--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My generation was maybe the last in which…" description: "\"My generation was maybe the last in which you could set up shop as a writer and hope to make a living at it.\" — John Updike" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ef/john-updike-396_could_my-generation-was-maybe-the-last-in-whic_1710091.png" --- # My generation was maybe the last in which you could set up… ![“My generation was maybe the last in which you could set up shop as a writer and hope to make a living at it.” quote by John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ef/john-updike-396_could_my-generation-was-maybe-the-last-in-whic_1710091.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ef/john-updike-396_could_my-generation-was-maybe-the-last-in-whic_1710091.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ef/john-updike-396_could_my-generation-was-maybe-the-last-in-whic_1710091.png) > “My generation was maybe the last in which you could set up shop as a writer and hope to make a living at it.” [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. He reflects that his generation may be the last where writers could earn a living solely from publishing. **In simple terms:** Changing economics of writing as a profession. Key Takeaway Adapt to new publishing models. Themes literature economics technology career culture Mood reflective concerned Type industry future When to use this quote - freelance writing - content creation - platform building Key Concepts Digital disruption gig economy self‑publishing Questions to Reflect On - How will writers sustain income today? - What skills are essential for modern authors? A Different Perspective Traditional publishing is declining. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Generation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generation/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [If you're a new artist, practice your art and share it. Set up shop somewhere, whether it's a street corner or a coffee shop.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/if-you-re-a-new-artist-practice-your-art-and-share-it-set-up-shop/) [Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/) > [I'd love to set up shop somewhere and develop projects - film, TV, digital would be a fun thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wilmore/i-d-love-to-set-up-shop-somewhere-and-develop-projects-film-tv/) [Larry Wilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wilmore/) > [I can set up shop anywhere. I've got my oils, I've got my yoga mat and I'm good to go. I must know good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minnie-driver/i-can-set-up-shop-anywhere-i-ve-got-my-oils-i-ve-got-my-yoga-mat-and/) [Minnie Driver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minnie-driver/) > [Maybe our grandmothers weren't as stupid as we thought. The family, volunteer work, religion, shaping the hearts and minds of the next generation-maybe all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myriam-miedzian/maybe-our-grandmothers-weren-t-as-stupid-as-we-thought-the-family/) [Myriam Miedzian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myriam-miedzian/) > [A good leader for instance is somebody like Nelson Mandela. 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Or maybe it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/maybe-i-was-what-leah-thought-she-was-some-kind-of-dead-end-that/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [Iraq today does have a chance to shape its own future. They may not do that, or this generation may not do that. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/iraq-today-does-have-a-chance-to-shape-its-own-future-they-may-not-do/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [I've always been a writer. I hope to continue to write books until I can't anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-mccafferty/i-ve-always-been-a-writer-i-hope-to-continue-to-write-books-until-i/) [Megan McCafferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-mccafferty/) > [I couldn't be a writer without hope. I think I became a writer because I'm pretty optimistic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-couldn-t-be-a-writer-without-hope-i-think-i-became-a-writer-because/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [I'm still only half the writer I hope I will be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ridley-pearson/i-m-still-only-half-the-writer-i-hope-i-will-be/) [Ridley Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ridley-pearson/) > [I couldnt be a writer without hope. I think I became a writer because Im pretty optimistic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-couldnt-be-a-writer-without-hope-i-think-i-became-a-writer-because/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [“The best a writer can hope for is hatred by the masses, revulsion among one's peers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-philbin/the-best-a-writer-can-hope-for-is-hatred-by-the-masses-revulsion/) [Mike Philbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-philbin/) > [“I heard a preacher say recently that hope is a revolutionary patience; let me add that so is being a writer. Hope begins in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-heard-a-preacher-say-recently-that-hope-is-a-revolutionary-patience/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) ## 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. 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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 Could quotes > [By eating many fruits and vegetables in place of fast food and junk food, people could avoid obesity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-murdock/by-eating-many-fruits-and-vegetables-in-place-of-fast-food-and-junk/) [David H. Murdock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-murdock/) > [I once told someone I could act. 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