--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If a reader comes across a story that…" description: "\"If a reader comes across a story that makes them cry, you can be sure that the writer felt every single thing that makes the reader cry.\" — Lawrence O'..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a07/lawrence-o-donnell-1701_books_if-a-reader-comes-across-a-story-that-ma_119622.jpg" --- # If a reader comes across a story that makes them cry, you… ![“If a reader comes across a story that makes them cry, you can be sure that the writer felt every single thing that makes the reader cry.” quote by Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a07/lawrence-o-donnell-1701_books_if-a-reader-comes-across-a-story-that-ma_119622.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a07/lawrence-o-donnell-1701_books_if-a-reader-comes-across-a-story-that-ma_119622.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a07/lawrence-o-donnell-1701_books_if-a-reader-comes-across-a-story-that-ma_119622.jpg) > “If a reader comes across a story that makes them cry, you can be sure that the writer felt every single thing that makes the reader cry.” [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A writer’s emotional authenticity is transferred to the reader, making the reader’s tears a reflection of the writer’s own experience. **In simple terms:** Readers cry because writers felt it. Key Takeaway Emotional truth in writing elicits shared feeling. Themes writing empathy literature Mood empathetic sincere Type reflection literary insight When to use this quote - novel critique - screenplay development Key Concepts emotional resonance Practical Applications - write from personal emotional experience Questions to Reflect On - How does personal vulnerability enhance storytelling? - When can emotional honesty alienate readers? A Different Perspective Not all readers respond uniformly; cultural context matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Comes Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comes-story-1398134/) [Cry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cry/) [Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt/) [Makes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/makes/) [Makes Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/makes-reader-1398132/) [Reader Comes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader-comes-1398133/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) [Story Makes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-makes-699347/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writer Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-felt-741086/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I want to tell a story that makes the reader always want to see what will happen next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/i-want-to-tell-a-story-that-makes-the-reader-always-want-to-see-what/) [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) > [Fiction works when it makes a reader feel something strongly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/fiction-works-when-it-makes-a-reader-feel-something-strongly/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [The first rule is you have to create a reality that makes the reader want to come back and see what happens next. 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She \[Hillary Clinton\] is saying Russia, Russia, Russia. Maybe it was.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/i-don-t-think-anybody-knows-it-was-russia-that-broke-into-the-dnc-she/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [National security advisors are not there to be advocates, generally. They're not there to be partisans, they're not there to be ideologues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/national-security-advisors-are-not-there-to-be-advocates-generally/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [Never once has Republican world said hey, maybe we should look into how police officers are carrying out their solemn public responsibility to serve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/never-once-has-republican-world-said-hey-maybe-we-should-look-into/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [When Ronald Reagan nominated Jeff Sessions for federal district court judgeship, the Senate Judiciary Committee rejected his nomination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/when-ronald-reagan-nominated-jeff-sessions-for-federal-district-court/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [Show business comes with wonderfully long vacations, like the life of a college professor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/show-business-comes-with-wonderfully-long-vacations-like-the-life-of/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [It is amazing that Jeff Sessions is still in the job. Any self-respecting Attorney General of the United States would have publicly resigned as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/it-is-amazing-that-jeff-sessions-is-still-in-the-job-any-self/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [Melania Trump's husband tweeted this: "Arianna Huffington is unattractive both inside and out. I fully understand why her former husband left her for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/melania-trump-s-husband-tweeted-this-arianna-huffington-is/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [I think a lot of people on both sides have extremely naive views of what government is capable of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/i-think-a-lot-of-people-on-both-sides-have-extremely-naive-views-of/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) [Explore all 214 Lawrence O'Donnell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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