--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wonder if we are all wrong about each…" description: "\"I wonder if we are all wrong about each other, if we are just composing unwritten novels about the people we meet?\" — Rebecca West" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a68/rebecca-west-1248_composing_i-wonder-if-we-are-all-wrong-about-each_828673.jpg" --- # I wonder if we are all wrong about each other, if we are… ![“I wonder if we are all wrong about each other, if we are just composing unwritten novels about the people we meet?” quote by Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a68/rebecca-west-1248_composing_i-wonder-if-we-are-all-wrong-about-each_828673.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a68/rebecca-west-1248_composing_i-wonder-if-we-are-all-wrong-about-each_828673.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a68/rebecca-west-1248_composing_i-wonder-if-we-are-all-wrong-about-each_828673.jpg) > “I wonder if we are all wrong about each other, if we are just composing unwritten novels about the people we meet?” [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We often misinterpret others, imagining their lives as stories we author ourselves. **In simple terms:** We see others as characters in our imagined narratives. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about others. Themes perception misunderstanding relationships Mood reflective curious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - first meetings - online dating - team building Key Concepts Narrative construction social cognition Questions to Reflect On - How does this view affect empathy? - Can we see others without narrative bias? A Different Perspective People are not fictional; they have agency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) ## Related quotes > [Call me territorial or narcissistic, but I avoid novels about people who share my vocation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/call-me-territorial-or-narcissistic-but-i-avoid-novels-about-people/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [“Sometimes, I feel like I connect more deeply with the characters in novels than with people I meet in real life. Maybe because in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/varian-krylov/sometimes-i-feel-like-i-connect-more-deeply-with-the-characters-in/) [Varian Krylov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/varian-krylov/) > [All my novels are about people who strive to heal and evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-faber/all-my-novels-are-about-people-who-strive-to-heal-and-evolve/) [Michel Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-faber/) > [I love movies, but I would love to write as many graphic novels as people would read from me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-beacham/i-love-movies-but-i-would-love-to-write-as-many-graphic-novels-as/) [Travis Beacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-beacham/) > [It's true that immigrant novels have to do with people going from one country to another, but there isn't a single novel that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-hijuelos/it-s-true-that-immigrant-novels-have-to-do-with-people-going-from-one/) [Oscar Hijuelos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-hijuelos/) > [I imagine as long as people will continue to read novels, people will continue to write them, or vice versa; unless of course the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/i-imagine-as-long-as-people-will-continue-to-read-novels-people-will/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“Plenty of people were writing novels; in fact, if one did a survey in the street, half of Edinburgh was writing a novel, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/plenty-of-people-were-writing-novels-in-fact-if-one-did-a-survey-in/) [Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/) > [Novels are about other people and poems are about yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-larkin/novels-are-about-other-people-and-poems-are-about-yourself/) [Philip Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-larkin/) > [“You can’t write novels about people who are timid, risk-averse and passive. Or you can, but they’re called literary novels.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/you-can-t-write-novels-about-people-who-are-timid-risk-averse-and/) [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) > [I would only read the novels that people classify as 'beach books' if I were being held prisoner and the only alternative was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/i-would-only-read-the-novels-that-people-classify-as-beach-books-if-i/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [I think there's a false division people sometimes make in describing literary novels, where there are people who write systems novels, or novels of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-spiotta/i-think-there-s-a-false-division-people-sometimes-make-in-describing/) [Dana Spiotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-spiotta/) > [I asked a French critic a couple of years ago why my books did so well in France. He said it was because in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harrison/i-asked-a-french-critic-a-couple-of-years-ago-why-my-books-did-so/) [Jim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harrison/) > [Travel books are all sorts - some are autobiographies, some are about falling in love. Some are about having great meals, some are about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/travel-books-are-all-sorts-some-are-autobiographies-some-are-about/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [It's rather useless to write a gripping narrative with nothing in it but climate change because novels are always about people even if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/it-s-rather-useless-to-write-a-gripping-narrative-with-nothing-in-it/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [My novels are often about people who are in love or attracted to each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-boyd/my-novels-are-often-about-people-who-are-in-love-or-attracted-to-each/) [William Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-boyd/) ## More by Rebecca West > [I see the main problem of my life, and indeed anybody's life, as the balancing of competitive freedoms ... a sense of mutual obligations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/i-see-the-main-problem-of-my-life-and-indeed-anybody-s-life-as-the/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [“There is, of course, no reason for the existence of the male sex except that sometimes one needs help with moving the piano.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/there-is-of-course-no-reason-for-the-existence-of-the-male-sex-except/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [“At the top of a hill our automobile stuck in a snowdrift. Peasants ran out of a cottage near by, shouting with laughter because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/at-the-top-of-a-hill-our-automobile-stuck-in-a-snowdrift-peasants-ran/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [We all drew on the comfort which is given out by the major works of Mozart, which is as real and material as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/we-all-drew-on-the-comfort-which-is-given-out-by-the-major-works-of/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Christianity must be regarded not as a final revelation but as a phase of revelation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/christianity-must-be-regarded-not-as-a-final-revelation-but-as-a/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Art and propaganda have this much connection, that if a propaganda makes art impossible, it is clearly damned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/art-and-propaganda-have-this-much-connection-that-if-a-propaganda/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [The American struggle for the vote was much more difficult than the English for the simple reason that it was much more easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/the-american-struggle-for-the-vote-was-much-more-difficult-than-the/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [ Like all bad drivers, he \[Henry Andrews\] thought he was the best driver in the world... ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/like-all-bad-drivers-he-henry-andrews-thought-he-was-the-best-driver/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [The childhood of the individual and the race is full of fears, and panic-stricken attempts to avert what is feared by placating the gods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/the-childhood-of-the-individual-and-the-race-is-full-of-fears-and/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Humanity is never more sphinxlike than when it is expressing itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/humanity-is-never-more-sphinxlike-than-when-it-is-expressing-itself/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [ \[On Jane Austen:\] To believe her limited in range because she was harmonious in method is as sensible as to imagine that when the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/on-jane-austen-to-believe-her-limited-in-range-because-she-was/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [a good oyster cannot please the palate as acutely as a bad one can revolt it, and a good oyster cannot make him who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/a-good-oyster-cannot-please-the-palate-as-acutely-as-a-bad-one-can/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [If there is a God, I don't think He would demand that anyone bow down or stand up to Him. I often have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/if-there-is-a-god-i-don-t-think-he-would-demand-that-anyone-bow-down/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Any authentic work of art must start an argument between the artist and his audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/any-authentic-work-of-art-must-start-an-argument-between-the-artist/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [... there has never been a period in history when there have been necessary killings which has not been instantly followed by a period…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/there-has-never-been-a-period-in-history-when-there-have-been/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) [Explore all 264 Rebecca West quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) ## More Composing quotes > [Playing is much, much harder than composing in my opinion, becoming a player. If you want to be a player for all your life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-powell/playing-is-much-much-harder-than-composing-in-my-opinion-becoming-a/) [John Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-powell/) > [As human beings, we are the only organisms that create for the sheer stupid pleasure of doing so. Whether it's laying out a garden,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hamel/as-human-beings-we-are-the-only-organisms-that-create-for-the-sheer/) [Gary Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hamel/) > [Composing a piece of music is very feminine. It is sensitive, emotional, contemplative. By comparison, doing housework is positively masculine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kolb/composing-a-piece-of-music-is-very-feminine-it-is-sensitive-emotional/) Barbara Kolb > [I'm the only actor who has done everything, right from anchoring shows to composing and singing songs to theatre to movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javed-jaffrey/i-m-the-only-actor-who-has-done-everything-right-from-anchoring-shows/) [Javed Jaffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javed-jaffrey/) > [Even though, theoretically, being a composer and being a songwriter are the same thing, in my brain, they are completely different. When I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bacon/even-though-theoretically-being-a-composer-and-being-a-songwriter-are/) [Michael Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bacon/) > [I was really into the music of Cream after I finished composing the music for 'BTTB.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryuichi-sakamoto/i-was-really-into-the-music-of-cream-after-i-finished-composing-the/) [Ryuichi Sakamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryuichi-sakamoto/) > [I don't meditate before I play or compose, but I see playing and composing as meditative acts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-swallow/i-don-t-meditate-before-i-play-or-compose-but-i-see-playing-and/) Steve Swallow > [Every day I lugged my backpack through the halls, waiting for the final bell. Then I'd race home and hole up in my room,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-groban/every-day-i-lugged-my-backpack-through-the-halls-waiting-for-the/) [Josh Groban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-groban/) > [I'd always loved poetry and I'd always loved writing music and composing music, but I hadn't thought of putting the two together until around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/i-d-always-loved-poetry-and-i-d-always-loved-writing-music-and/) [Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/) > [It is hard work composing a song for a film and showing it to makers: 50% of the tune remains the same, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohit-chauhan/it-is-hard-work-composing-a-song-for-a-film-and-showing-it-to-makers/) [Mohit Chauhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohit-chauhan/) > [Every orchestra I know, every opera house I know, is desperately looking around trying to find new talent, new composing talent, supporting young composers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esa-pekka-salonen/every-orchestra-i-know-every-opera-house-i-know-is-desperately/) [Esa-Pekka Salonen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esa-pekka-salonen/) > [The material of music is sound and silence. Integrating these is composing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cage/the-material-of-music-is-sound-and-silence-integrating-these-is/) [John Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cage/) > [“To be in the middle of composing a book is almost always to feel oneself in a state of confusion, doubt and mental imprisonment…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-epstein/to-be-in-the-middle-of-composing-a-book-is-almost-always-to-feel/) [Joseph Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-epstein/) > [For musical compositions to reach a high level and to derive from spontaneity, of course, one has to do the necessary steps to learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilaiyaraaja/for-musical-compositions-to-reach-a-high-level-and-to-derive-from/) [Ilaiyaraaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilaiyaraaja/) > [The process of preparing programs for a digital computer is especially attractive, not only because it can economically and scientifically rewarding, but also because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-knuth/the-process-of-preparing-programs-for-a-digital-computer-is/) [Donald Knuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-knuth/) Browse all 334 Composing quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I wonder if we are all wrong about each other, if we are just composing unwritten novels about the people we meet?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rebecca West" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/i-wonder-if-we-are-all-wrong-about-each-other-if-we-are-just/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Composing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/i-wonder-if-we-are-all-wrong-about-each-other-if-we-are-just/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a68/rebecca-west-1248_composing_i-wonder-if-we-are-all-wrong-about-each_828673.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a68/rebecca-west-1248_composing_i-wonder-if-we-are-all-wrong-about-each_828673.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a68/rebecca-west-1248_composing_i-wonder-if-we-are-all-wrong-about-each_828673.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I wonder if we are all wrong about each other, if we are just composing unwritten novels about the people we…” — Rebecca West", "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": "Rebecca West", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I wonder if we are all...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/i-wonder-if-we-are-all-wrong-about-each-other-if-we-are-just/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/i-wonder-if-we-are-all-wrong-about-each-other-if-we-are-just/#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 } } ] } ```