--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Years ago I read an interview with Paula…" description: "\"Years ago I read an interview with Paula Fox in which she said that in writing, truth is just as important as story. Reading that interview was the fir..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/molly-antopol-20696_cleverness_years-ago-i-read-an-interview-with-paula_385996.jpg" --- # Years ago I read an interview with Paula Fox in which she… ![“Years ago I read an interview with Paula Fox in which she said that in writing, truth is just as important as story. Reading that interview was the first time I really understood that there's no point in trying to impress people with my cleverness when I can just try to write honestly about what…” quote by Molly Antopol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/molly-antopol-20696_cleverness_years-ago-i-read-an-interview-with-paula_385996.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/molly-antopol-20696_cleverness_years-ago-i-read-an-interview-with-paula_385996.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/molly-antopol-20696_cleverness_years-ago-i-read-an-interview-with-paula_385996.jpg) > “Years ago I read an interview with Paula Fox in which she said that in writing, truth is just as important as story. Reading that interview was the first time I really understood that there's no point in trying to impress people with my cleverness when I can just try to write honestly about what matters most to me.” [Molly Antopol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-antopol/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing must balance factual truth with narrative craft, prioritizing honesty over cleverness. **In simple terms:** Truth matters as much as story in writing. Key Takeaway Write honestly about what matters. Themes writing honesty truth storytelling Mood reflective inspirational Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - personal essays - fiction - journalism - blogging Key Concepts integrity authenticity creative process Questions to Reflect On - How can you ensure honesty without sacrificing style? - What truths are you avoiding? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on cleverness can alienate readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Foxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foxes/) [Interviews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interviews/) [No point in trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/no-point-in-trying/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [There is no point in trying to remember your dreams ... There is only the unspeakable joy of eavesdropping on your spirit, catching tiny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsha-norman/there-is-no-point-in-trying-to-remember-your-dreams-there-is-only-the/) [Marsha Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsha-norman/) > [Is photography an art? There is no point in trying to find out if it is an art. Art is old-fashioned. We need something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/man-ray/is-photography-an-art-there-is-no-point-in-trying-to-find-out-if-it/) [Man Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/man-ray/) > [I strive to live with passion and not to be desensitised to life. Things matter to me. You’ve got to live like that. Otherwise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pep-guardiola/i-strive-to-live-with-passion-and-not-to-be-desensitised-to-life/) [Pep Guardiola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pep-guardiola/) > [Above all, in order to gain respect, you need to be true to yourself. There is no point in trying to be brutal if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sugar/above-all-in-order-to-gain-respect-you-need-to-be-true-to-yourself/) [Alan Sugar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-sugar/) > [The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back. A week is more than enough time for us to decide whether or not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-challenge-will-not-wait-life-does-not-look-back-a-week-is-more/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [If you have grasped the purpose of life there is no point in trying to make life into something it is not or cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/if-you-have-grasped-the-purpose-of-life-there-is-no-point-in-trying/) [Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/) > [When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-we-least-expect-it-life-sets-us-a-challenge-to-test-our-courage-2/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [If at first you don't succeed, try management.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/if-at-first-you-don-t-succeed-try-management/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [If at first you don't succeed, try hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/if-at-first-you-don-t-succeed-try-hard-work/) [William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/) > [Once you let the words go, you have no control over how they're printed or what the media does with them. So there's no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/once-you-let-the-words-go-you-have-no-control-over-how-they-re/) [Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/) > [The heart is the place where we live our passions. It is frail and easily broken, but wonderfully resilient. There is no point in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-buscaglia/the-heart-is-the-place-where-we-live-our-passions-it-is-frail-and/) [Leo Buscaglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-buscaglia/) > [I think the key to writing the truth of our existences, so much of this is being incubated online, is examining the conflicts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-zambreno/i-think-the-key-to-writing-the-truth-of-our-existences-so-much-of/) [Kate Zambreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-zambreno/) > [Something I found while writing 'Alice & Oliver' - a book that is unquestionably a work of fiction, but which also