--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's only recently that I've come to…" description: "\"It's only recently that I've come to understand that writers are not marginal to our society, that they, in fact, do all our thinking for us, that we a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d3/kurt-vonnegut-41_facts_it-s-only-recently-that-i-ve-come-to-und_2469921.jpg" --- # It's only recently that I've come to understand that… ![“It's only recently that I've come to understand that writers are not marginal to our society, that they, in fact, do all our thinking for us, that we are writing myths and our myths are believed, and that old myths are believed until someone writes a new one.” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d3/kurt-vonnegut-41_facts_it-s-only-recently-that-i-ve-come-to-und_2469921.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d3/kurt-vonnegut-41_facts_it-s-only-recently-that-i-ve-come-to-und_2469921.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d3/kurt-vonnegut-41_facts_it-s-only-recently-that-i-ve-come-to-und_2469921.jpg) > “It's only recently that I've come to understand that writers are not marginal to our society, that they, in fact, do all our thinking for us, that we are writing myths and our myths are believed, and that old myths are believed until someone writes a new one.” [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writers shape collective thought by creating and reshaping myths that guide cultural beliefs and actions. **In simple terms:** Writers create the stories we live by. Key Takeaway Recognize and critique the narratives that influence you. Themes culture storytelling influence mythmaking Mood reflective critical Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - media analysis - education curriculum - political discourse - personal belief formation Key Concepts Narrative theory social constructionism cultural memory Questions to Reflect On - What myths do you accept without question? - How can you contribute to healthier narratives? A Different Perspective New myths may be resisted or ignored by entrenched interests. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believed Writes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believed-writes-750761/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Myth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myth/) [Our society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-society/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Thinking Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking-writing/) [Understand Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understand-writers-750763/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writers Marginal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers-marginal-750762/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Myths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-myths-750760/) ## Related quotes > [I never could understand why some writers treat women as helpless. Every woman I know is strong in her own unique way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-goodkind/i-never-could-understand-why-some-writers-treat-women-as-helpless/) [Terry Goodkind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-goodkind/) > [I also write plays, so I understand the writers mind, and how obsessed you can get writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-daniels/i-also-write-plays-so-i-understand-the-writers-mind-and-how-obsessed/) [Jeff Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-daniels/) > [It really helped me as a writer to understand how other writers think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ace-young/it-really-helped-me-as-a-writer-to-understand-how-other-writers-think/) [Ace Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ace-young/) > [Academic environments are generally characterised by the presence of peole who claim to understand more than in fact they do. Linguistic Philosophy has produced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-gellner/academic-environments-are-generally-characterised-by-the-presence-of/) [Ernest Gellner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-gellner/) > [I read continually and don't understand writers who say they don't read while working on a book. For a start, a book takes me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-lynch/i-read-continually-and-don-t-understand-writers-who-say-they-don-t/) [Paul Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-lynch/) > [Write what you care about and understand. Writers should never try to outguess the marketplace in search of a salable idea; the simple truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-north-patterson/write-what-you-care-about-and-understand-writers-should-never-try-to/) [Richard North Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-north-patterson/) > [My whole life experience feeds into my writing. I think that must be true for every writer. Clearly the Army and combat were major…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/my-whole-life-experience-feeds-into-my-writing-i-think-that-must-be/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [Sophisticated readers understand that writers work out their anger, their conflicts, their endless grief and rolling list of loss, through their stories. That however…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/sophisticated-readers-understand-that-writers-work-out-their-anger/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > [I understand that each one of us works at a different speed, and has a slightly different process. I understand that these writers are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/i-understand-that-each-one-of-us-works-at-a-different-speed-and-has-a/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [People generally will soon understand that writers should be judged, not according to rules and species, which are contrary to nature and art, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/people-generally-will-soon-understand-that-writers-should-be-judged/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [I don't really do anything that isn't about writing, and I don't really know who I am if I'm not thinking about writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/i-don-t-really-do-anything-that-isn-t-about-writing-and-i-don-t/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) > [“I was actually thinking about writing, maybe," Owen said. "About Charm?" Kiel asked, raising an eyebrow. "No?" Owen said, probably a bit too fast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-riley/i-was-actually-thinking-about-writing-maybe-owen-said-about-charm/) [James Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-riley/) > [With a novel, you have to have a story. It's much more important to have it matter to the reader what happens to people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/with-a-novel-you-have-to-have-a-story-it-s-much-more-important-to/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [Writing helps us heal in certain way, but it doesn't make the experience of thinking about writing that occasion any less painful. When you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-gerard/writing-helps-us-heal-in-certain-way-but-it-doesn-t-make-the/) [Sarah Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-gerard/) > [Thinking about writing as an act of celebration is sometimes a helpful framework for me. It allows me to prioritize what I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/thinking-about-writing-as-an-act-of-celebration-is-sometimes-a/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) ## More by Kurt Vonnegut > [“You must bloom as a writer and I must bloom as a painter. Everything else about us is uninteresting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-must-bloom-as-a-writer-and-i-must-bloom-as-a-painter-everything/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“People aren't supposed to look back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/people-aren-t-supposed-to-look-back/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Have a good nap, did you?” said the porter. “Yes,” said Billy. “Man,” said the porter, “you sure had a hard-on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/have-a-good-nap-did-you-said-the-porter-yes-said-billy-man-said-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I told him that if we doubted that we are demons in Hell, he should read The Mysterious Stranger, which Mark Twain wrote in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-told-him-that-if-we-doubted-that-we-are-demons-in-hell-he-should/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [ “Thomas Jefferson High School \[..\] His high school was named after a slave owner who was also one of the world’s greatest theoreticians on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/thomas-jefferson-high-school-his-high-school-was-named-after-a-slave/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I had a certain amount of skill as a dramatist, and Dr. Goebbels wanted me to use it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-had-a-certain-amount-of-skill-as-a-dramatist-and-dr-goebbels-wanted/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around. Lucky me, lucky mud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-was-some-of-the-mud-that-got-to-sit-up-and-look-around-lucky-me/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“The town was Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A., Earth, Solar System, Milky Way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-town-was-newport-rhode-island-u-s-a-earth-solar-system-milky-way/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Her face was one of a kind, a surprising variation that made observers think, Yes--that would be another very nice way for people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/her-face-was-one-of-a-kind-a-surprising-variation-that-made-observers/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“You finally fell in love, I see,” said Salo. “Only an Earthling year ago,” said Constant. “It took us that long to realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-finally-fell-in-love-i-see-said-salo-only-an-earthling-year-ago/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Like all Earthlings at the point of death, Mary Young sent faint reminders of herself to those who had known her. 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