--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am a reader. I am a writer. People…" description: "\"I am a reader. I am a writer. People assume I do these things to escape. You couldn't be more right. I'm escaping a world I don't like. A world I have ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/084/philip-k-dick-502_assuming_i-am-a-reader-i-am-a-writer-people-assum_2664916.jpg" --- # I am a reader. I am a writer. People assume I do these… ![“I am a reader. I am a writer. People assume I do these things to escape. You couldn't be more right. I'm escaping a world I don't like. A world I have no control in. In this world, I am nothing. I am a color, a height, a weight, a number. But in the world of books and writing, I am amazing. I am…” quote by Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/084/philip-k-dick-502_assuming_i-am-a-reader-i-am-a-writer-people-assum_2664916.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/084/philip-k-dick-502_assuming_i-am-a-reader-i-am-a-writer-people-assum_2664916.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/084/philip-k-dick-502_assuming_i-am-a-reader-i-am-a-writer-people-assum_2664916.jpg) > “I am a reader. I am a writer. People assume I do these things to escape. You couldn't be more right. I'm escaping a world I don't like. A world I have no control in. In this world, I am nothing. I am a color, a height, a weight, a number. But in the world of books and writing, I am amazing. I am powerful. I am different. People are better. Worlds are endless. Change is possible. Life is manageable.” [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker finds identity and agency through reading and writing, contrasting it with a powerless, impersonal external world. **In simple terms:** Books give the speaker power and purpose absent elsewhere. Key Takeaway Seek creative outlets to reclaim agency. Themes identity creativity empowerment escape control Mood reflective determined Type personal inspirational When to use this quote - personal crisis - creative work - mental health - self‑expression Key Concepts existentialism self‑actualization literature Questions to Reflect On - How does writing reshape your sense of self? - Can literature truly alter your reality? A Different Perspective Creative pursuits may not change external circumstances. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assuming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assuming/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Color](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Different people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-people/) [Different peoples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-peoples/) [Endless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endless/) [Escaping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/escaping/) [Escaping World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/escaping-world-533787/) [Height](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/height/) [Life is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is/) [Manageable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manageable/) [Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Powerful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerful/) [Reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader/) [Reader Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reader-writer-872509/) [This world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/this-world/) [Weight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weight/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Writer People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-people-608289/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Amazing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-amazing-461449/) ## Related quotes > [My films do have characters who have trouble escaping the world around them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lasse-hallstrom/my-films-do-have-characters-who-have-trouble-escaping-the-world/) [Lasse Hallstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lasse-hallstrom/) > [I think escapism is very important, certainly in my life. I love nothing more than escaping into the world of a film or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-barnes/i-think-escapism-is-very-important-certainly-in-my-life-i-love/) [Ben Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-barnes/) > [Singing is a way of escaping. It's another world. I'm no longer on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-piaf/singing-is-a-way-of-escaping-it-s-another-world-i-m-no-longer-on-earth/) [Edith Piaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-piaf/) > [That's why I'm an actress - escaping into a world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-walters/that-s-why-i-m-an-actress-escaping-into-a-world/) [Julie Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-walters/) > [“Karma has to be done, to the last moment, there is no way of escaping the world once one is in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aporva-kala/karma-has-to-be-done-to-the-last-moment-there-is-no-way-of-escaping/) [Aporva Kala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aporva-kala/) > [There is a tonic strength, in the hour of sorrow and affliction, in escaping from the world and society and getting back to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-george-jordan/there-is-a-tonic-strength-in-the-hour-of-sorrow-and-affliction-in/) [William George Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-george-jordan/) > [For me, singing is a way of escaping. It's another world. I'm no longer on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-piaf/for-me-singing-is-a-way-of-escaping-it-s-another-world-i-m-no-longer/) [Edith Piaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-piaf/) > [“Karma has to be done, there is o way of escaping the world once one is in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aporva-kala/karma-has-to-be-done-there-is-o-way-of-escaping-the-world-once-one-is/) [Aporva Kala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aporva-kala/) > [Everyone says TV's going down the tubes, and it's all reality, but there's some really good writing and some amazing opportunities if you're lucky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-price/everyone-says-tv-s-going-down-the-tubes-and-it-s-all-reality-but/) [Lindsay Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-price/) > [“Writing is an amazing thing. Because paper doesn't tell you to shut up, never ever EVER.