--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can write about other people and…" description: "\"You can write about other people and their ideas and life without having lived it, but even your perception of that is going to be colored by what you ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/james-salter-2584_about_you-can-write-about-other-people-and-the_1149289.jpg" --- # You can write about other people and their ideas and life… ![“You can write about other people and their ideas and life without having lived it, but even your perception of that is going to be colored by what you know and what you experience. And this is undeniable.” quote by James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/james-salter-2584_about_you-can-write-about-other-people-and-the_1149289.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/james-salter-2584_about_you-can-write-about-other-people-and-the_1149289.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/james-salter-2584_about_you-can-write-about-other-people-and-the_1149289.jpg) > “You can write about other people and their ideas and life without having lived it, but even your perception of that is going to be colored by what you know and what you experience. And this is undeniable.” [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing about others is inevitably filtered through one’s own experiences and biases. **In simple terms:** Our views color how we write about others. Key Takeaway Seek self‑awareness when portraying others. Themes writing perception bias empathy Mood introspective cautious Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - journalism - creative writing - biography Key Concepts subjectivity ethical storytelling Questions to Reflect On - What personal biases affect your storytelling? - How can you mitigate them? A Different Perspective Complete objectivity is impossible, but striving for fairness helps. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Perception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perception/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Any assault on the borders of perception is going to seem rash at first.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/any-assault-on-the-borders-of-perception-is-going-to-seem-rash-at/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [With time and experience comes a different perception of what's going on around you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-robinson/with-time-and-experience-comes-a-different-perception-of-what-s-going/) [Chris Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-robinson/) > [It's a mind going over things, revisiting things, maybe trying to refine the original perception. You have to keep going a thing over in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/it-s-a-mind-going-over-things-revisiting-things-maybe-trying-to/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [I'm not interested in trying to work on people's perceptions. I am who I am, and if you don't take the time to learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-brown/i-m-not-interested-in-trying-to-work-on-people-s-perceptions-i-am-who/) [Jim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-brown/) > [Ideas can be life-changing. Sometimes all you need to open the door is just one more good idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/ideas-can-be-life-changing-sometimes-all-you-need-to-open-the-door-is/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [When we put down ideas of what life should be like, we are free to wholeheartedly say yes to our life as it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-brach/when-we-put-down-ideas-of-what-life-should-be-like-we-are-free-to/) [Tara Brach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-brach/) > [We may need to let go of our beliefs and ideas about life in order to have life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-naomi-remen/we-may-need-to-let-go-of-our-beliefs-and-ideas-about-life-in-order-to/) [Rachel Naomi Remen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-naomi-remen/) > [I feel like my life is something purposeful. Many people have told me that after they listen to my talk, some point which I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/i-feel-like-my-life-is-something-purposeful-many-people-have-told-me/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [In a magazine, one can get - from cover to cover - 15 to 20 different ideas about life and how to live it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/in-a-magazine-one-can-get-from-cover-to-cover-15-to-20-different/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“You have certain ideas about what should happen... expectations. And if life is not moving that way, something is wrong. Nothing is going wrong!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/you-have-certain-ideas-about-what-should-happen-expectations-and-if/) [Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/) > [Science is a cemetery of dead ideas, even though life may issue from them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-unamuno/science-is-a-cemetery-of-dead-ideas-even-though-life-may-issue-from/) [Miguel de Unamuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-unamuno/) > [The life of a WWE superstar is awesome, but I want my kids to have a life balanced by more traditional ideas about what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-michaels/the-life-of-a-wwe-superstar-is-awesome-but-i-want-my-kids-to-have-a/) [Shawn Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-michaels/) > [It may be true too that I would not have encountered the most important books and art and ideas of my life had I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lidia-yuknavitch/it-may-be-true-too-that-i-would-not-have-encountered-the-most/) [Lidia Yuknavitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lidia-yuknavitch/) > [Ideas too are a life and a world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/ideas-too-are-a-life-and-a-world/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [“Isn’t it nice … once you’ve outgrown the ideas of what life should be and you just enjoy what it is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-jenkins-reid/isn-t-it-nice-once-you-ve-outgrown-the-ideas-of-what-life-should-be/) [Taylor Jenkins Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-jenkins-reid/) ## More by James Salter > [It seems to me that literature is giving way a little bit to the immediacy of other diversions, other forms of entertainment. What will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/it-seems-to-me-that-literature-is-giving-way-a-little-bit-to-the/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [Women fall in love when they get to know you. Men are just the opposite. When they finally know you they're ready to leave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/women-fall-in-love-when-they-get-to-know-you-men-are-just-the/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [Not necessarily narrow so much as impatient, intense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/not-necessarily-narrow-so-much-as-impatient-intense/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [I write in longhand. I am accustomed to that proximity, that feel of writing. Then I sit down and type.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/i-write-in-longhand-i-am-accustomed-to-that-proximity-that-feel-of/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [A writer writes a book. People read it. You don't know what they're reading, really. You read a review and think, "That is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/a-writer-writes-a-book-people-read-it-you-don-t-know-what-they-re/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [“Strauss’s, for instance, which begins in the heavens. The artist doesn’t ascend to glory, he appears in it, he already has it and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/strauss-s-for-instance-which-begins-in-the-heavens-the-artist-doesn-t/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [Normally, what you’re envious of is a book, not a writer: standards, ideas, levels … almost nonexistent things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/normally-what-you-re-envious-of-is-a-book-not-a-writer-standards/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [Sometimes I write with a particular person in mind. I think it's fair to say that I write for a perceptive reader. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/sometimes-i-write-with-a-particular-person-in-mind-i-think-it-s-fair/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [Lots of scripts are written and not made, even scripts that people want to make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/lots-of-scripts-are-written-and-not-made-even-scripts-that-people/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [I'd given up everything to be a writer, and if I didn't then go on to do that - to write - then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/i-d-given-up-everything-to-be-a-writer-and-if-i-didn-t-then-go-on-to/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [“One should not believe too easily in a life which can easily vanish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/one-should-not-believe-too-easily-in-a-life-which-can-easily-vanish/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [“Life is separated by scars, like the rings in the inside of a tree.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/life-is-separated-by-scars-like-the-rings-in-the-inside-of-a-tree/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [“Dean is still asleep. His clothes are strewn about. The shutters are closed. He never dreams. He’s like a dead musician, like a spent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/dean-is-still-asleep-his-clothes-are-strewn-about-the-shutters-are/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [The dreams are the skeleton of all reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/the-dreams-are-the-skeleton-of-all-reality/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [There came a time when I felt I was not going to be satisfied with life unless I could write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/there-came-a-time-when-i-felt-i-was-not-going-to-be-satisfied-with/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) [Explore all 156 James Salter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) Browse all 26,122 About quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can write about other people and their ideas and life without having lived it, but even your perception of that is going to be colored by what you know and what you experience. And this is undeniable.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Salter" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/you-can-write-about-other-people-and-their-ideas-and-life-without/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "About" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/you-can-write-about-other-people-and-their-ideas-and-life-without/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/james-salter-2584_about_you-can-write-about-other-people-and-the_1149289.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/james-salter-2584_about_you-can-write-about-other-people-and-the_1149289.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/james-salter-2584_about_you-can-write-about-other-people-and-the_1149289.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You can write about other people and their ideas and life without having lived it, but even your perception…” — James Salter", "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 Salter", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You can write about other people...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/you-can-write-about-other-people-and-their-ideas-and-life-without/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/you-can-write-about-other-people-and-their-ideas-and-life-without/#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 } } ] } ```