--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think that if you're writing about the…" description: "\"I think that if you're writing about the human condition, my God, you've got to start at base: point zero, point one, is the body.\" — Junot Diaz" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b6/junot-diaz-531_body_i-think-that-if-you-re-writing-about-the_2161045.jpg" --- # I think that if you're writing about the human condition… ![“I think that if you're writing about the human condition, my God, you've got to start at base: point zero, point one, is the body.” quote by Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b6/junot-diaz-531_body_i-think-that-if-you-re-writing-about-the_2161045.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b6/junot-diaz-531_body_i-think-that-if-you-re-writing-about-the_2161045.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b6/junot-diaz-531_body_i-think-that-if-you-re-writing-about-the_2161045.jpg) > “I think that if you're writing about the human condition, my God, you've got to start at base: point zero, point one, is the body.” [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human stories begin with the physical body as the foundational point of experience. **In simple terms:** Start with the body when exploring humanity. Key Takeaway Ground narratives in bodily reality. Themes literature human condition body Mood introspective analytical Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - novel writing - character development - therapy sessions - anthropology research Key Concepts embodiment psychology Questions to Reflect On - What bodily aspects shape identity? - How does focusing on the body limit perspective? A Different Perspective Risk of reducing complexity to biology. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Human condition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-condition/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [The point about zero is that we do not need to use it in the operations of daily life. No one goes out to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/the-point-about-zero-is-that-we-do-not-need-to-use-it-in-the/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [She is also brought to a point of zero in the beginning of the story, and I think you can say that about a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bille-august/she-is-also-brought-to-a-point-of-zero-in-the-beginning-of-the-story/) [Bille August](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bille-august/) > [“POINT ZÉRO DEC ROUTES DE FRANCE “Mademoiselle Oliphant. It translates to ‘Point zero of the roads of France.’ In other words, it’s the point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-perkins/point-z-ro-dec-routes-de-france-mademoiselle-oliphant-it-translates/) [Stephanie Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-perkins/) > [“Several yards away – closer to the cathedral’s legendary carved doorways – Anna and St. Clair are standing on top of Point Zéro. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-perkins/several-yards-away-closer-to-the-cathedral-s-legendary-carved/) [Stephanie Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-perkins/) > [Isn’t every human being both a scientist and an artist; and in writing of human experience, isn’t there a good deal to be said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agee/isn-t-every-human-being-both-a-scientist-and-an-artist-and-in-writing/) [James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) > [“As often I have been a science fiction writer writing science fiction for the community of science fiction readers, I am also, for good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/as-often-i-have-been-a-science-fiction-writer-writing-science-fiction/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [The writers are writing human beings, and they're writing about the human condition and how difficult it is to function in that condition. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-dzundza/the-writers-are-writing-human-beings-and-they-re-writing-about-the/) [George Dzundza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-dzundza/) > [Songwriting is writing about the human experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-childers/songwriting-is-writing-about-the-human-experience/) [Tyler Childers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-childers/) > [The only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/the-only-thing-worth-writing-about-is-the-human-heart-in-conflict/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [There have been plenty of things that I've written that other people haven't cared about, but it hasn't stopped me from being a writer.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-o-malley/there-have-been-plenty-of-things-that-i-ve-written-that-other-people/) [Mike O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-o-malley/) > [“The only reason I'm writing this down is to show how human reason, even very sharp and exact human reason, can get crazily confused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yevgeny-zamyatin/the-only-reason-i-m-writing-this-down-is-to-show-how-human-reason/) [Yevgeny Zamyatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yevgeny-zamyatin/) > [The first writing of the human being was drawing, not writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/the-first-writing-of-the-human-being-was-drawing-not-writing/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [As soon as you start writing about how human beings interact with each other socially, you're into politics, aren't you?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-coe/as-soon-as-you-start-writing-about-how-human-beings-interact-with/) [Jonathan Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-coe/) > [“It's the basic truth of the human condition: everybody lies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/house/it-s-the-basic-truth-of-the-human-condition-everybody-lies/) [house](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/house/) > [“I sighed, he sighed, the wind and flowers sighed too. I think those marble statues sighed along as well, in their lack of understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-c-andrews/i-sighed-he-sighed-the-wind-and-flowers-sighed-too-i-think-those/) [V.C. Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-c-andrews/) ## More by Junot Diaz > [It might interest you that just as the U.S. was ramping up its involvement in Vietnam, LBJ launched an illegal invasion of the Dominican…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/it-might-interest-you-that-just-as-the-u-s-was-ramping-up-its/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [Tell her that you love her hair, that you love her skin, her lips, because, in truth, you love them more than you love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/tell-her-that-you-love-her-hair-that-you-love-her-skin-her-lips/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [It took me sixteen years to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/it-took-me-sixteen-years-to-write/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [You ask everybody you know: How long does it usually take to get over it? There are many formulas. One year for every year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/you-ask-everybody-you-know-how-long-does-it-usually-take-to-get-over/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [Instead of finding himself in nerd heaven—where every nerd gets fifty-eight virgins to role-play with—he woke up in Robert Wood Johnson with two broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/instead-of-finding-himself-in-nerd-heaven-where-every-nerd-gets-fifty/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [The one thing about being a dude and writing from a female perspective is that the baseline is, you suck. The baseline is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/the-one-thing-about-being-a-dude-and-writing-from-a-female/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“I used to think those were the barrio rules, Latinos and blacks in, whites out —a place we down cats weren’t supposed to go.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-used-to-think-those-were-the-barrio-rules-latinos-and-blacks-in/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“I put my hand on her knee. I just wish you'd say you love me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-put-my-hand-on-her-knee-i-just-wish-you-d-say-you-love-me/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [I've always thought that you don't love a country by turning a blind eye to its crimes and to a problem. The way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-ve-always-thought-that-you-don-t-love-a-country-by-turning-a-blind/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“Called her a whore and attacked her walls, tearing down her posters and throwing her books everywhere. I found out because some whitegirl ran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/called-her-a-whore-and-attacked-her-walls-tearing-down-her-posters/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [You're Dominican only if you do this, this, and that. And if you do this and that, you'll be accepted to a certain degree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/you-re-dominican-only-if-you-do-this-this-and-that-and-if-you-do-this/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“Ramfis fled the country after Trujillo's death, lived dissolutely off his father's swag, and ended up dying in a car crash of his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/ramfis-fled-the-country-after-trujillo-s-death-lived-dissolutely-off/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [If you didn't grow up like I did then you don't know, and if you don't know it's probably better you don't judge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/if-you-didn-t-grow-up-like-i-did-then-you-don-t-know-and-if-you-don-t/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“If you ask me I don't think there are any such things as curses. I think there is only life. That's enough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/if-you-ask-me-i-don-t-think-there-are-any-such-things-as-curses-i/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [The only difference between a published and unpublished writer is a tolerance for imperfection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/the-only-difference-between-a-published-and-unpublished-writer-is-a/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) [Explore all 486 Junot Diaz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) ## More Body quotes > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) Jennifer Siebel Newsom > [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/) [Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. Modern day diseases are mostly psychosomatic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/if-japa-is-maintained-no-useless-talk-during-work-will-be-possible/) [Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/) > [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) [Browse all 20,814 Body quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think that if you're writing about the human condition, my God, you've got to start at base: point zero, point one, is the body.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Junot Diaz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-think-that-if-you-re-writing-about-the-human-condition-my-god-you/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Body" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-think-that-if-you-re-writing-about-the-human-condition-my-god-you/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b6/junot-diaz-531_body_i-think-that-if-you-re-writing-about-the_2161045.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b6/junot-diaz-531_body_i-think-that-if-you-re-writing-about-the_2161045.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b6/junot-diaz-531_body_i-think-that-if-you-re-writing-about-the_2161045.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think that if you're writing about the human condition, my God, you've got to start at base: point zero…” — Junot Diaz", "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": "Junot Diaz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think that if you're writing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-think-that-if-you-re-writing-about-the-human-condition-my-god-you/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-think-that-if-you-re-writing-about-the-human-condition-my-god-you/#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 } } ] } ```