--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Before I was published, I thought men…" description: "\"Before I was published, I thought men read car manuals or books about football. But once I started having really serious conversations with male lovers..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/326/michel-faber-4084_books_before-i-was-published-i-thought-men-rea_1153332.png" --- # Before I was published, I thought men read car manuals or… ![“Before I was published, I thought men read car manuals or books about football. But once I started having really serious conversations with male lovers of literature, I let go of that prejudice.” quote by Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/326/michel-faber-4084_books_before-i-was-published-i-thought-men-rea_1153332.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/326/michel-faber-4084_books_before-i-was-published-i-thought-men-rea_1153332.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/326/michel-faber-4084_books_before-i-was-published-i-thought-men-rea_1153332.png) > “Before I was published, I thought men read car manuals or books about football. But once I started having really serious conversations with male lovers of literature, I let go of that prejudice.” [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Preconceptions about gender interests are false; personal experience can dismantle stereotypes. **In simple terms:** Stereotypes dissolve with experience. Key Takeaway Challenge assumptions through dialogue. Themes stereotypes gender personal growth Mood curious open‑minded Type reflective educational When to use this quote - reading clubs - mixed‑gender projects - friendships - teaching Key Concepts sociology identity empathy Questions to Reflect On - What stereotypes have you overcome? - How do you confront bias? A Different Perspective Changing minds can be slow and meet resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Prejudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prejudice/) ## Related quotes > [I never let prejudice stop me from what I wanted to do in this life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-louise-delany/i-never-let-prejudice-stop-me-from-what-i-wanted-to-do-in-this-life/) [Sarah Louise Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-louise-delany/) > [“Some gay soldiers and officers, particularly those with a college education, carried with them a mythology, developed from reading the classics and in conversations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-b-rub/some-gay-soldiers-and-officers-particularly-those-with-a-college/) Allan Bérubé > [“And the male lovers I took... it became a way to keep Azriel from wondering why- why I wouldn't notice him. Make that move.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/and-the-male-lovers-i-took-it-became-a-way-to-keep-azriel-from/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [“The way he spoke of armies of lovers—male lovers—without blinking an eye.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-chambers/the-way-he-spoke-of-armies-of-lovers-male-lovers-without-blinking-an/) [Joanna Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-chambers/) > [“Let a prejudice be bequeathed, carried in the air, adopted by hearsay, caught in through the eye,–however it may come, these minds will give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/let-a-prejudice-be-bequeathed-carried-in-the-air-adopted-by-hearsay/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [There is a fantasy as old as the modern gay rights movement that if all our skins turned lavender overnight, the majority, confounded by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/there-is-a-fantasy-as-old-as-the-modern-gay-rights-movement-that-if/) [Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/) > [Prejudice and bigotry are brought down...by the sheer force of determination of individuals to succeed and the refusal of a human being to let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/prejudice-and-bigotry-are-brought-down-by-the-sheer-force-of/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [I count him a great man who inhabits a higher sphere of thought, into which other men rise with labor and difficulty; he has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/i-count-him-a-great-man-who-inhabits-a-higher-sphere-of-thought-into/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I thought men like that shot themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-v/i-thought-men-like-that-shot-themselves/) [George V](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-v/) > [“But women have to give hard thought to the men we'll wind up with. Make a mistake and get a drunk, a spendthrift, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-dray/but-women-have-to-give-hard-thought-to-the-men-we-ll-wind-up-with/) [Stephanie Dray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-dray/) > [I've always thought men and women are not too well suited to each other. It's inevitable that they should come together, but, again, how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hepburn/i-ve-always-thought-men-and-women-are-not-too-well-suited-to-each/) [Katharine Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hepburn/) > [“It would cause nothing but madness, Thomas thought. Men would fight for it, lie for it, cheat for it, betray for it and die…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-cornwell/it-would-cause-nothing-but-madness-thomas-thought-men-would-fight-for/) [Bernard Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-cornwell/) > [It is only liquid currents of thought that move men and the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/it-is-only-liquid-currents-of-thought-that-move-men-and-the-world/) [Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/) > [Dreamers are half-way men of thought, and men of thought are half-way men of action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/dreamers-are-half-way-men-of-thought-and-men-of-thought-are-half-way/) [Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/) > [I had to live through being a woman who thought men always had a one-up... I knew I didn't like it. I thought that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-wolfe-herd/i-had-to-live-through-being-a-woman-who-thought-men-always-had-a-one/) [Whitney Wolfe Herd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-wolfe-herd/) ## More by Michel Faber > [One of the things my success as an author has forced me to face is how dysfunctional... Maybe that's a strong word, but how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/one-of-the-things-my-success-as-an-author-has-forced-me-to-face-is/) [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) > [“One of Lucy's admirers took to her, apparently." "Took to her?" echoes William, his own feelings for Sugar causing him to construe the phrase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/one-of-lucy-s-admirers-took-to-her-apparently-took-to-her-echoes/) [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) > [“Because I must do something while I still can. Each soul is still incalculably precious.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/because-i-must-do-something-while-i-still-can-each-soul-is-still/) [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) > [“She sings on and on, while the house is discreetly dusted all around her and, in the concealed and subterranean kitchen, a naked duck,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/she-sings-on-and-on-while-the-house-is-discreetly-dusted-all-around/) [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) > [My energies get used up quite quickly, and the psychic space I'm in when I write is a very lonely one, so I found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/my-energies-get-used-up-quite-quickly-and-the-psychic-space-i-m-in/) [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) > [When we ask bureaucrats to identify who is responsible for fixing anything, they reassure us that there are 'procedures in place.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/when-we-ask-bureaucrats-to-identify-who-is-responsible-for-fixing/) [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) > [I'm a loner and always have been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/i-m-a-loner-and-always-have-been/) [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) > [I tend to process emotional stuff very, very slowly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/i-tend-to-process-emotional-stuff-very-very-slowly/) [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) > [“Yes, seven years old she was, when she finally plucked up the courage to ask her mother what Christmas was all about, and Mrs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/yes-seven-years-old-she-was-when-she-finally-plucked-up-the-courage/) [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) > [Watch your step. Keep your wits about you; you will need them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/watch-your-step-keep-your-wits-about-you-you-will-need-them/) [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) > [Of course I know that the twins are only words on a page, and I'm certainly not the sort of writer who talks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/of-course-i-know-that-the-twins-are-only-words-on-a-page-and-i-m/) [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) > [“Isn't Heaven reward enough, without needing to see the damned punished?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/isn-t-heaven-reward-enough-without-needing-to-see-the-damned-punished/) [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) > [“Sunlight is bad,' he wheezes. 'It's the exact same stuff as breeds maggots in wounded soldiers' legs. And when there's no war on, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/sunlight-is-bad-he-wheezes-it-s-the-exact-same-stuff-as-breeds/) [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) > [I'm still tremendously proud of 'Crimson Petal.' I'm still very emotionally involved with these characters. I still care about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/i-m-still-tremendously-proud-of-crimson-petal-i-m-still-very/) [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) > [A text may be superbly written, exquisitely subtle, deeply meaningful, but still seem like a luxury extra, something we add to the already well-stocked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/a-text-may-be-superbly-written-exquisitely-subtle-deeply-meaningful/) [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) [Explore all 106 Michel Faber quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) ## 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": "Before I was published, I thought men read car manuals or books about football. 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