--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can't change overnight into a serious…" description: "\"I can't change overnight into a serious literary author. You can't compare apples to oranges. William Faulkner was a great literary genius. I am not.\" ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbf/john-grisham-974_apples_i-can-t-change-overnight-into-a-serious_1299575.jpg" --- # I can't change overnight into a serious literary author… ![“I can't change overnight into a serious literary author. You can't compare apples to oranges. William Faulkner was a great literary genius. I am not.” quote by John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbf/john-grisham-974_apples_i-can-t-change-overnight-into-a-serious_1299575.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbf/john-grisham-974_apples_i-can-t-change-overnight-into-a-serious_1299575.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbf/john-grisham-974_apples_i-can-t-change-overnight-into-a-serious_1299575.jpg) > “I can't change overnight into a serious literary author. You can't compare apples to oranges. William Faulkner was a great literary genius. I am not.” [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker doubts their literary talent, contrasting themselves with a renowned author and noting the difficulty of sudden transformation. **In simple terms:** Self‑doubt about writing ability. Key Takeaway Accept gradual growth, not instant mastery. Themes self‑doubt literary ambition comparison Mood reflective insecure Type personal motivational When to use this quote - writing workshops - personal journaling - seeking mentorship - reading classics Key Concepts identity growth perfectionism Questions to Reflect On - What steps can you take to improve your writing? - How does comparing yourself to greats affect motivation? A Different Perspective Talent develops over time, not instantly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apples/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Can't change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/can-t-change/) [Compare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compare/) [Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faulkner/) [Faulkner Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faulkner-great-2865272/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Great literary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-literary/) [Literary Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literary-genius-936806/) [Orange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orange/) [Overnight Literary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overnight-literary-4262908/) [Serious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serious/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/william-faulkner/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“I knew Faulkner very well. He was a great friend of mine. Well, as much as you could be a friend of his, unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/i-knew-faulkner-very-well-he-was-a-great-friend-of-mine-well-as-much/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [I stopped reading William Faulkner because it's hard work. I want to read a good writer, but I also want to read something where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/i-stopped-reading-william-faulkner-because-it-s-hard-work-i-want-to/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [I subscribe to William Faulkner's' view that history is not just about what we were before but who we are now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-burns/i-subscribe-to-william-faulkner-s-view-that-history-is-not-just-about/) [Ken Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-burns/) > [“The past is never dead. It’s not even past. —William Faulkner”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-tyler/the-past-is-never-dead-it-s-not-even-past-william-faulkner/) [Stephanie Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-tyler/) > [“Literature is a struggle over the nature of reality. --Richard Wright to William Faulkner”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-wright/literature-is-a-struggle-over-the-nature-of-reality-richard-wright-to/) [Richard Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-wright/) > [“I believe that when the last ding-dong of doom has clanged and faded from the last worthless rock hanging tideless in the last red…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-karr/i-believe-that-when-the-last-ding-dong-of-doom-has-clanged-and-faded/) [Mary Karr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-karr/) > [“BÔNG HỒNG CHO EMILY WILLIAM  FAULKNER (NOBEL 1949)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/bong-hong-cho-emily-william-faulkner-nobel-1949/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not trying to emulate William Faulkner. I never said I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/i-m-not-trying-to-emulate-william-faulkner-i-never-said-i-was/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [Toni Morrison has a habit, perhaps traceable to the pernicious influence of William Faulkner, of plunging into the narrative before the reader has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/toni-morrison-has-a-habit-perhaps-traceable-to-the-pernicious/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [ I wrote a paper \[in school\] on \[William\] Faulkner and no one could tell what the sentences meant. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-crook/i-wrote-a-paper-in-school-on-william-faulkner-and-no-one-could-tell/) [Elizabeth Crook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-crook/) > [ “I think that \[William\] Faulkner and I each had to escape certain particulars of our lives, and we found salvation through words. I understand… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/i-think-that-william-faulkner-and-i-each-had-to-escape-certain/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [I'd love to have William Faulkner, Beethoven and Bach over. I want to find out what makes those guys tick!