--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Authors should be honored only for their…" description: "\"Authors should be honored only for their works.\" — John Updike" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f96/john-updike-396_authors_authors-should-be-honored-only-for-their_863219.png" --- # Authors should be honored only for their works. ![“Authors should be honored only for their works.” quote by John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f96/john-updike-396_authors_authors-should-be-honored-only-for-their_863219.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f96/john-updike-396_authors_authors-should-be-honored-only-for-their_863219.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f96/john-updike-396_authors_authors-should-be-honored-only-for-their_863219.png) > “Authors should be honored only for their works.” [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Authors deserve recognition for their creations, not for personal fame. **In simple terms:** Honor works, not authors. Key Takeaway Focus on the work itself. Themes recognition creativity legacy Mood analytical thoughtful Type critical philosophical When to use this quote - book reviews - award ceremonies - academic curricula Key Concepts literary criticism ethics Questions to Reflect On - Should fame affect how we value a work? - Can a work stand alone? A Different Perspective Some argue author fame can inspire readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authors/) [Authors Honored](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authors-honored-874923/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Honored](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honored/) [Honored Works](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honored-works-874924/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Works](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/works/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [The difficulty that many foreign authors face in having their works translated into English has effects far beyond the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/the-difficulty-that-many-foreign-authors-face-in-having-their-works/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [After the Tiananmen Massacre, I felt compelled not only to continue writing but to actively resist the restrictions placed on freedom of speech. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/after-the-tiananmen-massacre-i-felt-compelled-not-only-to-continue/) [Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/) > [The study of literature threatens to become a kind of paleontology of failure, and criticism a supercilious psychoanalysis of authors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-study-of-literature-threatens-to-become-a-kind-of-paleontology-of/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [The lust to meet authors ranks low, I think, on the roll of holy appetites; but it is an authentic pang.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-lust-to-meet-authors-ranks-low-i-think-on-the-roll-of-holy/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I don't know how 'X Factor' works. I was only there as a guest judge for a day. But I watched 'The Voice' a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-ora/i-don-t-know-how-x-factor-works-i-was-only-there-as-a-guest-judge-for/) [Rita Ora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-ora/) > [Most of the more celebrated names among African-American authors, poets, and artists are known to the world because of their association with specific cultural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aberjhani/most-of-the-more-celebrated-names-among-african-american-authors/) [Aberjhani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aberjhani/) > [“Today if anything is trying to hold you back, give no attention to it. Get your hopes up, get your faith up, look up,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/today-if-anything-is-trying-to-hold-you-back-give-no-attention-to-it/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [“By their very nature, idiots do not have the intellectual capacity to identify genius. All that idiots are mentally equipped to recognize are other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dermot-davis/by-their-very-nature-idiots-do-not-have-the-intellectual-capacity-to/) [Dermot Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dermot-davis/) > [“Authors go on writing books, and so we go on reading them. It is a sad state of affairs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-aston/authors-go-on-writing-books-and-so-we-go-on-reading-them-it-is-a-sad/) [Elizabeth Aston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-aston/) > [“Authors: The only people you thank for leaving you emotionally devastated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/love-the-stacks-bookstore/authors-the-only-people-you-thank-for-leaving-you-emotionally/) [Love The Stacks Bookstore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/love-the-stacks-bookstore/) > [“How long has it been since you and me? Hugs and kisses. Blankets and snuggles. Our sparks smoldering without a fireplace. 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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/) > [The talk shows in the States want celebrities, not authors. In France, it is different; writers are called upon to comment on everything. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/the-talk-shows-in-the-states-want-celebrities-not-authors-in-france/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) ## More by John Updike > [Life is a roller coaster, you have your ups and downs unless you fall off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/life-is-a-roller-coaster-you-have-your-ups-and-downs-unless-you-fall/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Children are not a zoo of entertainingly exotic creatures, but an array of mirrors in which the human predicament leaps out at us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/children-are-not-a-zoo-of-entertainingly-exotic-creatures-but-an/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I assume my stance, and take back the club, low, slowly; at the top, my eyes fog over, and my joints dip and swirl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-assume-my-stance-and-take-back-the-club-low-slowly-at-the-top-my/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [The New England spirit does not seek solutions in a crowd; raw light and solitariness are less dreaded than welcomed as enhancers of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-new-england-spirit-does-not-seek-solutions-in-a-crowd-raw-light/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I imagine most of that stuff on the information highway is roadkill anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-imagine-most-of-that-stuff-on-the-information-highway-is-roadkill/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Families, doing everything for each other out of imagined obligation and always getting in each other's way, what a tangle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/families-doing-everything-for-each-other-out-of-imagined-obligation/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“The fucking world is running out of gas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-fucking-world-is-running-out-of-gas/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [The theme of old age doesn't seem to fascinate Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-theme-of-old-age-doesn-t-seem-to-fascinate-hollywood/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“The mind cannot fall asleep as long as it watches itself. Only when the mind moves