--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's not that you get a cliché and then…" description: "\"It's not that you get a cliché and then wiggle it about or use synonyms. You don't take an ordinary decorative paragraph and give it style. What you're..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17a/martin-amis-704_being-faithful_it-s-not-that-you-get-a-clich-and-then-w_1094900.jpg" --- # It's not that you get a cliché and then wiggle it about or… ![“It's not that you get a cliché and then wiggle it about or use synonyms. You don't take an ordinary decorative paragraph and give it style. What you're trying to do is be faithful to your perceptions and transmit them as faithfully as you can. I say these sentences until they sound right. There's…” quote by Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17a/martin-amis-704_being-faithful_it-s-not-that-you-get-a-clich-and-then-w_1094900.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17a/martin-amis-704_being-faithful_it-s-not-that-you-get-a-clich-and-then-w_1094900.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17a/martin-amis-704_being-faithful_it-s-not-that-you-get-a-clich-and-then-w_1094900.jpg) > “It's not that you get a cliché and then wiggle it about or use synonyms. You don't take an ordinary decorative paragraph and give it style. What you're trying to do is be faithful to your perceptions and transmit them as faithfully as you can. I say these sentences until they sound right. There's no objective reason why they're right. They just sound right to me.” [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing well requires staying true to one’s perception, not merely rephrasing clichés with synonyms. **In simple terms:** Authentic expression beats forced style. Key Takeaway Write from genuine perception. Themes creativity writing authenticity Mood reflective introspective Type literary instructional When to use this quote - drafting essays - creative writing - editing - literary workshops Key Concepts voice style perception Questions to Reflect On - What makes a sentence feel right to you? - How do you test if your style resonates? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on personal feel may ignore audience clarity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being faithful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-faithful/) [Cliche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cliche/) [Cliché Wiggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clich-wiggle-2850506/) [Decorative Paragraph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decorative-paragraph-2850507/) [Faithful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faithful/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Objectives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/objectives/) [Ordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary/) [Paragraph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paragraph/) [Paragraph Style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paragraph-style-2850509/) [Perception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perception/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Reason why](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason-why/) [Sentences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentences/) [Sentences Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentences-sound-2850508/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/style/) [Style Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/style-trying-909175/) [Synonym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/synonym/) [Transmit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transmit/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“There are metaphors more real than the people who walk in the street. There are images tucked away in books that live more vividly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-metaphors-more-real-than-the-people-who-walk-in-the-street-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Hip-hop is always moving. It's always looking for the next style; it's always trying to one-up the last person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-p/hip-hop-is-always-moving-it-s-always-looking-for-the-next-style-it-s/) [El-P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-p/) > [Effective negotiators have a style that those whom they are trying to influence, relate to and admire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-mcgraw/effective-negotiators-have-a-style-that-those-whom-they-are-trying-to/) [Phil McGraw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-mcgraw/) > [Well, I'm still experimenting, trying to figure out my style. I'm trying lots of things from many designers including Christian Siriano.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabelle-fuhrman/well-i-m-still-experimenting-trying-to-figure-out-my-style-i-m-trying/) [Isabelle Fuhrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabelle-fuhrman/) > [When I made Illmatic, I was trying to make the perfect album. It comes from the days of Wild Style. I was trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/when-i-made-illmatic-i-was-trying-to-make-the-perfect-album-it-comes/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [Your style is who you are when you’re not trying to be clever or better than you actually are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-currin/your-style-is-who-you-are-when-you-re-not-trying-to-be-clever-or/) [John Currin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-currin/) > [What I like most about change is that it's a synonym for 'hope'. If you're taking a risk, what you are really saying is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ellerbee/what-i-like-most-about-change-is-that-it-s-a-synonym-for-hope-if-you/) [Linda Ellerbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ellerbee/) > [Mother is a synonym for abandonment and death. Comparing this synonym to water, it is like poured-out water. I call it mother, the identity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-hyesoon/mother-is-a-synonym-for-abandonment-and-death-comparing-this-synonym/) [Kim Hyesoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-hyesoon/) > [People do complain about the way I act on stage... They think on stage I act too arrogant, too self-obsessed, solecistic, self-contained, synonyms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/people-do-complain-about-the-way-i-act-on-stage-they-think-on-stage-i/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [I'd rather fiddle with my phone for precious seconds than neglect an apostrophe; I'd rather insert a word laboriously keyed out than resort to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/i-d-rather-fiddle-with-my-phone-for-precious-seconds-than-neglect-an/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [A synonym is a word you use when you can't spell the other one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baltasar-gracian/a-synonym-is-a-word-you-use-when-you-can-t-spell-the-other-one/) [Baltasar Gracian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baltasar-gracian/) > [Providence and Manifest Destiny are synonyms often invoked to support arguments based on wishful thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/providence-and-manifest-destiny-are-synonyms-often-invoked-to-support/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [Is there another word for synonym?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/is-there-another-word-for-synonym/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [Ideation is not a synonym for innovation, conformity is not its simple antonym, and innovation is not the automatic consequence of "creative thinking.".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-levitt/ideation-is-not-a-synonym-for-innovation-conformity-is-not-its-simple/) [Theodore Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-levitt/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) ## More by Martin Amis > [“Yeah,' I said and started smoking another cigarette. Unless I inform you otherwise, I'm always smoking another cigarette.