--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Who reads short stories? one is asked…" description: "\"Who reads short stories? one is asked, and I like to think that they are read by men and women in the dentist's office, waiting to be called to the cha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf4/john-cheever-3301_books_who-reads-short-stories-one-is-asked-and_2505253.jpg" --- # Who reads short stories? one is asked, and I like to think… ![“Who reads short stories? one is asked, and I like to think that they are read by men and women in the dentist's office, waiting to be called to the chair; they are read on transcontinental plane trips instead of watching banal and vulgar films spin out the time between our coasts; they are read by…” quote by John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf4/john-cheever-3301_books_who-reads-short-stories-one-is-asked-and_2505253.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf4/john-cheever-3301_books_who-reads-short-stories-one-is-asked-and_2505253.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf4/john-cheever-3301_books_who-reads-short-stories-one-is-asked-and_2505253.jpg) > “Who reads short stories? one is asked, and I like to think that they are read by men and women in the dentist's office, waiting to be called to the chair; they are read on transcontinental plane trips instead of watching banal and vulgar films spin out the time between our coasts; they are read by discerning and well-informed men and women who seem to feel that narrative fiction can contribute to our understanding of one another and the sometimes bewildering world around us.” [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Short stories serve as portable companions, offering insight, escape, and connection during idle moments. **In simple terms:** Stories are quick, thoughtful companions. Key Takeaway Read a story when you have a few minutes. Themes literature connection reflection escape insight Mood contemplative nostalgic Type literary reflective When to use this quote - commutes - waiting rooms - breaks at work - travel - quiet evenings Key Concepts narrative empathy cultural commentary psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do short stories change your view of strangers? - When do they feel most valuable? A Different Perspective Stories may oversimplify complex issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men and women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-and-women/) [Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrative/) [Office](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/office/) [Planes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planes/) [Short stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-stories/) [Short story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-story/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [Vulgar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vulgar/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [My writing has always been what you call 'narrative fiction' in the sense that it's got very strong plots and twists at the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/my-writing-has-always-been-what-you-call-narrative-fiction-in-the/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [Any narrative, whether it's fiction or not, you have to approach it as though it really happened to you. I think that's the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/any-narrative-whether-it-s-fiction-or-not-you-have-to-approach-it-as/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [I think human beings wouldn't be human without narrative fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-think-human-beings-wouldn-t-be-human-without-narrative-fiction/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [The tricks of magic follow the archetypes of narrative fiction — there are tales of creation and loss, death and resurrection, and obstacles that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-tempest/the-tricks-of-magic-follow-the-archetypes-of-narrative-fiction-there/) [Marco Tempest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-tempest/) > [“There are other letters, from the heirs of fictional magnates, from the widows of oil barons, from the legal representatives of incarcerated generals, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/there-are-other-letters-from-the-heirs-of-fictional-magnates-from-the/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [I think that narrative, fiction filmmaking is the culmination of several art forms: theater, art history, architecture. Whereas doc filmmaking is more pure cinema,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hickenlooper/i-think-that-narrative-fiction-filmmaking-is-the-culmination-of/) [George Hickenlooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hickenlooper/) > ['Breaking Bad.' Because it's the best American narrative fiction of the last ten years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-benioff/breaking-bad-because-it-s-the-best-american-narrative-fiction-of-the/) [David Benioff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-benioff/) > [I feel like handling a narrative in fiction is a wonderful way to teach stories that then open a pathway to reality and understanding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-landecker/i-feel-like-handling-a-narrative-in-fiction-is-a-wonderful-way-to/) [Amy Landecker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-landecker/) > [I wrote six nonfiction books before getting into narrative fiction with 'Robopocalypse,' including 'How to Survive a Robot Uprising.' My goal all along was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/i-wrote-six-nonfiction-books-before-getting-into-narrative-fiction/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [“It's strange when you think about it. There are hundreds and hundreds of murders in books and television. It would be hard for narrative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/it-s-strange-when-you-think-about-it-there-are-hundreds-and-hundreds/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [Narrative stories are nothing but models of karma and causality - how one thing leads to another. And a lot of narrative fiction is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-row/narrative-stories-are-nothing-but-models-of-karma-and-causality-how/) [Jess Row](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-row/) > [Men of power have no time to read; yet the men who do not read are unfit for power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-foot/men-of-power-have-no-time-to-read-yet-the-men-who-do-not-read-are/) [Michael Foot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-foot/) > [“I read Greek myths. I read about far off places, Venice and Paris. I read about men who searched for things they could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/i-read-greek-myths-i-read-about-far-off-places-venice-and-paris-i/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“I'm