--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This idea that a book can either be about…" description: "\"This idea that a book can either be about character and feeling, or about politics and idea, is just a false binary. Ideas are an expression of the fee..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/richard-powers-8111_about_this-idea-that-a-book-can-either-be-abou_2377101.jpg" --- # This idea that a book can either be about character and… ![“This idea that a book can either be about character and feeling, or about politics and idea, is just a false binary. Ideas are an expression of the feelings and the intense emotions we hold about the world.” quote by Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/richard-powers-8111_about_this-idea-that-a-book-can-either-be-abou_2377101.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/richard-powers-8111_about_this-idea-that-a-book-can-either-be-abou_2377101.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/richard-powers-8111_about_this-idea-that-a-book-can-either-be-abou_2377101.jpg) > “This idea that a book can either be about character and feeling, or about politics and idea, is just a false binary. Ideas are an expression of the feelings and the intense emotions we hold about the world.” [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote challenges the notion that literature must choose between personal emotion and political ideas, asserting that both are intertwined. **In simple terms:** Literature blends feeling and ideas, not a false choice. Key Takeaway Embrace both emotion and ideas in writing. Themes literature politics emotion ideas false dichotomy Mood thoughtful analytical Type critical explanatory When to use this quote - creative writing - political essays - teaching literature - public discourse Key Concepts Narrative theory cultural criticism emotional intelligence Questions to Reflect On - How can writers balance personal feeling with political commentary? - What examples show successful integration of emotion and idea? A Different Perspective The binary oversimplifies complex works that integrate both aspects. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) [Binary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/binary/) [Binary Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/binary-ideas-5875102/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Either](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/either/) [Emotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotion/) [Emotions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotions/) [Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) [False](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/false/) [Feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Hold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hold/) [Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Ideas Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas-expression-4912043/) [Intense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intense/) [Intense emotions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intense-emotions/) [Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Politics Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics-idea-4253381/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“Writing is not about ideas, it is about the expression of ideas - a written expression.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-raymond-martin/writing-is-not-about-ideas-it-is-about-the-expression-of-ideas-a/) [Paul Raymond Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-raymond-martin/) > [“the art of politics and the idea of cohering interests.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-netanyahu/the-art-of-politics-and-the-idea-of-cohering-interests/) [Benjamin Netanyahu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-netanyahu/) > [The key ingredient of politics is the idea that all of society's ills can be cured politically. It's like a cookbook where the recipe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/the-key-ingredient-of-politics-is-the-idea-that-all-of-society-s-ills/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [What I was excited about was the opportunity for punters to be part of politics. The whole idea was to allow the voices of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-kuenssberg/what-i-was-excited-about-was-the-opportunity-for-punters-to-be-part/) [Laura Kuenssberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-kuenssberg/) > [“She had always experienced big, intense emotions here at Lover's Leap. Under this huge sky, surrounded by infinite beauty, she had grieved to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-march/she-had-always-experienced-big-intense-emotions-here-at-lover-s-leap/) [Emily March](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-march/) > [“What would yo do for a piece of forever? What would you do to love more,feel more, and live more?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shey-stahl/what-would-yo-do-for-a-piece-of-forever-what-would-you-do-to-love/) [Shey Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shey-stahl/) > [“He pulled his hand back, aware now that sweat beaded on his forehead and that Rale watched him, his eyes dark, intense. Errol licked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-w-carr/he-pulled-his-hand-back-aware-now-that-sweat-beaded-on-his-forehead/) [Patrick W. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-w-carr/) > [“What happened? What were you feeling and thinking? On the -10 to +10 Scale, how intense were your emotions? How did you react? (fight,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-obear/what-happened-what-were-you-feeling-and-thinking-on-the-10-to-10/) [Kathy Obear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-obear/) > [In detective land, you have to deal with a lot of intense emotions, so you yourself have to remain mostly unemotional and detached. These…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-lewis/in-detective-land-you-have-to-deal-with-a-lot-of-intense-emotions-so/) [Juliette Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-lewis/) > [Pure, intense emotions. It's not about design. It's about feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alber-elbaz/pure-intense-emotions-it-s-not-about-design-it-s-about-feelings/) [Alber Elbaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alber-elbaz/) > [You have to simply admire the intense emotions one can experience when a Picture can make you relive the best moments of your life...