--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't believe, in the end, that there…" description: "\"I don't believe, in the end, that there is any such thing as no style. Even a very neutral, plain style, one that doesn't use colloquialisms, lyrical f..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf2/lydia-davis-3244_believe_i-don-t-believe-in-the-end-that-there-is_645786.jpg" --- # I don't believe, in the end, that there is any such thing… ![“I don't believe, in the end, that there is any such thing as no style. Even a very neutral, plain style, one that doesn't use colloquialisms, lyrical flourishes, heavy supplies of metaphor, etc., is a style, and it becomes a writer's characteristic style just as much as a thicker, richer…” quote by Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf2/lydia-davis-3244_believe_i-don-t-believe-in-the-end-that-there-is_645786.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf2/lydia-davis-3244_believe_i-don-t-believe-in-the-end-that-there-is_645786.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf2/lydia-davis-3244_believe_i-don-t-believe-in-the-end-that-there-is_645786.jpg) > “I don't believe, in the end, that there is any such thing as no style. Even a very neutral, plain style, one that doesn't use colloquialisms, lyrical flourishes, heavy supplies of metaphor, etc., is a style, and it becomes a writer's characteristic style just as much as a thicker, richer deployment of idiom and vocabulary.” [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. All writing, even the most neutral, possesses a distinctive style that defines the author. **In simple terms:** Every writing has a style. Key Takeaway Recognize and embrace your unique voice. Themes style authorship voice Mood reflective analytical Type literary educational When to use this quote - editing - creative writing - academic analysis - teaching writing Key Concepts literary theory personal expression Questions to Reflect On - How does your perceived "neutral" style affect readers? - Can you identify subtle stylistic choices in your work? A Different Perspective Even neutral prose can reveal biases and hidden preferences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Idiom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idiom/) [Lyrical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lyrical/) [Metaphor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor/) [Style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/style/) [Vocabulary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vocabulary/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Growing up, I was the plain one. I had no style. I was the tough kid with the comb in the back pocket and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-diaz/growing-up-i-was-the-plain-one-i-had-no-style-i-was-the-tough-kid/) [Cameron Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-diaz/) > [I like bootcut jeans in a plain style with a nice line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-like-bootcut-jeans-in-a-plain-style-with-a-nice-line/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [I don't have a style. I wouldn't say I have a style as a writer, either. I know people have said "This is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kaufman/i-don-t-have-a-style-i-wouldn-t-say-i-have-a-style-as-a-writer-either/) [Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/) > [I am uneasy about the practice of other people telling you how to write. This is especially true for beginners who haven't yet developed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuriy-tarnawsky/i-am-uneasy-about-the-practice-of-other-people-telling-you-how-to/) [Yuriy Tarnawsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuriy-tarnawsky/) > [PLAGIARIZE, v. To take the thought or style of another writer whom one has never, never read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/plagiarize-v-to-take-the-thought-or-style-of-another-writer-whom-one/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Well, in features, and in writing especially, it's often the style of the writer comes in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-loder/well-in-features-and-in-writing-especially-it-s-often-the-style-of/) [Kurt Loder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-loder/) > [They've got this house style which is writer driven. I heard of one person who sent his script in, and Karen Berger said there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-campbell/they-ve-got-this-house-style-which-is-writer-driven-i-heard-of-one/) [Eddie Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-campbell/) > [It's akin to style, what I'm talking about, but it isn't style alone. It is the writer's particular and unmistakable signature on everything he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-carver/it-s-akin-to-style-what-i-m-talking-about-but-it-isn-t-style-alone-it/) [Raymond Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-carver/) > [Even for the people in the business who are real music lovers it's really about putting things in the right boxes, and my style…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-thompson/even-for-the-people-in-the-business-who-are-real-music-lovers-it-s/) [Teddy Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-thompson/) > [I would say this: no matter what style you play, at some point, the team that beats you, people are going to say, 'I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-mullin/i-would-say-this-no-matter-what-style-you-play-at-some-point-the-team/) [Chris Mullin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-mullin/) > [ When I was younger I always wanted to dress like Kim \[Kardashian\], but her style doesn't necessarily fit my body type. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-kardashian/when-i-was-younger-i-always-wanted-to-dress-like-kim-kardashian-but/) [Kim Kardashian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-kardashian/) > [When you have style, it doesn't matter what other people are saying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/common/when-you-have-style-it-doesn-t-matter-what-other-people-are-saying/) [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/common/) > [Being hunted, paparazzi-style , doesn't appeal to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sia-furler/being-hunted-paparazzi-style-doesn-t-appeal-to-me/) [Sia Furler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sia-furler/) > [Styles, like everything else, change. Style doesn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ellerbee/styles-like-everything-else-change-style-doesn-t/) [Linda Ellerbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ellerbee/) > [ Ironically, style doesn't come even closely related to fashion. It's got nothing to do \[with clothes\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/ironically-style-doesn-t-come-even-closely-related-to-fashion-it-s/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) ## More by Lydia Davis > [Heart weeps. Head tries to help heart. Head tells heart how it is, again: You will lose the ones you love. They will all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/heart-weeps-head-tries-to-help-heart-head-tells-heart-how-it-is-again/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“But on that particular day I did not even begin to feel interested in this chore, and was suddenly more deeply bored than I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/but-on-that-particular-day-i-did-not-even-begin-to-feel-interested-in/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [If a translation doesn't have obvious writing problems, it may seem quite all right at first glance. We readers, after all, quickly adapt to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/if-a-translation-doesn-t-have-obvious-writing-problems-it-may-seem/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [I always interrupt work with other work, either in a small way or big way, so that's normal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/i-always-interrupt-work-with-other-work-either-in-a-small-way-or-big/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [ I worked more intensively hour after hour when I was starting out \[writing\]. More laboriously. I'd say quantity is important as well as quality,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/i-worked-more-intensively-hour-after-hour-when-i-was-starting-out/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [I don't feel I have to struggle against allegory. I let the readers do the interpreting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/i-don-t-feel-i-have-to-struggle-against-allegory-i-let-the-readers-do/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“because she couldn’t write the name of what she was: a wa wam owm owamn womn”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/because-she-couldn-t-write-the-name-of-what-she-was-a-wa-wam-owm/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“Everything was sharper, clearer, and closer, as though, before, I had been seeing only little bits at a time, not all of it, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/everything-was-sharper-clearer-and-closer-as-though-before-i-had-been/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“He did not know exactly when to thank his hostess after attending a dinner or a weekend party. In his uncertainty, he would thank…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/he-did-not-know-exactly-when-to-thank-his-hostess-after-attending-a/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“There was no confusion of our bodies. I knew which arm was his and which mine, and which leg, and which shoulder. I did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/there-was-no-confusion-of-our-bodies-i-knew-which-arm-was-his-and/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“So it’s not really $100 a shot because it goes on all day, from the start when you wake up and feel her body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/so-it-s-not-really-100-a-shot-because-it-goes-on-all-day-from-the/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“The people of the town, though, remained strangers: I could not realize that I must be seeing some of them over and over again,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/the-people-of-the-town-though-remained-strangers-i-could-not-realize/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“He does not trust her: she will claim to be in a bad mood when she is not, and then require him to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/he-does-not-trust-her-she-will-claim-to-be-in-a-bad-mood-when-she-is/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [I would recommend, definitely, developing a 'day job' that you like - don't expect to make money writing!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/i-would-recommend-definitely-developing-a-day-job-that-you-like-don-t/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [the translator, a lonely sort of acrobat, becomes confused in a labyrinth of paradox, or climbs a pyramid of dependent clauses and has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/the-translator-a-lonely-sort-of-acrobat-becomes-confused-in-a/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) [Explore all 135 Lydia Davis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) ## 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": "I don't believe, in the end, that there is any such thing as no style. 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