perspective A work can be poorly crafted yet still affect you. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Challenges Entertains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges-entertains-1523471/) [Entertains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entertains-248364/) [Entertains Changes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entertains-changes-1523470/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long Moves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-moves-1523472/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Story Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-long-934687/) ## Related quotes > [Good fiction challenges us as much as it entertains and these days, we could do with both of these things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/good-fiction-challenges-us-as-much-as-it-entertains-and-these-days-we/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [“story of long ago. At that time the languages and letters were”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/story-of-long-ago-at-that-time-the-languages-and-letters-were/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The media is looking every season for a designer to tell a story. I have a long story I have to tell, continuing fluently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helmut-lang/the-media-is-looking-every-season-for-a-designer-to-tell-a-story-i/) [Helmut Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helmut-lang/) > [“It was not a happy ending, but a happy middle - at last, after so many fraught beginnings. Their story would be long. Much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/it-was-not-a-happy-ending-but-a-happy-middle-at-last-after-so-many-2/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [“Unless a story has a specific ending you know when you start it then a story is as long as a story needs to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-daley/unless-a-story-has-a-specific-ending-you-know-when-you-start-it-then/) [Ray Daley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-daley/) > [LIFE is an on going story, a long road and a classroom ,where you will lean a LOT](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/preciousgem/life-is-an-on-going-story-a-long-road-and-a-classroom-where-you-will/) [Preciousgem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/preciousgem/) > [The short story has been here and is here and will be here as long as we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/the-short-story-has-been-here-and-is-here-and-will-be-here-as-long-as/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [I had long wanted to write a love story, and I had long - wisely, I felt - shirked the challenge because I felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/i-had-long-wanted-to-write-a-love-story-and-i-had-long-wisely-i-felt/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [I wanted to make a more Romanesque film that told a story over a long period of time - this one spans 45 years.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christophe-honore/i-wanted-to-make-a-more-romanesque-film-that-told-a-story-over-a-long/) [Christophe Honore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christophe-honore/) > [The evolution of 'West Side Story' has been a long one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-zegler/the-evolution-of-west-side-story-has-been-a-long-one/) [Rachel Zegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-zegler/) > [My story is very long. And for somebody to write a good story, one needs a good writer, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dutee-chand/my-story-is-very-long-and-for-somebody-to-write-a-good-story-one/) [Dutee Chand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dutee-chand/) > [A 90-minute time frame is not long enough to tell a good female story, and that's why long-format television has become so great for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/a-90-minute-time-frame-is-not-long-enough-to-tell-a-good-female-story/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [The story of your life is the story of the long and brutal assault on your heart by the one who knows what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eldredge/the-story-of-your-life-is-the-story-of-the-long-and-brutal-assault-on/) [John Eldredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eldredge/) > [We've been told the same story for so long. We've seen literally 1,000 'Lord of the Rings' movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomi-adeyemi/we-ve-been-told-the-same-story-for-so-long-we-ve-seen-literally-1-000/) [Tomi Adeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomi-adeyemi/) > [“Holy crap! Your story was so long I forgot the beginning! - Ichigo Kurosaki”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tite-kubo/holy-crap-your-story-was-so-long-i-forgot-the-beginning-ichigo/) [Tite Kubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tite-kubo/) ## More by James Frey > [“It is a touching story, and it is written more to convince than to tell. I am not convinced.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/it-is-a-touching-story-and-it-is-written-more-to-convince-than-to/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) > [But love is different for every person. For some it's hate, for some it's joy, for some it's fear, for some it's jealousy, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/but-love-is-different-for-every-person-for-some-it-s-hate-for-some-it/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) > [“I close my eyes and I let my body shut itself down and I let my mind wander. It wanders to a familiar place.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/i-close-my-eyes-and-i-let-my-body-shut-itself-down-and-i-let-my-mind/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) > [He pulled out turned west and started driving towards the glow it was thousands of miles away, he started driving towards the glow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/he-pulled-out-turned-west-and-started-driving-towards-the-glow-it-was/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) > [“Addiction is a decision. An individual wants something, whatever that something is, and makes a desicion to get it. Once they have it, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/addiction-is-a-decision-an-individual-wants-something-whatever-that/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) > [“I start to cry. Tears begin running down my face and quiet sobs escape me. I don't know what I'm doing and I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/i-start-to-cry-tears-begin-running-down-my-face-and-quiet-sobs-escape/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) > [The promise of eternal life makes people forsake the life they're given.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/the-promise-of-eternal-life-makes-people-forsake-the-life-they-re/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) > [We know have the power of God in many ways: the atomic bomb, the ability to create life in a test tube, cloning, artificial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/we-know-have-the-power-of-god-in-many-ways-the-atomic-bomb-the/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) > [For the worst things of our lives, it is sometimes the best way, to never speak of them again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/for-the-worst-things-of-our-lives-it-is-sometimes-the-best-way-to/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) > [“Thirty-six. If you want to shrink something, you must first expand it. If you want to get rid of something, you must allow it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/thirty-six-if-you-want-to-shrink-something-you-must-first-expand-it/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) > [The book is about drug addiction and alcoholism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/the-book-is-about-drug-addiction-and-alcoholism/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) > [And even though people try to pretend that pain doesn't do anything to them, none of us can really handle it. Everything bad we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/and-even-though-people-try-to-pretend-that-pain-doesn-t-do-anything/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) > [You don't have to follow anybody's rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/you-don-t-have-to-follow-anybody-s-rules/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) > [I don't care what people come at me with. People have come at me with everything you could imagine. I could care less about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/i-don-t-care-what-people-come-at-me-with-people-have-come-at-me-with/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) > [“There is no Higher Power or any God who is responsible for what I do and for what I have done and for who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/there-is-no-higher-power-or-any-god-who-is-responsible-for-what-i-do/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) [Explore all 288 James Frey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The point of what I do is that it doesn't really matter what a book or a story is as long it moves you, informs you, challenges you, entertains you, or changes you.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Frey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/the-point-of-what-i-do-is-that-it-doesn-t-really-matter-what-a-book/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/the-point-of-what-i-do-is-that-it-doesn-t-really-matter-what-a-book/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/james-frey-1108_book_the-point-of-what-i-do-is-that-it-doesn_1741324.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/james-frey-1108_book_the-point-of-what-i-do-is-that-it-doesn_1741324.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/james-frey-1108_book_the-point-of-what-i-do-is-that-it-doesn_1741324.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The point of what I do is that it doesn't really matter what a book or a story is as long it moves you…” — James Frey", "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 Frey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The point of what I do...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/the-point-of-what-i-do-is-that-it-doesn-t-really-matter-what-a-book/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/the-point-of-what-i-do-is-that-it-doesn-t-really-matter-what-a-book/#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 } } ] } ```