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/yeah-i-said-and-started-smoking-another-cigarette-unless-i-inform-you/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [“barrios; each barrio has two or three gangs, and all the gangs are theoretically”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/barrios-each-barrio-has-two-or-three-gangs-and-all-the-gangs-are/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [I'm not interested in making a diagnostic novel or a concern. I'm 100 percent committed in fiction to the pleasure principle - that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/i-m-not-interested-in-making-a-diagnostic-novel-or-a-concern-i-m-100/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [“If we all downed tools and joined hands for ten minutes and stopped believing in money, then money would no longer exist. We never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/if-we-all-downed-tools-and-joined-hands-for-ten-minutes-and-stopped/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [When I see a lot of young faces in the audience, it's just sort of sinking in how important that is. Because you're old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/when-i-see-a-lot-of-young-faces-in-the-audience-it-s-just-sort-of/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [“I was informed by my viscera that now was the time to put my arm around her shoulders. I ignored them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/i-was-informed-by-my-viscera-that-now-was-the-time-to-put-my-arm/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [You use a different part of your heart with girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/you-use-a-different-part-of-your-heart-with-girls/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [It's becoming clearer and clearer to me that the world is there to be celebrated by writers, and in fact this is what all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/it-s-becoming-clearer-and-clearer-to-me-that-the-world-is-there-to-be/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [In her final months Princess Diana was being shat upon by the tabloids -- basically for sleeping with an Arab. When she died, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/in-her-final-months-princess-diana-was-being-shat-upon-by-the/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [If you feel you have a strong constituency among the young, you can really die happy, because the great unanswered question, the only valid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/if-you-feel-you-have-a-strong-constituency-among-the-young-you-can/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [My life looked good on paper - where, in fact, almost all of it was being lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/my-life-looked-good-on-paper-where-in-fact-almost-all-of-it-was-being/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [I say, 'If I had a serious brain injury I might well write a children's book', but otherwise the idea of being conscious of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/i-say-if-i-had-a-serious-brain-injury-i-might-well-write-a-children-s/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [The future could go this way, that way. The future's futures have never looked so rocky. Don't put money on it. Take my advice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/the-future-could-go-this-way-that-way-the-future-s-futures-have-never/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [Each life is a game of chess that went to hell on the seventh move(...)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/each-life-is-a-game-of-chess-that-went-to-hell-on-the-seventh-move/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [ “There exists a subterranean world where pathological fantasies disguised as ideas are churned out by crooks and half-educated fanatics \[notably the lower clergy\] for… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/there-exists-a-subterranean-world-where-pathological-fantasies/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) [Explore all 393 Martin Amis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) ## More Being faithful quotes > [Being faithful shouldn't be challenging, cheating should. Too bad its the other way around though.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-faithful-shouldn-t-be-challenging-cheating-should-too-bad-its/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [..ReLAtionship is just like reading a bo0k... it d0esnt w0rk if y0ur n0t on the same paGe..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megz/relationship-is-just-like-reading-a-bo0k-it-d0esnt-w0rk-if-y0ur-n0t/) [Megz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megz/) > [Who can really be faithful in great things if he has not learned to be faithful in the things of daily life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/who-can-really-be-faithful-in-great-things-if-he-has-not-learned-to/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [You're trying too HARD to convince me that you're a TRUE friend & DEEP Down Inside you know you're not but you stick around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nisha-marie/you-re-trying-too-hard-to-convince-me-that-you-re-a-true-friend-deep/) [Ta'Nisha Marie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nisha-marie/) > [Some people expect the world outta relationships, but you cant change the person. They will not become perfect cause your dating…which is what makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meagansrevolution/some-people-expect-the-world-outta-relationships-but-you-cant-change/) [MeagansRevolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meagansrevolution/) > [Walk by faith, and not by sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/walk-by-faith-and-not-by-sight/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you fall in love. you do what ever it is just to prove that we love our love one. but we forgot to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wonderboy/when-you-fall-in-love-you-do-what-ever-it-is-just-to-prove-that-we/) [Wonderboy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wonderboy/) > [When she tells you no one else can be compared to you, that's when you know you're the luckiest guy in the world. -Nesha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-she-tells-you-no-one-else-can-be-compared-to-you-that-s-when-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Your hardest times often lead to the greatest moments of your life. Keep the faith. It will all be worth it in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/your-hardest-times-often-lead-to-the-greatest-moments-of-your-life/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [Cheaters want you to be faithful while they're being unfaithful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/cheaters-want-you-to-be-faithful-while-they-re-being-unfaithful/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [First and foremost, be faithful to your superiors, keep all promises, refuse the friendship of all who are not like you; and if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/first-and-foremost-be-faithful-to-your-superiors-keep-all-promises/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [A woman can give a man a million reasons to be faithful, and he will find one reason to cheat. A man can give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-woman-can-give-a-man-a-million-reasons-to-be-faithful-and-he-will/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“To believe is to not only hold others to their word but also to prove ourselves reliable in the guarantees we have offered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suman-pokhrel/to-believe-is-to-not-only-hold-others-to-their-word-but-also-to-prove/) [Suman Pokhrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suman-pokhrel/) > [If you have 100 reasons for Leaving u have one reason to stay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/if-you-have-100-reasons-for-leaving-u-have-one-reason-to-stay/) [Unkown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unkown/) > [I love women. I love their hearts. There are a lot of women who are suffering. A lot of women who have been disappointed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-bachmann/i-love-women-i-love-their-hearts-there-are-a-lot-of-women-who-are/) [Michele Bachmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michele-bachmann/) [Browse all 417 Being faithful quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-faithful/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's not that you get a cliché and then wiggle it about or use synonyms. You don't take an ordinary decorative paragraph and give it style. What you're trying to do is be faithful to your perceptions and transmit them as faithfully as you can. I say these sentences until they sound right. There's no objective reason why they're right. 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