--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For a writer, you definitely do not want…" description: "\"For a writer, you definitely do not want to be in the mainstream. You want to be on the edge because that's where the vantage point is. That's where yo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/ruth-ozeki-2896_because_for-a-writer-you-definitely-do-not-want_1571065.jpg" --- # For a writer, you definitely do not want to be in the… ![“For a writer, you definitely do not want to be in the mainstream. You want to be on the edge because that's where the vantage point is. That's where you can see.” quote by Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/ruth-ozeki-2896_because_for-a-writer-you-definitely-do-not-want_1571065.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/ruth-ozeki-2896_because_for-a-writer-you-definitely-do-not-want_1571065.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/ruth-ozeki-2896_because_for-a-writer-you-definitely-do-not-want_1571065.jpg) > “For a writer, you definitely do not want to be in the mainstream. You want to be on the edge because that's where the vantage point is. That's where you can see.” [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative work thrives on marginal perspectives that reveal insights mainstream narratives miss. **In simple terms:** Being on the edge offers unique insight. Key Takeaway Seek unconventional viewpoints. Themes creativity perspective individualism Mood reflective inspired Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - artistic creation - journalism - innovation - problem solving Key Concepts marginality critical observation Questions to Reflect On - How can you cultivate a marginal stance? - What blind spots does mainstream culture create? A Different Perspective Mainstream appeal may limit depth and originality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Edge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edge/) [Mainstream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mainstream/) [Vantage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vantage/) [Vantage point](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vantage-point/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I've always given this line: 'I don't want to be in the mainstream, I want the mainstream to come to me.' And it did,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peaches/i-ve-always-given-this-line-i-don-t-want-to-be-in-the-mainstream-i/) [Peaches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peaches/) > [Every day I think, 'Gosh, I wish I could be like George Carlin, Bill Maher: I want that edge.' But every time I start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-smothers/every-day-i-think-gosh-i-wish-i-could-be-like-george-carlin-bill/) [Tom Smothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-smothers/) > [I found that looking at the Israeli/Palestinian conflict from an outside vantage point was actually quite distancing. The history of the conflict, the personalities,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-alexander/i-found-that-looking-at-the-israeli-palestinian-conflict-from-an/) [Jason Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-alexander/) > [There have been times I've planted stuff in songs where four years later I'll be singing it from a subconscious, kind of chameleon little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/feist/there-have-been-times-i-ve-planted-stuff-in-songs-where-four-years/) [Feist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/feist/) > [I've been a big fan always of getting my camera in different places and trying to seek the unusual vantage point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-mcnally/i-ve-been-a-big-fan-always-of-getting-my-camera-in-different-places/) [Joe McNally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-mcnally/) > [I think voters want somebody who understands their problems. You're right that they don't expect the president to fix everything. When he's wrestling with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-collins/i-think-voters-want-somebody-who-understands-their-problems-you-re/) [Gail Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-collins/) > [My particular historical vantage point is a product of my upbringing as that odd duck, a native Washingtonian whose parents were not in government.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-rich/my-particular-historical-vantage-point-is-a-product-of-my-upbringing/) [Frank Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-rich/) > [We all live with blinders on. They come with having a personal vantage point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-moran/we-all-live-with-blinders-on-they-come-with-having-a-personal-vantage/) [Victoria Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-moran/) > [My vantage point on the world is the operating room where I see my patients.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/my-vantage-point-on-the-world-is-the-operating-room-where-i-see-my/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [In the closing years of the nineteenth century, African-American historians began to look at their people's history from their vantage point and their point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/in-the-closing-years-of-the-nineteenth-century-african-american/) [John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/) > [I go where the story leads. And, sometimes, it is a little bit outrageous. And I relish that. I sort of want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/i-go-where-the-story-leads-and-sometimes-it-is-a-little-bit/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [If you ask people in the mainstream what they want, they'll say faster and smaller and cheaper. But with that you don't get innovation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-louis-gassee/if-you-ask-people-in-the-mainstream-what-they-want-they-ll-say-faster/) [Jean-Louis Gassee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-louis-gassee/) > [You always want to give yourself an edge, want to help your team win. That's pretty much going to preparation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrell-suggs/you-always-want-to-give-yourself-an-edge-want-to-help-your-team-win/) [Terrell Suggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrell-suggs/) > [I just feel like, at any moment, a drag or a trans or a gender-diverse artist that doesn't fit in a box is ready…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-act/i-just-feel-like-at-any-moment-a-drag-or-a-trans-or-a-gender-diverse/) [Courtney Act](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-act/) > [In India, however good your western vocals are, you have to have that Indianess in your singing if you want to become a mainstream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neha-bhasin/in-india-however-good-your-western-vocals-are-you-have-to-have-that/) [Neha Bhasin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neha-bhasin/) ## More by Ruth Ozeki > [“Time plays tricks on mothers. It teases you with breaks and brief caesuras, only to skip wildly forward, bringing breathtaking changes to your baby's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/time-plays-tricks-on-mothers-it-teases-you-with-breaks-and-brief/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“Everything seemed to grow blacker as I sat there, except for the fireflies whose tiny pulsing lights drew arcs through the dark summer air.