--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Thomas Wolfe ate the world and vomited…" description: "\"“Thomas Wolfe ate the world and vomited lava. Dickens dined at a different table every hour of his life. Molière, tasting society, turned to pick up hi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33e/ray-bradbury-75_wolfe_thomas-wolfe-ate-the-world-and-vomited-l_2538576.jpg" --- # Thomas Wolfe ate the world and vomited lava. Dickens dined… ![“Thomas Wolfe ate the world and vomited lava. Dickens dined at a different table every hour of his life. Molière, tasting society, turned to pick up his scalpel, as did Pope and Shaw. Everywhere you look in the literary cosmos, the great ones are busy loving and hating.” quote by Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33e/ray-bradbury-75_wolfe_thomas-wolfe-ate-the-world-and-vomited-l_2538576.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33e/ray-bradbury-75_wolfe_thomas-wolfe-ate-the-world-and-vomited-l_2538576.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33e/ray-bradbury-75_wolfe_thomas-wolfe-ate-the-world-and-vomited-l_2538576.jpg) > ““Thomas Wolfe ate the world and vomited lava. Dickens dined at a different table every hour of his life. Molière, tasting society, turned to pick up his scalpel, as did Pope and Shaw. Everywhere you look in the literary cosmos, the great ones are busy loving and hating.”” [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Great writers love and hate, reflecting the complexity of human experience. **In simple terms:** Writers are passionate and conflicted. Key Takeaway Value passion in creative work. Themes creativity passion conflict Mood inspirational intense Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - writing workshops - book clubs - art critiques - personal journaling Key Concepts Literary criticism psychology Questions to Reflect On - What drives your creative fire? - How do you balance love and hate in art? A Different Perspective Passion can lead to burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dickens Dined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dickens-dined-1411976/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thomas-wolfe/) [Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wolfe/) [Wolfe Ate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wolfe-ate-1411975/) [World Vomited](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-vomited-1411977/) ## Related quotes > [I've read everything Thomas Wolfe ever wrote; my brother and I memorized whole chapters of 'You Can't Go Home Again' and 'Look Homeward, Angel.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-ve-read-everything-thomas-wolfe-ever-wrote-my-brother-and-i/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I do not agree with Thomas Wolfe... about anything. You can go home again as long as you don't expect home to be what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-burr/i-do-not-agree-with-thomas-wolfe-about-anything-you-can-go-home-again/) [Raymond Burr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-burr/) > [I can remember that on the shelves at home, there were these books by Thomas Wolfe. 'Look Homeward Angel' and 'Of Time and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/i-can-remember-that-on-the-shelves-at-home-there-were-these-books-by/) [Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/) > [“There was a pair of books, one by Hemingway, another by Thomas Wolfe. Each had written a long inscription to the other. A knowledgeable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-hoover-bartlett/there-was-a-pair-of-books-one-by-hemingway-another-by-thomas-wolfe/) [Allison Hoover Bartlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-hoover-bartlett/) > [“From p. 40 of Signet Edition of Thomas Wolfe's \_You Can't Go Home Again\_ (1940): Some things will never change. Some things will always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/from-p-40-of-signet-edition-of-thomas-wolfe-s-you-can-t-go-home-again/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [“she wanted to know what American writers I liked. "Hawthorne, Henry James, Emily Dickinson…" "No, living." Ah, well, hmm, let's see: how difficult, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/she-wanted-to-know-what-american-writers-i-liked-hawthorne-henry/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [“Thomas Wolfe, in You Can’t Go Home Again, writes, “To lose the earth you know, for greater knowing; to lose the life you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-boyle/thomas-wolfe-in-you-can-t-go-home-again-writes-to-lose-the-earth-you/) [Gregory Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-boyle/) > [“Carrying his books from one life into the next was nothing new to Zuckerman. He had left his family for Chicago in 1949 carrying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/carrying-his-books-from-one-life-into-the-next-was-nothing-new-to/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [“If a man has a talent and cannot use it, he has failed. If he has a talent and only uses half of it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/if-a-man-has-a-talent-and-cannot-use-it-he-has-failed-if-he-has-a/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [I actually thought I wanted to be Thomas Wolfe, but I didn't have the talent. So I thought I could edit Thomas Wolfe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-skipper/i-actually-thought-i-wanted-to-be-thomas-wolfe-but-i-didn-t-have-the/) [John Skipper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-skipper/) > [“Thomas Wolfe warned in the title of America’s great novel that ‘You Can’t Go Home Again.’ I enjoyed the book but I never agreed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/thomas-wolfe-warned-in-the-title-of-america-s-great-novel-that-you/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“She said that the reason you can never go home again - we were studying a list of famous quotes and discussing their meaning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/she-said-that-the-reason-you-can-never-go-home-again-we-were-studying/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [ “\[Death is\] to lose the earth you know, for greater knowing; to lose the life you have, for greater life; to leave the friends… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wiley-cash/death-is-to-lose-the-earth-you-know-for-greater-knowing-to-lose-the/) [Wiley Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wiley-cash/) > [“After experiencing life in Nazi Germany, Thomas Wolfe wrote, “Here was an entire nation … infested with the contagion of an ever-present fear. It was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/after-experiencing-life-in-nazi-germany-thomas-wolfe-wrote-here-was/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [“I visualized myself at Norma's house, stretched out on her couch, my eyes closed, and she at bthe paino playing a powerful movement from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-visualized-myself-at-norma-s-house-stretched-out-on-her-couch-my/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) ## More by Ray Bradbury > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Do you ever read any of the books you burn?" He laughed. "That's against the law!" "Oh. Of course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/do-you-ever-read-any-of-the-books-you-burn-he-laughed-that-s-against/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [There's no reason to burn books if you don't read them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/there-s-no-reason-to-burn-books-if-you-don-t-read-them/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [We were put here as witnesses to the miracle of life. We see the stars, and we want them. We are beholden to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/we-were-put-here-as-witnesses-to-the-miracle-of-life-we-see-the-stars/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Remember, with writing, what you’re looking for is just one person to come up and tell you, 'I love you for what you do.