--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Authors are sometimes like tomcats: They…" description: "\"Authors are sometimes like tomcats: They distrust all the other toms but they are kind to kittens\" — Malcolm Cowley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b51/malcolm-cowley-25549_books_authors-are-sometimes-like-tomcats-they_147459.png" --- # Authors are sometimes like tomcats: They distrust all the… ![“Authors are sometimes like tomcats: They distrust all the other toms but they are kind to kittens” quote by Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b51/malcolm-cowley-25549_books_authors-are-sometimes-like-tomcats-they_147459.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b51/malcolm-cowley-25549_books_authors-are-sometimes-like-tomcats-they_147459.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b51/malcolm-cowley-25549_books_authors-are-sometimes-like-tomcats-they_147459.png) > “Authors are sometimes like tomcats: They distrust all the other toms but they are kind to kittens” [Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Authors are likened to tomcats, distrustful of peers but protective of their own creations, highlighting a protective yet skeptical nature. **In simple terms:** Authors distrust peers but protect their own work. Key Takeaway Balance healthy skepticism with collaboration. Themes literature trust creativity Mood thoughtful analytical Type literary observational When to use this quote - writing workshops - publishing industry Key Concepts authorial instinct community mentorship Questions to Reflect On - How can authors build trust? - What protects creative work? A Different Perspective Excessive distrust can isolate creators. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authors Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authors-like-480586/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Cats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cats/) [Distrust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distrust/) [Distrust Toms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distrust-toms-1649731/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Kind Kittens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind-kittens-1649730/) [Like Tomcats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-tomcats-1649729/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Tomcats Distrust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tomcats-distrust-1649728/) [Toms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/toms/) ## Related quotes > [“The window on the right featured contemporary bestselling authors like Brad Meltzer, James Patterson, David Baldacci, Nelson DeMille, and others who make more money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-demille/the-window-on-the-right-featured-contemporary-bestselling-authors/) [Nelson DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-demille/) > [Read the books you love, tell people about authors you like, and don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/read-the-books-you-love-tell-people-about-authors-you-like-and-don-t/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Authors must not, like Chinese soldiers, expect to win victories by turning somersets in the air.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/authors-must-not-like-chinese-soldiers-expect-to-win-victories-by/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [Authors are like cattle going to a fair: those of the same field can never move on without butting one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-savage-landor/authors-are-like-cattle-going-to-a-fair-those-of-the-same-field-can/) [Walter Savage Landor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-savage-landor/) > [“romance authors like Catherine Coulter, Brenda Joyce, Candice Proctor, Bertrice Small, Diana Gabaldon, and Jade Lee.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellery-adams/romance-authors-like-catherine-coulter-brenda-joyce-candice-proctor/) [Ellery Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellery-adams/) > [The reason some crime writers have a chip on their shoulder about the label is because their good books are shelved beside books about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pelecanos/the-reason-some-crime-writers-have-a-chip-on-their-shoulder-about-the/) [George Pelecanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pelecanos/) > [“People who make snide comments to authors like "anyone can write a book" or "well, you did it, so obviously I can/it can't be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-m-pillow/people-who-make-snide-comments-to-authors-like-anyone-can-write-a/) [Michelle M. Pillow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-m-pillow/) > [Authors like cats because they are such quiet, lovable, wise creatures, and cats like authors for the same reasons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/authors-like-cats-because-they-are-such-quiet-lovable-wise-creatures/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [Authors, like coins, grow dear as they grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/authors-like-coins-grow-dear-as-they-grow-old/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [Among non-fiction authors I like Richard Bach, Nichiren Daishonin, Burton Watson, Deepak Chopra and MJ Akbar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mukul-dev/among-non-fiction-authors-i-like-richard-bach-nichiren-daishonin/) [Mukul Dev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mukul-dev/) > [“I was surprised to find authors like Kaizan Nakazato and Sanjugo Naoki in a corner of the bookcase where I've never noticed them before.