--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At the breakfast table we are footnoting…" description: "\"At the breakfast table we are footnoting everything that we read. We don't recognise it as such but we encounter an article in the newspaper and then s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a1/mark-z-danielewski-2497_articles_at-the-breakfast-table-we-are-footnoting_394141.jpg" --- # At the breakfast table we are footnoting everything that… ![“At the breakfast table we are footnoting everything that we read. We don't recognise it as such but we encounter an article in the newspaper and then suddenly we recall that a friend had a certain comment on that particular story, a certain bit of news that we saw on the television applies to that…” quote by Mark Z. Danielewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a1/mark-z-danielewski-2497_articles_at-the-breakfast-table-we-are-footnoting_394141.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a1/mark-z-danielewski-2497_articles_at-the-breakfast-table-we-are-footnoting_394141.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a1/mark-z-danielewski-2497_articles_at-the-breakfast-table-we-are-footnoting_394141.jpg) > “At the breakfast table we are footnoting everything that we read. We don't recognise it as such but we encounter an article in the newspaper and then suddenly we recall that a friend had a certain comment on that particular story, a certain bit of news that we saw on the television applies to that and we immediately assemble an idea of a story.” [Mark Z. Danielewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-z-danielewski/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our minds constantly remix information from diverse sources, creating new narratives without us realizing it. **In simple terms:** We blend what we read, hear, and hear into fresh ideas. Key Takeaway Recognize and harness your mental remixing. Themes creativity information overload intertextuality Mood curious reflective Type observational analytical When to use this quote - research - writing - teaching - journalism - storytelling Key Concepts cognitive synthesis media literacy Questions to Reflect On - How does this mental remixing shape your worldview? - What steps can you take to verify the ideas you assemble? A Different Perspective The process can lead to fragmented or biased conclusions if not critically examined. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Article Newspaper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/article-newspaper-1327213/) [Articles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/articles/) [Breakfast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breakfast/) [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Comment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comment/) [Encounter Article](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encounter-article-3549031/) [Encounters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encounters/) [Idea Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea-story-1353017/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [News](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/news/) [Newspaper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/newspaper/) [Newspaper Suddenly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/newspaper-suddenly-3549030/) [Newspapers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/newspapers/) [Particular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/particular/) [Recognise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recognise/) [Saws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saws/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Tables](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tables/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) ## Related quotes > [Most people's major life changes don't come from reading an article in the newspaper; they come from reading longer-form essays or thoughtful books, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-swartz/most-people-s-major-life-changes-don-t-come-from-reading-an-article/) [Aaron Swartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-swartz/) > [My new novel 'Red Hook Road' began many years ago as a short article in the newspaper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayelet-waldman/my-new-novel-red-hook-road-began-many-years-ago-as-a-short-article-in/) [Ayelet Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayelet-waldman/) > [We need to recognise that the whole edifice of our fifth estate, of our journalism, has been built on a foundation of newspaper journalism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-turnbull/we-need-to-recognise-that-the-whole-edifice-of-our-fifth-estate-of/) [Malcolm Turnbull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-turnbull/) > [“Do you ever have an idea for a story, or a character, or even a line of dialogue or something, and suddenly it seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-zappia/do-you-ever-have-an-idea-for-a-story-or-a-character-or-even-a-line-of/) [Francesca Zappia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-zappia/) > [“One cannot judge in advance whether or not the idea of the story is worthwhile because until one has finished writing the story one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/one-cannot-judge-in-advance-whether-or-not-the-idea-of-the-story-is/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [Once I have the idea for a story. 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