one of those people who go through the world giving other people thrills but getting few myself except those I read into men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/i-m-one-of-those-people-who-go-through-the-world-giving-other-people/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [I always read that men don't like intelligent girls, but I've always found the reverse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wesley/i-always-read-that-men-don-t-like-intelligent-girls-but-i-ve-always/) [Mary Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wesley/) ## More by John Cheever > [Only the opium eater truly understands the pain of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/only-the-opium-eater-truly-understands-the-pain-of-death/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [The poet or storyteller who feels that he is competing with a superb double play in the World Series is a lost man. One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/the-poet-or-storyteller-who-feels-that-he-is-competing-with-a-superb/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [“She perceived vaguely the pitiful corruption of the adult world; how cruel and frail it was, like a worn piece of burlap, patched with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/she-perceived-vaguely-the-pitiful-corruption-of-the-adult-world-how/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [For lovers, touch is metamorphosis. All the parts of their bodies seem to change, and they seem to become something different and better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/for-lovers-touch-is-metamorphosis-all-the-parts-of-their-bodies-seem/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [“I dream that someone in space says to me: So let us rush, then, to see the world. It is shaped like an egg,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/i-dream-that-someone-in-space-says-to-me-so-let-us-rush-then-to-see/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [I don't like to see all my energies, all of my youth, wasted in fur coats and radios and slipcovers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/i-don-t-like-to-see-all-my-energies-all-of-my-youth-wasted-in-fur/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [Literature has been the salvation of the damned, literature has inspired and guided lovers, routed despair and can perhaps in this case save the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/literature-has-been-the-salvation-of-the-damned-literature-has/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [At my back I hear the word-"homosexual"-and it seems to split my world in two… It is ignorance, our ignorance of one another, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/at-my-back-i-hear-the-word-homosexual-and-it-seems-to-split-my-world/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [One would never have guessed that the world had such a capacity for genuine grief. The most we can do is exploit our memories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/one-would-never-have-guessed-that-the-world-had-such-a-capacity-for/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [“His stepmother -wearing a nightgown for comfort and a flowered hat for looks- had spent her days sitting in their parlor window in Baltimore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/his-stepmother-wearing-a-nightgown-for-comfort-and-a-flowered-hat-for/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [Fear tastes like a rusty knife and do not let her into your house. Courage tastes of blood. Stand up straight. Admire the world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/fear-tastes-like-a-rusty-knife-and-do-not-let-her-into-your-house/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [I dream that my face appears on a postage stamp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/i-dream-that-my-face-appears-on-a-postage-stamp/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [Wisdom is the knowledge of good and evil, not the strength to choose between the two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/wisdom-is-the-knowledge-of-good-and-evil-not-the-strength-to-choose/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [“There was some faint coughing, a moan, and then a man spoke. "Are you all right, darling?" he asked. "Yes," a woman said wearily.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/there-was-some-faint-coughing-a-moan-and-then-a-man-spoke-are-you-all/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [“It was one of those midsummer Sundays when everyone sits around saying, "I drank too much last night." You might have heard it whispered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/it-was-one-of-those-midsummer-sundays-when-everyone-sits-around/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) [Explore all 132 John Cheever quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) ## More Books 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/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. 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/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Who reads short stories? one is asked, and I like to think that they are read by men and women in the dentist's office, waiting to be called to the chair; they are read on transcontinental plane trips instead of watching banal and vulgar films spin out the time between our coasts; they are read by discerning and well-informed men and women who seem to feel that narrative fiction can contribute to our understanding of one another and the sometimes bewildering world around us.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Cheever" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/who-reads-short-stories-one-is-asked-and-i-like-to-think-that-they/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/who-reads-short-stories-one-is-asked-and-i-like-to-think-that-they/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf4/john-cheever-3301_books_who-reads-short-stories-one-is-asked-and_2505253.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf4/john-cheever-3301_books_who-reads-short-stories-one-is-asked-and_2505253.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf4/john-cheever-3301_books_who-reads-short-stories-one-is-asked-and_2505253.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Who reads short stories? one is asked, and I like to think that they are read by men and women in the…” — John Cheever", "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": "John Cheever", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Who reads short stories? one is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/who-reads-short-stories-one-is-asked-and-i-like-to-think-that-they/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/who-reads-short-stories-one-is-asked-and-i-like-to-think-that-they/#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 } } ] } ```