--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I know it sounds silly, but disrespecting…" description: "\"I know it sounds silly, but disrespecting a dead writer by sitting in a chair that probably never belonged to him still felt like a risk to me. So I ch..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/540/john-d-agata-13689_chairs_i-know-it-sounds-silly-but-disrespecting_1034574.jpg" --- # I know it sounds silly, but disrespecting a dead writer by… ![“I know it sounds silly, but disrespecting a dead writer by sitting in a chair that probably never belonged to him still felt like a risk to me. So I chickened out.” quote by John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/540/john-d-agata-13689_chairs_i-know-it-sounds-silly-but-disrespecting_1034574.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/540/john-d-agata-13689_chairs_i-know-it-sounds-silly-but-disrespecting_1034574.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/540/john-d-agata-13689_chairs_i-know-it-sounds-silly-but-disrespecting_1034574.jpg) > “I know it sounds silly, but disrespecting a dead writer by sitting in a chair that probably never belonged to him still felt like a risk to me. So I chickened out.” [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author feels that sitting in a chair associated with a deceased writer is a risky act of disrespect, leading to hesitation. **In simple terms:** Sitting in a dead writer's chair feels risky and disrespectful. Key Takeaway Respect symbolic spaces, but question personal fear. Themes respect risk symbolism creative anxiety Mood reflective thoughtful Type introspective philosophical When to use this quote - writing workshops - museum visits - academic lectures - personal rituals Key Concepts literary reverence personal integrity psychological barriers Questions to Reflect On - Why do symbols hold power over us? - When is caution beneficial? A Different Perspective The fear may be overly cautious, limiting creative exploration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chairs/) [Dead Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dead-writer-2384717/) [Disrespecting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disrespecting/) [Disrespecting Dead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disrespecting-dead-2384714/) [Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risk/) [Risk Chickened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risk-chickened-2384716/) [Silly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silly/) [Silly Disrespecting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silly-disrespecting-2384715/) [Sitting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sitting/) [Sitting in a chair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sitting-in-a-chair/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Upon hearing that Coolidge was dead, the writer Dorothy Parker cracked, “How can you tell?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brady-carlson/upon-hearing-that-coolidge-was-dead-the-writer-dorothy-parker-cracked/) [Brady Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brady-carlson/) > [“The only good writer was a dead writer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/the-only-good-writer-was-a-dead-writer/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [Pity is for this life, pity is the worm inside the meat, pity is the meat, pity is the shaking pencil, pity is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/pity-is-for-this-life-pity-is-the-worm-inside-the-meat-pity-is-the/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [All religions will pass but this will remain: simply sitting in a chair and looking into the distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vasily-rozanov/all-religions-will-pass-but-this-will-remain-simply-sitting-in-a/) [Vasily Rozanov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vasily-rozanov/) > [I'm onstage for an hour.I do an hour of stand-up. 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It can also be demotivating, because if I'm not doing anything and I smoke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrissie-hynde/whatever-i-m-already-doing-becomes-enhanced-when-i-smoke-pot-it-can/) [Chrissie Hynde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrissie-hynde/) > [Our disrespect for thinking: someone sitting in a chair, gazing out of a window blankly, always described as 'doing nothing'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/our-disrespect-for-thinking-someone-sitting-in-a-chair-gazing-out-of/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [The people who related to God best--Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah--treated him with startling familiarity. They talked to God as if he were sitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/the-people-who-related-to-god-best-abraham-moses-david-isaiah/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Some people never get their feet on the ground, They're either sitting in a chair or theyre laying down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-ochs/some-people-never-get-their-feet-on-the-ground-they-re-either-sitting/) [Phil Ochs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-ochs/) > [Paper after paper, study after study, have shown that chairs give us back problems because they shorten our hip flexors, give us weak backs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-lieberman/paper-after-paper-study-after-study-have-shown-that-chairs-give-us/) [Daniel Lieberman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-lieberman/) > [The process by which the idea for a play comes to me has always been something I really couldn't pinpoint. A play just seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/the-process-by-which-the-idea-for-a-play-comes-to-me-has-always-been/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) ## More by John D'Agata > [Inclusiveness isn't what I want to push back against. The obsession with facts is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/inclusiveness-isn-t-what-i-want-to-push-back-against-the-obsession/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [Yet there are some critics in the nonfiction world who still look at some of today's stranger interpretations of the essay and say "You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/yet-there-are-some-critics-in-the-nonfiction-world-who-still-look-at/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [I think that in a lot of readers' minds the essay is a lot more utilitarian than it is art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/i-think-that-in-a-lot-of-readers-minds-the-essay-is-a-lot-more/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [As frustrating as my time in grad school felt, it also helped tremendously because it challenged me to figure out what it was I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/as-frustrating-as-my-time-in-grad-school-felt-it-also-helped/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [I'm not worried about what part of their life they needed to massage in order to achieve something that I get to experience as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/i-m-not-worried-about-what-part-of-their-life-they-needed-to-massage/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [You create your own audience, and your own community of peers, and in some ways you create your own forebears as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/you-create-your-own-audience-and-your-own-community-of-peers-and-in/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [Even if it's a definition that feels oppressive to us, that oppression can be inspiring because it helps us push up against something while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/even-if-it-s-a-definition-that-feels-oppressive-to-us-that-oppression/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [I thought that I wasn't an essayist because I just didn't see myself in a lot of the essays that were popular at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/i-thought-that-i-wasn-t-an-essayist-because-i-just-didn-t-see-myself/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [A risk is something that feels risky to the person who's taking it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/a-risk-is-something-that-feels-risky-to-the-person-who-s-taking-it/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [You move your life across the country and make a commitment to a place, and to a genre, and then you realize that neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/you-move-your-life-across-the-country-and-make-a-commitment-to-a/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [Pedagogically, we need definitions and borders. They help us get our heads around what we're talking about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/pedagogically-we-need-definitions-and-borders-they-help-us-get-our/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [“Maybe every essay automatically is in some way experimental — less an outline traveling toward a foregone conclusion than an unmapped quest that has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/maybe-every-essay-automatically-is-in-some-way-experimental-less-an/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [I wanted to create an environment in which more than just personal essays could be represented, and in which stranger approaches to making essays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/i-wanted-to-create-an-environment-in-which-more-than-just-personal/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [Sometimes what I'm looking for is the thing that will help renew people's interest in a writer that they may have written off as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/sometimes-what-i-m-looking-for-is-the-thing-that-will-help-renew/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [It's fun to just skim through piles of books in the stacks of a library.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/it-s-fun-to-just-skim-through-piles-of-books-in-the-stacks-of-a/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) [Explore all 49 John D'Agata quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) ## More Chairs quotes > [“Yes, when I get big and have my own home, no plush chairs and lace curtains for me. And no rubber plants. I'll have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/yes-when-i-get-big-and-have-my-own-home-no-plush-chairs-and-lace/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [I've always thought that the most extraordinary special effect you could do is to buy a child at the moment of its birth, sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/i-ve-always-thought-that-the-most-extraordinary-special-effect-you/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-had-three-chairs-in-my-house-one-for-solitude-two-for-friendship/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [He sank into the rocking chair, the same one in which Rebecca had sat during the early days of the house to give embroidery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/he-sank-into-the-rocking-chair-the-same-one-in-which-rebecca-had-sat/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [Forget the noose. Forget the Iron Maiden. Forget the electric chair or the guillotine. The mind was mankind's most painful torture chamber, the blessed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/forget-the-noose-forget-the-iron-maiden-forget-the-electric-chair-or/) [Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/) > [I thought being in the wheelchair might be kind of limiting for me as an actor. It turned out cool in a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-beaver/i-thought-being-in-the-wheelchair-might-be-kind-of-limiting-for-me-as/) [Jim Beaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-beaver/) > [Now know I well what people sought formerly above all else when they sought Teachers of virtue. Good sleep they sought for themselves, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/now-know-i-well-what-people-sought-formerly-above-all-else-when-they/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Keelhaul the poets in the vestry chairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-shapiro/keelhaul-the-poets-in-the-vestry-chairs/) [Karl Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-shapiro/) > [He's earned all his money himself, with his fists. He didn't steal it like the rest of our politicians. And he'll be less tempted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitali-klitschko/he-s-earned-all-his-money-himself-with-his-fists-he-didn-t-steal-it/) [Vitali Klitschko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vitali-klitschko/) > [Dentists tell you not to pick your teeth with any sharp metal object. 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He had also eaten part of Mom's maidenhair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-tiernan/of-course-when-we-got-home-we-found-that-dagda-had-peed-on-my-down/) [Cate Tiernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-tiernan/) [Browse all 1,120 Chairs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chairs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I know it sounds silly, but disrespecting a dead writer by sitting in a chair that probably never belonged to him still felt like a risk to me. 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