---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm a big believer in pairing classics…"
description: "\"I'm a big believer in pairing classics with contemporary literature, so students have the opportunity to see that literature is not a cold, dead thing ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/481/john-green-12_been_i-m-a-big-believer-in-pairing-classics-w_2577796.jpg"
---

#  I'm a big believer in pairing classics with contemporary…

![“I'm a big believer in pairing classics with contemporary literature, so students have the opportunity to see that literature is not a cold, dead thing that happened once but instead a vibrant mode of storytelling that's been with us a long time - and will be with us, I hope, for a long time to come.” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/481/john-green-12_been_i-m-a-big-believer-in-pairing-classics-w_2577796.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/481/john-green-12_been_i-m-a-big-believer-in-pairing-classics-w_2577796.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/481/john-green-12_been_i-m-a-big-believer-in-pairing-classics-w_2577796.jpg)

> “I'm a big believer in pairing classics with contemporary literature, so students have the opportunity to see that literature is not a cold, dead thing that happened once but instead a vibrant mode of storytelling that's been with us a long time - and will be with us, I hope, for a long time to come.”

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Pairing classic and contemporary works shows literature as a living, evolving art form.

**In simple terms:** Literature is alive and evolving.

Key Takeaway

Blend old and new to keep literature vibrant.

Themes

literature education innovation tradition continuity

Mood

inspirational thoughtful

Type

educational philosophical

When to use this quote

- curriculum design
- reading groups
- author workshops

Key Concepts

intertextuality storytelling cultural relevance

Questions to Reflect On

- How can teachers balance classics and modern texts?
- What benefits arise from this pairing?

A Different Perspective

Risk of diluting classic works’ impact.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Been](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/been/) [Believer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believer/) [Big](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big/) [Big believer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-believer/) [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Classics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/classics/) [Classics Contemporary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/classics-contemporary-1750948/) [Cold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold/) [Come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/come/) [Contemporary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemporary/) [Contemporary literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemporary-literature/) [Dead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dead/) [Happened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happened/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Instead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instead/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Literature Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature-students-1750947/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time/) [Mode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mode/) [Once](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/once/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Pairing Classics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pairing-classics-1750949/) [See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/see/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) [Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/us/) [Vibrant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vibrant/) [Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/will/)

## Related quotes

> [“O, gentle Bard, if thou couldst but glimpse our digital age! We set words in light called ‘blogs,’ Which are, alas, neither fens nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-stafford/o-gentle-bard-if-thou-couldst-but-glimpse-our-digital-age-we-set/)

[Stewart Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-stafford/)

> [“… this isn't some LA country rock jam reminiscing on the pyschtotropic pot pansies of Haight Ashbury . This is the soot and smut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saira-viola/this-isn-t-some-la-country-rock-jam-reminiscing-on-the-pyschtotropic/)

[Saira Viola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saira-viola/)

> [“Shortly before school started, I moved into a studio apartment on a quiet street near the bustle of the downtown in one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-amory/shortly-before-school-started-i-moved-into-a-studio-apartment-on-a/)

[Daniel Amory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-amory/)

> [“...if we accept contemporary literature as sufficient evidence, the society of Paris today is fully as corrupt as that of the Punjab in 1830;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lepel-h-griffin/if-we-accept-contemporary-literature-as-sufficient-evidence-the/)

[Lepel H. Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lepel-h-griffin/)

> [“Contemporary literature can be classified under three headings: the neurotic, the erotic and the tommy-rotic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-giese/contemporary-literature-can-be-classified-under-three-headings-the/)

[W. Giese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-giese/)

> [Contemporary literature in the West has shown some signs of ethical change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lafcadio-hearn/contemporary-literature-in-the-west-has-shown-some-signs-of-ethical/)

[Lafcadio Hearn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lafcadio-hearn/)

> [Literature that is not the breath of contemporary society, that dares not transmit the pains and fears of that society . . . loses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/literature-that-is-not-the-breath-of-contemporary-society-that-dares/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [“The way contemporary literature is emerging, soon we can expect "Item poetry" in novels.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/himmilicious/the-way-contemporary-literature-is-emerging-soon-we-can-expect-item/)

[Himmilicious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/himmilicious/)

> [“I searched modern fiction and poetry for clues to how we confronted and evaded reality, how we articulated our experience and turned to language…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/i-searched-modern-fiction-and-poetry-for-clues-to-how-we-confronted/)

[Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/)

> [The 'beach read' has become such a ubiquitous concept in contemporary literature that we assume it has always been around. In fact, the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dean/the-beach-read-has-become-such-a-ubiquitous-concept-in-contemporary/)

[Michelle Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dean/)

> [“There are no backwaters where things can breed—our connectivity is so high and so global that there are no more Seattles and no more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/there-are-no-backwaters-where-things-can-breed-our-connectivity-is-so/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [I read a couple of books a week. About 80 percent of what I read is contemporary literature for adults. The other 20 percent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/i-read-a-couple-of-books-a-week-about-80-percent-of-what-i-read-is/)

[Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/)

> [“When she was living one of her fantasies she felt like a bird, the freedom of its wings letting her soar without earthly boundaries,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-anne-gibbins-lekkou/when-she-was-living-one-of-her-fantasies-she-felt-like-a-bird-the/)

[Wendy Anne Gibbins-Lekkou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-anne-gibbins-lekkou/)

