--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Just as a fighter has to feel that he…" description: "\"“Just as a fighter has to feel that he possesses the right to do physical damage to another man, so a writer has to be ready to take chances with his r..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/833/norman-mailer-839_another-man_just-as-a-fighter-has-to-feel-that-he-po_2062663.jpg" --- # Just as a fighter has to feel that he possesses the right… ![“Just as a fighter has to feel that he possesses the right to do physical damage to another man, so a writer has to be ready to take chances with his readers’ lives.” quote by Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/833/norman-mailer-839_another-man_just-as-a-fighter-has-to-feel-that-he-po_2062663.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/833/norman-mailer-839_another-man_just-as-a-fighter-has-to-feel-that-he-po_2062663.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/833/norman-mailer-839_another-man_just-as-a-fighter-has-to-feel-that-he-po_2062663.jpg) > ““Just as a fighter has to feel that he possesses the right to do physical damage to another man, so a writer has to be ready to take chances with his readers’ lives.”” [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writers must risk readers' emotions just as fighters risk physical harm. **In simple terms:** Writers should take bold chances with readers. Key Takeaway Embrace creative risk to engage audiences. Themes creativity risk literature Mood courageous thought‑provoking Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - novel writing - short stories - public readings Key Concepts emotional stakes authorial courage Questions to Reflect On - What risks are worth taking in your work? - How do you balance risk with audience expectations? A Different Perspective Risk may alienate some readers and affect reputation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Another man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/another-man/) [Damage Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/damage-man-3942999/) [Fighter Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighter-feel-587278/) [Man Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-writer-971020/) [Possesses Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possesses-right-3942998/) [Wrestling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrestling/) [Writer Ready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-ready-3866291/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Dear Aspiring Writer, you are not ready. Stop. Put that finished story away and start another one. In a month, go back and look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inez-kelley/dear-aspiring-writer-you-are-not-ready-stop-put-that-finished-story/) [Inez Kelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inez-kelley/) > [I've been doing short-form writing for a decade, and six years ago I signed with an agent, and we've been working on figuring out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindy-west/i-ve-been-doing-short-form-writing-for-a-decade-and-six-years-ago-i/) [Lindy West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindy-west/) > [When I step out onto the ice to compete 'Romeo and Juliet,' I don't feel like a fighter. I feel very nervous, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-wagner/when-i-step-out-onto-the-ice-to-compete-romeo-and-juliet-i-don-t-feel/) [Ashley Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-wagner/) > [My game was completely ground based and I didn't really use my hands, and now I feel my game has improved a lot and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-moreno/my-game-was-completely-ground-based-and-i-didn-t-really-use-my-hands/) [Brandon Moreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-moreno/) > [Once you're a fighter you can not feel bad over a guy. You have to keep on kicking him, no matter what.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yair-rodriguez/once-you-re-a-fighter-you-can-not-feel-bad-over-a-guy-you-have-to/) [Yair Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yair-rodriguez/) > ['Dancing with the Stars' was a really great experience. People were definitely surprised that I'm a fighter, or they couldn't believe I'm a professional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paige-vanzant/dancing-with-the-stars-was-a-really-great-experience-people-were/) [Paige VanZant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paige-vanzant/) > [It's definitely been a progression, but I always knew I could be a great fighter. I could feel it inside of myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whittaker/it-s-definitely-been-a-progression-but-i-always-knew-i-could-be-a/) [Robert Whittaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whittaker/) > [“This is man: a writer of books, a putter-down of words, a painter of pictures, a maker of ten thousand philosophies. He grows passionate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/this-is-man-a-writer-of-books-a-putter-down-of-words-a-painter-of/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [One must never judge the writer by the man; but one may fairly judge the man by the writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-kronenberger/one-must-never-judge-the-writer-by-the-man-but-one-may-fairly-judge/) [Louis Kronenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-kronenberger/) > [To choose a writer for a friend is like palling around with your cardiologist, who might be musing as you talk to him that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-broyard/to-choose-a-writer-for-a-friend-is-like-palling-around-with-your/) [Anatole Broyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-broyard/) > [When a man becomes a writer, I think he takes on a sacred obligation to produce beauty and enlightenment and comfort at top speed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/when-a-man-becomes-a-writer-i-think-he-takes-on-a-sacred-obligation/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“No, I don’t think my conscience would let me support a strike like that. When a man becomes a writer, I think he takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/no-i-don-t-think-my-conscience-would-let-me-support-a-strike-like/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [There ought to be some sign in a book about man, that the writer knows thoroughly one man at least.