--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I know now that the mythic monster I…" description: "\"I know now that the mythic monster I created was largely a fiction.\" — Peter Benchley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebb/peter-benchley-10002_fiction_i-know-now-that-the-mythic-monster-i-cre_2868005.jpg" --- # I know now that the mythic monster I created was largely a… ![“I know now that the mythic monster I created was largely a fiction.” quote by Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebb/peter-benchley-10002_fiction_i-know-now-that-the-mythic-monster-i-cre_2868005.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebb/peter-benchley-10002_fiction_i-know-now-that-the-mythic-monster-i-cre_2868005.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebb/peter-benchley-10002_fiction_i-know-now-that-the-mythic-monster-i-cre_2868005.jpg) > “I know now that the mythic monster I created was largely a fiction.” [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He reflects that the monstrous creature he imagined was largely fictional, acknowledging creative exaggeration. **In simple terms:** The monster was mostly fictional. Key Takeaway Recognize fiction vs reality. Themes literature myth creativity Mood reflective creative Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - storytelling - media analysis - myth debunking Key Concepts monster myth creative process fictionalization Questions to Reflect On - Why create monsters? - How does myth influence perception? A Different Perspective May downplay real fears. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Created Largely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/created-largely-3908127/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Largely Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/largely-fiction-3908126/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Monster Created](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monster-created-908651/) [Monsters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monsters/) [Mythic Monster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mythic-monster-3908125/) ## Related quotes > [The internet is something created largely by public funding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-internet-is-something-created-largely-by-public-funding/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I beheld the wretch-the miserable monster whom I had created.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-beheld-the-wretch-the-miserable-monster-whom-i-had-created/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Raavan is not as powerful as the people of Sapt Sindhu think he is. But he revels in this image of the monster that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amish-tripathi/raavan-is-not-as-powerful-as-the-people-of-sapt-sindhu-think-he-is/) [Amish Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amish-tripathi/) > [Fear is nothing more than a mental monster you have created, a negative stream of consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/fear-is-nothing-more-than-a-mental-monster-you-have-created-a/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [In a deeply tribal sense, we love our monsters, and I think that is the key to it right there. It is monsters; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/in-a-deeply-tribal-sense-we-love-our-monsters-and-i-think-that-is-the/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [I'd love to do a movie where the monster is human, where the issue is not otherworldly, or horror or science fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-j-abrams/i-d-love-to-do-a-movie-where-the-monster-is-human-where-the-issue-is/) [J. J. Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-j-abrams/) > [I have a private theory, Sir, that there are no heroes and no monsters in this world. 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Only...I want to die as myself. Does that make any sense?' he asks. I shake my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-don-t-know-how-to-say-it-exactly-only-i-want-to-die-as-myself-does/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [Our memory is a monster; you forget it - it does not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/our-memory-is-a-monster-you-forget-it-it-does-not/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) ## More by Peter Benchley > [If you take away the predators in the prairies and the national parks, you suddenly have an explosion of elk, and then you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/if-you-take-away-the-predators-in-the-prairies-and-the-national-parks/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [Without sharks, you take away the apex predator of the ocean, and you destroy the entire food chain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/without-sharks-you-take-away-the-apex-predator-of-the-ocean-and-you/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [Since writing JAWS, I've been lucky enough to do close to forty television shows about wildlife in the oceans, and yes, I have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/since-writing-jaws-i-ve-been-lucky-enough-to-do-close-to-forty/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [“Intellectually, they knew a great deal. Practically, they chose to know almost nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/intellectually-they-knew-a-great-deal-practically-they-chose-to-know/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [“Come up fish. Come to Quint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/come-up-fish-come-to-quint/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [Oceanography is a terrific career because gradually we seem to be coming around to realize that we had better become as acquainted with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/oceanography-is-a-terrific-career-because-gradually-we-seem-to-be/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [“He felt at once betrayed and betrayer, deceived and deceiver. He was a criminal forced into crime, an unwilling whore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/he-felt-at-once-betrayed-and-betrayer-deceived-and-deceiver-he-was-a/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [The great fish moved silently through the night water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/the-great-fish-moved-silently-through-the-night-water/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [Sharks have everything a scientist dreams of. They're beautiful―God, how beautiful they are! They're like an impossibly perfect piece of machinery. They're as graceful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/sharks-have-everything-a-scientist-dreams-of-they-re-beautiful-god/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [In a deeply tribal sense, we love our monsters, and I think that is the key to it right there. It is