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candy-crowley/i-d-love-to-have-william-faulkner-beethoven-and-bach-over-i-want-to/) [Candy Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candy-crowley/) > [A favorite science fiction writer of mine is William Faulkner! 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I try to avoid old dead white men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/do-you-read-them-faulkner-hemingway-fitzgerald-only-if-i-have-to-i/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [“Cuando duermes, engañas al sistema. El tiempo del sueño te pertenece a ti y no al Estado.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/cuando-duermes-enga-as-al-sistema-el-tiempo-del-sue-o-te-pertenece-a/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [“The Senator did not know who owned the jet, nor had he ever met Mr. Trudeau, which in most cultures would seem odd since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/the-senator-did-not-know-who-owned-the-jet-nor-had-he-ever-met-mr/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [“What kind of name is Siler-Spence? I mean, what's wrong with these women who use hyphens? 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These are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/sometimes-i-can-tackle-an-issue-homelessness-tobacco-litigation/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [“So why do these guys hate your guts?” “Because they believe strip-mining is a good thing. It provides jobs, and there are few jobs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/so-why-do-these-guys-hate-your-guts-because-they-believe-strip-mining/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [“In little pockets of conversation, old men were telling stories of ancient floods. Women were talking of about how much rain there'd been in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/in-little-pockets-of-conversation-old-men-were-telling-stories-of/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) [Explore all 316 John Grisham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) ## More Apples quotes > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [I named my son Noah for the same reason Chris Martin named his apple: we're asses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/i-named-my-son-noah-for-the-same-reason-chris-martin-named-his-apple/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [I think, however, that Astaire's coordination is better than Kelly's... his sense of rhythm is uncanny. Kelly, on the other hand, is the stronger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyd-charisse/i-think-however-that-astaire-s-coordination-is-better-than-kelly-s/) [Cyd Charisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyd-charisse/) > [“In the back of the fridge I checked out some stewed apples destined to fester. I examined them closely and reckoned they had only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-brown/in-the-back-of-the-fridge-i-checked-out-some-stewed-apples-destined/) [Helen Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-brown/) > [Fortunately, like most children, I had learned what is most valuable, most indispensable for life before school years began, taught by apple trees, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/fortunately-like-most-children-i-had-learned-what-is-most-valuable/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [I'm not only a fan of Apple products, I have stock in the company. I think Steve Jobs has started one of the greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kid-rock/i-m-not-only-a-fan-of-apple-products-i-have-stock-in-the-company-i/) [Kid Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kid-rock/) > [I love to eat an apple after a meal, just to cleanse my teeth - they always look polished afterwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-zeta-jones/i-love-to-eat-an-apple-after-a-meal-just-to-cleanse-my-teeth-they/) [Catherine Zeta-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-zeta-jones/) > [I have a friend who is a juggler. If I'm at his house, I don't like to take food from him, if it's in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-have-a-friend-who-is-a-juggler-if-i-m-at-his-house-i-don-t-like-to/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [A comely sight indeed it is to see, a world of blossoms on an apple tree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/a-comely-sight-indeed-it-is-to-see-a-world-of-blossoms-on-an-apple/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [Like a satellite in orbit, Apple is perpetually falling. It just happens to miss Earth every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-dediu/like-a-satellite-in-orbit-apple-is-perpetually-falling-it-just/) [Horace Dediu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-dediu/) > [I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-have-always-said-if-there-ever-came-a-day-when-i-could-no-longer/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [Positive thinking is so firmly enshrined in our culture that knocking it is a little like attacking motherhood or apple pie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/srikumar-rao/positive-thinking-is-so-firmly-enshrined-in-our-culture-that-knocking/) [Srikumar Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/srikumar-rao/) > [Therein lies the rub of a place like Berkeley Bowl. 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