--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The author says one character's…" description: "\"“The author says one character's definition of a classic is any book he'd heard of before he was thirty.”\" — Sinclair Lewis" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b1/sinclair-lewis-1945_books_the-author-says-one-character-s-definiti_172393.png" --- # The author says one character's definition of a classic is… ![“The author says one character's definition of a classic is any book he'd heard of before he was thirty.” quote by Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b1/sinclair-lewis-1945_books_the-author-says-one-character-s-definiti_172393.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b1/sinclair-lewis-1945_books_the-author-says-one-character-s-definiti_172393.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b1/sinclair-lewis-1945_books_the-author-says-one-character-s-definiti_172393.png) > ““The author says one character's definition of a classic is any book he'd heard of before he was thirty.”” [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A classic is defined by personal familiarity rather than objective merit, highlighting subjectivity in taste. **In simple terms:** People call familiar books classics. Key Takeaway Question how personal bias defines value. Themes literature subjectivity culture Mood analytical curious Type philosophical inquisitive When to use this quote - book clubs - teaching - personal reading lists Key Concepts definition of classic personal bias nostalgia Questions to Reflect On - What makes a work timeless for you? - How do you discover classics beyond your early exposure? A Different Perspective Reliance on familiarity may exclude innovative works. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Classic book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/classic-book/) [Classic literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/classic-literature/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [Definition of a classic: a book everyone is assumed to have read and often thinks they have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bennett/definition-of-a-classic-a-book-everyone-is-assumed-to-have-read-and/) [Alan Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bennett/) > [“As always with the greatest works, the novel is so many-sided that over time it mirrors back the shifting concerns of those who read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-f-hovde/as-always-with-the-greatest-works-the-novel-is-so-many-sided-that/) Carl F. Hovde > [When it comes to the Alexa Bliss character, everyone says the character has to be an extension of yourself turned up. But I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexa-bliss/when-it-comes-to-the-alexa-bliss-character-everyone-says-the/) [Alexa Bliss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexa-bliss/) > [To anybody who says to me, 'I'm in character,' I say, 'You should be in an asylum.' If you don't know that you're pretending,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-b-sweeney/to-anybody-who-says-to-me-i-m-in-character-i-say-you-should-be-in-an/) [D. B. Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-b-sweeney/) > [So many times, you get a script and it says, "And then, the character cries," and you read the lines and think, "That would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shailene-woodley/so-many-times-you-get-a-script-and-it-says-and-then-the-character/) [Shailene Woodley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shailene-woodley/) > [Classic book is a book which people praise, but do not read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/classic-book-is-a-book-which-people-praise-but-do-not-read/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [A classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/a-classic-is-a-book-that-has-never-finished-saying-what-it-has-to-say/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > ['Classic'- A book in which people praise but do not read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/classic-a-book-in-which-people-praise-but-do-not-read/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [When you reread a classic, you do not see more in the book than you did before; you see more in you than there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-reread-a-classic-you-do-not-see-more-in-the-book-than-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A classic is a book that survives the circumstances that made it possible yet alone keeps those circumstances alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-kazin/a-classic-is-a-book-that-survives-the-circumstances-that-made-it/) [Alfred Kazin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-kazin/) > [When you read a classic, you do not see more in the book than you did before; you see more in you than there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/when-you-read-a-classic-you-do-not-see-more-in-the-book-than-you-did/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [John Bunyan, author of the classic book the Pilgrim’s Progress, said “You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/john-bunyan-author-of-the-classic-book-the-pilgrim-s-progress-said/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I love food. I mean, I really love food. I take pictures of my finest, funniest and most fascinating dishes, post them on Twitter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-nichols/i-love-food-i-mean-i-really-love-food-i-take-pictures-of-my-finest/) [Rachel Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-nichols/) > [“Author says her father was so diplomatic that when people came to him for solutions, people not only accepted them, but they believed they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immaculee-ilibagiza/author-says-her-father-was-so-diplomatic-that-when-people-came-to-him/) [Immaculee Ilibagiza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immaculee-ilibagiza/) > [“Fresh from the rarefied environments of Harvard, the author says he purposefully took journalism jobs in small southern towns so that he could learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-halberstam/fresh-from-the-rarefied-environments-of-harvard-the-author-says-he/) [David Halberstam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-halberstam/) ## More by Sinclair Lewis > [“She found beauty in the children.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/she-found-beauty-in-the-children/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [What is Love? Listen! It is the rainbow that stands out, in all its glorious many-colored hues, illuminating and making glad again the dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/what-is-love-listen-it-is-the-rainbow-that-stands-out-in-all-its/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [When you think that most of us are doomed by divine grace to roast in hell, to say nothing of mortgages and hail and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/when-you-think-that-most-of-us-are-doomed-by-divine-grace-to-roast-in/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [He loved the people just as much as he feared and detested persons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/he-loved-the-people-just-as-much-as-he-feared-and-detested-persons/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [“He had expected that traditionally Republican Vermont would give him too drearily easy a task in preaching Trowbridge. What he found was a dismaying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/he-had-expected-that-traditionally-republican-vermont-would-give-him/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [“Day on day he waited. So much of a revolution for so many people is nothing but waiting. That is one reason why tourists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/day-on-day-he-waited-so-much-of-a-revolution-for-so-many-people-is/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [“She continued it to Hugh, 'Darling, do you know what mother and you are going to find beyond the blue horizon rim?' 'What?' flatly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/she-continued-it-to-hugh-darling-do-you-know-what-mother-and-you-are/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [Is it possible that nobody has ever known that there never has been a completely civilized man, and won't be for another thousand years?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/is-it-possible-that-nobody-has-ever-known-that-there-never-has-been-a/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [“I think perhaps we want a more conscientious life. We're tired of drudging and sleeping and dying. We're tired of always deferring hope to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/i-think-perhaps-we-want-a-more-conscientious-life-we-re-tired-of/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [It might be the doing of Satan, in whom Aaron anxiously believed with all of his being except, perhaps, his mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/it-might-be-the-doing-of-satan-in-whom-aaron-anxiously-believed-with/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [“Like all males, he hated to confess ignorance by asking directions,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/like-all-males-he-hated-to-confess-ignorance-by-asking-directions/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [Winter is not a season, it's an occupation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/winter-is-not-a-season-it-s-an-occupation/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [“Author sees the "congested idealism" of the generally discontent as reservoir that will support centralized power even while disagreeing with many specific provisions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/author-sees-the-congested-idealism-of-the-generally-discontent-as/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [“The poor we have always with us, and the purpose of the Lord in providing the poor is to enable us of the better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/the-poor-we-have-always-with-us-and-the-purpose-of-the-lord-in/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) > [Writing is just work-there's no secret. If you dictate or use a pen or type or write with your toes-it's still just work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/writing-is-just-work-there-s-no-secret-if-you-dictate-or-use-a-pen-or/) [Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) [Explore all 196 Sinclair Lewis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/) ## 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. 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