--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Fiction is often a much-needed step back…" description: "\"Fiction is often a much-needed step back that gives you the distance to see things more clearly; it's very often better at explaining why events happen..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bda/kathleen-rooney-31531_distance_fiction-is-often-a-much-needed-step-back_505628.jpg" --- # Fiction is often a much-needed step back that gives you… ![“Fiction is often a much-needed step back that gives you the distance to see things more clearly; it's very often better at explaining why events happened as opposed to just what happened.” quote by Kathleen Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bda/kathleen-rooney-31531_distance_fiction-is-often-a-much-needed-step-back_505628.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bda/kathleen-rooney-31531_distance_fiction-is-often-a-much-needed-step-back_505628.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bda/kathleen-rooney-31531_distance_fiction-is-often-a-much-needed-step-back_505628.jpg) > “Fiction is often a much-needed step back that gives you the distance to see things more clearly; it's very often better at explaining why events happened as opposed to just what happened.” [Kathleen Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-rooney/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fiction provides emotional distance, making cause‑and‑effect clearer than factual accounts alone. **In simple terms:** Stories help explain why events happen. Key Takeaway Read fiction for deeper insight. Themes history fiction clarity Mood thoughtful analytical Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - education - personal reflection - policy analysis Key Concepts narrative causality empathy Questions to Reflect On - How does narrative shape your perception of events? - When can fiction mislead historical understanding? A Different Perspective Fiction may oversimplify complex causes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [It is a work of psychogeography, albeit in a less explicit sense than Iain Sinclair's or Will Self's. It had to be fiction though,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/it-is-a-work-of-psychogeography-albeit-in-a-less-explicit-sense-than/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [SMILE, even when all you want to do is cry. Why? Because it's better then explaining why you're sad. x](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/smile-even-when-all-you-want-to-do-is-cry-why-because-it-s-better/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We need to get better at explaining to all Americans why a more inclusive society with broadly shared growth will be better and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/we-need-to-get-better-at-explaining-to-all-americans-why-a-more/) [Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/) > [Galvanized people can do careless things. It is in the extreme and emotion-laden moments that distance and coolness are most required. I am tempted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/galvanized-people-can-do-careless-things-it-is-in-the-extreme-and/) [George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-friedman/) > [The Darwinian theory is in principle capable of explaining life. No other theory that has ever been suggested is in principle capable of explaining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-darwinian-theory-is-in-principle-capable-of-explaining-life-no/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [People have to find ways of explaining the work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andres-serrano/people-have-to-find-ways-of-explaining-the-work/) [Andres Serrano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andres-serrano/) > [It's very hard not to be condescending when you're explaining something to an idiot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/it-s-very-hard-not-to-be-condescending-when-you-re-explaining/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [We are ultimately at home in the world not through dominating or explaining or appreciating, but through caring and being cared for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-mayeroff/we-are-ultimately-at-home-in-the-world-not-through-dominating-or/) [Milton Mayeroff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-mayeroff/) > [I would make a genuinely terrible guide. I can't remember things. I would get half way through telling a story or explaining something and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/i-would-make-a-genuinely-terrible-guide-i-can-t-remember-things-i/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [I like telling the story in a visual way. I don't like explaining a lot in dialogue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sofia-coppola/i-like-telling-the-story-in-a-visual-way-i-don-t-like-explaining-a/) [Sofia Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sofia-coppola/) > [When it comes to explaining human thought and behavior, the possibility that heredity plays any role at all still has the power to shock.