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/everything-seemed-to-grow-blacker-as-i-sat-there-except-for-the/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [That's what it feels like when I write, like I have this beautiful world in my head, but when I try to remember it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/that-s-what-it-feels-like-when-i-write-like-i-have-this-beautiful/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“Premonitions are coincidences waiting to happen,” he said, without looking up. “I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/premonitions-are-coincidences-waiting-to-happen-he-said-without/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“As someone who has to teach for a living, I shouldn't be saying this, but the planet can do quite well without books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/as-someone-who-has-to-teach-for-a-living-i-shouldn-t-be-saying-this/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [Life is fleeting. Don't waste a single moment of your precious life. Wake up now! And now! And now!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/life-is-fleeting-don-t-waste-a-single-moment-of-your-precious-life/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“Do not think that time simply flies away. Do not understand “flying” as the only function of time. If time simply flew away, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/do-not-think-that-time-simply-flies-away-do-not-understand-flying-as/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“INSTRUCTIONS FOR ZAZEN First of all, you have to sit down, which you’re probably already doing. The traditional way is to sit on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/instructions-for-zazen-first-of-all-you-have-to-sit-down-which-you-re/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [The wondrous thing about nature, her gift to us, is her wanton promiscuity. She reproduces herself with abandon, with teeming infinite generosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/the-wondrous-thing-about-nature-her-gift-to-us-is-her-wanton/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“this feeling of alive is not so easy to experience. Even although life is a thing that seems to have some kind of weight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/this-feeling-of-alive-is-not-so-easy-to-experience-even-although-life/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [Writing is solitary. You spend so much time alone and in your own mind, telling stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/writing-is-solitary-you-spend-so-much-time-alone-and-in-your-own-mind/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [It was really a means-of-production problem. It costs so much to make films. With a novel, you can write the whole thing on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/it-was-really-a-means-of-production-problem-it-costs-so-much-to-make/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [My mind is like a gyre, and odd juxtapositions happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/my-mind-is-like-a-gyre-and-odd-juxtapositions-happen/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“Adjunct teachers are the professorial equivalent of the migrant Mexican farm laborers hired during harvest. If you can get a good contract at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/adjunct-teachers-are-the-professorial-equivalent-of-the-migrant/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [She missed the built environment of New York City. It was only in an urban landscape, amid straight lines and architecture, that she could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/she-missed-the-built-environment-of-new-york-city-it-was-only-in-an/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) [Explore all 145 Ruth Ozeki quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) ## More Because quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [There were songs that we cut out after we chose the name, because 'Praise Break' turned out to be an underlying concept that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-caesar/there-were-songs-that-we-cut-out-after-we-chose-the-name-because/) [Daniel Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-caesar/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [I was also known as Frodo because I was an early adopter of 'The Lord of the Rings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-was-also-known-as-frodo-because-i-was-an-early-adopter-of-the-lord/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [I believe in taxation and health care that is outside the usual libertarian mandate, because I don't want people to have to suffer. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-believe-in-taxation-and-health-care-that-is-outside-the-usual/) [Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/) > [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. Shakespeare is just like learning a new, exciting language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barnett/it-s-like-saying-french-shouldn-t-be-taught-because-you-don-t/) [Samuel Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barnett/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [Sometimes, when full and in fear that I will continue to eat unwanted food just because it's staring at me, I will place my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-nichols/sometimes-when-full-and-in-fear-that-i-will-continue-to-eat-unwanted/) [Rachel Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-nichols/) > [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 was contacted by Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, MP, through the Pune Film Institute and offered the post in the NFDC. I accepted it for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suresh-gopi/i-was-contacted-by-rajyavardhan-singh-rathore-mp-through-the-pune/) [Suresh Gopi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suresh-gopi/) > [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [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/) Browse all 15,485 Because quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For a writer, you definitely do not want to be in the mainstream. 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