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-moore-colby/there-ought-to-be-some-sign-in-a-book-about-man-that-the-writer-knows/) [Frank Moore Colby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-moore-colby/) > [He asked, "What makes a man a writer?" "Well," I said, "it's simple. You either get it down on paper, or jump off a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/he-asked-what-makes-a-man-a-writer-well-i-said-it-s-simple-you-either/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [“There is no lonelier man than a writer when he's writing, except the suicide.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hemingway-ernest-2/there-is-no-lonelier-man-than-a-writer-when-he-s-writing-except-the/) [Hemingway, Ernest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hemingway-ernest-2/) ## More by Norman Mailer > [Conservatives are people who look at a tree and feel instinctively that it is more beautiful than anything they can name. But when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/conservatives-are-people-who-look-at-a-tree-and-feel-instinctively/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [There's a subterranean impetus towards pornography so powerful that half the business world is juiced by the sort of half sex that one finds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/there-s-a-subterranean-impetus-towards-pornography-so-powerful-that/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [So the blind will lead the blind, and the deaf shout warnings to one another until their voices are lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/so-the-blind-will-lead-the-blind-and-the-deaf-shout-warnings-to-one/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [Writing for a newspaper is like running a revolutionary war. You go to battle not when you are ready, but when action offers itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/writing-for-a-newspaper-is-like-running-a-revolutionary-war-you-go-to/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [I would introduce myself if it were not useless. The name I had last night will not be the same as the name I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/i-would-introduce-myself-if-it-were-not-useless-the-name-i-had-last/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [“City Point is so beautiful, she says. In the night they cannot see the garbage that litters the beach, the seaweed and driftwood, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/city-point-is-so-beautiful-she-says-in-the-night-they-cannot-see-the/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [“I find it’s more fun to write about something that you don’t know completely and that you will discover on route. A dear friend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/i-find-it-s-more-fun-to-write-about-something-that-you-don-t-know/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [Short-term amnesia is not the worst affliction if you have an Irish flair for the sauce.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/short-term-amnesia-is-not-the-worst-affliction-if-you-have-an-irish/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [Part of the oncoming demise (of New York during its terrible fiscal crisis) is that none of us can simply believe it. We were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/part-of-the-oncoming-demise-of-new-york-during-its-terrible-fiscal/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [I have always had this very strong, call it a feeling, call it a prejudice, call it a conviction ... that the mysteries are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/i-have-always-had-this-very-strong-call-it-a-feeling-call-it-a/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [I do believe that America's deepest political sickness is that it is a self-righteous nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/i-do-believe-that-america-s-deepest-political-sickness-is-that-it-is/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [America is a hurricane, and the only people who do not hear the sound are those fortunate if incredibly stupid and smug White Protestants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/america-is-a-hurricane-and-the-only-people-who-do-not-hear-the-sound/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [Armstrong, sitting in the commander's seat, spacesuit on, helmet on, plugged into electrical and environmental umbilical's, is a man who is not only a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/armstrong-sitting-in-the-commander-s-seat-spacesuit-on-helmet-on/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [I was thinking that surgeons had to be the happiest people on earth. To cut people up and get paid for it-that's happiness, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/i-was-thinking-that-surgeons-had-to-be-the-happiest-people-on-earth/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [Movies are more likely than literature to reach deep feelings in people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/movies-are-more-likely-than-literature-to-reach-deep-feelings-in/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) [Explore all 355 Norman Mailer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) ## More Another man quotes > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [“I took ten days off and by 11 o’clock on the first morning I had drunk fourteen