--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I read a book I liked, I would get a…" description: "\"When I read a book I liked, I would get a pen and one of my father's legal pads and rewrite it from memory as if I had thought of it myself. It was a c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/551/jonathan-dee-12196_book_when-i-read-a-book-i-liked-i-would-get-a_2313186.jpg" --- # When I read a book I liked, I would get a pen and one of… ![“When I read a book I liked, I would get a pen and one of my father's legal pads and rewrite it from memory as if I had thought of it myself. It was a clear sign that I wanted to be involved in writing, even if it was just pretend at that point.” quote by Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/551/jonathan-dee-12196_book_when-i-read-a-book-i-liked-i-would-get-a_2313186.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/551/jonathan-dee-12196_book_when-i-read-a-book-i-liked-i-would-get-a_2313186.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/551/jonathan-dee-12196_book_when-i-read-a-book-i-liked-i-would-get-a_2313186.jpg) > “When I read a book I liked, I would get a pen and one of my father's legal pads and rewrite it from memory as if I had thought of it myself. It was a clear sign that I wanted to be involved in writing, even if it was just pretend at that point.” [Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He memorizes and rewrites books to internalize writing style, indicating a desire to become a writer. **In simple terms:** He copies books to learn writing. Key Takeaway Practice by imitation. Themes learning creativity ambition Mood reflective determined inquisitive Type educational motivational When to use this quote - studying literature - creative writing classes - personal journals Key Concepts writing craft memory self‑expression Questions to Reflect On - What original ideas can you develop? - How does copying affect authenticity? A Different Perspective Imitation may limit original voice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Don't get me wrong: I can and do waste time on the Internet with the best of them, but in some respects, I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/don-t-get-me-wrong-i-can-and-do-waste-time-on-the-internet-with-the/) [Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/) > [If we were truly in the studio making a record, it would have been more time consuming, and certainly I would have been more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-dayne/if-we-were-truly-in-the-studio-making-a-record-it-would-have-been/) [Taylor Dayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-dayne/) > [My wife and I are involved in writing/publishing/promotion twenty-four/seven. 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The scripts go through multiple drafts, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-weiner/every-single-word-that-s-on-the-screen-i-oversee-there-s-nothing-that/) [Matthew Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-weiner/) > [When I am so intensely involved with writing my books, I don't like to reread them. I feel like that story is done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-connelly/when-i-am-so-intensely-involved-with-writing-my-books-i-don-t-like-to-2/) [Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/) > [When I am so intensely involved with writing my books I don't like to reread them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-connelly/when-i-am-so-intensely-involved-with-writing-my-books-i-don-t-like-to/) [Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/) > [I have no one else involved in the writing process. I would hate to feel that I was going into the studio with something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marika-hackman/i-have-no-one-else-involved-in-the-writing-process-i-would-hate-to/) [Marika Hackman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marika-hackman/) > [I think that very often younger writers don't appreciate how much hard work is involved in writing. The part of writing that's magic is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/i-think-that-very-often-younger-writers-don-t-appreciate-how-much/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [I've been deeply involved in writing garbage since I was 16.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-enfield/i-ve-been-deeply-involved-in-writing-garbage-since-i-was-16/) [Harry Enfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-enfield/) > [I have to be involved. Whether it's me writing by myself or with other people, I definitely want to have my hand in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cook/i-have-to-be-involved-whether-it-s-me-writing-by-myself-or-with-other/) [David Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cook/) > [“I continued working without a break, but in the middle of the third story...I felt myself tiring more than if I had been working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/i-continued-working-without-a-break-but-in-the-middle-of-the-third/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [Having been an editor for more than a decade, I thought I had a good idea of how much work was involved in writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-klassen/having-been-an-editor-for-more-than-a-decade-i-thought-i-had-a-good/) [Julie Klassen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-klassen/) > [What I'm really involved in when I'm writing is something that no one ever mentions when they see any play. Writing is like trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/what-i-m-really-involved-in-when-i-m-writing-is-something-that-no-one/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) ## More by Jonathan Dee > [Those who know New York City primarily through tourism or mass culture may think of us natives as possessing certain shared characteristics, not all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/those-who-know-new-york-city-primarily-through-tourism-or-mass/) [Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/) > [You never want to have to give your child bad news of any kind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/you-never-want-to-have-to-give-your-child-bad-news-of-any-kind/) [Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/) > [I wrote my first novel in the same conditions as most first novelists - I had a full-time job, I shared an apartment, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/i-wrote-my-first-novel-in-the-same-conditions-as-most-first-novelists/) [Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/) > [That's a long way of saying no, I'm always too bound up in thinking about the characters in whatever I'm working on and trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/that-s-a-long-way-of-saying-no-i-m-always-too-bound-up-in-thinking/) [Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/) > [I have no desire to write historical anything or futuristic anything - I want to find a way to get at the essence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/i-have-no-desire-to-write-historical-anything-or-futuristic-anything/) [Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/) > [The Postman Always Rings Twice that's a book that I think every writer should read - that has to do with technique. But it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/the-postman-always-rings-twice-that-s-a-book-that-i-think-every/) [Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/) > [I once saw John Updike get in front of a crowd and read a story that he'd written in 1958, and I just thought,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/i-once-saw-john-updike-get-in-front-of-a-crowd-and-read-a-story-that/) [Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/) > [It's nice to have something else going on when a book comes out so you're not just sitting by the phone, waiting for things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/it-s-nice-to-have-something-else-going-on-when-a-book-comes-out-so/) [Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/) > [“That mysterious foreknowledge of my success in life was sweeter to me than the success itselt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/that-mysterious-foreknowledge-of-my-success-in-life-was-sweeter-to-me/) [Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/) > [“I mean she's not exactly a complex figure. You can look at her and pretty much imagine what that whole relationship was like. She's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/i-mean-she-s-not-exactly-a-complex-figure-you-can-look-at-her-and/) [Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/) > [That's really the essence of what any fiction writer does. 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There was a time in my life when people would tell me constantly that I look like him. I could do a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/kenneth-branagh-there-was-a-time-in-my-life-when-people-would-tell-me/) [Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/) > [I think that good storytelling of any kind does promote a humility in that it encourages you to see the world the way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/i-think-that-good-storytelling-of-any-kind-does-promote-a-humility-in/) [Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/) [Explore all 56 Jonathan Dee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I read a book I liked, I would get a pen and one of my father's legal pads and rewrite it from memory as if I had thought of it myself. 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