--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Besides being witty and funny and maybe…" description: "\"“Besides being witty and funny and maybe the best novel ever written, it’s also the most perfect romance in all of literature and nothing in life can e..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efe/shannon-hale-827_best-novel_besides-being-witty-and-funny-and-maybe_2484557.png" --- # Besides being witty and funny and maybe the best novel… ![“Besides being witty and funny and maybe the best novel ever written, it’s also the most perfect romance in all of literature and nothing in life can ever measure up, so I spend my life limping in its shadow.” quote by Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efe/shannon-hale-827_best-novel_besides-being-witty-and-funny-and-maybe_2484557.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efe/shannon-hale-827_best-novel_besides-being-witty-and-funny-and-maybe_2484557.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efe/shannon-hale-827_best-novel_besides-being-witty-and-funny-and-maybe_2484557.png) > ““Besides being witty and funny and maybe the best novel ever written, it’s also the most perfect romance in all of literature and nothing in life can ever measure up, so I spend my life limping in its shadow.”” [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) ## 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 celebrates an idealized romance that feels unattainably perfect, causing the speaker to feel inadequate in comparison. **In simple terms:** A perfect love story makes real life feel lacking. Key Takeaway Accept imperfection; seek personal fulfillment. Themes love literature idealism selfworth comparison Mood melancholic reflective Type literary personal When to use this quote - reading - relationship expectations - personal growth - creative writing Key Concepts romantic idealism literary critique self-esteem Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of your life feel eclipsed by an ideal? - How can you find value beyond comparison? A Different Perspective Real love is messy and flawed, unlike the flawless fictional romance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Best novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-novel-18876/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Limping Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limping-shadow-901551/) [Literature Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature-life/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Perfect Romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect-romance-901548/) [Romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romance/) [Romance Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romance-literature-901553/) ## Related quotes > [WORTH IT and perfect are different things. No ones perfect, yet in romance, everyone becomes WORTH IT. And thats the trick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/worth-it-and-perfect-are-different-things-no-ones-perfect-yet-in/) [Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/) > [I think my idea of a perfect romance is when two people really belong to each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-michael/i-think-my-idea-of-a-perfect-romance-is-when-two-people-really-belong/) [George Michael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-michael/) > [“In books, the hero was gone after the big blowup. He didn’t stick around in the vicinity doing mysterious shit, sending messages to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/in-books-the-hero-was-gone-after-the-big-blowup-he-didn-t-stick/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [“He didn’t stick around in the vicinity doing mysterious shit, sending messages to the heroine by a third party. He hauled his ass into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/he-didn-t-stick-around-in-the-vicinity-doing-mysterious-shit-sending/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [WORTH IT and perfect are different things. No one’s perfect, yet in romance, everyone becomes WORTH IT. And that’s the trick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-johnson/worth-it-and-perfect-are-different-things-no-one-s-perfect-yet-in/) [Maureen Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-johnson/) > [Life should imitate romance literature far more often.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/life-should-imitate-romance-literature-far-more-often/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [Rebecca Mead's My Life in Middlemarch is a wise, humane, and delightful study of what some regard as the best novel in English. Mead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/rebecca-mead-s-my-life-in-middlemarch-is-a-wise-humane-and-delightful/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [I'm a novelist at heart. My sole intention is to write the best novel possible. I don't think about the film potential at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/i-m-a-novelist-at-heart-my-sole-intention-is-to-write-the-best-novel/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [The Brightwood Stillness is a novel I could not put down. On the surface, it is the lives of normal people in trying circumstances.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-x-pham/the-brightwood-stillness-is-a-novel-i-could-not-put-down-on-the/) [Andrew X. Pham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-x-pham/) > [The best novel I wrote was one called 'Crusoe's Daughter,' which never won any prizes. But I was getting somewhere in that. I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-gardam/the-best-novel-i-wrote-was-one-called-crusoe-s-daughter-which-never/) [Jane Gardam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-gardam/) > [Bonsai won the Chilean Critics Award for best novel of the year in 2006and it's easy to understand why.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-messinger/bonsai-won-the-chilean-critics-award-for-best-novel-of-the-year-in/) [Jonathan Messinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-messinger/) > [“People who shop at Barnes and Noble voted Ulysses the best novel of the last century, and who's to tell them different? There was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-peck/people-who-shop-at-barnes-and-noble-voted-ulysses-the-best-novel-of/) [Dale Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-peck/) > [In the end, for me, the sole single goal is to write the best novel that I can. Whether or not it gets made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/in-the-end-for-me-the-sole-single-goal-is-to-write-the-best-novel/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [Without literature, life is hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/without-literature-life-is-hell/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [Books should confuse. Literature abhors the typical. Literature flows to the particular, the mundane, the greasiness of paper, the taste of warm beer, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/books-should-confuse-literature-abhors-the-typical-literature-flows/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) ## More by Shannon Hale > [“Well, write me into the list of Those Who Don’t Mind a Bit,” said Cupid, eyeing his perfectly toned arms and chest. “My, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/well-write-me-into-the-list-of-those-who-don-t-mind-a-bit-said-cupid/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [“Sometimes instinct isn't fancy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/sometimes-instinct-isn-t-fancy/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [Enna leaned back her head and laughed at the sky. 