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/when-it-comes-to-explaining-human-thought-and-behavior-the/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [ \[Barack Obama\] will spend long periods of time explaining to people why he won't use it. At the end of the explanation, nobody knows… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/barack-obama-will-spend-long-periods-of-time-explaining-to-people-why/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Instead of explaining the sober facts of mechanics and electricity, I want to say a few words about the debt which we owe to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-bloch/instead-of-explaining-the-sober-facts-of-mechanics-and-electricity-i/) [Felix Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-bloch/) > [Much like teaching art to young art students age 10 to 15 or so on, you have to break it down into bite-sized pieces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/much-like-teaching-art-to-young-art-students-age-10-to-15-or-so-on/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [“Don’t waste your time trying to explain yourself to people that are committed to misunderstanding you. Instead, commit your time to explaining who they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/don-t-waste-your-time-trying-to-explain-yourself-to-people-that-are/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) ## More by Kathleen Rooney > [In early drafts, one of the trickiest things for me to do was to realize that the techniques and devices that make readable and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rooney/in-early-drafts-one-of-the-trickiest-things-for-me-to-do-was-to/) [Kathleen Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-rooney/) > [“When I first came to the city, a line of people often helped me discover an exciting premiere or a big sale; in 1931,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rooney/when-i-first-came-to-the-city-a-line-of-people-often-helped-me/) [Kathleen Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-rooney/) > [“But there was no way to know, and no way to go back. I could not revise. I had been who I had been,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rooney/but-there-was-no-way-to-know-and-no-way-to-go-back-i-could-not-revise/) [Kathleen Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-rooney/) > [“If there are to be rules, they must be articulable and defensible, like etiquette. I do not do anything simply because my family did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rooney/if-there-are-to-be-rules-they-must-be-articulable-and-defensible-like/) [Kathleen Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-rooney/) > [“If one were happy, then one might stay in with a book, say, and not go out hunting for fun”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rooney/if-one-were-happy-then-one-might-stay-in-with-a-book-say-and-not-go/) [Kathleen Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-rooney/) > [“All my life, I have taken satisfaction in finishing things in order that I may experience a sense of achievement, regardless of whether the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rooney/all-my-life-i-have-taken-satisfaction-in-finishing-things-in-order/) [Kathleen Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-rooney/) > [“I despise this ad, and the TV on which it plays with those flashing lights. I mourn the conversations murdered by their juvenile intrusions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rooney/i-despise-this-ad-and-the-tv-on-which-it-plays-with-those-flashing/) [Kathleen Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-rooney/) > [If a reader believes that everything in nonfiction or history is just objectively true, I don't really know what to tell them, except that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rooney/if-a-reader-believes-that-everything-in-nonfiction-or-history-is-just/) [Kathleen Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-rooney/) > [“I do wear underwear under them. I am a lady, after all; plus I don’t want a yeast infection, and who cares if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rooney/i-do-wear-underwear-under-them-i-am-a-lady-after-all-plus-i-don-t/) [Kathleen Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-rooney/) > [The ingredients that make a good poem often differ from those that make a good essay and from those that make a good novel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rooney/the-ingredients-that-make-a-good-poem-often-differ-from-those-that/) [Kathleen Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-rooney/) > [As a writer who writes poetry, nonfiction, and fiction, I think it's important to always maintain a firm grasp on genre and ethics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rooney/as-a-writer-who-writes-poetry-nonfiction-and-fiction-i-think-it-s/) [Kathleen Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-rooney/) > [I never have trouble keeping fact and invention straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rooney/i-never-have-trouble-keeping-fact-and-invention-straight/) [Kathleen Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-rooney/) > [Not to give too big of a spoiler, but I never find myself thinking, for example, Oh, remember that crazy time I stumbled on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rooney/not-to-give-too-big-of-a-spoiler-but-i-never-find-myself-thinking-for/) [Kathleen Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-rooney/) > [“this, they’ve never felt that, they no longer feel anything, they don’t count anymore. I think it’s small-minded. I wish there were more people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rooney/this-they-ve-never-felt-that-they-no-longer-feel-anything-they-don-t/) [Kathleen Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-rooney/) > [“She is my friend...and thus our rapport has been unfraught and egalitarian, unburdened by guilt or disappointment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rooney/she-is-my-friend-and-thus-our-rapport-has-been-unfraught-and/) [Kathleen Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-rooney/) [Explore all 16 Kathleen Rooney quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-rooney/) ## More Distance quotes > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I