--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm sure my first nine years have had a…" description: "\"I'm sure my first nine years have had a powerful influence on the kind of books I write.\" — Katherine Paterson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b3/katherine-paterson-2365_book_i-m-sure-my-first-nine-years-have-had-a_1948459.png" --- # I'm sure my first nine years have had a powerful influence… ![“I'm sure my first nine years have had a powerful influence on the kind of books I write.” quote by Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b3/katherine-paterson-2365_book_i-m-sure-my-first-nine-years-have-had-a_1948459.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b3/katherine-paterson-2365_book_i-m-sure-my-first-nine-years-have-had-a_1948459.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b3/katherine-paterson-2365_book_i-m-sure-my-first-nine-years-have-had-a_1948459.png) > “I'm sure my first nine years have had a powerful influence on the kind of books I write.” [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early childhood experiences shape a writer's voice and themes. **In simple terms:** Childhood influences writing. Key Takeaway Reflect on your own early influences. Themes creativity writing development Mood introspective thoughtful Type literary personal When to use this quote - writing workshops - teaching - personal essays Key Concepts psychology memory storytelling Questions to Reflect On - What childhood memory fuels your creativity? - How can you expand beyond early influences? A Different Perspective Early experiences are not the sole determinant of style. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [You know what I was thinking about on my way home? 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I was in the theatre for nine years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/the-old-guys-like-me-started-in-the-theatre-i-was-in-the-theatre-for/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [It has been nine years since the Supreme Court decision outlawing segregated schools, yet less than ten per cent of the Negro students in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/it-has-been-nine-years-since-the-supreme-court-decision-outlawing/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [I started publishing stories in small magazines early on, but after seven or eight or nine years you feel like you need a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/i-started-publishing-stories-in-small-magazines-early-on-but-after/) [Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/) > [I have been doing this since I was nine years old. 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Complications generally begin long before the fated soul carries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-birth-of-a-true-poet-is-neither-an-insignificant-event-nor-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If I've learned anything in twenty-nine years, it's that every human being you see in the course of a day has a problem that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/if-i-ve-learned-anything-in-twenty-nine-years-it-s-that-every-human/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [Since I spent eighteen years of my life as a child, and nine years of that life as a pretty sexually active gay child,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/since-i-spent-eighteen-years-of-my-life-as-a-child-and-nine-years-of/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [I was called a bookish child. Mother sent me to a ballet teacher in Cincinnati when I was nine years old. I guess I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-ellen/i-was-called-a-bookish-child-mother-sent-me-to-a-ballet-teacher-in/) [Vera-Ellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-ellen/) > [You go ahead. I'd rather not be shot out of a tube into a pool filled with a bunch of nine-year-olds' urine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-halpern/you-go-ahead-i-d-rather-not-be-shot-out-of-a-tube-into-a-pool-filled/) [Justin Halpern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-halpern/) > [My mom taught me to read when I was two or three. When I was five I read and wrote well enough to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-abani/my-mom-taught-me-to-read-when-i-was-two-or-three-when-i-was-five-i/) [Chris Abani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-abani/) > [Because nine years ago, I walked up to the most beautiful girl in the bar, and tonight she's still the only person I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-james/because-nine-years-ago-i-walked-up-to-the-most-beautiful-girl-in-the/) [Julie James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-james/) > [I wanted to be an actor since I was nine years old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-wanted-to-be-an-actor-since-i-was-nine-years-old/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [ That happened when I was a freshman in high school. The guy reading it \[the Bible\] was dating my older sister. I thought he… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-grant/that-happened-when-i-was-a-freshman-in-high-school-the-guy-reading-it/) [Amy Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-grant/) ## More by Katherine Paterson > [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [“You're the proverbial diamond in the rough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/you-re-the-proverbial-diamond-in-the-rough/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [We do have trouble dealing with death, but it's the one thing that is guaranteed we are all going to have to do, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/we-do-have-trouble-dealing-with-death-but-it-s-the-one-thing-that-is/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [Everybody gets scared sometimes, May Belle. You don't have to be ashamed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/everybody-gets-scared-sometimes-may-belle-you-don-t-have-to-be-ashamed/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [Obviously, I love to do both contemporary and historical fiction. When a hint of a story grabs me, I try to go with it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/obviously-i-love-to-do-both-contemporary-and-historical-fiction-when/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [I love revisions...We can't go back and revise our lives, but being allowed to go back and revise what we have written comes closest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/i-love-revisions-we-can-t-go-back-and-revise-our-lives-but-being/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [I woke up one morning and realized that what I wanted to say to everyone - children, young people, adults - was: Read for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/i-woke-up-one-morning-and-realized-that-what-i-wanted-to-say-to/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [Our fundamental task as human beings is to seek out connections-to exercise our imaginations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/our-fundamental-task-as-human-beings-is-to-seek-out-connections-to/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [a work that intends to be art must first be entertaining.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/a-work-that-intends-to-be-art-must-first-be-entertaining/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [I do know that I need solitude, not only to write but to nourish myself (being, like most writers, an introvert) so that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/i-do-know-that-i-need-solitude-not-only-to-write-but-to-nourish/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [Everything comes in useful once in a hundred years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/everything-comes-in-useful-once-in-a-hundred-years/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [“I had no study in those days, not even a desk or file or bookcase to call mine alone…It might have happened sooner \[the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/i-had-no-study-in-those-days-not-even-a-desk-or-file-or-bookcase-to/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [The challenge for those of us who care about our faith and about a hurting world is to tell stories which will carry the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/the-challenge-for-those-of-us-who-care-about-our-faith-and-about-a/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [One thing living in Japan did for me was to make me feel that what is left out of a work of art is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/one-thing-living-in-japan-did-for-me-was-to-make-me-feel-that-what-is/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [“We need a place," she said, "just for us. It would be so secret that we would never tell anyone in the whole world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/we-need-a-place-she-said-just-for-us-it-would-be-so-secret-that-we/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) [Explore all 166 Katherine Paterson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) ## 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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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": "I'm sure my first nine years have had a powerful influence on the kind of books I write.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Katherine Paterson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/i-m-sure-my-first-nine-years-have-had-a-powerful-influence-on-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/i-m-sure-my-first-nine-years-have-had-a-powerful-influence-on-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b3/katherine-paterson-2365_book_i-m-sure-my-first-nine-years-have-had-a_1948459.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b3/katherine-paterson-2365_book_i-m-sure-my-first-nine-years-have-had-a_1948459.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b3/katherine-paterson-2365_book_i-m-sure-my-first-nine-years-have-had-a_1948459.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm sure my first nine years have had a powerful influence on the kind of books I write.” — Katherine Paterson", "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": "Katherine Paterson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'm sure my first nine years...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/i-m-sure-my-first-nine-years-have-had-a-powerful-influence-on-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/i-m-sure-my-first-nine-years-have-had-a-powerful-influence-on-the/#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 } } ] } ```