---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We were trained as writers with the idea…"
description: "\"We were trained as writers with the idea that literature is something that can change reality, that it's not just a very sophisticated entertainment bu..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc5/mario-vargas-llosa-1493_books_we-were-trained-as-writers-with-the-idea_830848.png"
---

#  We were trained as writers with the idea that literature…

![“We were trained as writers with the idea that literature is something that can change reality, that it's not just a very sophisticated entertainment but a way to act.” quote by Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc5/mario-vargas-llosa-1493_books_we-were-trained-as-writers-with-the-idea_830848.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc5/mario-vargas-llosa-1493_books_we-were-trained-as-writers-with-the-idea_830848.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc5/mario-vargas-llosa-1493_books_we-were-trained-as-writers-with-the-idea_830848.png)

> “We were trained as writers with the idea that literature is something that can change reality, that it's not just a very sophisticated entertainment but a way to act.”

[Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Literature is a tool for changing reality, not just entertainment.

**In simple terms:** Literature can change the world.

Key Takeaway

Use writing to influence society.

Themes

literature social change activism

Mood

motivational thoughtful

Type

literary activist

When to use this quote

- campaigns
- education reform
- community storytelling

Key Concepts

political theory artistic expression

Questions to Reflect On

- How can a writer measure societal impact?
- What stories best inspire action?

A Different Perspective

Impact may be indirect and slow.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Entertainment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entertainment/) [Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [“I just can't get with this idea that literature is a 12-step program. If someone wants to read a book to see good people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/i-just-can-t-get-with-this-idea-that-literature-is-a-12-step-program/)

[China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/)

> [Science fiction is hard to define because it is the literature of change and it changes while you are trying to define it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shippey/science-fiction-is-hard-to-define-because-it-is-the-literature-of/)

[Tom Shippey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shippey/)

> [“There is nothing sacred about literature, it is damned from one end to the other. There is nothing in literature but change and change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carlos-williams/there-is-nothing-sacred-about-literature-it-is-damned-from-one-end-to/)

[William Carlos Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carlos-williams/)

> [Science fiction is the very literature of change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederik-pohl/science-fiction-is-the-very-literature-of-change/)

[Frederik Pohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederik-pohl/)

> [We are deceiving ourselves if we believe that a literary work written and published in a country where 70 per cent of the population…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zakaria-tamer/we-are-deceiving-ourselves-if-we-believe-that-a-literary-work-written/)

Zakaria Tamer

> [What literature can and should do is change the people who teach the people who don't read the books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-literature-can-and-should-do-is-change-the-people-who-teach-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“If you cannot change the reality of other people, their reality will become yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-azimov/if-you-cannot-change-the-reality-of-other-people-their-reality-will/)

[Sean Azimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-azimov/)

> [If you can't change reality, change your perceptions of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/if-you-can-t-change-reality-change-your-perceptions-of-it/)

[Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/)

> [Theresa, I know there's a part of you that believes you can change someone, but the reality is that you can't. You can change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/theresa-i-know-there-s-a-part-of-you-that-believes-you-can-change/)

[Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/)

> [No matter how bitter reality is, if it was me. I would have shown the world that I can change the reality on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-matter-how-bitter-reality-is-if-it-was-me-i-would-have-shown-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I found that I faced a highly complex situation, and that I couldnt hope to change it until I had armed myself with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anwar-sadat/i-found-that-i-faced-a-highly-complex-situation-and-that-i-couldnt/)

[Anwar Sadat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anwar-sadat/)

> [It can take a lifetime for many people to come to terms with the freedom they truly have to think for themselves. But this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck-2/it-can-take-a-lifetime-for-many-people-to-come-to-terms-with-the/)

[M Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck-2/)

> [My comedy is about, lift yourself. See reality. Change the reality if you don't like it. But if you can't, then deal with things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-mencia/my-comedy-is-about-lift-yourself-see-reality-change-the-reality-if/)

[Carlos Mencia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-mencia/)

> [You really can change. Your reality is based on the way you think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/you-really-can-change-your-reality-is-based-on-the-way-you-think/)

[Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/)

> [You cannot change reality, but you can control the manner in which you look at things. Your attitude is under your own control. Weed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-steiner-rice/you-cannot-change-reality-but-you-can-control-the-manner-in-which-you/)

