--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think that sense of unreality inspired…" description: "\"I think that sense of unreality inspired me to write the story within the book that [August] Brill tells himself, one of the stories he tells himself.\"..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc6/paul-auster-351_august_i-think-that-sense-of-unreality-inspired_3009692.jpg" --- # I think that sense of unreality inspired me to write the… ![“I think that sense of unreality inspired me to write the story within the book that [August] Brill tells himself, one of the stories he tells himself.” quote by Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc6/paul-auster-351_august_i-think-that-sense-of-unreality-inspired_3009692.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc6/paul-auster-351_august_i-think-that-sense-of-unreality-inspired_3009692.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc6/paul-auster-351_august_i-think-that-sense-of-unreality-inspired_3009692.jpg) > “I think that sense of unreality inspired me to write the story within the book that \[August\] Brill tells himself, one of the stories he tells himself.” [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator feels detached from reality, using that feeling to craft a story within a story, reflecting on self‑creation. **In simple terms:** Feeling unreal inspires meta‑storytelling. Key Takeaway Embrace disorientation to explore inner narratives. Themes identity creativity meta‑narrative reality self‑reflection Mood introspective thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - writing workshops - therapy sessions - creative brainstorming - literary analysis Key Concepts existentialism postmodernism self‑referentiality Questions to Reflect On - How does unreality affect your sense of self? - What stories do you tell yourself to make sense of reality? A Different Perspective The approach may alienate readers who prefer straightforward narratives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [August](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/august/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Unreality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unreality/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“I now understand that deja vu is the awareness of the simultaneous occurrence of a nearly identical event in an alternate universe as perceived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-czuchlewski/i-now-understand-that-deja-vu-is-the-awareness-of-the-simultaneous/) David Czuchlewski > [“He had built up within himself a kind of sanctuary in which she throned among his secret thoughts and longings. Little by little it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/he-had-built-up-within-himself-a-kind-of-sanctuary-in-which-she/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [“Little by little it became the scene of his real life, of his only rational activities; thither he brought the books he read, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/little-by-little-it-became-the-scene-of-his-real-life-of-his-only/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [“Did you know, that one night; one moonless, clear, shining night; with the shadowy silhouettes of trees crisp against the star-filled sky – I,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radhika-mukherjee/did-you-know-that-one-night-one-moonless-clear-shining-night-with-the/) Radhika Mukherjee > [I write very raw, ugly, illiterate first drafts very quickly (novels are always in first draft in under a year) and then I spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/porochista-khakpour/i-write-very-raw-ugly-illiterate-first-drafts-very-quickly-novels-are/) [Porochista Khakpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/porochista-khakpour/) > [Sometimes I would write while inspired and sometimes I would write through sheer force of will, and in revision the writing that I thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-michaels/sometimes-i-would-write-while-inspired-and-sometimes-i-would-write/) [Jesse Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-michaels/) > [ I never felt inspired to write this book \[ I Had Brain Surgery, What's Your Excuse?\], like I did with the cat or dog… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-becker/i-never-felt-inspired-to-write-this-book-i-had-brain-surgery-what-s/) [Suzy Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-becker/) > [It's always gratifying to hear from a passionate reader, and as a longtime educator, I'm especially pleased and heartened when that reader is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-alvarez/it-s-always-gratifying-to-hear-from-a-passionate-reader-and-as-a/) [Julia Alvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-alvarez/) > [I have to be inspired to write a song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-young/i-have-to-be-inspired-to-write-a-song/) [Brett Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-young/) > [I'm inspired to write songs in many different ways - it can come from a melody, a word or phrase or something I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-de-burgh/i-m-inspired-to-write-songs-in-many-different-ways-it-can-come-from-a/) [Chris de Burgh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-de-burgh/) > [I'm a fan of Ernest Hemingway work and specifically The Old Man and the Sea. I researched the relationship he had with the captain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-garcia/i-m-a-fan-of-ernest-hemingway-work-and-specifically-the-old-man-and/) [Andy Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-garcia/) > [When I write I simply follow my heart. And my flights of fantasy. It is not done with a conscious effort. I'm continually inspired…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-write-i-simply-follow-my-heart-and-my-flights-of-fantasy-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ Louis Brandeis really inspired me to write this book \[Louis D. Brandeis: American Prophet\]. It was a crazy deadline. The editor said I'd miss… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-rosen/louis-brandeis-really-inspired-me-to-write-this-book-louis-d-brandeis/) [Jeffrey Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-rosen/) > [I would like to say that I was inspired to write 'Shiver' by some overwhelming belief in true love, but here's my true confession:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/i-would-like-to-say-that-i-was-inspired-to-write-shiver-by-some/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [I was inspired to write children's books, but without blood and gore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-williams/i-was-inspired-to-write-children-s-books-but-without-blood-and-gore/) Stanley Williams ## More by Paul Auster > [“On his best walks, he was able to feel that he was nowhere. And this, finally, was all he ever asked of things: to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/on-his-best-walks-he-was-able-to-feel-that-he-was-nowhere-and-this/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [“No es que escribir me produzca un gran placer, pero es mucho peor si no lo hago.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/no-es-que-escribir-me-produzca-un-gran-placer-pero-es-mucho-peor-si/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [You see, the interesting thing about books, as opposed, say, to films, is that it's always just one person encountering the book, it's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/you-see-the-interesting-thing-about-books-as-opposed-say-to-films-is/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [I'm not a man deeply interested in technology. It eludes me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-m-not-a-man-deeply-interested-in-technology-it-eludes-me/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [The joke is the purest, most essential form of storytelling. Every word has to count.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/the-joke-is-the-purest-most-essential-form-of-storytelling-every-word/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [“What people saw when he appeared before them, then, was not really him, but a person he had invented, an artificial creature he could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/what-people-saw-when-he-appeared-before-them-then-was-not-really-him/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [I had made an empirical discovery and it carried all the weight of a mathematical proof.