'Of course he wasn't! Who could kill Razo?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/enna-leaned-back-her-head-and-laughed-at-the-sky-of-course-he-wasn-t/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [“Um… I guess that’s that,” said Cerise. “That?” said Maddie. “That is never that. This is that. Or else that is this. And this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/um-i-guess-that-s-that-said-cerise-that-said-maddie-that-is-never/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [The book smelled dusty and old but also carried a sweet tang, a hint of something inviting. She opened to the first page and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/the-book-smelled-dusty-and-old-but-also-carried-a-sweet-tang-a-hint/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [Geric," she called. He turned back around. "What kind of flowers were they?" "I don't rightly know," he said. He made faltering gestures with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/geric-she-called-he-turned-back-around-what-kind-of-flowers-were-they/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [How I keep trying to force our story into a fairy tale, but from the beginning, it's been more like a nursery rhyme." "Bizarre…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/how-i-keep-trying-to-force-our-story-into-a-fairy-tale-but-from-the/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [“He wildly combed his hair with his fingers. “I can’t bear to be out there with you right now, all those indifferent people watching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/he-wildly-combed-his-hair-with-his-fingers-i-can-t-bear-to-be-out/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [But, how do you know if an ending is truly good for the characters unless you've traveled with them through every page?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/but-how-do-you-know-if-an-ending-is-truly-good-for-the-characters/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [“Sometimes it seems my identity’s a matter of opinion”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/sometimes-it-seems-my-identity-s-a-matter-of-opinion/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [The snow was too light to stay, the ground too warm to keep it. And the strange spring snow fell only in that golden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/the-snow-was-too-light-to-stay-the-ground-too-warm-to-keep-it-and-the/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [Even the jerks earn some of our affection. We can be glad they're gone and yet still mourn the good parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/even-the-jerks-earn-some-of-our-affection-we-can-be-glad-they-re-gone/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [Smell is the voice of the soul...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/smell-is-the-voice-of-the-soul/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [“It was my jewelry!” Briar shouted after his father because he’d forgotten to ask what was stolen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/it-was-my-jewelry-briar-shouted-after-his-father-because-he-d/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [Oh, but I like my geese. Like cats, they can't be told what to do, and like dogs, they're loyal, and like people, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/oh-but-i-like-my-geese-like-cats-they-can-t-be-told-what-to-do-and/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) [Explore all 358 Shannon Hale quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) ## More Best novel quotes > [In the end, for me, the sole single goal is to write the best novel that I can. Whether or not it gets made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/in-the-end-for-me-the-sole-single-goal-is-to-write-the-best-novel/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [“People who shop at Barnes and Noble voted Ulysses the best novel of the last century, and who's to tell them different? There was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-peck/people-who-shop-at-barnes-and-noble-voted-ulysses-the-best-novel-of/) [Dale Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-peck/) > [Bonsai won the Chilean Critics Award for best novel of the year in 2006and it's easy to understand why.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-messinger/bonsai-won-the-chilean-critics-award-for-best-novel-of-the-year-in/) [Jonathan Messinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-messinger/) > [The Brightwood Stillness is a novel I could not put down. On the surface, it is the lives of normal people in trying circumstances.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-x-pham/the-brightwood-stillness-is-a-novel-i-could-not-put-down-on-the/) [Andrew X. Pham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-x-pham/) > [I'm a novelist at heart. My sole intention is to write the best novel possible. I don't think about the film potential at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/i-m-a-novelist-at-heart-my-sole-intention-is-to-write-the-best-novel/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [Rebecca Mead's My Life in Middlemarch is a wise, humane, and delightful study of what some regard as the best novel in English. Mead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/rebecca-mead-s-my-life-in-middlemarch-is-a-wise-humane-and-delightful/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [The best novel I wrote was one called 'Crusoe's Daughter,' which never won any prizes. But I was getting somewhere in that. I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-gardam/the-best-novel-i-wrote-was-one-called-crusoe-s-daughter-which-never/) [Jane Gardam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-gardam/) [Browse all 8 Best novel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-novel-18876/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Besides being witty and funny and maybe the best novel ever written, it’s also the most perfect romance in all of literature and nothing in life can ever measure up, so I spend my life limping in its shadow.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Shannon Hale" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/besides-being-witty-and-funny-and-maybe-the-best-novel-ever-written/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Best novel" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/besides-being-witty-and-funny-and-maybe-the-best-novel-ever-written/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efe/shannon-hale-827_best-novel_besides-being-witty-and-funny-and-maybe_2484557.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efe/shannon-hale-827_best-novel_besides-being-witty-and-funny-and-maybe_2484557.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efe/shannon-hale-827_best-novel_besides-being-witty-and-funny-and-maybe_2484557.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Besides being witty and funny and maybe the best novel ever written, it’s also the most perfect romance in…” — Shannon Hale", "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": "Shannon Hale", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Besides being witty and funny and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/besides-being-witty-and-funny-and-maybe-the-best-novel-ever-written/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/besides-being-witty-and-funny-and-maybe-the-best-novel-ever-written/#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 } } ] } ```