--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wrote the Dickens book because I loved…" description: "\"I wrote the Dickens book because I loved Dickens, not because I felt a kinship with him, but after writing the book it seemed to me that there was at l..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c70/jane-smiley-2120_book_i-wrote-the-dickens-book-because-i-loved_2530955.png" --- # I wrote the Dickens book because I loved Dickens, not… ![“I wrote the Dickens book because I loved Dickens, not because I felt a kinship with him, but after writing the book it seemed to me that there was at least one similarity between us and that was that Dickens loved to write and wrote with the ease and conviction of breathing. Me, too.” quote by Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c70/jane-smiley-2120_book_i-wrote-the-dickens-book-because-i-loved_2530955.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c70/jane-smiley-2120_book_i-wrote-the-dickens-book-because-i-loved_2530955.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c70/jane-smiley-2120_book_i-wrote-the-dickens-book-because-i-loved_2530955.png) > “I wrote the Dickens book because I loved Dickens, not because I felt a kinship with him, but after writing the book it seemed to me that there was at least one similarity between us and that was that Dickens loved to write and wrote with the ease and conviction of breathing. Me, too.” [Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She wrote a Dickens-inspired book out of admiration, discovering a shared love for effortless, sincere writing **In simple terms:** Writing out of admiration reveals shared creative instincts Key Takeaway Embrace genuine inspiration in your work Themes literature inspiration authenticity Mood reflective enthusiastic Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - writing a novel - literary criticism - teaching writing Key Concepts creative process literary influence Questions to Reflect On - How does admiration shape your creative voice? - Can you identify other writers you share a natural rhythm with? A Different Perspective Personal admiration may not translate to identical style ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Breathing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breathing/) [Conviction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conviction/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Kinship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kinship/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [ I think \[Charles\] Dickens was an extrovert and Nelly \[Ternan\] an introvert, and I think that Nelly saw beyond the fame and adulation and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-think-charles-dickens-was-an-extrovert-and-nelly-ternan-an/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [There's a kinship among men who have sat by a dying fire and measured the worth of their life by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/there-s-a-kinship-among-men-who-have-sat-by-a-dying-fire-and-measured/) [William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/) > [Every Day Is for the Thief is a vivid, episodic evocation of the truism that you can't go home again; but that doesn't mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/every-day-is-for-the-thief-is-a-vivid-episodic-evocation-of-the/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [“Every believer, upon receiving Jesus Christ as their Savior, being born anew, immediately has a connection with other believers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hon/every-believer-upon-receiving-jesus-christ-as-their-savior-being-born/) [Henry Hon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hon/) > [True compassion does not come from wanting to help out those less fortunate than ourselves but from realizing our kinship with all beings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/true-compassion-does-not-come-from-wanting-to-help-out-those-less/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [It would seem that I, who never could make much sense of physics when I was at school, have now gained a strong sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/it-would-seem-that-i-who-never-could-make-much-sense-of-physics-when/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [In friendship similarity of character has more weight than kinship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelius-nepos/in-friendship-similarity-of-character-has-more-weight-than-kinship/) [Cornelius Nepos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelius-nepos/) > [I have come to understand that if we hope to build a better world, we must be guided by the universal human values that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ephraim-katzir/i-have-come-to-understand-that-if-we-hope-to-build-a-better-world-we/) Ephraim Katzir > [The exploration of oneself is usually also an exploration of the world at large, of other writers, a process of comparison with oneself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-wilson/the-exploration-of-oneself-is-usually-also-an-exploration-of-the/) [Colin Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-wilson/) > [How infinitely happier and more grateful is the whole personality or spirit when it finds something nourishing in art or writing or thinking, than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/how-infinitely-happier-and-more-grateful-is-the-whole-personality-or/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [The Eucharist is the life of the people. 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