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-had-made-an-empirical-discovery-and-it-carried-all-the-weight-of-a/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [As long as there's one person to believe it, there's no story that can't be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/as-long-as-there-s-one-person-to-believe-it-there-s-no-story-that-can/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [Writing has always had a tactile quality for me. It's a physical experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/writing-has-always-had-a-tactile-quality-for-me-it-s-a-physical/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [People look at the same passage, and one person will say this is the best thing he's ever read, and another person will say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/people-look-at-the-same-passage-and-one-person-will-say-this-is-the/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [I was very moved to see that the name of the boat was Hamlet - an imaginary character becomes so important to people, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-was-very-moved-to-see-that-the-name-of-the-boat-was-hamlet-an/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [Our lifelong certainties about the world can be demolished in a single second.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/our-lifelong-certainties-about-the-world-can-be-demolished-in-a/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [The ideal reader's the same, and I suppose this person has never had a face or a gender or an age. It's just some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/the-ideal-reader-s-the-same-and-i-suppose-this-person-has-never-had-a/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [“Most lives vanish. A person dies, and little by little all traces of that life disappear. An inventor survives in his inventions, an architect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/most-lives-vanish-a-person-dies-and-little-by-little-all-traces-of/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [“and cut down many trees. When the Humans”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/and-cut-down-many-trees-when-the-humans/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) [Explore all 582 Paul Auster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) ## More August quotes > [On the McLaughlin Report, August 26, 1990: 'There are only two groups that are beating the drums for war in the middle East, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/on-the-mclaughlin-report-august-26-1990-there-are-only-two-groups/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [Meanwhile after failing the bar twice, I knew some people in New York and moved here in August '71.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-quine/meanwhile-after-failing-the-bar-twice-i-knew-some-people-in-new-york/) [Robert Quine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-quine/) > [I had the advantage, that I know Swedish. So I had the Swedish book and I had a lot of English translations, and German…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-ullmann/i-had-the-advantage-that-i-know-swedish-so-i-had-the-swedish-book-and/) [Liv Ullmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-ullmann/) > [I love the little garden in the back of my family's brownstone in Brooklyn. Digging out there in the dirt is a joy for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-love-the-little-garden-in-the-back-of-my-family-s-brownstone-in/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [I can see that I imagine all kinds of rejection that never happens. I can see that I beg and plead for love that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wurtzel/i-can-see-that-i-imagine-all-kinds-of-rejection-that-never-happens-i/) [Elizabeth Wurtzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wurtzel/) > [August depresses me a little. I don't even feel like eating. And when I don't eat, that's a sure sign of stagnation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-scott/august-depresses-me-a-little-i-don-t-even-feel-like-eating-and-when-i/) [Willard Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-scott/) > [August, the summer's last messenger of misery, is a hollow actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/august-the-summer-s-last-messenger-of-misery-is-a-hollow-actor/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [ It \[August 10th 1792\] was the bloodiest day of the Revolution so far, but also one of the most decisive. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-doyle/it-august-10th-1792-was-the-bloodiest-day-of-the-revolution-so-far/) William Doyle > [How sociable the garden was. We ate and talked in given light. The children put their toys to grass All the warm wakeful August…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/how-sociable-the-garden-was-we-ate-and-talked-in-given-light-the/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [It's August, which means Congress is on recess and Mitch McConnell has shimmied back into the ocean to seek a mate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/it-s-august-which-means-congress-is-on-recess-and-mitch-mcconnell-has/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [I studied acting in NYU's graduate program, in which we covered everything from Ibsen and Chekov to August Wilson and David Mamet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-holland/i-studied-acting-in-nyu-s-graduate-program-in-which-we-covered/) [Andre Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-holland/) > [There could be oil coming up until August.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-browner/there-could-be-oil-coming-up-until-august/) [Carol Browner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-browner/) > [The 6th of August in the morning we saw an opening in the land and we ran into it, and anchored in 7 and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-dampier/the-6th-of-august-in-the-morning-we-saw-an-opening-in-the-land-and-we/) [William Dampier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dampier/) > [August creates as she slumbers, replete and satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-wood-krutch/august-creates-as-she-slumbers-replete-and-satisfied/) [Joseph Wood Krutch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-wood-krutch/) > [I left for Petersburg in August, 1871 and stayed there until 1879.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-spitteler/i-left-for-petersburg-in-august-1871-and-stayed-there-until-1879/) Carl Spitteler [Browse all 448 August quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/august/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think that sense of unreality inspired me to write the story within the book that [August] Brill tells himself, one of the stories he tells himself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Auster" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-think-that-sense-of-unreality-inspired-me-to-write-the-story-within/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "August" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-think-that-sense-of-unreality-inspired-me-to-write-the-story-within/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc6/paul-auster-351_august_i-think-that-sense-of-unreality-inspired_3009692.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc6/paul-auster-351_august_i-think-that-sense-of-unreality-inspired_3009692.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc6/paul-auster-351_august_i-think-that-sense-of-unreality-inspired_3009692.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think that sense of unreality inspired me to write the story within the book that [August] Brill tells…” — Paul Auster", "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": "Paul Auster", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think that sense of unreality...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-think-that-sense-of-unreality-inspired-me-to-write-the-story-within/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-think-that-sense-of-unreality-inspired-me-to-write-the-story-within/#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 } } ] } ```