--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I always joke that every novel is really…" description: "\"I always joke that every novel is really about the same thing: one person's struggle against society.\" — Joshua Mohr" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3db/joshua-mohr-15953_books_i-always-joke-that-every-novel-is-really_2138553.png" --- # I always joke that every novel is really about the same… ![“I always joke that every novel is really about the same thing: one person's struggle against society.” quote by Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3db/joshua-mohr-15953_books_i-always-joke-that-every-novel-is-really_2138553.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3db/joshua-mohr-15953_books_i-always-joke-that-every-novel-is-really_2138553.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3db/joshua-mohr-15953_books_i-always-joke-that-every-novel-is-really_2138553.png) > “I always joke that every novel is really about the same thing: one person's struggle against society.” [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Stories often explore the tension between the individual and societal norms. **In simple terms:** Novels depict personal struggle against society. Key Takeaway Recognize the universal conflict of self vs. culture. Themes individualism society conflict literature Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - writing a novel - social activism - personal growth counselingcounseling Key Concepts existentialism social critique identity formation Questions to Reflect On - How does your personal story reflect societal pressures? - What does resistance look like in everyday life? A Different Perspective Narratives can oversimplify complex social dynamics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Joke Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joke-novel-4441961/) [Jokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jokes/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Novel Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel-really-260202/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Struggle Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle-society-2027067/) ## Related quotes > [Although knaves win in every political struggle, although society seems to be delivered over from the hands of one set of criminals into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/although-knaves-win-in-every-political-struggle-although-society/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“During your struggle society is not a bunch of flowers, it is a bunch of cactus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/during-your-struggle-society-is-not-a-bunch-of-flowers-it-is-a-bunch/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [To read a novel requires a certain kind of concentration, focus, devotion to the reading. 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That process is very important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-adams/i-can-t-write-a-novel-without-first-really-doing-reporting-i-don-t/) [Lorraine Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-adams/) > [“But the slice-of-life novel is really not so much a world apart as an interlude - like the conference or the film set, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cooper/but-the-slice-of-life-novel-is-really-not-so-much-a-world-apart-as-an/) [Susan Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cooper/) > [Adapting a novel is not really about being faithful to every word and every moment the author has created. It's more about that same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jackson/adapting-a-novel-is-not-really-about-being-faithful-to-every-word-and/) [Peter Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jackson/) > [Although every novel is derived directly from another novel, there is really only one novel, the Quixote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-berlinski/although-every-novel-is-derived-directly-from-another-novel-there-is/) [David Berlinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-berlinski/) > [You don't market-research a novel; you really are writing it for yourself. It's a hobby, in many ways. The problem becomes what you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-easton-ellis/you-don-t-market-research-a-novel-you-really-are-writing-it-for/) [Bret Easton Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-easton-ellis/) > [The truth is that when you're writing a novel you're really living in it; you're living in the house, and you're living in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/the-truth-is-that-when-you-re-writing-a-novel-you-re-really-living-in/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [I get letters from adults saying that they love the books because they are more in-depth with characterization than the comics. The luxury of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-yee/i-get-letters-from-adults-saying-that-they-love-the-books-because/) [Lisa Yee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-yee/) > [The question any novel is really trying to answer is, Is life worth living?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholson-baker/the-question-any-novel-is-really-trying-to-answer-is-is-life-worth/) [Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/) > [I much prefer a plotted novel to a novel that is really conceptual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-catton/i-much-prefer-a-plotted-novel-to-a-novel-that-is-really-conceptual/) [Eleanor Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-catton/) > [We have learned in recent years to translate almost all of political life in terms of conspiracy. And the spy novel, as never before,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/we-have-learned-in-recent-years-to-translate-almost-all-of-political/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) ## More by Joshua Mohr > [I like art that trusts its audience, that's written for readers who like to work hard. I like art that knows its readers are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/i-like-art-that-trusts-its-audience-that-s-written-for-readers-who/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) > [I'm a very tactile learner, so I need analog index cards, moving them all about, trying out various sequences for the book's architecture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/i-m-a-very-tactile-learner-so-i-need-analog-index-cards-moving-them/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) > [We have today and hopefully tomorrow to be the best version of ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/we-have-today-and-hopefully-tomorrow-to-be-the-best-version-of/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) > [“I was convinced that she was about to tell me my card was declined, and assumed Derek wanting to talk later meant he'd soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/i-was-convinced-that-she-was-about-to-tell-me-my-card-was-declined/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) > [Yes, things happened to me - brutal things - but I'm not going to give them so much clout by dwelling on them, empowering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/yes-things-happened-to-me-brutal-things-but-i-m-not-going-to-give/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) > [It takes a lot of time to be a good junkie or alcoholic - you spend hours getting the necessary supplies, then imbibing, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/it-takes-a-lot-of-time-to-be-a-good-junkie-or-alcoholic-you-spend/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) > [My job as the novelist is to present the whole case, then the reader gets to render her verdict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/my-job-as-the-novelist-is-to-present-the-whole-case-then-the-reader/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) > [I'm always working on something. Addiction never gets any credit, always talked about as a total liability, and I'll admit that most of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/i-m-always-working-on-something-addiction-never-gets-any-credit/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) > [I'll never be the sort of author who sells that many copies. You'll never see a book of mine being sold on a table…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/i-ll-never-be-the-sort-of-author-who-sells-that-many-copies-you-ll/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) > [I struggle with staying clean every day, and what really keeps me from doing something stupid is my daughter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/i-struggle-with-staying-clean-every-day-and-what-really-keeps-me-from/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) > [My musical sensibilities were formed around punk rock, that quintessential dilution of an art that's both ugly and lovely at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/my-musical-sensibilities-were-formed-around-punk-rock-that/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) > [I never wanted/expected to write a memoir, but this life thing, it has a way of sideswiping our worlds, scaring us so thoroughly that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/i-never-wanted-expected-to-write-a-memoir-but-this-life-thing-it-has/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) > [Self-respect doesn't come naturally to me. I need to constantly remind myself and do the work to err on the side of self-respect, rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/self-respect-doesn-t-come-naturally-to-me-i-need-to-constantly-remind/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) > [The question why, at least in my life, often leads to despair. Why did this happen to me? Why didn't someone who claimed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/the-question-why-at-least-in-my-life-often-leads-to-despair-why-did/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) > [My tunnel vision allows me to have a longer work day than most writers. I'm thankful for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/my-tunnel-vision-allows-me-to-have-a-longer-work-day-than-most/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) [Explore all 41 Joshua Mohr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) ## More Books 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/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. 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