--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You're not going to write the greatest…" description: "\"“You're not going to write the greatest novel ever written. Nor will I. Nor will anyone. Why? Because the greatest novel ever written is subjective and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d39/sarah-m-cradit-43128_books_you-re-not-going-to-write-the-greatest-n_1269697.jpg" --- # You're not going to write the greatest novel ever written… ![“You're not going to write the greatest novel ever written. Nor will I. Nor will anyone. Why? Because the greatest novel ever written is subjective and means something different to every person. So don't focus on writing the greatest novel of all time. Instead, focus on writing the greatest novel…” quote by Sarah M. Cradit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d39/sarah-m-cradit-43128_books_you-re-not-going-to-write-the-greatest-n_1269697.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d39/sarah-m-cradit-43128_books_you-re-not-going-to-write-the-greatest-n_1269697.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d39/sarah-m-cradit-43128_books_you-re-not-going-to-write-the-greatest-n_1269697.jpg) > ““You're not going to write the greatest novel ever written. Nor will I. Nor will anyone. Why? Because the greatest novel ever written is subjective and means something different to every person. So don't focus on writing the greatest novel of all time. Instead, focus on writing the greatest novel you've ever written.”” [Sarah M. Cradit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-m-cradit/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Focus on personal excellence rather than subjective greatness; writing is subjective. **In simple terms:** Write your best novel. Key Takeaway Prioritize personal mastery. Themes creativity subjectivity self‑improvement Mood motivational reflective Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - drafting personal stories - seeking honest feedback - setting realistic goals Key Concepts authorial voice literary standards personal fulfillment Questions to Reflect On - What does “your best” look like? - How do you measure personal progress? A Different Perspective Chasing “greatest” can cause paralysis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Since I can't write the greatest American novel, I'm going to write the longest American novel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-steinbeck/since-i-can-t-write-the-greatest-american-novel-i-m-going-to-write/) [Thomas Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-steinbeck/) > [I have never felt inhibited in trying to write as well as the greatest English poets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/i-have-never-felt-inhibited-in-trying-to-write-as-well-as-the/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [Nothing I could ever write, nothing ever written by the greatest of Bard's, Poet's, Dreamers, could ever express, how I feel, when I simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-nickel/nothing-i-could-ever-write-nothing-ever-written-by-the-greatest-of/) [Eric Nickel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-nickel/) > [“I saw it, the first time I looked in her eyes. The language that lived within her. It was a language that has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-michelle/i-saw-it-the-first-time-i-looked-in-her-eyes-the-language-that-lived/) [Andrea Michelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-michelle/) > [Since I cant write the greatest American novel, Im going to write the longest American novel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-steinbeck/since-i-cant-write-the-greatest-american-novel-im-going-to-write-the/) [Thomas Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-steinbeck/) > [“This is a thousand monkeys working at a thousand typewriters. Soon they'll have written the greatest novel known to man. Lets se, "It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-montgomery-burns/this-is-a-thousand-monkeys-working-at-a-thousand-typewriters-soon/) C. Montgomery Burns > [“Every poet will forever try to write the greatest poem ever written, I have found that this kind of poem can be written with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jones/every-poet-will-forever-try-to-write-the-greatest-poem-ever-written-i/) [Michael Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jones/) > [“Be Patient. For what was written for you was written by the greatest of writers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/islamic/be-patient-for-what-was-written-for-you-was-written-by-the-greatest/) Islamic > [I think one of the keys to better writing is releasing all of your ideas and to not be afraid. Dream big. This could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/i-think-one-of-the-keys-to-better-writing-is-releasing-all-of-your/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [With its vastly complicated plot and its immense cast of characters swirling around the case of Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce that has been grinding away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gottlieb/with-its-vastly-complicated-plot-and-its-immense-cast-of-characters/) [Robert Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gottlieb/) > [“Sam Anderson. “The Greatest Novel.” New York Magazine (outline). Jan. 9, 2011. New York is, famously, the everything bagel of megalopolises—one of the world’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sam-anderson-the-greatest-novel-new-york-magazine-outline-jan-9-2011/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Say, you