--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I believe there's a platonic ideal for…" description: "\"I believe there's a platonic ideal for every book that is written, like there's the perfect version of the book somewhere in the ether, and my job is t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e8/sheila-heti-2776_believe_i-believe-there-s-a-platonic-ideal-for-e_22562.jpg" --- # I believe there's a platonic ideal for every book that is… ![“I believe there's a platonic ideal for every book that is written, like there's the perfect version of the book somewhere in the ether, and my job is to find what that book is through my editing.” quote by Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e8/sheila-heti-2776_believe_i-believe-there-s-a-platonic-ideal-for-e_22562.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e8/sheila-heti-2776_believe_i-believe-there-s-a-platonic-ideal-for-e_22562.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e8/sheila-heti-2776_believe_i-believe-there-s-a-platonic-ideal-for-e_22562.jpg) > “I believe there's a platonic ideal for every book that is written, like there's the perfect version of the book somewhere in the ether, and my job is to find what that book is through my editing.” [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Editing is a quest to uncover the unseen perfect form of a manuscript, treating each work as an embodiment of an ideal that exists beyond its current state. **In simple terms:** Editing seeks the book’s ideal version. Key Takeaway Edit to reveal the work’s true potential. Themes Creativity Perfectionism Literary Theory Craftsmanship Philosophy Mood Reflective Introspective Type Philosophical Professional When to use this quote - Manuscript revision - Publishing house workflow - Literary workshop - Self‑editing for writers Key Concepts Platonic ideal Editorial process Author‑editor relationship Practical Applications - Guiding authors toward a clearer narrative - Improving manuscript marketability Questions to Reflect On - How does the notion of an ideal version influence editorial decisions? - Can a single 'perfect' version truly exist for any text? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/job/) [Platonic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/platonic/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [T isnt necessary to know exactly how your ideal life will look; you only have to know what feels better and what feels worse¦Begin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/t-isnt-necessary-to-know-exactly-how-your-ideal-life-will-look-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have a great pack of female friends, but I also have a lot of guy friends. I believe that platonic relationship is entirely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-wilde/i-have-a-great-pack-of-female-friends-but-i-also-have-a-lot-of-guy/) [Olivia Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-wilde/) > [It is too late in the day for men of sincerity to pretend they believe in the Platonic mysticisms that three are one, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/it-is-too-late-in-the-day-for-men-of-sincerity-to-pretend-they/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [My ideal is a book that is perfect on every page, that gives you tremendous aesthetic joy on every page. I suppose I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/my-ideal-is-a-book-that-is-perfect-on-every-page-that-gives-you/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [You’ll learn that the key to a great book is editing-grindin g, buffing, and polishing-not writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/you-ll-learn-that-the-key-to-a-great-book-is-editing-grindin-g/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [“You’ll learn that the key to a great book is editing — grinding, buffing, and polishing — not writing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/you-ll-learn-that-the-key-to-a-great-book-is-editing-grinding-buffing/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [“It was about as close as you could get to the platonic ideal of a ham, if Plato had spent more time discussing hams…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gideon-defoe/it-was-about-as-close-as-you-could-get-to-the-platonic-ideal-of-a-ham/) [Gideon Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gideon-defoe/) > [When I'm editing, I try to bring out some dramatic structure. 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Kroeber > [Begbie offers an additional valuable contribution by rejecting the traditional emphasis on beauty, in its Platonic sense, and instead suggesting that beauty be reconceived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-walford/begbie-offers-an-additional-valuable-contribution-by-rejecting-the/) [John Walford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-walford/) > [One can hardly appreciate how academia has perverted its highest tasks and "ideals" without pondering long and hard the implications of Jacques Barzun's House…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/one-can-hardly-appreciate-how-academia-has-perverted-its-highest/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [People instantly assume you can't have a platonic friendship with someone of the opposite sex. I think this may be specific to L.A.—or America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-lucas/people-instantly-assume-you-can-t-have-a-platonic-friendship-with/) [Isabel Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-lucas/) > [I can't even find someone for a platonic relationship, much less the kind where someone wants to see me naked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-gottfried/i-can-t-even-find-someone-for-a-platonic-relationship-much-less-the/) [Gilbert Gottfried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-gottfried/) ## More by Sheila Heti > [I really enjoyed the process of 'Women in Clothes,' but there's no way I would have done that again. It felt more like being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/i-really-enjoyed-the-process-of-women-in-clothes-but-there-s-no-way-i/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [“style is about knowing what you like and why you like it, more than anything else. 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