[Helen Steiner Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-steiner-rice/)

## More by Mario Vargas Llosa

> [I think everybody, or the great majority of human beings, have this aspiration to become other: to live a different identity, at least for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/i-think-everybody-or-the-great-majority-of-human-beings-have-this/)

[Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/)

> [Nothing better protects a human being against the stupidity of prejudice, racism, religious or political sectarianism, and exclusivist nationalism than this truth that invariably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/nothing-better-protects-a-human-being-against-the-stupidity-of/)

[Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/)

> [I learnt to read when I was five, and I think that is the most important thing that happened to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/i-learnt-to-read-when-i-was-five-and-i-think-that-is-the-most/)

[Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/)

> [Death isn't enough. It doesn't remove the stain. But a slap, a whiplash, square on the face, does. Because a man's face is as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/death-isn-t-enough-it-doesn-t-remove-the-stain-but-a-slap-a-whiplash/)

[Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/)

> [The writer’s job is to write with rigor, with commitment, to defend what they believe with all the talent they have. I think that’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/the-writer-s-job-is-to-write-with-rigor-with-commitment-to-defend/)

[Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/)

> [The truths that seem most truthful, if you look at them from all sides, if you look at them close up, turn out to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/the-truths-that-seem-most-truthful-if-you-look-at-them-from-all-sides/)

[Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/)

> [That is one thing I am sure of amid my many uncertainties regarding the literary vocation: deep inside, a writer feels that writing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/that-is-one-thing-i-am-sure-of-amid-my-many-uncertainties-regarding/)

[Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/)

> [Revolution will free society of its afflictions, while science will free the individual of his.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/revolution-will-free-society-of-its-afflictions-while-science-will/)

[Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/)

> [I think if you're impregnated with good literature, with good culture, you're much more difficult to manipulate, and you're much more aware of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/i-think-if-you-re-impregnated-with-good-literature-with-good-culture/)

[Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/)

> [Each book, for me, has been an adventure, a period of time dedicated to study, to document certain facts, to traveling, and also to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/each-book-for-me-has-been-an-adventure-a-period-of-time-dedicated-to/)

[Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/)

> [Reading good literature is an experience of pleasure...but it is also an experience of learning what and how we are, in our human integrity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/reading-good-literature-is-an-experience-of-pleasure-but-it-is-also/)

[Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/)

> [“O comes o te comen, no hay más remedio.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/o-comes-o-te-comen-no-hay-m-s-remedio/)

[Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/)

> [“they knew what we’re doing for them, they’d kiss our feet. But mentally they are closer to the crocodile and the hippopotamus than to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/they-knew-what-we-re-doing-for-them-they-d-kiss-our-feet-but-mentally/)

[Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/)

> [Iraq is better without Saddam Hussein than with Saddam Hussein. Without a doubt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/iraq-is-better-without-saddam-hussein-than-with-saddam-hussein/)

[Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/)

> [When I was growing up, the Spanish-speaking world was Balkanized. We were isolated. We didn't know what was happening in cultural terms in Ecuador,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/when-i-was-growing-up-the-spanish-speaking-world-was-balkanized-we/)

[Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/)

[Explore all 166 Mario Vargas Llosa quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/)

## 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

> [“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. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/)

Markus Herz

> [But editors are still the world's readers. 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": "We were trained as writers with the idea that literature is something that can change reality, that it's not just a very sophisticated entertainment but a way to act.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mario Vargas Llosa"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/we-were-trained-as-writers-with-the-idea-that-literature-is-something/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/we-were-trained-as-writers-with-the-idea-that-literature-is-something/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc5/mario-vargas-llosa-1493_books_we-were-trained-as-writers-with-the-idea_830848.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc5/mario-vargas-llosa-1493_books_we-were-trained-as-writers-with-the-idea_830848.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc5/mario-vargas-llosa-1493_books_we-were-trained-as-writers-with-the-idea_830848.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We were trained as writers with the idea that literature is something that can change reality, that it's not…” — Mario Vargas Llosa",
                "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": "Mario Vargas Llosa",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We were trained as writers with...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/we-were-trained-as-writers-with-the-idea-that-literature-is-something/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/we-were-trained-as-writers-with-the-idea-that-literature-is-something/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