monsters; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/in-a-deeply-tribal-sense-we-love-our-monsters-and-i-think-that-is-the/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [There was a minor burst of macho nuttiness after 'Jaws' came out, in which people would go off in shark tournaments and come back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/there-was-a-minor-burst-of-macho-nuttiness-after-jaws-came-out-in/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [The fish was an enemy. It had come upon the community and killed two men, a woman, and a child. The people of Amity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/the-fish-was-an-enemy-it-had-come-upon-the-community-and-killed-two/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [“A man dies, girl, he isn't any more, least not down here. Respect and all that crap doesn't deserve the dead; it just makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/a-man-dies-girl-he-isn-t-any-more-least-not-down-here-respect-and-all/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [The past always seems better when you look back on it than it did at the time. And the present never looks as good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/the-past-always-seems-better-when-you-look-back-on-it-than-it-did-at/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [“The past always seems better when you look back on it than it did at the time. And the present never looks as good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/the-past-always-seems-better-when-you-look-back-on-it-than-it-did-at-2/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) [Explore all 64 Peter Benchley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) ## More Fiction quotes > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) [Phil Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hogan/) > [The thing about science fiction is that it's totally wide open. But it's wide open in a conditional way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-butler/the-thing-about-science-fiction-is-that-it-s-totally-wide-open-but-it/) [Octavia Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-butler/) > [I do think that theater is a great venue for science fiction, and not just adaptations but also original work. I also think some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-einhorn/i-do-think-that-theater-is-a-great-venue-for-science-fiction-and-not/) [Edward Einhorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-einhorn/) > [Fiction is a way of exploring possibilities present but undreamt of in the living of a single life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/fiction-is-a-way-of-exploring-possibilities-present-but-undreamt-of/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [I love writing fiction and can do it anywhere - I once even missed a flight because I was so engrossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prue-leith/i-love-writing-fiction-and-can-do-it-anywhere-i-once-even-missed-a/) [Prue Leith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prue-leith/) > [“The fiction will seek the real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coheed-and-cambria/the-fiction-will-seek-the-real/) [Coheed and Cambria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coheed-and-cambria/) > [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [The danger that may really threaten (crime fiction) is that soon there will be more writers than readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-danger-that-may-really-threaten-crime-fiction-is-that-soon-there/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/) [L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/) > [Inspiration comes from so many sources. Music, other fiction, the non-fiction I read, TV shows, films, news reports, people I know, stories I hear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/inspiration-comes-from-so-many-sources-music-other-fiction-the-non/) [Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/) > [I'm not interested in making a diagnostic novel or a concern. I'm 100 percent committed in fiction to the pleasure principle - that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/i-m-not-interested-in-making-a-diagnostic-novel-or-a-concern-i-m-100/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [“His hands on my waist he gently pulled me n embrace. I could feel his breath on my face our lips were about to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-eglinger/his-hands-on-my-waist-he-gently-pulled-me-n-embrace-i-could-feel-his/) [Nicole Eglinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-eglinger/) > [In early drafts, one of the trickiest things for me to do was to realize that the techniques and devices that make readable and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rooney/in-early-drafts-one-of-the-trickiest-things-for-me-to-do-was-to/) [Kathleen Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-rooney/) > [I don't think it's always a sign of respect for persons (inside or outside of fiction) to pretend to be able to represent, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/i-don-t-think-it-s-always-a-sign-of-respect-for-persons-inside-or/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [Metafiction says something. It has to do with taking a large fiction itself and writing within it; that kind of self-reflecting writing that emerges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-coover/metafiction-says-something-it-has-to-do-with-taking-a-large-fiction/) [Robert Coover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-coover/) [Browse all 7,410 Fiction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I know now that the mythic monster I created was largely a fiction.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Benchley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/i-know-now-that-the-mythic-monster-i-created-was-largely-a-fiction/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fiction" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/i-know-now-that-the-mythic-monster-i-created-was-largely-a-fiction/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebb/peter-benchley-10002_fiction_i-know-now-that-the-mythic-monster-i-cre_2868005.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebb/peter-benchley-10002_fiction_i-know-now-that-the-mythic-monster-i-cre_2868005.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebb/peter-benchley-10002_fiction_i-know-now-that-the-mythic-monster-i-cre_2868005.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I know now that the mythic monster I created was largely a fiction.” — Peter Benchley", "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": "Peter Benchley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I know now that the mythic...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/i-know-now-that-the-mythic-monster-i-created-was-largely-a-fiction/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/i-know-now-that-the-mythic-monster-i-created-was-largely-a-fiction/#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 } } ] } ```