--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think that most of us [writers] would…" description: "\"I think that most of us [writers] would rather have an audience than countless riches. If we wanted to be rich, we'd be doing smething else.\" — John Green" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db5/john-green-12_audience_i-think-that-most-of-us-writers-would-ra_810825.jpg" --- # I think that most of us \[writers\] would rather have an… ![“I think that most of us [writers] would rather have an audience than countless riches. If we wanted to be rich, we'd be doing smething else.” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db5/john-green-12_audience_i-think-that-most-of-us-writers-would-ra_810825.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db5/john-green-12_audience_i-think-that-most-of-us-writers-would-ra_810825.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db5/john-green-12_audience_i-think-that-most-of-us-writers-would-ra_810825.jpg) > “I think that most of us \[writers\] would rather have an audience than countless riches. If we wanted to be rich, we'd be doing smething else.” [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. Writers value an engaged audience more than wealth; true riches come from creative fulfillment, not money. **In simple terms:** Writers prefer audience over riches; fulfillment beats money. Key Takeaway Seek meaningful connection over profit. Themes creativity audience values Mood thoughtful inspirational Type literary motivational When to use this quote - writing career - publishing - public speaking - content creation Key Concepts literature motivation career choice Questions to Reflect On - What audience impact matters most to you? - How do you balance art and income? A Different Perspective Financial success may distract from artistic purpose. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Riches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/riches/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“I think most of us would rather have an audience than countless riches. If we wanted to be rich we would be doing something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-most-of-us-would-rather-have-an-audience-than-countless/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [In a way, 'Lost,' or maybe TV in general, is a kind of a contract between the writers and the viewers. And the actors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/in-a-way-lost-or-maybe-tv-in-general-is-a-kind-of-a-contract-between/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [Young writers find their first audience in little magazines, and experimental writers find their only audience there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-morgan/young-writers-find-their-first-audience-in-little-magazines-and/) [Robert Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-morgan/) > [A wise man once said that you don't get rich at work. You get rich by doing your homework.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-wise-man-once-said-that-you-don-t-get-rich-at-work-you-get-rich-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The trickle-down experiment that began in the Reagan years failed America's middle class. Sure, the rich are doing great. Giant corporations are doing great.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/the-trickle-down-experiment-that-began-in-the-reagan-years-failed/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [The key to happiness is not being rich; it's doing something arduous and creating something of value and then being able to reflect on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-brooks/the-key-to-happiness-is-not-being-rich-it-s-doing-something-arduous/) [Arthur C. Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-brooks/) > [I consider those are rich who are doing something they feel worthwhile and which they enjoy doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/i-consider-those-are-rich-who-are-doing-something-they-feel/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [One has to commit their life to music and not expect to get famous or rich doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-akiko-meyers/one-has-to-commit-their-life-to-music-and-not-expect-to-get-famous-or/) [Anne Akiko Meyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-akiko-meyers/) > [I think that everyone is saying all kinds of things about 'rich.' Not only am I rich from doing some of things I've been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nene-leakes/i-think-that-everyone-is-saying-all-kinds-of-things-about-rich-not/) [NeNe Leakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nene-leakes/) > [No one really gets rich doing this. A couple people do, Black Sabbath does. We don't sell any records anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurston-moore/no-one-really-gets-rich-doing-this-a-couple-people-do-black-sabbath/) [Thurston Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurston-moore/) > [George probably wanted to be rich and famous - most of us do, I think - but I don't think he ever wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-ridgeley/george-probably-wanted-to-be-rich-and-famous-most-of-us-do-i-think/) [Andrew Ridgeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-ridgeley/) > [As a young kid, I really wanted to be rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/as-a-young-kid-i-really-wanted-to-be-rich/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [I wanted to get rich, not because I like money but because I wanted to give that money to charity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-bankman-fried/i-wanted-to-get-rich-not-because-i-like-money-but-because-i-wanted-to/) [Sam Bankman-Fried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-bankman-fried/) > [When I first dreamt of becoming a movie star, I wanted to be a Gary Cooper: I wanted to be rich and famous, living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naseeruddin-shah/when-i-first-dreamt-of-becoming-a-movie-star-i-wanted-to-be-a-gary/) [Naseeruddin Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naseeruddin-shah/) > [I never wanted to be rich or successful or famous. I just wanted to be happy and have fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-leon/i-never-wanted-to-be-rich-or-successful-or-famous-i-just-wanted-to-be/) [Donna Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-leon/) ## 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 Audience quotes > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [It's the adrenaline rush you only get from being in front of an audience. It's addictive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-saadiq/it-s-the-adrenaline-rush-you-only-get-from-being-in-front-of-an/) [Raphael Saadiq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-saadiq/) > [If I had to speak in front of a Korean audience, I would be hard pressed to sound other than a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/if-i-had-to-speak-in-front-of-a-korean-audience-i-would-be-hard/) [An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/) > [The liveness of theater, and the excitement of experiencing it alongside an audience, is something you can't get at home. That makes the theater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-blaemire/the-liveness-of-theater-and-the-excitement-of-experiencing-it/) [Nick Blaemire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-blaemire/) > [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [When you lived it for years and years and years and seen different characters just get pummeled and squashed because 'I said so,' it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arn-anderson/when-you-lived-it-for-years-and-years-and-years-and-seen-different/) [Arn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arn-anderson/) > [“During the first few minutes of your presentation, your job is to assure the audience members that you are not going to waste their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/during-the-first-few-minutes-of-your-presentation-your-job-is-to/) [Dale Ludwig and Greg Owen-Boger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I don't think about who the audience is for my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-don-t-think-about-who-the-audience-is-for-my-books/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [I feel I have been playing all primary characters. And if your character forms a connect with the audience, it doesn't matter if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angad-bedi/i-feel-i-have-been-playing-all-primary-characters-and-if-your/) [Angad Bedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angad-bedi/) > [When I was playing piano, it was like, 'I'm going to write a song using all the white keys.' My music director, who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/when-i-was-playing-piano-it-was-like-i-m-going-to-write-a-song-using/) [John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/) [Browse all 9,118 Audience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think that most of us [writers] would rather have an audience than countless riches. If we wanted to be rich, we'd be doing smething else.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Green" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-that-most-of-us-writers-would-rather-have-an-audience-than/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Audience" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-that-most-of-us-writers-would-rather-have-an-audience-than/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db5/john-green-12_audience_i-think-that-most-of-us-writers-would-ra_810825.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db5/john-green-12_audience_i-think-that-most-of-us-writers-would-ra_810825.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db5/john-green-12_audience_i-think-that-most-of-us-writers-would-ra_810825.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think that most of us [writers] would rather have an audience than countless riches. If we wanted to be…” — 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 think that most of us...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-that-most-of-us-writers-would-rather-have-an-audience-than/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-that-most-of-us-writers-would-rather-have-an-audience-than/#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 } } ] } ```