--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writing 'Hoop Roots' was a substitute or…" description: "\"Writing 'Hoop Roots' was a substitute or a surrogate activity. I can't play anymore - my body won't cooperate - so in the writing of the book, I was lo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/575/john-edgar-wideman-7347_basketball_writing-hoop-roots-was-a-substitute-or-a_2549000.jpg" --- # Writing 'Hoop Roots' was a substitute or a surrogate… ![“Writing 'Hoop Roots' was a substitute or a surrogate activity. I can't play anymore - my body won't cooperate - so in the writing of the book, I was looking to tell a good story about my life and about basketball, but I was also looking to entertain myself the way that I entertain myself when I…” quote by John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/575/john-edgar-wideman-7347_basketball_writing-hoop-roots-was-a-substitute-or-a_2549000.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/575/john-edgar-wideman-7347_basketball_writing-hoop-roots-was-a-substitute-or-a_2549000.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/575/john-edgar-wideman-7347_basketball_writing-hoop-roots-was-a-substitute-or-a_2549000.jpg) > “Writing 'Hoop Roots' was a substitute or a surrogate activity. I can't play anymore - my body won't cooperate - so in the writing of the book, I was looking to tell a good story about my life and about basketball, but I was also looking to entertain myself the way that I entertain myself when I play.” [John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing became a therapeutic outlet for the author when physical play was impossible. **In simple terms:** Writing replaces playing when the body fails. Key Takeaway Use creative work to cope with physical limits. Themes adaptation creativity healing Mood introspective hopeful Type personal reflective When to use this quote - rehabilitation - mental health - career transition - storytelling Key Concepts resilience identity artistic expression Questions to Reflect On - How does creativity substitute lost abilities? - What stories can you tell through new mediums? A Different Perspective Physical constraints may limit the depth of expression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Basketball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball/) [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Roots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roots/) ## Related quotes > [What I wanted to do in talking about basketball in 'Hoop Roots' was retrieve the game as something to participate in, not to watch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/what-i-wanted-to-do-in-talking-about-basketball-in-hoop-roots-was/) [John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/) > [A big part of what kept me focused on the music was already failing with basketball. I played basketball all of my life. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-east/a-big-part-of-what-kept-me-focused-on-the-music-was-already-failing/) [Dave East](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-east/) > [Make sure you're building your brand early and make sure it's a good brand so in life after basketball, you have an option and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-smart/make-sure-you-re-building-your-brand-early-and-make-sure-it-s-a-good/) [Marcus Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-smart/) > [There's more to life than basketball, and at some point, it's going to end anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-oden/there-s-more-to-life-than-basketball-and-at-some-point-it-s-going-to/) [Greg Oden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-oden/) > [Basketball is my life. Basketball is what I live for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-valanciunas/basketball-is-my-life-basketball-is-what-i-live-for/) [Jonas Valanciunas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-valanciunas/) > [I'm someone who always comes on the court no matter what's going on in my life. It's all about basketball and my teammates and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-humphries/i-m-someone-who-always-comes-on-the-court-no-matter-what-s-going-on/) [Kris Humphries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-humphries/) > [But the point of using the number was to show that sex was a great part of my life as basketball was a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilt-chamberlain/but-the-point-of-using-the-number-was-to-show-that-sex-was-a-great/) [Wilt Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilt-chamberlain/) > [My greatest gift that I have in life is basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-greatest-gift-that-i-have-in-life-is-basketball/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every time I see my life without basketball, I get a little scared, and I try to put a little more into it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-taurasi/every-time-i-see-my-life-without-basketball-i-get-a-little-scared-and/) [Diana Taurasi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-taurasi/) > [When I first arrived at UConn, I told myself I was going to dedicate my life to basketball. And when you do something like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-taurasi/when-i-first-arrived-at-uconn-i-told-myself-i-was-going-to-dedicate/) [Diana Taurasi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-taurasi/) > [I had attached my life to basketball so closely that it made me physically ill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaylen-brown/i-had-attached-my-life-to-basketball-so-closely-that-it-made-me/) [Jaylen Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaylen-brown/) > [As a youngster, my whole life was basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-green/as-a-youngster-my-whole-life-was-basketball/) [Danny Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-green/) > [There's more to life than basketball. The most important thing is your family and taking care of each other and loving each other no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-curry/there-s-more-to-life-than-basketball-the-most-important-thing-is-your/) [Stephen Curry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-curry/) > [I have two definitions of success - one on the basketball court and one in my personal life. In basketball, success means making my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwyane-wade/i-have-two-definitions-of-success-one-on-the-basketball-court-and-one/) [Dwyane Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwyane-wade/) > [I dedicated most of my life to basketball, and that was my plan until my junior year of college when I got ill and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-halpern/i-dedicated-most-of-my-life-to-basketball-and-that-was-my-plan-until/) [Tucker Halpern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-halpern/) ## More by John Edgar Wideman > [My mother loved my father. From my view, she let him get away with too much. It broke my heart to see him in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/my-mother-loved-my-father-from-my-view-she-let-him-get-away-with-too/) [John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/) > [Too much is made for us; too much is given to us - even those of us who are underprivileged. The poverty is given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/too-much-is-made-for-us-too-much-is-given-to-us-even-those-of-us-who/) [John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/) > [A great artist transforms our world, removes scales from our eyes, plugs from our ears, gloves from our fingertips, teaches us to perceive reality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/a-great-artist-transforms-our-world-removes-scales-from-our-eyes/) [John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/) > [That's what writing is: it's imagining that you can make a world. That's what basketball is, too: it's imagining the game as a world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/that-s-what-writing-is-it-s-imagining-that-you-can-make-a-world-that/) [John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/) > [I'm very hard-nosed and cold-blooded and I can walk past a drowning man. If I have someplace else to go, well, tough s\*\*t. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/i-m-very-hard-nosed-and-cold-blooded-and-i-can-walk-past-a-drowning/) [John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/) > [I get off on anticipating and waiting much more than I get off on the actual event.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/i-get-off-on-anticipating-and-waiting-much-more-than-i-get-off-on-the/) [John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/) > [You have to be a minor superhero just to get to be a dignified man, and that's kind of exacerbated for men of color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/you-have-to-be-a-minor-superhero-just-to-get-to-be-a-dignified-man/) [John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/) > [Stories are told over time, and so they naturally accrue meanings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/stories-are-told-over-time-and-so-they-naturally-accrue-meanings/) [John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/) > [That's been my routine for years and years... Up early before everybody else, before I get connected, before I get bugged, before I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/that-s-been-my-routine-for-years-and-years-up-early-before-everybody/) [John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/) > [My father was intelligent and closed-mouthed. He knew a lot more than what he was ever going to tell you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/my-father-was-intelligent-and-closed-mouthed-he-knew-a-lot-more-than/) [John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/) > [What I wanted to do in talking about basketball in 'Hoop Roots' was retrieve the game as something to participate in, not to watch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/what-i-wanted-to-do-in-talking-about-basketball-in-hoop-roots-was/) [John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/) > [Books are an attempt to control something that's uncontrollable. 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