--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Francis Scott Fitzgerald really read…" description: "\"Francis Scott Fitzgerald really read culture pretty damn clearly. It was he who understood that artistic achievement, really imaginative work, goes whe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cb/nancy-milford-47753_achievement_francis-scott-fitzgerald-really-read-cul_2390816.jpg" --- # Francis Scott Fitzgerald really read culture pretty damn… ![“Francis Scott Fitzgerald really read culture pretty damn clearly. It was he who understood that artistic achievement, really imaginative work, goes where the money is. Where people can afford to buy books and paintings. He linked money - not always in a positive way - to being able to encourage…” quote by Nancy Milford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cb/nancy-milford-47753_achievement_francis-scott-fitzgerald-really-read-cul_2390816.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cb/nancy-milford-47753_achievement_francis-scott-fitzgerald-really-read-cul_2390816.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cb/nancy-milford-47753_achievement_francis-scott-fitzgerald-really-read-cul_2390816.jpg) > “Francis Scott Fitzgerald really read culture pretty damn clearly. It was he who understood that artistic achievement, really imaginative work, goes where the money is. Where people can afford to buy books and paintings. He linked money - not always in a positive way - to being able to encourage culture.” [Nancy Milford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-milford/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artistic success depends on financial support and an audience that can afford cultural products. **In simple terms:** Money drives cultural creation. Key Takeaway Support arts financially. Themes culture economics artistic value Mood reflective critical Type observational analytical When to use this quote - publishing - painting - music festivals - gallery openings Key Concepts patronage market dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How does funding shape artistic choices? - Can art thrive without profit? A Different Perspective Wealth inequality limits access to culture. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Achievement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achievement/) [Artistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artistic/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Culture Pretty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture-pretty-5954539/) [Encourage Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encourage-culture-5954538/) [Imaginative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imaginative/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Read Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-culture-5954536/) [Scott fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scott-fitzgerald/) [Understood Artistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understood-artistic-5954537/) ## Related quotes > [“And that is to say, of course, that you can "read" a culture without its literature, without the bother of gathering and holding its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-mitchell/and-that-is-to-say-of-course-that-you-can-read-a-culture-without-its/) [Richard Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-mitchell/) > [“Everybody's youth is a dream, a form of chemical madness. —F. Scott Fitzgerald”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/therese-anne-fowler/everybody-s-youth-is-a-dream-a-form-of-chemical-madness-f-scott/) [Therese Anne Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/therese-anne-fowler/) > [“The Great Gatsby's my favorite book," he says. "F. Scott Fitzgerald dedicated it to Zelda." "His wife?" I say. "Yeah. His crazy-ass wife who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/the-great-gatsby-s-my-favorite-book-he-says-f-scott-fitzgerald/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [The real story of our times is seldom told in the horse-puckey-filled memoirs of dopey, self-serving presidents or generals, but in the outrageous, demented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-ellison/the-real-story-of-our-times-is-seldom-told-in-the-horse-puckey-filled/) [Harlan Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-ellison/) > [“Vitality shows in not only the ability to persist but the ability to start over.” - F. Scott Fitzgerald”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ljs-2-motivate/vitality-shows-in-not-only-the-ability-to-persist-but-the-ability-to/) [LJS 2 Motivate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ljs-2-motivate/) > [What is most appalling in an F. Scott Fitzgerald book is that it is peopleless fiction: Fitzgerald writes about spectral, muscledsuits; dresses, hats, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-dahlberg/what-is-most-appalling-in-an-f-scott-fitzgerald-book-is-that-it-is/) [Edward Dahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-dahlberg/) > [“let the story go, and still clutched F. Scott Fitzgerald’s This Side of Paradise in my arms as if to let it go would”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-white/let-the-story-go-and-still-clutched-f-scott-fitzgerald-s-this-side-of/) [Karen White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-white/) > [The seriousness or otherwise of the subject matter is often irrelevent to the question of whether a book is any good. F Scott Fitzgerald…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declan-lynch/the-seriousness-or-otherwise-of-the-subject-matter-is-often/) [Declan Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declan-lynch/) > [“The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-t-kiyosaki/the-test-of-a-first-rate-intelligence-is-the-ability-to-hold-two-2/) [Robert T. Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-t-kiyosaki/) > [I fantasised about F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby' - I loved it, and then I read everything J. D. Salinger had to offer.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-hedlund/i-fantasised-about-f-scott-fitzgerald-s-the-great-gatsby-i-loved-it/) [Garrett Hedlund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-hedlund/) > [I'd like to do Nicole Diver in F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'Tender Is the Night,' if that ever gets made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosamund-pike/i-d-like-to-do-nicole-diver-in-f-scott-fitzgerald-s-tender-is-the/) [Rosamund Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosamund-pike/) > [...Baltimore. It's imperfect. Boy, is it imperfect. And there are parts of its past that make you wince. It's not all marble steps and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-lippman/baltimore-it-s-imperfect-boy-is-it-imperfect-and-there-are-parts-of/) [Laura Lippman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-lippman/) > [“I am asking Scribners to insert as a subtitle in everything after the eighth printing THE SUN ALSO RISES (LIKE YOUR COCK IF YOU…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/i-am-asking-scribners-to-insert-as-a-subtitle-in-everything-after-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Poetry died as a commercial form and then it died as a serious art form. No one serious touches it. It used to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/poetry-died-as-a-commercial-form-and-then-it-died-as-a-serious-art/) [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) > [If you look at any list of great modern writers such as Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, you'll notice two things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/if-you-look-at-any-list-of-great-modern-writers-such-as-ernest/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) ## More by Nancy Milford > [Life is impermanent and in the face of that impermanence, cavort! Look death in the eye, tell him you’re as cute as a button,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-milford/life-is-impermanent-and-in-the-face-of-that-impermanence-cavort-look/) [Nancy Milford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-milford/) > [“It was not, Zelda wrote, prosperity or the softness of life, or any instability that marred the war generation; it was a great emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-milford/it-was-not-zelda-wrote-prosperity-or-the-softness-of-life-or-any/) [Nancy Milford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-milford/) > [“I am wild, if you like; but I stayed in my burrow a long, long time, - nibbling your straws and snapping at your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-milford/i-am-wild-if-you-like-but-i-stayed-in-my-burrow-a-long-long-time/) [Nancy Milford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-milford/) > [The hats were nearly all as though made by somebody who had once heard about flowers but never seen one huge muffs of horror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-milford/the-hats-were-nearly-all-as-though-made-by-somebody-who-had-once/) [Nancy Milford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-milford/) > [“I hope I'll never get ambitious enough to try anything. It's so much nicer to be damned sure I could do it better than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-milford/i-hope-i-ll-never-get-ambitious-enough-to-try-anything-it-s-so-much/) [Nancy Milford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-milford/) > [I had never understood quite so clearly the effective power of Jane Jacob's writing - no, her clear-headed observation - as I did reading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-milford/i-had-never-understood-quite-so-clearly-the-effective-power-of-jane/) [Nancy Milford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-milford/) > [To be a biographer is a somewhat peculiar endeavor. It seems to me it requires not only the tact, patience, and thoroughness of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-milford/to-be-a-biographer-is-a-somewhat-peculiar-endeavor-it-seems-to-me-it/) [Nancy Milford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-milford/) [Explore all 8 Nancy Milford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-milford/) ## More Achievement quotes > [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [“If attempting to make the world a civilized one, makes you a bad woman in the eyes of the dumb patriarchal society, then, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/if-attempting-to-make-the-world-a-civilized-one-makes-you-a-bad-woman/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [One achieves true human dignity only when one serves. Only he is great who subjects himself to taking part in the achievement of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-primo-de-rivera/one-achieves-true-human-dignity-only-when-one-serves-only-he-is-great/) [Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-antonio-primo-de-rivera/) > [Needs cause motivation. Deep-rooted desires for esteem, affection, belonging, achievement, self-actualization, power, and