--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I still do believe that form and content…" description: "\"I still do believe that form and content are very much related. I think throwing away some of the rule books on that is a good thing.\" — Lynne Tillman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3a/lynne-tillman-5609_believe_i-still-do-believe-that-form-and-content_598534.png" --- # I still do believe that form and content are very much… ![“I still do believe that form and content are very much related. I think throwing away some of the rule books on that is a good thing.” quote by Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3a/lynne-tillman-5609_believe_i-still-do-believe-that-form-and-content_598534.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3a/lynne-tillman-5609_believe_i-still-do-believe-that-form-and-content_598534.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3a/lynne-tillman-5609_believe_i-still-do-believe-that-form-and-content_598534.png) > “I still do believe that form and content are very much related. I think throwing away some of the rule books on that is a good thing.” [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Form and content are intertwined; breaking traditional rules can foster creative freedom. **In simple terms:** Structure and meaning affect each other. Key Takeaway Experiment with form to enhance meaning. Themes creativity structure freedom Mood analytical inquisitive Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - writing workshops - artistic projects - educational curricula Key Concepts aesthetics literary theory innovation Questions to Reflect On - When does breaking form hinder communication? - How to balance tradition and innovation? A Different Perspective Breaking rules may alienate some audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Good things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-things/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Many of us do not believe in any form of idolatry; but they have no right to object when others do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/many-of-us-do-not-believe-in-any-form-of-idolatry-but-they-have-no/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [“When people believe that the form is more important than the Truth, they will not find truth, but will stay with form.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/when-people-believe-that-the-form-is-more-important-than-the-truth/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [I believe in form and the manner of what you say being as important as the content of what you say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexa-hirschfeld/i-believe-in-form-and-the-manner-of-what-you-say-being-as-important/) [Alexa Hirschfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexa-hirschfeld/) > [Rule books tell people what to do. Frameworks guide people how to act. Rule books insist on discipline. Frameworks allow for creativity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sinek/rule-books-tell-people-what-to-do-frameworks-guide-people-how-to-act/) [Simon Sinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sinek/) > [Rule books are paper - they will not cushion a sudden meeting of stone and metal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-k-gann/rule-books-are-paper-they-will-not-cushion-a-sudden-meeting-of-stone/) [Ernest K. Gann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-k-gann/) > [“I'm telling you: it's the rule book of all rule books when it comes to duck hunting. Unborn babies don't have as much protection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/i-m-telling-you-it-s-the-rule-book-of-all-rule-books-when-it-comes-to/) [Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/) > [Men need rule books. Women want men to intuit what they want. And only about 2% of men can do that, and most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/men-need-rule-books-women-want-men-to-intuit-what-they-want-and-only/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [“Love's bigger than rule books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-l-stedman/love-s-bigger-than-rule-books/) [M.L. Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-l-stedman/) > [Form must have a content, and that content must be linked with nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/form-must-have-a-content-and-that-content-must-be-linked-with-nature/) [Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/) > [I have never separated form and content. The photo should have a meaning. But my photos are also more or less well constructed. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willy-ronis/i-have-never-separated-form-and-content-the-photo-should-have-a/) [Willy Ronis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willy-ronis/) > [When it comes down to, it's not about the form, it's about the content.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-tassler/when-it-comes-down-to-it-s-not-about-the-form-it-s-about-the-content/) [Nina Tassler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-tassler/) > [As a rule, one should never place form over content.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manuel-puig/as-a-rule-one-should-never-place-form-over-content/) [Manuel Puig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manuel-puig/) > [Form and content must never apologize for each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-mccloud/form-and-content-must-never-apologize-for-each-other/) [Scott McCloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-mccloud/) > [The contest between form and content is what, is what art is about - it's art history. That's what basically everybody has ever contended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/the-contest-between-form-and-content-is-what-is-what-art-is-about-it/) [Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) ## More by Lynne Tillman > [There may be an art to conversation, and some are better at it than others, but conversation's virtue lies in randomness and possibility: people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/there-may-be-an-art-to-conversation-and-some-are-better-at-it-than/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [I'd studied English literature and American history, but the English literature, which I thought was going to be helpful to me in an immediate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-d-studied-english-literature-and-american-history-but-the-english/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [I subject my sentences and the words to a kind of Grand Inquisition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-subject-my-sentences-and-the-words-to-a-kind-of-grand-inquisition/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [Laughing and crying are very similar. Sometimes people go from laughing to crying, or crying to laughing. I remember being at someone's wedding and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/laughing-and-crying-are-very-similar-sometimes-people-go-from/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [ \[Reality\] isn't simply the so-called world that you're in. Your reality is a much larger one that takes in all matter of identification and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/reality-isn-t-simply-the-so-called-world-that-you-re-in-your-reality/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [I write about what I'm thinking about. I write about what is bothering me or what is a political, aesthetic, or ethical issue or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-write-about-what-i-m-thinking-about-i-write-about-what-is-bothering/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [My friends and I sometimes laugh at each other that there is so much maintenance of a body. I paid no attention when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/my-friends-and-i-sometimes-laugh-at-each-other-that-there-is-so-much/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [I'm interested in reality but I'm not interested in realism at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-m-interested-in-reality-but-i-m-not-interested-in-realism-at-all/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [In a practical sense, pain kept me from sitting down as much, so that sometimes I would have to stand to write. Not that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/in-a-practical-sense-pain-kept-me-from-sitting-down-as-much-so-that/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [I'm bothered, as a reader, when I feel the writer is filling in too much. Again, whether it's nonfiction or fiction, I think writers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-m-bothered-as-a-reader-when-i-feel-the-writer-is-filling-in-too/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [It wasn't that I wanted to be an artist. But when I took my first drawing class with the painter Doug Ohlson, I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/it-wasn-t-that-i-wanted-to-be-an-artist-but-when-i-took-my-first/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [I'm interested in reality but I'm not interested in realism at all. I'm interested in the ways that I think people want to relate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-m-interested-in-reality-but-i-m-not-interested-in-realism-at-all-i/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [It's true you have to screen out a lot living in the city. I stayed away from New York for a long time after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/it-s-true-you-have-to-screen-out-a-lot-living-in-the-city-i-stayed/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [Kafka wrote the great line: "my education has damaged me in ways I do not even know." And that's always been a signature motto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/kafka-wrote-the-great-line-my-education-has-damaged-me-in-ways-i-do/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [There are lots of unlikable characters in literature. It doesn't mean they're not fascinating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/there-are-lots-of-unlikable-characters-in-literature-it-doesn-t-mean/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) [Explore all 100 Lynne Tillman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) ## 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 still do believe that form and content are very much related. 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