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/remember-with-writing-what-you-re-looking-for-is-just-one-person-to/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [As a result of reading science fiction when I was eight, I grew up with an interest in music, architecture, city planning, transportation, politics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/as-a-result-of-reading-science-fiction-when-i-was-eight-i-grew-up/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“You can’t learn to write in college. It’s a very bad place for writers because the teachers always think they know more than you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-can-t-learn-to-write-in-college-it-s-a-very-bad-place-for-writers/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [We're going to become the martians when we land there. When we explore and build communities, we become the martians. That's a wonderful destiny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/we-re-going-to-become-the-martians-when-we-land-there-when-we-explore/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I wish you a wrestling match with your Creative Muse that will last a lifetime. ... I wish craziness and foolishness and madness upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-wish-you-a-wrestling-match-with-your-creative-muse-that-will-last-a/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [The library is the biggest cracker box factory in the world. The more you eat, the more you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/the-library-is-the-biggest-cracker-box-factory-in-the-world-the-more/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [We travel for romance, we travel for architecture, and we travel to be lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/we-travel-for-romance-we-travel-for-architecture-and-we-travel-to-be/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I spent three days a week for 10 years educating myself in the public library, and it's better than college. People should educate themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-spent-three-days-a-week-for-10-years-educating-myself-in-the-public/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [If we try to deny the darkness in our souls then we'll become completely dark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/if-we-try-to-deny-the-darkness-in-our-souls-then-we-ll-become/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [But remember that the Captain belongs to the most dangerous enemy to truth and freedom, the solid unmoving cattle of the majority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/but-remember-that-the-captain-belongs-to-the-most-dangerous-enemy-to/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) [Explore all 1,520 Ray Bradbury quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) ## More Wolfe quotes > [“The family landed in the Western Hemisphere in the person of Roger Blake Wolfe, who arrived with a price on his head.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carlos-blake/the-family-landed-in-the-western-hemisphere-in-the-person-of-roger/) [James Carlos Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carlos-blake/) > [The death of a young wolfe doth never come too soon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/the-death-of-a-young-wolfe-doth-never-come-too-soon/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [I've read everything Thomas Wolfe ever wrote; my brother and I memorized whole chapters of 'You Can't Go Home Again' and 'Look Homeward, Angel.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-ve-read-everything-thomas-wolfe-ever-wrote-my-brother-and-i/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“You used nunchucks on a moose?" Wolfe got a haunted look in his eyes. "I used all sorts of things on that bastard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/you-used-nunchucks-on-a-moose-wolfe-got-a-haunted-look-in-his-eyes-i/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [I'm sure there is an infinite number of men who Ann Wolfe can knock out. I'm one of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hauser/i-m-sure-there-is-an-infinite-number-of-men-who-ann-wolfe-can-knock/) [Thomas Hauser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hauser/) > [“Frankly, I wish I could make my heart quit doing an extra thump when Wolfe says satisfactory, Archie. It's childish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/frankly-i-wish-i-could-make-my-heart-quit-doing-an-extra-thump-when/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) > [Rex Stout's narrative and dialogue could not be improved, and he passes the supreme test of being rereadable. I don't know how many times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse-2/rex-stout-s-narrative-and-dialogue-could-not-be-improved-and-he/) [P. G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse-2/) > [“everything from war to picnics depends on the weather, as Wolfe remarked”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/everything-from-war-to-picnics-depends-on-the-weather-as-wolfe/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) > [I do not agree with Thomas Wolfe... about anything. You can go home again as long as you don't expect home to be what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-burr/i-do-not-agree-with-thomas-wolfe-about-anything-you-can-go-home-again/) [Raymond Burr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-burr/) > [Who hath a Wolfe for his mate, needes a Dog for his man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/who-hath-a-wolfe-for-his-mate-needes-a-dog-for-his-man/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [“LEMON PIE. MRS. SUSIE B. DE WOLFE.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/lemon-pie-mrs-susie-b-de-wolfe/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Fritz was standing there, four feet back from the door to the office, which was standing open, staring wide-eyed at me. When he saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/fritz-was-standing-there-four-feet-back-from-the-door-to-the-office/) [Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/) > [“But you're right-you are an idiot if you thought I ever stopped loving you . . . Mr. Wolfe”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-snow/but-you-re-right-you-are-an-idiot-if-you-thought-i-ever-stopped/) [Emily Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-snow/) > [Woman to man Is either a God or a wolfe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-webster/woman-to-man-is-either-a-god-or-a-wolfe/) [John Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-webster/) > [“When either one of us gets an order from Wolfe that isn't mind-bleedingly stupid there will be no way you will miss it, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lia-habel/when-either-one-of-us-gets-an-order-from-wolfe-that-isn-t-mind/) [Lia Habel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lia-habel/) [Browse all 51 Wolfe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wolfe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Thomas Wolfe ate the world and vomited lava. Dickens dined at a different table every hour of his life. 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