unwatched and becomes absorbed in images that tug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-mind-cannot-fall-asleep-as-long-as-it-watches-itself-only-when/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“it was somehow wonderful of her to be, in every detail, herself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/it-was-somehow-wonderful-of-her-to-be-in-every-detail-herself/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [In fiction, imaginary people become realer to us than any named celebrity glimpsed in a series of rumored events, whose causes and subtler ramifications…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/in-fiction-imaginary-people-become-realer-to-us-than-any-named/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“Her hair had been going gray as long as he could remember; she bundled it behind in a bun held with hairpins that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/her-hair-had-been-going-gray-as-long-as-he-could-remember-she-bundled/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Possession diminishes perception of value, immediately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/possession-diminishes-perception-of-value-immediately/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I can't bear to finish things, beyond a certain point they get heavy. There's something so dead about a finished painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-can-t-bear-to-finish-things-beyond-a-certain-point-they-get-heavy/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“Some people find fall depressing, others hate spring. I've always been a spring person myself. All that growth, you can feel Nature groaning, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/some-people-find-fall-depressing-others-hate-spring-i-ve-always-been/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) [Explore all 592 John Updike quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) ## More Authors quotes > [The talk shows in the States want celebrities, not authors. In France, it is different; writers are called upon to comment on everything. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/the-talk-shows-in-the-states-want-celebrities-not-authors-in-france/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [“Today if anything is trying to hold you back, give no attention to it. Get your hopes up, get your faith up, look up,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/today-if-anything-is-trying-to-hold-you-back-give-no-attention-to-it/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [“By their very nature, idiots do not have the intellectual capacity to identify genius. All that idiots are mentally equipped to recognize are other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dermot-davis/by-their-very-nature-idiots-do-not-have-the-intellectual-capacity-to/) [Dermot Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dermot-davis/) > [“Authors go on writing books, and so we go on reading them. It is a sad state of affairs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-aston/authors-go-on-writing-books-and-so-we-go-on-reading-them-it-is-a-sad/) [Elizabeth Aston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-aston/) > [“Intercourse is one thing, Intimacy is everything. Be encouraged”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-e-wagner/intercourse-is-one-thing-intimacy-is-everything-be-encouraged/) [Kerry E. Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-e-wagner/) > [Most of the more celebrated names among African-American authors, poets, and artists are known to the world because of their association with specific cultural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aberjhani/most-of-the-more-celebrated-names-among-african-american-authors/) [Aberjhani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aberjhani/) > [“Do you read them? Faulkner, Hemingway, Fitzgerald?" "Only if I have to. 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/) > [“Grayson: Fiction is just a lie anyway. Brianna: But it's not - it's a different kind of truth - it would be your truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/grayson-fiction-is-just-a-lie-anyway-brianna-but-it-s-not-it-s-a/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [“How long has it been since you and me? Hugs and kisses. Blankets and snuggles. Our sparks smoldering without a fireplace. Losing time is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/2019-fidelis-o-mkparu/how-long-has-it-been-since-you-and-me-hugs-and-kisses-blankets-and/) [2019 Fidelis O Mkparu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/2019-fidelis-o-mkparu/) > [“Authors: The only people you thank for leaving you emotionally devastated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/love-the-stacks-bookstore/authors-the-only-people-you-thank-for-leaving-you-emotionally/) [Love The Stacks Bookstore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/love-the-stacks-bookstore/) > [“Authors, reviews are not for you. They are not for you. Authors, reviews are not for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacia-kane/authors-reviews-are-not-for-you-they-are-not-for-you-authors-reviews/) [Stacia Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacia-kane/) > [“I like to read as much as I can from every genre. That way, I can express my love for all writers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-selinsky/i-like-to-read-as-much-as-i-can-from-every-genre-that-way-i-can/) [Jen Selinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-selinsky/) > [“He's a liar for a living, all authors are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karina-halle/he-s-a-liar-for-a-living-all-authors-are/) [Karina Halle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karina-halle/) > [“A writer writes regardless... even though... notwithstanding... despite... at any rate... anyhow... nevertheless... in the face of... undeterred by... heedless of... and because. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/a-writer-writes-regardless-even-though-notwithstanding-despite-at-any/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [“Crazy people love their Kindles.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dermot-davis/crazy-people-love-their-kindles/) [Dermot Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dermot-davis/) [Browse all 529 Authors quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authors/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Authors should be honored only for their works.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Updike" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/authors-should-be-honored-only-for-their-works/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Authors" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/authors-should-be-honored-only-for-their-works/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f96/john-updike-396_authors_authors-should-be-honored-only-for-their_863219.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f96/john-updike-396_authors_authors-should-be-honored-only-for-their_863219.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f96/john-updike-396_authors_authors-should-be-honored-only-for-their_863219.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Authors should be honored only for their works.” — John Updike", "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 Updike", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Authors should be honored only for...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/authors-should-be-honored-only-for-their-works/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/authors-should-be-honored-only-for-their-works/#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 } } ] } ```