control motivate us to push for what we want and need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorii-myers/needs-cause-motivation-deep-rooted-desires-for-esteem-affection/) [Lorii Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorii-myers/) > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [It's tragic what America has become because there is a great segment of society that now resents luxury and success and achievement by others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-leach/it-s-tragic-what-america-has-become-because-there-is-a-great-segment/) [Robin Leach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-leach/) > [To preserve an unclouded capacity for the enjoyment of life is an unusual moral and psychological achievement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-preserve-an-unclouded-capacity-for-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-an/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [Joel Lane documents a life we don’t quite live, in a city we can’t quite find: half glimpsed and half imagined, we know it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-brenchley/joel-lane-documents-a-life-we-don-t-quite-live-in-a-city-we-can-t/) [Chaz Brenchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaz-brenchley/) > [The main substantive achievement of neoliberalism has been to redistribute rather than to generate wealth and income.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harvey/the-main-substantive-achievement-of-neoliberalism-has-been-to/) [David Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harvey/) > [Every profession has an ideology and a drive for power that goes far beyond its achievements and it is the task of democracy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/every-profession-has-an-ideology-and-a-drive-for-power-that-goes-far/) [Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/) > [We have Internet now and people are not stupid. But it seems that some people are trying to push the same agenda of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/we-have-internet-now-and-people-are-not-stupid-but-it-seems-that-some/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [“If you find a way where there seems to be no way, that’s what we call miracle, not personal achievement.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nkwachukwu-ogbuagu/if-you-find-a-way-where-there-seems-to-be-no-way-that-s-what-we-call/) [Nkwachukwu Ogbuagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nkwachukwu-ogbuagu/) > [The Baseball Hall of Fame is something every player dreams about, but being a member of God's Hall of Fame is the greatest achievement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-carter/the-baseball-hall-of-fame-is-something-every-player-dreams-about-but/) [Gary Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-carter/) > [Cease speaking of enemies when an achievement can kindle a great light. Solitude will transmit the message better than the murmurs of crowds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-roerich/cease-speaking-of-enemies-when-an-achievement-can-kindle-a-great/) [Nicholas Roerich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-roerich/) > [Every scene is a challenge. There are technical challenges, but often it's the simplest challenge where you feel a sense of achievement when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-deakins/every-scene-is-a-challenge-there-are-technical-challenges-but-often/) [Roger Deakins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-deakins/) [Browse all 3,867 Achievement quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achievement/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Francis Scott Fitzgerald really read culture pretty damn clearly. It was he who understood that artistic achievement, really imaginative work, goes where the money is. Where people can afford to buy books and paintings. He linked money - not always in a positive way - to being able to encourage culture.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nancy Milford" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-milford/francis-scott-fitzgerald-really-read-culture-pretty-damn-clearly-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Achievement" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-milford/francis-scott-fitzgerald-really-read-culture-pretty-damn-clearly-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cb/nancy-milford-47753_achievement_francis-scott-fitzgerald-really-read-cul_2390816.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cb/nancy-milford-47753_achievement_francis-scott-fitzgerald-really-read-cul_2390816.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2cb/nancy-milford-47753_achievement_francis-scott-fitzgerald-really-read-cul_2390816.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Francis Scott Fitzgerald really read culture pretty damn clearly. It was he who understood that artistic…” — Nancy Milford", "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": "Nancy Milford", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-milford/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Francis Scott Fitzgerald really read culture...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-milford/francis-scott-fitzgerald-really-read-culture-pretty-damn-clearly-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-milford/francis-scott-fitzgerald-really-read-culture-pretty-damn-clearly-it/#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 } } ] } ```