--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think you will agree that I am alive in…" description: "\"I think you will agree that I am alive in every part of this book; turn back twenty, thirty, one hundred pages - I am back there. That is why I hate th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05c/kenneth-patchen-10815_action_i-think-you-will-agree-that-i-am-alive-i_1792695.png" --- # I think you will agree that I am alive in every part of… ![“I think you will agree that I am alive in every part of this book; turn back twenty, thirty, one hundred pages - I am back there. That is why I hate the story; characters are not snakes that they must shed their skins on every page - there can only be one action: what a man is. When you have…” quote by Kenneth Patchen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05c/kenneth-patchen-10815_action_i-think-you-will-agree-that-i-am-alive-i_1792695.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05c/kenneth-patchen-10815_action_i-think-you-will-agree-that-i-am-alive-i_1792695.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05c/kenneth-patchen-10815_action_i-think-you-will-agree-that-i-am-alive-i_1792695.png) > “I think you will agree that I am alive in every part of this book; turn back twenty, thirty, one hundred pages - I am back there. That is why I hate the story; characters are not snakes that they must shed their skins on every page - there can only be one action: what a man is. When you have understood this, you will be through with novels.” [Kenneth Patchen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-patchen/) ## 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 argues that novels force readers to relive the author's identity, which he despises, preferring singular, authentic action over repetitive character changes. **In simple terms:** He dislikes novels because they repeat the author's self, favoring genuine action. Key Takeaway Seek authentic experiences rather than repetitive narratives. Themes literature authenticity identity Mood critical skeptical Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - reading habits - creative writing - personal authenticity Key Concepts existentialism authorial presence Questions to Reflect On - Do you find value in character evolution? - Can repetitive themes ever deepen understanding? A Different Perspective The view discounts the value of narrative development and character arcs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Novels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novels/) [Snakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/snakes/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Twenties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twenties/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“The last thing Farinoush did on several nights just before she went to bed was to rummage through her cardboard box of old things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kunal-sen/the-last-thing-farinoush-did-on-several-nights-just-before-she-went/) [Kunal Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kunal-sen/) > [I think that's all you can hope for as an actor when you read a script; that after the first thirty pages it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cary-elwes/i-think-that-s-all-you-can-hope-for-as-an-actor-when-you-read-a/) [Cary Elwes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cary-elwes/) > [I liked to think I had written 'scripts' when I was in high school, but looking back at them, they were about thirty pages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorene-scafaria/i-liked-to-think-i-had-written-scripts-when-i-was-in-high-school-but/) [Lorene Scafaria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorene-scafaria/) > [“I'm recapitulating...condensing...it's the Readers Digest style...people only have time to read thirty pages...apparently!...maximum!...that's all they have time for! they horse around for sixteen hours…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-ferdinand-celine/i-m-recapitulating-condensing-it-s-the-readers-digest-style-people/) [Louis-Ferdinand Céline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-ferdinand-celine/) > [When I read biographies, I skip the first thirty pages about the childhood because it doesn't seem interesting to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ondaatje/when-i-read-biographies-i-skip-the-first-thirty-pages-about-the/) [Michael Ondaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ondaatje/) > [Short stories have no net. 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If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Every thought I have imprisioned in expression I must free by my deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/every-thought-i-have-imprisioned-in-expression-i-must-free-by-my-deeds/) [Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. 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