--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You could say I'd rewritten the same…" description: "\"You could say I'd rewritten the same novel three times and I thought I had to move on. The success of the book, and then the movie, had by then also cr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/814/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_america_you-could-say-i-d-rewritten-the-same-nov_1445790.jpg" --- # You could say I'd rewritten the same novel three times and… ![“You could say I'd rewritten the same novel three times and I thought I had to move on. The success of the book, and then the movie, had by then also created a commercial expectation and I remember touring America and seeing people in the audiences who I thought might not want to read the books I…” quote by Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/814/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_america_you-could-say-i-d-rewritten-the-same-nov_1445790.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/814/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_america_you-could-say-i-d-rewritten-the-same-nov_1445790.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/814/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_america_you-could-say-i-d-rewritten-the-same-nov_1445790.jpg) > “You could say I'd rewritten the same novel three times and I thought I had to move on. The success of the book, and then the movie, had by then also created a commercial expectation and I remember touring America and seeing people in the audiences who I thought might not want to read the books I wanted to write next. My constituency had become broader, but more mysterious to me.” [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author felt trapped by past success, fearing audience expectations limited his creative freedom. **In simple terms:** Success created pressure to repeat past work. Key Takeaway Embrace new ideas despite expectations. Themes creativity expectations identity audience growth Mood reflective determined hopeful Type advice inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - writing new books - planning a film adaptation - speaking at literary festivals - teaching creative writing Key Concepts authorial pressure commercial demand self‑discovery Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance audience expectations with personal artistic growth? - What strategies help you break free from past achievements? A Different Perspective Past success can stifle innovation if not consciously managed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Expectations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectations/) [Mysterious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mysterious/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Touring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/touring/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I've been at this for 40 years. And, as an academic, I've been content with relatively small audiences, with the thought that the audience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-greenblatt/i-ve-been-at-this-for-40-years-and-as-an-academic-i-ve-been-content/) [Stephen Greenblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-greenblatt/) > [The world is crawling with authors touring now. They're like performance artists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/the-world-is-crawling-with-authors-touring-now-they-re-like/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [Good novels are not written, they're rewritten!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/good-novels-are-not-written-they-re-rewritten/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [Back when the Bible was written, then edited, then rewritten, then rewritten, then re-edited, then translated from dead languages, then re-translated, then edited, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cross/back-when-the-bible-was-written-then-edited-then-rewritten-then/) [David Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cross/) > [What happens is that as the scripts are rewritten and re-edited in order to make the story more compelling, you sometimes end up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-loceff/what-happens-is-that-as-the-scripts-are-rewritten-and-re-edited-in/) [Michael Loceff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-loceff/) > [“History has to be rewritten in every generation, because although the past does not change, the present does; each generation asks new questions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hill/history-has-to-be-rewritten-in-every-generation-because-although-the/) Christopher Hill > [If Al Gore had allowed us and if the Florida Supreme Court had not intervened and rewritten the law, which they're not supposed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-harris/if-al-gore-had-allowed-us-and-if-the-florida-supreme-court-had-not/) [Katherine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-harris/) > [I was sand, I was snow—written on, rewritten, smoothed over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-was-sand-i-was-snow-written-on-rewritten-smoothed-over/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Writing is rewriting what you have rewritten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-engle/writing-is-rewriting-what-you-have-rewritten/) [Paul Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-engle/) > [“The New Testament does not need to be rewritten, but it needs to reread.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-lizorkin-eyzenberg/the-new-testament-does-not-need-to-be-rewritten-but-it-needs-to-reread/) Eli Lizorkin-Eyzenberg > [In an upside down world, with all the rules being rewritten as the game goes on and spectators invading the pitch, it is good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-more/in-an-upside-down-world-with-all-the-rules-being-rewritten-as-the/) [Kenneth More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-more/) > [When I did '1,2,3,4' on 'Sesame Street' they'd rewritten the song and made it about counting. At first, I balked. I was like, 'Counting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/feist/when-i-did-1-2-3-4-on-sesame-street-they-d-rewritten-the-song-and/) [Feist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/feist/) > [I've been rewritten on past projects and thought, 'That's not what she was - she was this really powerful woman, and there's nothing wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/i-ve-been-rewritten-on-past-projects-and-thought-that-s-not-what-she/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [Books aren't written - they're rewritten. Including your own. It is one of the hardest things to accept, especially after the seventh rewrite hasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/books-aren-t-written-they-re-rewritten-including-your-own-it-is-one/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [“Our family history was erased and rewritten a thousand times.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/our-family-history-was-erased-and-rewritten-a-thousand-times/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) ## More by Kazuo Ishiguro > [The evening's the best part of the day. You've done your day's work. Now you can put your feet up and enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/the-evening-s-the-best-part-of-the-day-you-ve-done-your-day-s-work/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [As a writer, I'm more interested in what people tell themselves happened rather than what actually happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/as-a-writer-i-m-more-interested-in-what-people-tell-themselves/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“About him and his wife voting for different parties. A few years ago that would have been unthinkable.” “No doubt.” “Quite extraordinary the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/about-him-and-his-wife-voting-for-different-parties-a-few-years-ago/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“But what is the sense in forever speculating what might have happened had such and such a moment turned out differently? One could presumably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/but-what-is-the-sense-in-forever-speculating-what-might-have-happened/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“Silence is just as likely to indicate the most profound ideas forming, the deepest energies being summoned.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/silence-is-just-as-likely-to-indicate-the-most-profound-ideas-forming/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“I don't know why, but it didn't seem an option for more than one of us to storm off, and I wanted to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/i-don-t-know-why-but-it-didn-t-seem-an-option-for-more-than-one-of-us/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [Our family arrived in England in 1960. At that time I thought the war was ancient history. But if I think of 15 years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/our-family-arrived-in-england-in-1960-at-that-time-i-thought-the-war/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [He chose a certain path in life, it proved to be a misguided one, but there, he chose it, he can say that at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/he-chose-a-certain-path-in-life-it-proved-to-be-a-misguided-one-but/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“For however one may come in later years to reassess one’s achievements, it is always a consolation to know that one’s life has contained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/for-however-one-may-come-in-later-years-to-reassess-one-s/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [You're always in a rush, or else you're too exhausted to have a proper conversation. Soon enough, the long hours, the traveling, the broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/you-re-always-in-a-rush-or-else-you-re-too-exhausted-to-have-a-proper/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [I don't think it's any fun, even if you are one of the most respected authors in the world like Margaret Atwood, to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/i-don-t-think-it-s-any-fun-even-if-you-are-one-of-the-most-respected/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [I think it's quite difficult to understand what kind of life a writer leads. They might be millionaires, or they might be starving people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/i-think-it-s-quite-difficult-to-understand-what-kind-of-life-a-writer/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“But this small episode is as good an illustration as any of the hazards of uttering witticisms. By the very nature of a witticism,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/but-this-small-episode-is-as-good-an-illustration-as-any-of-the/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [There comes a point when you can more or less count the number of books you're going to write before you die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/there-comes-a-point-when-you-can-more-or-less-count-the-number-of/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [My wife is the most savage critic. She doesn't feel intimidated by my reputation. As far as she's concerned, she's just criticising a boyfriend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/my-wife-is-the-most-savage-critic-she-doesn-t-feel-intimidated-by-my/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) [Explore all 292 Kazuo Ishiguro quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [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/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [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/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) [Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You could say I'd rewritten the same novel three times and I thought I had to move on. 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