> [People like to complain about the state of contemporary literature, but I can only assume they don't read it very widely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-miller/people-like-to-complain-about-the-state-of-contemporary-literature/)

[Laura Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-miller/)

> [For the judging of contemporary literature the only test is one's personal taste. If you much like a new book, you must call it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ford-madox-ford/for-the-judging-of-contemporary-literature-the-only-test-is-one-s/)

[Ford Madox Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ford-madox-ford/)

## More by John Green

> [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“I just want to stay away from people and read books and think”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-just-want-to-stay-away-from-people-and-read-books-and-think/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [She smiled with all the delight of a kid on Christmas morning and said, "Y'all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die." -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-smiled-with-all-the-delight-of-a-kid-on-christmas-morning-and/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [A Margo for each of us--and each more mirror than window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/a-margo-for-each-of-us-and-each-more-mirror-than-window/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“No one ever says good-bye unless they want to see you again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/no-one-ever-says-good-bye-unless-they-want-to-see-you-again/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“Traffic's not too bad on Sheridan, and I'm cornering the car like it's the Indy 500, and we're listening to my favorite NMH song,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/traffic-s-not-too-bad-on-sheridan-and-i-m-cornering-the-car-like-it-s/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“Praise God for good nurses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/praise-god-for-good-nurses/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [So I was ugly. I was never fat, really, and I never wore headgear or had zits or anything. But I was ugly. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/so-i-was-ugly-i-was-never-fat-really-and-i-never-wore-headgear-or-had/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Nothing has ever looked like that ever in all of human history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/nothing-has-ever-looked-like-that-ever-in-all-of-human-history/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“said to him quietly, as if I couldn’t hear or something. Dad was about to respond but I interrupted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/said-to-him-quietly-as-if-i-couldn-t-hear-or-something-dad-was-about/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [I believe humans have souls, and I believe in the conservation of souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-believe-humans-have-souls-and-i-believe-in-the-conservation-of-souls/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“He was hot. A nonhotboy stares at you relentlessly and it is, at best, awkward and, at worst, a form of assault. But a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/he-was-hot-a-nonhotboy-stares-at-you-relentlessly-and-it-is-at-best/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/imagining-the-future-is-a-kind-of-nostalgia-you-spend-your-whole-life/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

[Explore all 3,614 John Green quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

## More Been quotes

> [When I was trying to come up with a stage name, I thought 'Lord' was super rad, but really masculine - ever since I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorde/when-i-was-trying-to-come-up-with-a-stage-name-i-thought-lord-was/)

[Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorde/)

> [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/)

[Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/)

> [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/)

[Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/)

> [Here's the reality. The image of a white Jesus has been used to justify enslavement, conquest, colonialism, the genocide of indigenous peoples. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/here-s-the-reality-the-image-of-a-white-jesus-has-been-used-to/)

[Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/)

> [I would have done well as a gypsy child, I think. A circus baby. I coulda played a great street urchin or ragamuffin. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/i-would-have-done-well-as-a-gypsy-child-i-think-a-circus-baby-i/)

[Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/)

> [A lot of people have been saying 'The 100' reminds them of 'Lord Of The Flies,' 'Lost' and 'Battlestar Galactica,' and all of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-avgeropoulos/a-lot-of-people-have-been-saying-the-100-reminds-them-of-lord-of-the/)

[Marie Avgeropoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-avgeropoulos/)

> [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/)

[Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/)

> [Well, I've been politically involved for a really long time. Growing up in the segregated South, it was a very painful experience for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cybill-shepherd/well-i-ve-been-politically-involved-for-a-really-long-time-growing-up/)

[Cybill Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cybill-shepherd/)

> [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/)

[Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/)

> [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/)

[Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/)

> [Windmills and solar cells are carbon-free sources of electricity. But they are costly. If you've been investing in those, give it up. That game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-fisher/windmills-and-solar-cells-are-carbon-free-sources-of-electricity-but/)

[Kenneth Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-fisher/)

> [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/)

[Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/)

> [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/)

[Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/)

> [There has always been a feeling with people that they love my singing but not always the choice of material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/there-has-always-been-a-feeling-with-people-that-they-love-my-singing/)

[Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/)

> [I've always been a believer in research. It's great to have an instinctual human reaction to a character, too, of course, but it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/i-ve-always-been-a-believer-in-research-it-s-great-to-have-an/)

[Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/)

[Browse all 13,699 Been quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/been/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I'm a big believer in pairing classics with contemporary literature, so students have the opportunity to see that literature is not a cold, dead thing that happened once but instead a vibrant mode of storytelling that's been with us a long time - and will be with us, I hope, for a long time to come.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Green"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-m-a-big-believer-in-pairing-classics-with-contemporary-literature/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Been"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-m-a-big-believer-in-pairing-classics-with-contemporary-literature/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/481/john-green-12_been_i-m-a-big-believer-in-pairing-classics-w_2577796.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/481/john-green-12_been_i-m-a-big-believer-in-pairing-classics-w_2577796.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/481/john-green-12_been_i-m-a-big-believer-in-pairing-classics-w_2577796.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I'm a big believer in pairing classics with contemporary literature, so students have the opportunity to see…” — John Green",
                "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 Green",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I'm a big believer in pairing...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-m-a-big-believer-in-pairing-classics-with-contemporary-literature/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-m-a-big-believer-in-pairing-classics-with-contemporary-literature/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