told me you thought Les Miserables was the greatest novel ever written. I think Vanity Fair is the greatest. Let's fight. -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maud-hart-lovelace/say-you-told-me-you-thought-les-miserables-was-the-greatest-novel/) [Maud Hart Lovelace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maud-hart-lovelace/) > [“I would never re-write you. You are by far my most complete and greatest novel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/i-would-never-re-write-you-you-are-by-far-my-most-complete-and/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“One glance at (a book) and you hear the voice of another person - perhaps someone dead for thousands of years. Across the millenia,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/one-glance-at-a-book-and-you-hear-the-voice-of-another-person-perhaps/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Writing is the greatest thing that can happen to a human being. It's the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/writing-is-the-greatest-thing-that-can-happen-to-a-human-being-it-s/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) ## More by Sarah M. Cradit > [“I'm only Oz when I'm with Adrienne.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-m-cradit/i-m-only-oz-when-i-m-with-adrienne/) [Sarah M. Cradit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-m-cradit/) > [“Jon is my darkness. To accept him is to accept that part of myself, and if I do that, I'll never be rid of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-m-cradit/jon-is-my-darkness-to-accept-him-is-to-accept-that-part-of-myself-and/) [Sarah M. Cradit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-m-cradit/) > [“Just because something DOES NOT work, that doesn't mean it CANNOT.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-m-cradit/just-because-something-does-not-work-that-doesn-t-mean-it-cannot/) [Sarah M. Cradit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-m-cradit/) > [“The pillow whistled across the room and smacked him in the face. Nicolas smiled, satisfied. If he was going to die, this was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-m-cradit/the-pillow-whistled-across-the-room-and-smacked-him-in-the-face/) [Sarah M. Cradit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-m-cradit/) > [“What would she think if I told her we had had this almost exact conversation many times before? As before, I decided not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-m-cradit/what-would-she-think-if-i-told-her-we-had-had-this-almost-exact/) [Sarah M. Cradit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-m-cradit/) > [“But Nicholas had no room for practicality when there was fun to be had. There was no one as capable of taking a seemingly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-m-cradit/but-nicholas-had-no-room-for-practicality-when-there-was-fun-to-be/) [Sarah M. Cradit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-m-cradit/) > [“At first he chalked it up to his sadness at her leaving, but it started to develop into a feeling that was almost worse:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-m-cradit/at-first-he-chalked-it-up-to-his-sadness-at-her-leaving-but-it/) [Sarah M. Cradit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-m-cradit/) > [“Because you are afraid that only the sight of your daughter's pain can bring you sadness over Janie's death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-m-cradit/because-you-are-afraid-that-only-the-sight-of-your-daughter-s-pain/) [Sarah M. Cradit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-m-cradit/) [Explore all 9 Sarah M. Cradit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-m-cradit/) ## 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": "“You're not going to write the greatest novel ever written. Nor will I. Nor will anyone. Why? Because the greatest novel ever written is subjective and means something different to every person. So don't focus on writing the greatest novel of all time. Instead, focus on writing the greatest novel you've ever written.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sarah M. Cradit" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-m-cradit/you-re-not-going-to-write-the-greatest-novel-ever-written-nor-will-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-m-cradit/you-re-not-going-to-write-the-greatest-novel-ever-written-nor-will-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d39/sarah-m-cradit-43128_books_you-re-not-going-to-write-the-greatest-n_1269697.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d39/sarah-m-cradit-43128_books_you-re-not-going-to-write-the-greatest-n_1269697.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d39/sarah-m-cradit-43128_books_you-re-not-going-to-write-the-greatest-n_1269697.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You're not going to write the greatest novel ever written. Nor will I. Nor will anyone. Why? Because the…” — Sarah M. Cradit", "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": "Sarah M. Cradit", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-m-cradit/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“You're not going to write the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-m-cradit/you-re-not-going-to-write-the-greatest-novel-ever-written-nor-will-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-m-cradit/you-re-not-going-to-write-the-greatest-novel-ever-written-nor-will-i/#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 } } ] } ```