--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My least favorite received idea about…" description: "\"“My least favorite received idea about writing is that one must find one's voice, as if it's there inside you, ready to be turned on like a player pian..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/sarah-manguso-11172_player-piano_my-least-favorite-received-idea-about-wr_1707692.jpg" --- # My least favorite received idea about writing is that one… ![“My least favorite received idea about writing is that one must find one's voice, as if it's there inside you, ready to be turned on like a player piano. Like character, its very existence depends on interaction with the world.” quote by Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/sarah-manguso-11172_player-piano_my-least-favorite-received-idea-about-wr_1707692.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/sarah-manguso-11172_player-piano_my-least-favorite-received-idea-about-wr_1707692.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/sarah-manguso-11172_player-piano_my-least-favorite-received-idea-about-wr_1707692.jpg) > ““My least favorite received idea about writing is that one must find one's voice, as if it's there inside you, ready to be turned on like a player piano. Like character, its very existence depends on interaction with the world.”” [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Finding a voice is not innate; it emerges through interaction with the world. **In simple terms:** Voice forms through engagement, not just inner discovery. Key Takeaway Engage with the world to develop authentic expression. Themes creativity voice interaction Mood thoughtful inspirational Type analytical encouraging When to use this quote - writing workshops - public speaking - collaborative art - daily observation Key Concepts authenticity expression Questions to Reflect On - How do you discover your voice? - What interactions spark your creativity? A Different Perspective Some may feel stuck without a clear voice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Idea Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea-writing-898686/) [Like Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-character/) [Player piano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/player-piano/) [Received Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/received-idea-1215276/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) [Voice Inside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice-inside/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-voice/) ## Related quotes > [“I have graded my separate works from A to D. The grades I hand out to myself do not place me in literary history.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-have-graded-my-separate-works-from-a-to-d-the-grades-i-hand-out-to/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Hope you don't think this is Billy Joel unplugged. I'm a piano player. I'm already unplugged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/hope-you-don-t-think-this-is-billy-joel-unplugged-i-m-a-piano-player/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [“I became a so-called science fiction writer when someone decreed that I was a science fiction writer. I did not want to be classified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-became-a-so-called-science-fiction-writer-when-someone-decreed-that/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [The history of the music industry is inevitably also the story of the development of technology. From the player piano to the vinyl disc,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-bronfman-jr/the-history-of-the-music-industry-is-inevitably-also-the-story-of-the/) [Edgar Bronfman, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-bronfman-jr/) > [“But wether I am faking on a player piano, or striking the chords with the power of my own mind and hands, the song…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-berne/but-wether-i-am-faking-on-a-player-piano-or-striking-the-chords-with/) [Eric Berne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-berne/) > [My dad was a self-taught stride piano player. The myth is - I don't whether it's true or not - that he taught himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mose-allison/my-dad-was-a-self-taught-stride-piano-player-the-myth-is-i-don-t/) [Mose Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mose-allison/) > [A lot of people have said, 'Do a Westworld tour!' I definitely have ideas, because we could do a whole concert from just the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramin-djawadi/a-lot-of-people-have-said-do-a-westworld-tour-i-definitely-have-ideas/) [Ramin Djawadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramin-djawadi/) > [Vonnegut's earliest novels hint strongly at his familiarity with Wiener's work, The Human Use of Human Beings, especially his first novel, Player Piano (1952),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-porush/vonnegut-s-earliest-novels-hint-strongly-at-his-familiarity-with/) [David Porush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-porush/) > [Bad guys turned informer. Good guys didn't - no matter when, no matter what.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/bad-guys-turned-informer-good-guys-didn-t-no-matter-when-no-matter/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [A MIDI file contains coded instructions to play a particular series of notes on an electronic music synthesizer. A MIDI file is more like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-petzold/a-midi-file-contains-coded-instructions-to-play-a-particular-series/) [Charles Petzold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-petzold/) > [“He remembered his cry of the night before: We must meet in the middle of the Bridge!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/he-remembered-his-cry-of-the-night-before-we-must-meet-in-the-middle/) [kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Big, undreamed-of things — the people on the edge see them first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/big-undreamed-of-things-the-people-on-the-edge-see-them-first/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I see the player piano as the grandfather of the computer, the ancestor of the entire nightmare we live in, the birth of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/i-see-the-player-piano-as-the-grandfather-of-the-computer-the/) [William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/) > [With 'Westworld,' the player piano plays a very important role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramin-djawadi/with-westworld-the-player-piano-plays-a-very-important-role/) [Ramin Djawadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramin-djawadi/) > [A lot of my close friends had tolerantly washed their hands of the whole idea of me writing a book. They had said to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-harbach/a-lot-of-my-close-friends-had-tolerantly-washed-their-hands-of-the/) [Chad Harbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-harbach/) ## More by Sarah Manguso > [I like people who possess either deep mastery or deep empathy, but not as much as I like those who possess both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/i-like-people-who-possess-either-deep-mastery-or-deep-empathy-but-not/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [The best thing about time passing is the privilege of running out of it, of watching the wave of mortality break over me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/the-best-thing-about-time-passing-is-the-privilege-of-running-out-of/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [“The trouble with comparing yourself to others is that there are too many others. Using all others as your control group, all your worst…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/the-trouble-with-comparing-yourself-to-others-is-that-there-are-too/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [“There will come a time when people decide you've had enough of your grief, and they'll try to take it away from you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/there-will-come-a-time-when-people-decide-you-ve-had-enough-of-your/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [“It’s impossible to fail if one doesn’t know how the end should look. And it’s impossible to succeed. But it’s possible to enjoy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/it-s-impossible-to-fail-if-one-doesn-t-know-how-the-end-should-look/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [“I tend to forget that my measurement of time is designed to distract me from what's really happening.