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-anske/writing-is-an-amazing-thing-because-paper-doesn-t-tell-you-to-shut-up/) [Ksenia Anske](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-anske/) > [Being in a room with other people's energy yields such a different result. I love writing by myself still, but there's something amazing about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-michaelson/being-in-a-room-with-other-people-s-energy-yields-such-a-different/) [Ingrid Michaelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-michaelson/) > [I like pens. My writing is so amazing there's never a need to erase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-barry/i-like-pens-my-writing-is-so-amazing-there-s-never-a-need-to-erase/) [Todd Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-barry/) > [I think of my success as a kind of fluke. How else could I possibly think of it? And although it's a banal thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayana-mathis/i-think-of-my-success-as-a-kind-of-fluke-how-else-could-i-possibly/) [Ayana Mathis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayana-mathis/) > [I had always been interested in mythology. I suppose my brief stay in Wales during World War II influenced my writing, too. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/i-had-always-been-interested-in-mythology-i-suppose-my-brief-stay-in/) [Lloyd Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-alexander/) > [Writing is an amazing place to hide, to go into the rabbit hole, and pull the trap door down over your head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/writing-is-an-amazing-place-to-hide-to-go-into-the-rabbit-hole-and/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) ## More by Philip K. Dick > [So we and our elaborately evolving computers may meet each other halfway. Someday a human being, named perhaps Fred White, may shoot a robot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/so-we-and-our-elaborately-evolving-computers-may-meet-each-other/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [Even if all life on our planet is destroyed, there must be other life somewhere which we know nothing of. It is impossible that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/even-if-all-life-on-our-planet-is-destroyed-there-must-be-other-life/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [“That is not how you do it; you do not solve one problem with another, greater problem.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/that-is-not-how-you-do-it-you-do-not-solve-one-problem-with-another/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [For each person there is a sentence—a series of words—which has the power to destroy them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/for-each-person-there-is-a-sentence-a-series-of-words-which-has-the/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [I want to write about people I love, and put them into a fictional world spun out of my own mind, not the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/i-want-to-write-about-people-i-love-and-put-them-into-a-fictional/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [Why does a man cry? he wondered. Not like a woman; not for that. Not for sentiment. A man cries over the loss of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/why-does-a-man-cry-he-wondered-not-like-a-woman-not-for-that-not-for/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [The day came. The wrath descended. Sin, guilt, and retribution? The manic psychoses of those entities we referred to as states, institutions, systems -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/the-day-came-the-wrath-descended-sin-guilt-and-retribution-the-manic/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [The church of my choice is the free, open world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/the-church-of-my-choice-is-the-free-open-world/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [“I see,' Rick said. He felt numb. Completely. Throughout his entire body.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/i-see-rick-said-he-felt-numb-completely-throughout-his-entire-body/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [“What is identity? he asked himself. Where does the act end? Nobody knows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/what-is-identity-he-asked-himself-where-does-the-act-end-nobody-knows/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [You're killing yourself with cynicism. Your idols got taken away from you one by one and now you have nothing to give your love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/you-re-killing-yourself-with-cynicism-your-idols-got-taken-away-from/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [What scared me the most was when my father would put on the gasmask. His face would disappear... This was not a human being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/what-scared-me-the-most-was-when-my-father-would-put-on-the-gasmask/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [“A man is an angel that has become deranged, Joe Fernwright thought. Once they – all of them – had been genuine angels, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/a-man-is-an-angel-that-has-become-deranged-joe-fernwright-thought/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [“When do I see a photograph, when a reflection?