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-mendoza/you-have-to-simply-admire-the-intense-emotions-one-can-experience/) [Jose Mendoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-mendoza/) > [People prone to joyful anticipation, skilled at obtaining pleasure from looking forward and imagining future happy events, are especially likely to be optimistic and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonja-lyubomirsky/people-prone-to-joyful-anticipation-skilled-at-obtaining-pleasure/) [Sonja Lyubomirsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonja-lyubomirsky/) > [“The most important things, the experiences that leave marks on our souls for everyone to see, those marks that reflect our most intense emotions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allie-burke/the-most-important-things-the-experiences-that-leave-marks-on-our/) [Allie Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allie-burke/) > [When you reflect, you are able to put an experience into perspective... reflective thinking enables you to distance yourself from the intense emotions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/when-you-reflect-you-are-able-to-put-an-experience-into-perspective/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [“Living under the land, under the sea, in the belly of AM, whom we created...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-ellison/living-under-the-land-under-the-sea-in-the-belly-of-am-whom-we-created/) [Harlan Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-ellison/) ## More by Richard Powers > [I write the way you might arrange flowers. Not every try works, but each one launches another. Every constraint, even dullness, frees up a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/i-write-the-way-you-might-arrange-flowers-not-every-try-works-but/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [If you're going to immerse yourself in a project for three years, why not stake out a chunk of the world that is completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/if-you-re-going-to-immerse-yourself-in-a-project-for-three-years-why/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [“It seemed to me that half of life’s problems would be solved if one of us had a vagina.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/it-seemed-to-me-that-half-of-life-s-problems-would-be-solved-if-one/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [“Information may travel at light speed, but meaning spreads at the speed of dark.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/information-may-travel-at-light-speed-but-meaning-spreads-at-the/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [Science is not about control. It is about cultivating a perpetual condition of wonder in the face of something that forever grows one step…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/science-is-not-about-control-it-is-about-cultivating-a-perpetual/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [What we can do should never by itself determine what we choose to do, yet this is the way technology tends to work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/what-we-can-do-should-never-by-itself-determine-what-we-choose-to-do/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [I really like science because it seems to be that place where you get the big picture, everything connects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/i-really-like-science-because-it-seems-to-be-that-place-where-you-get/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [For me, university was just awful because it was closing one door after the other of all these candy shops of professional possibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/for-me-university-was-just-awful-because-it-was-closing-one-door/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [We will live with racism for ever. But senses of self, senses of belonging, senses of us and of others? Those are up for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/we-will-live-with-racism-for-ever-but-senses-of-self-senses-of/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [Reading is the last act of secular prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/reading-is-the-last-act-of-secular-prayer/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [Time passes, as the novelist says. The single most useful trick of fiction for our repair and refreshment: the defeat of time. A century…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/time-passes-as-the-novelist-says-the-single-most-useful-trick-of/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [A book is still atemporal. It is you, in silence, hearing voices in your head, unfolding at a time that has nothing to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/a-book-is-still-atemporal-it-is-you-in-silence-hearing-voices-in-your/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [My dream has always been to suspend myself in space when I write, and lying horizontal in bed is the closest to doing that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/my-dream-has-always-been-to-suspend-myself-in-space-when-i-write-and/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [“Je ne fais aucun mal en restant ici. I do no harm by remaining here.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/je-ne-fais-aucun-mal-en-restant-ici-i-do-no-harm-by-remaining-here/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [The use of music is to remind us how short a time we have a body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/the-use-of-music-is-to-remind-us-how-short-a-time-we-have-a-body/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) [Explore all 84 Richard Powers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) [Browse all 26,122 About quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "This idea that a book can either be about character and feeling, or about politics and idea, is just a false binary. Ideas are an expression of the feelings and the intense emotions we hold about the world.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Powers" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/this-idea-that-a-book-can-either-be-about-character-and-feeling-or/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "About" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/this-idea-that-a-book-can-either-be-about-character-and-feeling-or/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/richard-powers-8111_about_this-idea-that-a-book-can-either-be-abou_2377101.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/richard-powers-8111_about_this-idea-that-a-book-can-either-be-abou_2377101.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc3/richard-powers-8111_about_this-idea-that-a-book-can-either-be-abou_2377101.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“This idea that a book can either be about character and feeling, or about politics and idea, is just a false…” — Richard Powers", "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": "Richard Powers", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "This idea that a book can...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/this-idea-that-a-book-can-either-be-about-character-and-feeling-or/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/this-idea-that-a-book-can-either-be-about-character-and-feeling-or/#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 } } ] } ```