--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I made a point of answering the question…" description: "\"“I made a point of answering the question I received with some frequency from journalists, Do you think books can change people's lives? (which really ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bc/nicole-krauss-920_books_i-made-a-point-of-answering-the-question_484609.png" --- # I made a point of answering the question I received with… ![“I made a point of answering the question I received with some frequency from journalists, Do you think books can change people's lives? (which really meant, Do you actually think anything you could write could mean anything to anyone?), with a little airtight thought experiment in which I asked…” quote by Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bc/nicole-krauss-920_books_i-made-a-point-of-answering-the-question_484609.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bc/nicole-krauss-920_books_i-made-a-point-of-answering-the-question_484609.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bc/nicole-krauss-920_books_i-made-a-point-of-answering-the-question_484609.png) > ““I made a point of answering the question I received with some frequency from journalists, Do you think books can change people's lives? (which really meant, Do you actually think anything you could write could mean anything to anyone?), with a little airtight thought experiment in which I asked the interviewer to imagine the sort of person he might be if all of the literature he'd read in his life were somehow excised from his mind, his mind and soul, and as the journalist contemplated this nuclear winter I sat back with a self-satisfied smile, saved again from facing the truth.”” [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote critiques the notion that books have transformative power by imagining a mind stripped of all literature, exposing the fragility of personal identity without narrative. **In simple terms:** Books may not fundamentally change lives; they shape identity. Key Takeaway Question the true impact of reading. Themes identity literature self‑reflection media philosophy Mood skeptical contemplative Type critical philosophical When to use this quote - writing workshops - literary criticism - personal development - education policy Key Concepts existentialism cultural memory authorial intent Questions to Reflect On - How would you define a life without stories? - Can any medium truly reshape a soul? A Different Perspective The thought experiment assumes a linear, one‑to‑one influence of books on identity, ignoring other experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Mind and soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-and-soul/) ## Related quotes > [I am really inspired by writers, and weirdly - respect music journalists, which I think makes me the exception amongst most musicians. 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Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“Reality is not a thought experiment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-amerland/reality-is-not-a-thought-experiment/) [David Amerland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-amerland/) > [I picked economics at the end of my undergraduate time because it seemed to be a really nice combination of theory, including mathematical theory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-spence/i-picked-economics-at-the-end-of-my-undergraduate-time-because-it/) [Michael Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-spence/) ## More by Nicole Krauss > [“Narrative cannot sustain formlessness any more than light can sustain darkness - it is the antithesis of formlessness, and so it can never truly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/narrative-cannot-sustain-formlessness-any-more-than-light-can-sustain/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [I think of novels as houses. 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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": "“I made a point of answering the question I received with some frequency from journalists, Do you think books can change people's lives? 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