borrows details from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bock/something-i-found-while-writing-alice-oliver-a-book-that-is/) [Charles Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bock/) > [From an early age, I had the idea that writing was truth-telling. It's on the record. Everybody can see it. Maybe it goes back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/from-an-early-age-i-had-the-idea-that-writing-was-truth-telling-it-s/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Write to exhaustion so that you can no longer manage to avoid writing the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elissa-schappell/write-to-exhaustion-so-that-you-can-no-longer-manage-to-avoid-writing/) [Elissa Schappell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elissa-schappell/) ## More by Molly Antopol > [So if there was a way that I knew something about my character's desires or the things that they were resisting because I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-antopol/so-if-there-was-a-way-that-i-knew-something-about-my-character-s/) [Molly Antopol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-antopol/) > [“But for the first time, Boaz couldn't think of a single word to describe this kind of loneliness, so scary and real it required…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-antopol/but-for-the-first-time-boaz-couldn-t-think-of-a-single-word-to/) [Molly Antopol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-antopol/) > [“... having been with Boaz for so long that she could predict every one of his moves, their sex life was more like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-antopol/having-been-with-boaz-for-so-long-that-she-could-predict-every-one-of/) [Molly Antopol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-antopol/) > [I always tell my students to write the story all the way through, not to play with the language and fall in love with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-antopol/i-always-tell-my-students-to-write-the-story-all-the-way-through-not/) [Molly Antopol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-antopol/) > [The Israel stories were really hard for me to write, because I think that my book is very much about politics, but it isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-antopol/the-israel-stories-were-really-hard-for-me-to-write-because-i-think/) [Molly Antopol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-antopol/) > [People are going to bash you. You get rejected. It's hard. I don't really feel like that's my place as the teacher. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-antopol/people-are-going-to-bash-you-you-get-rejected-it-s-hard-i-don-t/) [Molly Antopol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-antopol/) > [But what I realized when I was looking back at them was that no matter how different they are, they're still coming from me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-antopol/but-what-i-realized-when-i-was-looking-back-at-them-was-that-no/) [Molly Antopol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-antopol/) > [It's funny - for a long time, I didn't know I was writing a book. I was writing stories. For me, each story took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-antopol/it-s-funny-for-a-long-time-i-didn-t-know-i-was-writing-a-book-i-was/) [Molly Antopol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-antopol/) > [With the Holocaust - I wonder if a lot of Jewish writers of my generation have felt this way - it feels really intimidating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-antopol/with-the-holocaust-i-wonder-if-a-lot-of-jewish-writers-of-my/) [Molly Antopol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-antopol/) > [Raymond Carver had the quote that I loved about how he felt that a short story was the moment right before someone's life was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-antopol/raymond-carver-had-the-quote-that-i-loved-about-how-he-felt-that-a/) [Molly Antopol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-antopol/) > [I felt like if I could get the epiphany out of the way in my drafting process, through my eighth or tenth draft, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-antopol/i-felt-like-if-i-could-get-the-epiphany-out-of-the-way-in-my-drafting/) [Molly Antopol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-antopol/) > [I'm not Israeli and because I'm not a citizen, it doesn't matter how often I go there - I'm still not Israeli. There's this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-antopol/i-m-not-israeli-and-because-i-m-not-a-citizen-it-doesn-t-matter-how/) [Molly Antopol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-antopol/) > [With the Israel stories, it was for me the most surprising way the title would fit in. I kept thinking about, for a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-antopol/with-the-israel-stories-it-was-for-me-the-most-surprising-way-the/) [Molly Antopol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-antopol/) > [There's something interesting about being really intimate and familiar with Israel, but still being American - that really thin piece of glass between me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-antopol/there-s-something-interesting-about-being-really-intimate-and/) [Molly Antopol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-antopol/) > [“But Benny was already walking through the doors and into the bright sunny day, pulling the bottle from his shirt and thrusting it at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-antopol/but-benny-was-already-walking-through-the-doors-and-into-the-bright/) [Molly Antopol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-antopol/) [Explore all 30 Molly Antopol quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-antopol/) ## More Cleverness quotes > [“Rumi observed, “Sell your cleverness and purchase bewilderment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-w-dyer/rumi-observed-sell-your-cleverness-and-purchase-bewilderment/) [Wayne W. Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-w-dyer/) > [“Passion often makes a madman of the cleverest man, and renders the greatest fools clever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/passion-often-makes-a-madman-of-the-cleverest-man-and-renders-the/) [François de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [If we fail to appreciate the soul that Easternism gives us, then what we have is a disconnected, Greco-Roman, Western, egocentric, compartmentalized, reductionist, fragmented,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/if-we-fail-to-appreciate-the-soul-that-easternism-gives-us-then-what/) [Joel Salatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/) > [A fool is a person who guesses and gets it wrong, a clever man is one who guesses, regardless of time period, and gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/a-fool-is-a-person-who-guesses-and-gets-it-wrong-a-clever-man-is-one/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Ultimately, of course, you must decide for yourself whether the subjective psychological effects created by your evolved cognitive biases reflect an objective reality, perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-bering/ultimately-of-course-you-must-decide-for-yourself-whether-the/) [Jesse Bering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-bering/) > [Limits have to be set on how far one can simply use the... cleverness that we have to make changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-kass/limits-have-to-be-set-on-how-far-one-can-simply-use-the-cleverness/) [Leon Kass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-kass/) > [Sometimes people try way too hard to sound clever on Facebook.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-people-try-way-too-hard-to-sound-clever-on-facebook/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Many of the greatest men have owed their success to industry rather than to cleverness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lubbock/many-of-the-greatest-men-have-owed-their-success-to-industry-rather/) [John Lubbock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lubbock/) > [What a curious picture it is to find man, homo sapiens, of divine origin, we are told, seriously considering going underground to escape the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/what-a-curious-picture-it-is-to-find-man-homo-sapiens-of-divine/) [J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/) > [“Neither the Russians nor the Americans were the cleverest people, or the most experienced, in the world that followed 1945. The French were rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-r-fehrenbach-2/neither-the-russians-nor-the-americans-were-the-cleverest-people-or/) [T.R. Fehrenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-r-fehrenbach-2/) > [Where there is simplicity, there are a hundred Angels, but where there is cleverness - there are none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-of-optina/where-there-is-simplicity-there-are-a-hundred-angels-but-where-there/) Ambrose of Optina > [Human integrity is determined by the heart, not by cleverness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senora-roy/human-integrity-is-determined-by-the-heart-not-by-cleverness/) [Senora Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senora-roy/) > [In late modernity we grow more and more accustomed to politicians and public figures who are indebted to their appetites for their "values," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/in-late-modernity-we-grow-more-and-more-accustomed-to-politicians-and/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [The art of investment has one characteristic that is not generally appreciated. A creditable, if unspectacular, result can be achieved by the lay investor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-art-of-investment-has-one-characteristic-that-is-not-generally/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [Books are in no hurry. An act of creation is in no hurry; it reads us, it privileges us infinitely. The notion that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/books-are-in-no-hurry-an-act-of-creation-is-in-no-hurry-it-reads-us/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) Browse all 406 Cleverness quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Years ago I read an interview with Paula Fox in which she said that in writing, truth is just as important as story. Reading that interview was the first time I really understood that there's no point in trying to impress people with my cleverness when I can just try to write honestly about what matters most to me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Molly Antopol" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-antopol/years-ago-i-read-an-interview-with-paula-fox-in-which-she-said-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cleverness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-antopol/years-ago-i-read-an-interview-with-paula-fox-in-which-she-said-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/molly-antopol-20696_cleverness_years-ago-i-read-an-interview-with-paula_385996.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/molly-antopol-20696_cleverness_years-ago-i-read-an-interview-with-paula_385996.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/672/molly-antopol-20696_cleverness_years-ago-i-read-an-interview-with-paula_385996.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Years ago I read an interview with Paula Fox in which she said that in writing, truth is just as important…” — Molly Antopol", "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": "Molly Antopol", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-antopol/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Years ago I read an interview...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-antopol/years-ago-i-read-an-interview-with-paula-fox-in-which-she-said-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-antopol/years-ago-i-read-an-interview-with-paula-fox-in-which-she-said-that/#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 } } ] } ```