---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every journalist has a novel in him…"
description: "\"Every journalist has a novel in him, which is an excellent place for it.\" — Russell Lynes"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/086/russell-lynes-14222_books_every-journalist-has-a-novel-in-him-whic_996456.png"
---

#  Every journalist has a novel in him, which is an excellent…

![“Every journalist has a novel in him, which is an excellent place for it.” quote by Russell Lynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/086/russell-lynes-14222_books_every-journalist-has-a-novel-in-him-whic_996456.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/086/russell-lynes-14222_books_every-journalist-has-a-novel-in-him-whic_996456.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/086/russell-lynes-14222_books_every-journalist-has-a-novel-in-him-whic_996456.png)

> “Every journalist has a novel in him, which is an excellent place for it.”

[Russell Lynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-lynes/)

## About This Quote

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

Journalists possess innate storytelling talent, making journalism a natural platform for narrative expression.

**In simple terms:** Journalists naturally tell stories.

Key Takeaway

Leverage storytelling skills in reporting.

Themes

journalism storytelling creativity

Mood

thoughtful encouraging

Type

essay professional

When to use this quote

- newsrooms
- feature writing
- personal essays

Key Concepts

narrative media craft

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you blend factual reporting with narrative flair?
- What stories in your work deserve a novel‑like approach?

A Different Perspective

Not all journalists are inclined to write fiction.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Journalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalist/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/)

## Related quotes

> [“Every journalist has a novel inside him, which is an excellent place for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-lynes/every-journalist-has-a-novel-inside-him-which-is-an-excellent-place/)

[Russell Lynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-lynes/)

> [The impulse of the journalist is to be novel, yet to relate his curiosities to the urgencies of the moment; the philosopher seeks what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-bell/the-impulse-of-the-journalist-is-to-be-novel-yet-to-relate-his/)

[Daniel Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-bell/)

> [Home's the most excellent place of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-diamond/home-s-the-most-excellent-place-of-all/)

[Neil Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-diamond/)

> [The gym can serve as an excellent place where kids and young men and women can really empty their issues right on the floor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djimon-hounsou/the-gym-can-serve-as-an-excellent-place-where-kids-and-young-men-and/)

[Djimon Hounsou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/djimon-hounsou/)

> [Nietzsche claimed that his genius was in his nostrils and I think that is a very excellent place for it to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/nietzsche-claimed-that-his-genius-was-in-his-nostrils-and-i-think/)

[Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/)

> [I'm not sure I would have ever started to draw, let alone write, if my childhood hadn't been so happy. It was a mixture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tove-jansson/i-m-not-sure-i-would-have-ever-started-to-draw-let-alone-write-if-my/)

[Tove Jansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tove-jansson/)

> [“In your goals to go the extra mile, prepare to pay an extra cost. Excellence is to be exceptional, surpassing, more competent and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/in-your-goals-to-go-the-extra-mile-prepare-to-pay-an-extra-cost/)

[Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/)

> [Drill in exact translation is an excellent way of disposing the mind against that looseness and exaggeration with which the sensationalists have corrupted our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-weaver/drill-in-exact-translation-is-an-excellent-way-of-disposing-the-mind/)

[Richard M. Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-weaver/)

> [Because there are three classes of intellects: one which comprehends by itself; another which appreciates what others comprehend; and a third which neither comprehends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/because-there-are-three-classes-of-intellects-one-which-comprehends/)

[Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/)

> [David Cronenberg is the most provocative, original, and consistently excellent North American director of his generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-hoberman/david-cronenberg-is-the-most-provocative-original-and-consistently/)

J. Hoberman

> [“I follow the Law—the Most Excellent Law.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/i-follow-the-law-the-most-excellent-law/)

[Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/)

> [I would rather excel others in the knowledge of what is excellent than in the extent of my powers and dominion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/i-would-rather-excel-others-in-the-knowledge-of-what-is-excellent/)

[Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/)

> [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/)

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

> [Things are going well in Germany because the economy is booming and as an export-driven nation, we are profiting from the fact that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/things-are-going-well-in-germany-because-the-economy-is-booming-and/)

[Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/)

> [Unmarried couples should get married - that's an excellent tax avoidance measure, if a bit drastic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-whiting/unmarried-couples-should-get-married-that-s-an-excellent-tax/)