cups of coffee, read all the newspapers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-clarkson/i-took-ten-days-off-and-by-11-o-clock-on-the-first-morning-i-had/) [Jeremy Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-clarkson/) > [One day I woke up and Juventus wanted me, another Manchester United and what I know is that there were approaches made. But an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raul-jimenez/one-day-i-woke-up-and-juventus-wanted-me-another-manchester-united/) [Raul Jimenez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raul-jimenez/) > [“He often remembered his dad's admonition that envy was mental theft. If you coveted another man's possessions, Dad said, then you should be willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/he-often-remembered-his-dad-s-admonition-that-envy-was-mental-theft/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [Never break another man's rice bowl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akio-morita/never-break-another-man-s-rice-bowl/) [Akio Morita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akio-morita/) > [“One theory on cannibals, of course, is that they eat parts of their slain enemies to benefit from that person's greatest assets - their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-powell/one-theory-on-cannibals-of-course-is-that-they-eat-parts-of-their/) [Julie Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-powell/) > [I admire machinery as much is any man, and am as thankful to it as any man can be for what it does for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-admire-machinery-as-much-is-any-man-and-am-as-thankful-to-it-as-any/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“If you aren't in love, Willow Vaughn, then my name isn't Miriam Brigham." Willow started out of her daydreaming and glanced up from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-mcpherren/if-you-aren-t-in-love-willow-vaughn-then-my-name-isn-t-miriam-brigham/) [Charlotte McPherren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-mcpherren/) > [“One man accomplishment Is another mans failure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-sargent/one-man-accomplishment-is-another-mans-failure/) [Anthony Sargent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-sargent/) > [“Hell, I bet there's another man right now on the other side of this planet, standing in the pouring rain, fighting desperately for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-montes/hell-i-bet-there-s-another-man-right-now-on-the-other-side-of-this/) [EL Montes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-montes/) > [The perception of what we as professors provide has changed. Constant and demanding e-mails are just another manifestation of what our society has become.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-payne/the-perception-of-what-we-as-professors-provide-has-changed-constant/) [Dan Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-payne/) > [Fighting, to me, seems barbaric. I don't really like it. I enjoy out-thinking another man and out-maneuvering him, but I still don't like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sugar-ray-robinson/fighting-to-me-seems-barbaric-i-don-t-really-like-it-i-enjoy-out/) [Sugar Ray Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sugar-ray-robinson/) > [The single greatest pleasure that I have in doing ('Bizarre Foods') is when I meet families with 6, 7, 8-year-olds, or teenagers, who say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-zimmern/the-single-greatest-pleasure-that-i-have-in-doing-bizarre-foods-is/) [Andrew Zimmern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-zimmern/) > [One man's vulgarity is another man's lyric.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marshall-harlan-ii/one-man-s-vulgarity-is-another-man-s-lyric/) [John Marshall Harlan II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marshall-harlan-ii/) > [“that of dealing death, of loosing another man’s soul and sending it down to hell. You want to savor it, to twist the blade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/that-of-dealing-death-of-loosing-another-man-s-soul-and-sending-it/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) [Browse all 1,112 Another man quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/another-man/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Just as a fighter has to feel that he possesses the right to do physical damage to another man, so a writer has to be ready to take chances with his readers’ lives.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Norman Mailer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/just-as-a-fighter-has-to-feel-that-he-possesses-the-right-to-do/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Another man" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/just-as-a-fighter-has-to-feel-that-he-possesses-the-right-to-do/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/833/norman-mailer-839_another-man_just-as-a-fighter-has-to-feel-that-he-po_2062663.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/833/norman-mailer-839_another-man_just-as-a-fighter-has-to-feel-that-he-po_2062663.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/833/norman-mailer-839_another-man_just-as-a-fighter-has-to-feel-that-he-po_2062663.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Just as a fighter has to feel that he possesses the right to do physical damage to another man, so a writer…” — Norman Mailer", "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": "Norman Mailer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Just as a fighter has to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/just-as-a-fighter-has-to-feel-that-he-possesses-the-right-to-do/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/just-as-a-fighter-has-to-feel-that-he-possesses-the-right-to-do/#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 } } ] } ```