raised another shot. "That sound you hear is the heads of moral conservatives spontaneously exploding in the distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-thurman/i-raised-another-shot-that-sound-you-hear-is-the-heads-of-moral/) [Rob Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-thurman/) > [I think hair gel was invented to make it easier to identify assholes from a distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-think-hair-gel-was-invented-to-make-it-easier-to-identify-assholes/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [Distance sometimes endears friendship, and absence sweeteneth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howell/distance-sometimes-endears-friendship-and-absence-sweeteneth-it/) [James Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howell/) > [Prison experience puts distance between me and any person who hasn't been there, done that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/prison-experience-puts-distance-between-me-and-any-person-who-hasn-t/) [Patricia McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcconnell/) > [At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/at-a-distance-we-cannot-conceive-of-the-authority-of-a-despot-who/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [When somebody mentions that I did a play with George C. Scott, I'm like, it can't have happened. What was I doing on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dano/when-somebody-mentions-that-i-did-a-play-with-george-c-scott-i-m-like/) [Paul Dano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dano/) > [She watched the prairies the rivers, the towns slipping past at an untouchable distance below - and she noted that the sense of detachment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-watched-the-prairies-the-rivers-the-towns-slipping-past-at-an/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Memories seem to surface in no particular order, with no time attached. Yesterday can seem as distant as last year. My life now consists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-olsson/memories-seem-to-surface-in-no-particular-order-with-no-time-attached/) [Linda Olsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-olsson/) > [I've never bought this idea of taking a therapeutic distance. If I see a student or house staff cry, I take great faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-ve-never-bought-this-idea-of-taking-a-therapeutic-distance-if-i-see/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [Combining the experience of a seasoned university president with the analysis of a respected legal scholar, Derek Bok explores what he concludes are 'signs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-h-t-rhodes/combining-the-experience-of-a-seasoned-university-president-with-the/) Frank H. T. Rhodes > [To be a champion long-distance runner you have to run on the edge of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toshihiko-seko/to-be-a-champion-long-distance-runner-you-have-to-run-on-the-edge-of/) Toshihiko Seko > [The sectaries of a persecuted religion, depressed by fear, animated with resentment, and perhaps heated by enthusiasm, are seldom in a proper temper of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-sectaries-of-a-persecuted-religion-depressed-by-fear-animated/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [Within walking distance of any spot on Earth there's probably more than enough mystery to investigate in a lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alix-kates-shulman/within-walking-distance-of-any-spot-on-earth-there-s-probably-more/) [Alix Kates Shulman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alix-kates-shulman/) > [It takes a little more time to get into the role, but not very much more. In making a record you don't have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/it-takes-a-little-more-time-to-get-into-the-role-but-not-very-much/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) Browse all 3,296 Distance quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Fiction is often a much-needed step back that gives you the distance to see things more clearly; it's very often better at explaining why events happened as opposed to just what happened.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kathleen Rooney" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rooney/fiction-is-often-a-much-needed-step-back-that-gives-you-the-distance/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Distance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rooney/fiction-is-often-a-much-needed-step-back-that-gives-you-the-distance/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bda/kathleen-rooney-31531_distance_fiction-is-often-a-much-needed-step-back_505628.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bda/kathleen-rooney-31531_distance_fiction-is-often-a-much-needed-step-back_505628.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bda/kathleen-rooney-31531_distance_fiction-is-often-a-much-needed-step-back_505628.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Fiction is often a much-needed step back that gives you the distance to see things more clearly; it's very…” — Kathleen Rooney", "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": "Kathleen Rooney", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-rooney/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Fiction is often a much-needed step...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rooney/fiction-is-often-a-much-needed-step-back-that-gives-you-the-distance/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rooney/fiction-is-often-a-much-needed-step-back-that-gives-you-the-distance/#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 } } ] } ```