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/i-tend-to-forget-that-my-measurement-of-time-is-designed-to-distract/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [My existence shrank from an arrow of light pointing into the future forever to a speck of light that was the present moment. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/my-existence-shrank-from-an-arrow-of-light-pointing-into-the-future/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [“Whatever you're feeling, billions already have. Feel for them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/whatever-you-re-feeling-billions-already-have-feel-for-them/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [“ My friend Isabel says, When you’re writing even a short novel, with at least a couple of subplots, and God only knows how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/my-friend-isabel-says-when-you-re-writing-even-a-short-novel-with-at/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [The only thing I've consistently been interested in in the last twenty-five years is writing very short texts. That continues to interest me as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/the-only-thing-i-ve-consistently-been-interested-in-in-the-last/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [“Like a vase, a heart breaks once. After that, it just yields to its flaws.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/like-a-vase-a-heart-breaks-once-after-that-it-just-yields-to-its-flaws/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [“Death will reveal what you otherwise would have finished. Also what you never would have finished. I found the notes for a book a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/death-will-reveal-what-you-otherwise-would-have-finished-also-what/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [Those who claim to write about something larger and more significant than the self sometimes fail to comprehend the dimensions of self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/those-who-claim-to-write-about-something-larger-and-more-significant/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [Look at me, dancing my little dance for a few moments against the background of eternity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/look-at-me-dancing-my-little-dance-for-a-few-moments-against-the/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [Chair or no chair: a binary relation. But the vicissitudes of moving the body around are infinite. You never know what a person in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/chair-or-no-chair-a-binary-relation-but-the-vicissitudes-of-moving/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) [Explore all 61 Sarah Manguso quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) ## More Player piano quotes > [With 'Westworld,' the player piano plays a very important role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramin-djawadi/with-westworld-the-player-piano-plays-a-very-important-role/) [Ramin Djawadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramin-djawadi/) > [I see the player piano as the grandfather of the computer, the ancestor of the entire nightmare we live in, the birth of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/i-see-the-player-piano-as-the-grandfather-of-the-computer-the/) [William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/) > [Big, undreamed-of things — the people on the edge see them first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/big-undreamed-of-things-the-people-on-the-edge-see-them-first/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“He remembered his cry of the night before: We must meet in the middle of the Bridge!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/he-remembered-his-cry-of-the-night-before-we-must-meet-in-the-middle/) [kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [A MIDI file contains coded instructions to play a particular series of notes on an electronic music synthesizer. A MIDI file is more like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-petzold/a-midi-file-contains-coded-instructions-to-play-a-particular-series/) [Charles Petzold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-petzold/) > [Bad guys turned informer. Good guys didn't - no matter when, no matter what.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/bad-guys-turned-informer-good-guys-didn-t-no-matter-when-no-matter/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Vonnegut's earliest novels hint strongly at his familiarity with Wiener's work, The Human Use of Human Beings, especially his first novel, Player Piano (1952),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-porush/vonnegut-s-earliest-novels-hint-strongly-at-his-familiarity-with/) [David Porush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-porush/) > [A lot of people have said, 'Do a Westworld tour!' I definitely have ideas, because we could do a whole concert from just the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramin-djawadi/a-lot-of-people-have-said-do-a-westworld-tour-i-definitely-have-ideas/) [Ramin Djawadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramin-djawadi/) > [My dad was a self-taught stride piano player. The myth is - I don't whether it's true or not - that he taught himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mose-allison/my-dad-was-a-self-taught-stride-piano-player-the-myth-is-i-don-t/) [Mose Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mose-allison/) > [“But wether I am faking on a player piano, or striking the chords with the power of my own mind and hands, the song…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-berne/but-wether-i-am-faking-on-a-player-piano-or-striking-the-chords-with/) [Eric Berne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-berne/) > [The history of the music industry is inevitably also the story of the development of technology. From the player piano to the vinyl disc,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-bronfman-jr/the-history-of-the-music-industry-is-inevitably-also-the-story-of-the/) [Edgar Bronfman, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-bronfman-jr/) > [“I became a so-called science fiction writer when someone decreed that I was a science fiction writer. I did not want to be classified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-became-a-so-called-science-fiction-writer-when-someone-decreed-that/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Hope you don't think this is Billy Joel unplugged. I'm a piano player. I'm already unplugged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/hope-you-don-t-think-this-is-billy-joel-unplugged-i-m-a-piano-player/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [“I have graded my separate works from A to D. The grades I hand out to myself do not place me in literary history.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-have-graded-my-separate-works-from-a-to-d-the-grades-i-hand-out-to/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) [Browse all 15 Player piano quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/player-piano/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“My least favorite received idea about writing is that one must find one's voice, as if it's there inside you, ready to be turned on like a player piano. 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