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/when-do-i-see-a-photograph-when-a-reflection/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [My major preoccupation is the question, 'What is reality?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/my-major-preoccupation-is-the-question-what-is-reality/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) [Explore all 489 Philip K. Dick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) ## More Assuming quotes > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [Our young Marines of today are courageous, willing to make sacrifices, and are marvelous team players. I am confident our Corps, and indeed our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-conway/our-young-marines-of-today-are-courageous-willing-to-make-sacrifices/) [James T. Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-t-conway/) > [Everyone assumes writers spend their time lounging around, writing and occasionally striking a pose whilst having a think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/everyone-assumes-writers-spend-their-time-lounging-around-writing-and/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) > [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/) [Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/) > [A state of mind is something that one assumes. It cannot be purchased, it must be created.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/a-state-of-mind-is-something-that-one-assumes-it-cannot-be-purchased/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [One must believe that every living thing whatsoever must change insensibly in its organization and in its form... One must therefore never expect to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baptiste-lamarck/one-must-believe-that-every-living-thing-whatsoever-must-change/) [Jean-Baptiste Lamarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baptiste-lamarck/) > [I think the biggest problem working with me would be that I'm an only child, and so I have an internal dialogue that goes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/i-think-the-biggest-problem-working-with-me-would-be-that-i-m-an-only/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) > [It is worth noticing that those who assume an imposing demeanor and seek to pass themselves off for something beyond what they are, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/it-is-worth-noticing-that-those-who-assume-an-imposing-demeanor-and/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [People just assume that if you're famous, you're in Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/people-just-assume-that-if-you-re-famous-you-re-in-hollywood/) [Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/) > [The behavior of any bureaucratic organization can best be understood by assuming that it is controlled by a secret cabal of its enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-conquest/the-behavior-of-any-bureaucratic-organization-can-best-be-understood/) [Robert Conquest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-conquest/) > [Humans suffer from self-centred notions as to the nature of life. Humans assume that alien life forms should conform to standards that match our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-perry/humans-suffer-from-self-centred-notions-as-to-the-nature-of-life/) [Steve Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-perry/) > [We can use our art to become political, to become something you want to talk about. We make clothes, but we have the chance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivier-rousteing/we-can-use-our-art-to-become-political-to-become-something-you-want/) [Olivier Rousteing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivier-rousteing/) > [Everyone seems to assume that the unscrupulous parts of journalism will be the frivolous or jocular parts. This is against all ethical experience. Jokes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/everyone-seems-to-assume-that-the-unscrupulous-parts-of-journalism/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) [Browse all 2,452 Assuming quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assuming/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I am a reader. I am a writer. People assume I do these things to escape. You couldn't be more right. I'm escaping a world I don't like. A world I have no control in. In this world, I am nothing. I am a color, a height, a weight, a number. But in the world of books and writing, I am amazing. I am powerful. I am different. People are better. Worlds are endless. Change is possible. Life is manageable.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Philip K. Dick" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/i-am-a-reader-i-am-a-writer-people-assume-i-do-these-things-to-escape/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Assuming" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/i-am-a-reader-i-am-a-writer-people-assume-i-do-these-things-to-escape/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/084/philip-k-dick-502_assuming_i-am-a-reader-i-am-a-writer-people-assum_2664916.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/084/philip-k-dick-502_assuming_i-am-a-reader-i-am-a-writer-people-assum_2664916.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/084/philip-k-dick-502_assuming_i-am-a-reader-i-am-a-writer-people-assum_2664916.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I am a reader. I am a writer. People assume I do these things to escape. You couldn't be more right. I'm…” — Philip K. Dick", "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": "Philip K. Dick", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I am a reader. I am...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/i-am-a-reader-i-am-a-writer-people-assume-i-do-these-things-to-escape/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/i-am-a-reader-i-am-a-writer-people-assume-i-do-these-things-to-escape/#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 } } ] } ```