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shizuko-go/i-was-surprised-to-find-authors-like-kaizan-nakazato-and-sanjugo/) [Shizuko Go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shizuko-go/) > [Authors like reading. Go figure. So it's not surprising that we sometimes bog down in the research stage of new writing projects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/authors-like-reading-go-figure-so-it-s-not-surprising-that-we/) [Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/) > [If my public existence does anything worthwhile, hopefully it at least demystifies the author a bit, because I know when I was younger I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/if-my-public-existence-does-anything-worthwhile-hopefully-it-at-least/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I've noticed that, with many of the authors I like, I tend to think I would dislike them as human beings or that there'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-marling/i-ve-noticed-that-with-many-of-the-authors-i-like-i-tend-to-think-i/) [Laura Marling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-marling/) > [I liked the idea of exposing the beams in collaborative novel. And there are many - especially in the crime world - there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-lutz/i-liked-the-idea-of-exposing-the-beams-in-collaborative-novel-and/) [Lisa Lutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-lutz/) ## More by Malcolm Cowley > [“There would seem to be four stages in the composition of a story. First comes the germ of the story, then a period of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/there-would-seem-to-be-four-stages-in-the-composition-of-a-story/) [Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) > [First New York was a sort of provincial capital, bigger and richer than Manchester or Marseilles, but not much different in its essential spirit.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/first-new-york-was-a-sort-of-provincial-capital-bigger-and-richer/) [Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) > [“Everywhere was the atmosphere of a long debauch that had to end; the orchestras played too fast, the stakes were too high at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/everywhere-was-the-atmosphere-of-a-long-debauch-that-had-to-end-the/) [Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) > [Writing offers fairly large rewards to a few successful people, but the rewards come late, and most writers are failures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/writing-offers-fairly-large-rewards-to-a-few-successful-people-but/) [Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) > [“They were learning that New York had another life, too — subterranean, like almost everything that was human in the city — a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/they-were-learning-that-new-york-had-another-life-too-subterranean/) [Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) > [The germ of a story is a new and simple element introduced into an existing situation or mood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/the-germ-of-a-story-is-a-new-and-simple-element-introduced-into-an/) [Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) > [Age is not different from earlier life as long as youre sitting down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/age-is-not-different-from-earlier-life-as-long-as-youre-sitting-down/) [Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) > [They tell you that you'll lose your mind when you grow older. What they don't tell you is that you won't miss it very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/they-tell-you-that-you-ll-lose-your-mind-when-you-grow-older-what/) [Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) > [In matters like writing and painting, a man does what he has to do - if he has to write, why then, he writes;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/in-matters-like-writing-and-painting-a-man-does-what-he-has-to-do-if/) [Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) > [It is the fear of being as dependent as a young child, while not being loved as a child is loved, but merely being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/it-is-the-fear-of-being-as-dependent-as-a-young-child-while-not-being/) [Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) > [I never cease to be amazed why some of my friends became famous and others, just as talented, didn't. I've come to suspect it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/i-never-cease-to-be-amazed-why-some-of-my-friends-became-famous-and/) [Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) > [Going back to Hemingway's work after several years is like going back to a brook where you had often fished and finding the woods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/going-back-to-hemingway-s-work-after-several-years-is-like-going-back/) [Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) > [Be kind and considerate with your criticism... It's just as hard to write a bad book as it is to write a good book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/be-kind-and-considerate-with-your-criticism-it-s-just-as-hard-to/) [Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) > [Talent is what you possess; genius is what possesses you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/talent-is-what-you-possess-genius-is-what-possesses-you/) [Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) > [“No complete son of a bitch ever wrote a good sentence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/no-complete-son-of-a-bitch-ever-wrote-a-good-sentence/) [Malcolm Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) [Explore all 23 Malcolm Cowley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/) ## 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! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. 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And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Authors are sometimes like tomcats: They distrust all the other toms but they are kind to kittens", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Malcolm Cowley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/authors-are-sometimes-like-tomcats-they-distrust-all-the-other-toms/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/authors-are-sometimes-like-tomcats-they-distrust-all-the-other-toms/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b51/malcolm-cowley-25549_books_authors-are-sometimes-like-tomcats-they_147459.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b51/malcolm-cowley-25549_books_authors-are-sometimes-like-tomcats-they_147459.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b51/malcolm-cowley-25549_books_authors-are-sometimes-like-tomcats-they_147459.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Authors are sometimes like tomcats: They distrust all the other toms but they are kind to kittens” — Malcolm Cowley", "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": "Malcolm Cowley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-cowley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Authors are sometimes like tomcats: They...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/authors-are-sometimes-like-tomcats-they-distrust-all-the-other-toms/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-cowley/authors-are-sometimes-like-tomcats-they-distrust-all-the-other-toms/#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 } } ] } ```