---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Although some people think I am a…"
description: "\"Although some people think I am a romantic novelist I have always thought of myself as a rather gritty radical historian.\" — Philippa Gregory"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5b/philippa-gregory-674_historian_although-some-people-think-i-am-a-romant_650461.png"
---

#  Although some people think I am a romantic novelist I have…

![“Although some people think I am a romantic novelist I have always thought of myself as a rather gritty radical historian.” quote by Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5b/philippa-gregory-674_historian_although-some-people-think-i-am-a-romant_650461.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5b/philippa-gregory-674_historian_although-some-people-think-i-am-a-romant_650461.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5b/philippa-gregory-674_historian_although-some-people-think-i-am-a-romant_650461.png)

> “Although some people think I am a romantic novelist I have always thought of myself as a rather gritty radical historian.”

[Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The author sees herself not as a romantic novelist but as a gritty, radical historian, emphasizing a more serious, activist perspective.

**In simple terms:** She identifies as a radical historian, not a romance writer.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the depth behind genre labels.

Themes

genre identity history

Mood

reflective inquisitive

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- historical fiction
- academic writing
- public speaking

Key Concepts

radicalism historical narrative literary classification

Questions to Reflect On

- How does genre affect reader expectations?
- What responsibilities do historians have to activism?

A Different Perspective

Labels can limit perception of an author's true intent.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Novelists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novelists/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Radical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radical/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [I only became a novelist because I thought I had missed my chance to become a historian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/i-only-became-a-novelist-because-i-thought-i-had-missed-my-chance-to/)

[Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/)

> [As a successful romantic novelist - one of my publishers is Mills & Boon - I create the sort of male heroes that no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-c-cast-2/as-a-successful-romantic-novelist-one-of-my-publishers-is-mills-boon/)

[P. C. Cast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-c-cast-2/)

> [“The thought of the novelist that matters most is the thought that makes him a novelist. The thought of the novelist lies not in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/the-thought-of-the-novelist-that-matters-most-is-the-thought-that/)

[Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/)

> [When I was fifteen I wrote seven hundred pages of an incredibly bad novel - it's a very funny book I still like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/when-i-was-fifteen-i-wrote-seven-hundred-pages-of-an-incredibly-bad/)

[Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/)

> [“I had no respect whatsoever for the creative works of either the painter or the novelist. I thought Karabekian with his meaningless pictures had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-had-no-respect-whatsoever-for-the-creative-works-of-either-the/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [From about ninth grade on, I knew I was a writer at heart. I had fantasies of being a great novelist, but I thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/from-about-ninth-grade-on-i-knew-i-was-a-writer-at-heart-i-had/)

[Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/)

> [“ Whoever looks for the writer’s thinking in the words and thoughts of his characters is looking in the wrong direction. Seeking out a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/whoever-looks-for-the-writer-s-thinking-in-the-words-and-thoughts-of/)

[Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/)

> [The issue of civil rights was too much for the establishment to handle. One of the chapters of history that's least studied by historians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hayden/the-issue-of-civil-rights-was-too-much-for-the-establishment-to/)

[Tom Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hayden/)

> [The historian amputates reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaetano-salvemini/the-historian-amputates-reality/)

Gaetano Salvemini

> [The novelist must look on humanity without partiality or prejudice. His sympathy, like that of the historian, must be unbounded, and untainted by sect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldwin-smith/the-novelist-must-look-on-humanity-without-partiality-or-prejudice/)

[Goldwin Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldwin-smith/)

> [A historian is not always a prophet facing backwards, but a journalist is always someone who afterwards knew everything beforehand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/a-historian-is-not-always-a-prophet-facing-backwards-but-a-journalist/)

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

> [In history as it comes to be written, there is usually some Spirit of the Age which historians can define, but the shape of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-wood-krutch/in-history-as-it-comes-to-be-written-there-is-usually-some-spirit-of/)

[Joseph Wood Krutch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-wood-krutch/)

> [“military historian Richard Holmes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-wright/military-historian-richard-holmes/)

Clare Wright

> [The world's history is a divine poem, of which the history of every nation is a canto, and every man a word. Its strains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/the-world-s-history-is-a-divine-poem-of-which-the-history-of-every/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/)

[John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/)

## More by Philippa Gregory

> [“Mother, before God," I say, my voice shaking with tears, "I swear that I have to believe that there is more for me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/mother-before-god-i-say-my-voice-shaking-with-tears-i-swear-that-i/)

[Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/)

> [“Say yes,’ he whispers. ‘Marry me.’ I hesitate. I open my eyes. ‘You will get my fortune,’ I remark. ‘When I marry you, everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/say-yes-he-whispers-marry-me-i-hesitate-i-open-my-eyes-you-will-get/)

[Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/)

> [“But I warn you that a woman who seeks great power and wealth has to pay a great price, Perhaps you will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/but-i-warn-you-that-a-woman-who-seeks-great-power-and-wealth-has-to/)

[Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/)

> [“I raised my hand to wave in case he looked back; but he did not. He rode straight backed, looking forward. He rode like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/i-raised-my-hand-to-wave-in-case-he-looked-back-but-he-did-not-he/)

[Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/)

> [“When you are still and thoughtful you are as lovely as the statues they are carving in Italy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/when-you-are-still-and-thoughtful-you-are-as-lovely-as-the-statues/)

[Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/)

> [Edward lives as if there is no tomorrow, Richard as if he wants no tomorrow, and George as though someone should give it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/edward-lives-as-if-there-is-no-tomorrow-richard-as-if-he-wants-no/)

[Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/)

> [You can smile when your heart is breaking because you're a woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/you-can-smile-when-your-heart-is-breaking-because-you-re-a-woman/)

[Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/)

> [En Ma Fin Est Ma Commencement - In my end is my beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/en-ma-fin-est-ma-commencement-in-my-end-is-my-beginning/)

[Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/)

> [“We fell asleep wrapped in each other as if we could not bear to part, even in sleep we could not bear to let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/we-fell-asleep-wrapped-in-each-other-as-if-we-could-not-bear-to-part/)

[Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/)

> [“One little boy, and he a bastard,' Anne said thoughtfully. 'One little girl of six, one elderly Queen and a King in the prime…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/one-little-boy-and-he-a-bastard-anne-said-thoughtfully-one-little/)

[Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/)

> [“We have been married little more than a year and already there is a terrible silence around some subjects. We never speak of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/we-have-been-married-little-more-than-a-year-and-already-there-is-a/)

[Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/)

> [“It doesn’t matter if you call it magic or determination. It doesn’t matter if you make a spell or a plot. You have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/it-doesn-t-matter-if-you-call-it-magic-or-determination-it-doesn-t/)

[Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/)

> [“You are my heart. Even if you are a broken heart”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/you-are-my-heart-even-if-you-are-a-broken-heart/)

[Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/)

> [“I have overturned the order. Nothing will ever be the same for any woman in this country again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/i-have-overturned-the-order-nothing-will-ever-be-the-same-for-any/)

[Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/)

> [“I will make my own future, not predict it. I don’t need a charm to tell me what I hope will happen. I throw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/i-will-make-my-own-future-not-predict-it-i-don-t-need-a-charm-to-tell/)

[Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/)

[Explore all 408 Philippa Gregory quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/)

## More Historian quotes

> [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/)

[John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/)

> [The world's history is a divine poem, of which the history of every nation is a canto, and every man a word. Its strains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/the-world-s-history-is-a-divine-poem-of-which-the-history-of-every/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [“military historian Richard Holmes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-wright/military-historian-richard-holmes/)

Clare Wright

> [In history as it comes to be written, there is usually some Spirit of the Age which historians can define, but the shape of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-wood-krutch/in-history-as-it-comes-to-be-written-there-is-usually-some-spirit-of/)

[Joseph Wood Krutch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-wood-krutch/)

> [A historian is not always a prophet facing backwards, but a journalist is always someone who afterwards knew everything beforehand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/a-historian-is-not-always-a-prophet-facing-backwards-but-a-journalist/)

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

> [The novelist must look on humanity without partiality or prejudice. His sympathy, like that of the historian, must be unbounded, and untainted by sect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldwin-smith/the-novelist-must-look-on-humanity-without-partiality-or-prejudice/)

[Goldwin Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldwin-smith/)

> [The historian amputates reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaetano-salvemini/the-historian-amputates-reality/)

Gaetano Salvemini

> [The issue of civil rights was too much for the establishment to handle. One of the chapters of history that's least studied by historians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hayden/the-issue-of-civil-rights-was-too-much-for-the-establishment-to/)

[Tom Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hayden/)

> [All I am in private life is a literary critic and historian, that's my job...And I'm prepared to say on that basis if anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/all-i-am-in-private-life-is-a-literary-critic-and-historian-that-s-my/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [“The historian will tell you what happened, the novelist will tell you what it felt like.” E.L. Doctorow”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-historian-will-tell-you-what-happened-the-novelist-will-tell-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If experiments are performed thousands of times at all seasons and in every place without once producing the effects mentioned by your philosophers, poets,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/if-experiments-are-performed-thousands-of-times-at-all-seasons-and-in/)

[Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/)

> [I'm a historian by training and by conviction. And so the thing that has throughout informed my thinking about international relations is history. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/i-m-a-historian-by-training-and-by-conviction-and-so-the-thing-that/)

[Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/)

> [The footnote would seem to be the smallest detail in a work of history. Yet it carries a large burden of responsibility, testifying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-himmelfarb/the-footnote-would-seem-to-be-the-smallest-detail-in-a-work-of/)

[Gertrude Himmelfarb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-himmelfarb/)

> [Who says history is stagnant? For a historian, facts do not change; it is the way we look at things, our interpretations, that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/who-says-history-is-stagnant-for-a-historian-facts-do-not-change-it/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Since history has no properly scientific value, its only purpose is educative. And if historians neglect to educate the public, if they fail to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-m-trevelyan/since-history-has-no-properly-scientific-value-its-only-purpose-is/)

[G. M. Trevelyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-m-trevelyan/)

Browse all 920 Historian quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Although some people think I am a romantic novelist I have always thought of myself as a rather gritty radical historian.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Philippa Gregory"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/although-some-people-think-i-am-a-romantic-novelist-i-have-always/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Historian"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/although-some-people-think-i-am-a-romantic-novelist-i-have-always/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5b/philippa-gregory-674_historian_although-some-people-think-i-am-a-romant_650461.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5b/philippa-gregory-674_historian_although-some-people-think-i-am-a-romant_650461.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5b/philippa-gregory-674_historian_although-some-people-think-i-am-a-romant_650461.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Although some people think I am a romantic novelist I have always thought of myself as a rather gritty…” — Philippa Gregory",
                "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": "Philippa Gregory",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Although some people think I am...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/although-some-people-think-i-am-a-romantic-novelist-i-have-always/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/although-some-people-think-i-am-a-romantic-novelist-i-have-always/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```