John Whiting

## More by Russell Lynes

> [Friends never make assumptions about you. They never expect a reason to go out with you. In fact friends only expect you to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-lynes/friends-never-make-assumptions-about-you-they-never-expect-a-reason/)

[Russell Lynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-lynes/)

> [Wasting time is negative, but there is something positive about idleness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-lynes/wasting-time-is-negative-but-there-is-something-positive-about/)

[Russell Lynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-lynes/)

> [When it gets dark enough you can see the stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-lynes/when-it-gets-dark-enough-you-can-see-the-stars/)

[Russell Lynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-lynes/)

> [No author dislikes to be edited as much as he dislikes not to be published.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-lynes/no-author-dislikes-to-be-edited-as-much-as-he-dislikes-not-to-be/)

[Russell Lynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-lynes/)

> [Are you always this stupid or are you making a special effort today?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-lynes/are-you-always-this-stupid-or-are-you-making-a-special-effort-today/)

[Russell Lynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-lynes/)

> [Improvisation was the blood and bone of jazz, and in the classic, New Orleans jazz it was collective improvisation in which each performer, seemingly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-lynes/improvisation-was-the-blood-and-bone-of-jazz-and-in-the-classic-new/)

[Russell Lynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-lynes/)

> [What we are headed for is a sort of social structure in which the highbrows are the elite, the middlebrows are the bourgeoisie and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-lynes/what-we-are-headed-for-is-a-sort-of-social-structure-in-which-the/)

[Russell Lynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-lynes/)

> [Hi there, I'm a human being! What are you?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-lynes/hi-there-i-m-a-human-being-what-are-you/)

[Russell Lynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-lynes/)

> [The bungalow had more to do with how Americans live today than any other building that has gone remotely by the name of architecture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-lynes/the-bungalow-had-more-to-do-with-how-americans-live-today-than-any/)

[Russell Lynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-lynes/)

> [The shaping of taste is essentially the science of merchandising, whether of detergents or cars or books or objects of fine and decorative art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-lynes/the-shaping-of-taste-is-essentially-the-science-of-merchandising/)

[Russell Lynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-lynes/)

> [It is always well to accept your own shortcomings with candor but to regard those of your friends with polite incredulity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-lynes/it-is-always-well-to-accept-your-own-shortcomings-with-candor-but-to/)

[Russell Lynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-lynes/)

> [The true snob never rests; there is always a higher goal to attain, and there are, by the same token, always more and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-lynes/the-true-snob-never-rests-there-is-always-a-higher-goal-to-attain-and/)

[Russell Lynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-lynes/)

> [The Good Quality Snob, or wearer of muted tweeds, cut almost exactly the same from year to year, often with a hat of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-lynes/the-good-quality-snob-or-wearer-of-muted-tweeds-cut-almost-exactly/)

[Russell Lynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-lynes/)

> [A lady is a woman who makes a man behave like a gentleman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-lynes/a-lady-is-a-woman-who-makes-a-man-behave-like-a-gentleman/)

[Russell Lynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-lynes/)

> [Brains aren't everything. In fact in your case they're nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-lynes/brains-aren-t-everything-in-fact-in-your-case-they-re-nothing/)

[Russell Lynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-lynes/)

[Explore all 47 Russell Lynes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-lynes/)

## More Books quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/)

[Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/)

> [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/)

[Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/)

[Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/)

Christopher K. Krebs

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/)

Markus Herz

> [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

[Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Every journalist has a novel in him, which is an excellent place for it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Russell Lynes"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-lynes/every-journalist-has-a-novel-in-him-which-is-an-excellent-place-for-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-lynes/every-journalist-has-a-novel-in-him-which-is-an-excellent-place-for-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/086/russell-lynes-14222_books_every-journalist-has-a-novel-in-him-whic_996456.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/086/russell-lynes-14222_books_every-journalist-has-a-novel-in-him-whic_996456.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/086/russell-lynes-14222_books_every-journalist-has-a-novel-in-him-whic_996456.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Every journalist has a novel in him, which is an excellent place for it.” — Russell Lynes",
                "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": "Russell Lynes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-lynes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Every journalist has a novel in...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-lynes/every-journalist-has-a-novel-in-him-which-is-an-excellent-place-for-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-lynes/every-journalist-has-a-novel-in-him-which-is-an-excellent-place-for-it/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
