--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Novelists are people who have discovered…" description: "\"Novelists are people who have discovered that they can dampen their neuroses by writing make-believe. We will keep on doing that no matter what, while ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b5/kurt-vonnegut-41_believe_novelists-are-people-who-have-discovered_87042.jpg" --- # Novelists are people who have discovered that they can… ![“Novelists are people who have discovered that they can dampen their neuroses by writing make-believe. We will keep on doing that no matter what, while offering loftier explanations.” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b5/kurt-vonnegut-41_believe_novelists-are-people-who-have-discovered_87042.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b5/kurt-vonnegut-41_believe_novelists-are-people-who-have-discovered_87042.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b5/kurt-vonnegut-41_believe_novelists-are-people-who-have-discovered_87042.jpg) > “Novelists are people who have discovered that they can dampen their neuroses by writing make-believe. We will keep on doing that no matter what, while offering loftier explanations.” [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. Writing fiction serves as a therapeutic outlet, allowing authors to channel personal anxieties into imaginative narratives while offering broader insights. **In simple terms:** Fiction as a coping mechanism. Key Takeaway Storytelling eases neuroses. Themes creativity psychology escape self‑expression Mood wry insightful Type literary observation humorous When to use this quote - writer’s block - mental health workshops - creative writing classes Key Concepts therapy through art narrative as catharsis Practical Applications - therapeutic writing programs - literary criticism Questions to Reflect On - Why might imagination be more effective than direct analysis for processing anxiety? - Can readers also benefit from the author’s self‑therapy? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Make believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-believe/) [Neurosis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neurosis/) [Novelists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novelists/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I think it would be bad to a truly successful celebrity person, because I know these novelists where people get a cult following, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sean-greer/i-think-it-would-be-bad-to-a-truly-successful-celebrity-person/) [Andrew Sean Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sean-greer/) > [In the 1930s, all the novelists had seemed to be people who came blazing up into stardom from out of total obscurity. That seemed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/in-the-1930s-all-the-novelists-had-seemed-to-be-people-who-came/) [Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/) > [I really do believe some people are naturally novelists and some people are short story writers. For me, when I was in middle school…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-k-hobson/i-really-do-believe-some-people-are-naturally-novelists-and-some/) M. K. Hobson > [Novelists, it seems to me, are the very last people who should be asked to comment on the news of the day, and sooner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/novelists-it-seems-to-me-are-the-very-last-people-who-should-be-asked/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [Novelists are perhaps the last people in the world to be entrusted with opinions. The nature of a novel is that it has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/novelists-are-perhaps-the-last-people-in-the-world-to-be-entrusted/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [We carry our past with us, to wit, the primitive and inferior man with his desires and emotions, and it is only with an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/we-carry-our-past-with-us-to-wit-the-primitive-and-inferior-man-with/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [When you are dealing with a serious compulsion or addictive pattern, then by definition self-will, self-discipline, and any other machinations of the conscious mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/when-you-are-dealing-with-a-serious-compulsion-or-addictive-pattern/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [And I think for me theres a lot of neurosis involved with where you should be or thinking about where you are all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liev-schreiber/and-i-think-for-me-theres-a-lot-of-neurosis-involved-with-where-you/) [Liev Schreiber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liev-schreiber/) > [About a third of my cases are suffering from no clinically definable neurosis, but from the senselessness and emptiness of their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/about-a-third-of-my-cases-are-suffering-from-no-clinically-definable/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [You can't escape history, or the needs and neuroses you've picked up like layers and layers of tartar on your teeth… Your every past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-t-escape-history-or-the-needs-and-neuroses-you-ve-picked-up/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, at high speed, her eyes fixed on the road, Abigail asked, a little loudly above the hum, 'Do you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-hill/crossing-the-golden-gate-bridge-at-high-speed-her-eyes-fixed-on-the/) Lindsay Hill > [Neurosis is an inner cleavage-the state of being at war with oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/neurosis-is-an-inner-cleavage-the-state-of-being-at-war-with-oneself/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [“The fact that compulsive drives for success will arise only in a competitive culture does not make them any less neurotic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-horney/the-fact-that-compulsive-drives-for-success-will-arise-only-in-a/) [Karen Horney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-horney/) > [Most neuroses and some psychoses can be traced to the unnecessary and unhealthy habit of daily wallowing in the troubles and sins of five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/most-neuroses-and-some-psychoses-can-be-traced-to-the-unnecessary-and/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/) [Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/) ## 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. She released a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/like-all-earthlings-at-the-point-of-death-mary-young-sent-faint/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“And contrast Mary Kathleen, if you will, with my wife Ruth, the Ophelia of the death camps, who believed that even the most intelligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-contrast-mary-kathleen-if-you-will-with-my-wife-ruth-the-ophelia/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Someday, someday, this crazy world will have to end, And our God will take things back that He to us did lend. And if,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/someday-someday-this-crazy-world-will-have-to-end-and-our-god-will/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“They were going back to the slaughterhouse for souvenirs of the war.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/they-were-going-back-to-the-slaughterhouse-for-souvenirs-of-the-war/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“There are plenty of good reasons for fighting," I said, "but no good reason ever to hate without reservation, to imagine that God Almighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-are-plenty-of-good-reasons-for-fighting-i-said-but-no-good/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) [Explore all 2,089 Kurt Vonnegut quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Novelists are people who have discovered that they can dampen their neuroses by writing make-believe. We will keep on doing that no matter what, while offering loftier explanations.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kurt Vonnegut" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/novelists-are-people-who-have-discovered-that-they-can-dampen-their/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/novelists-are-people-who-have-discovered-that-they-can-dampen-their/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b5/kurt-vonnegut-41_believe_novelists-are-people-who-have-discovered_87042.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b5/kurt-vonnegut-41_believe_novelists-are-people-who-have-discovered_87042.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b5/kurt-vonnegut-41_believe_novelists-are-people-who-have-discovered_87042.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Novelists are people who have discovered that they can dampen their neuroses by writing make-believe. We…” — Kurt Vonnegut", "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": "Kurt Vonnegut", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Novelists are people who have discovered...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/novelists-are-people-who-have-discovered-that-they-can-dampen-their/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/novelists-are-people-who-have-discovered-that-they-can-dampen-their/#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 } } ] } ```