--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Men may write fictions portraying lowly…" description: "\"“Men may write fictions portraying lowly life as it is, or as it is not—may expatiate with owlish gravity upon the bliss of ignorance—discourse flippan..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb5/solomon-northup-12765_fictions_men-may-write-fictions-portraying-lowly_285561.jpg" --- # Men may write fictions portraying lowly life as it is, or… ![“Men may write fictions portraying lowly life as it is, or as it is not—may expatiate with owlish gravity upon the bliss of ignorance—discourse flippantly from arm chairs of the pleasures of slave life; but let them toil with him in the field—sleep with him in the cabin—feed with him on husks; let…” quote by Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb5/solomon-northup-12765_fictions_men-may-write-fictions-portraying-lowly_285561.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb5/solomon-northup-12765_fictions_men-may-write-fictions-portraying-lowly_285561.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb5/solomon-northup-12765_fictions_men-may-write-fictions-portraying-lowly_285561.jpg) > ““Men may write fictions portraying lowly life as it is, or as it is not—may expatiate with owlish gravity upon the bliss of ignorance—discourse flippantly from arm chairs of the pleasures of slave life; but let them toil with him in the field—sleep with him in the cabin—feed with him on husks; let them behold him scourged, hunted, trampled on, and they will come back with another story in their mouths.”” [Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage argues that true understanding of hardship comes only from lived experience, not distant observation or imagination. **In simple terms:** Experience, not speculation, reveals reality. Key Takeaway Seek firsthand experience to grasp truth. Themes empathy experience truth class labor Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type ethical educational When to use this quote - workplace - military service - manual labor - immigration - poverty Key Concepts social realism philosophy human condition Questions to Reflect On - What experiences have changed your perspective? - How can we responsibly learn from others' hardships? A Different Perspective It may romanticize suffering as a source of insight. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fictions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fictions/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [The men who act stand nearer to the mass of man than the men who write; and it is in their hands that new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/the-men-who-act-stand-nearer-to-the-mass-of-man-than-the-men-who/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [Obviously I find women more interesting than men to write about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-piercy/obviously-i-find-women-more-interesting-than-men-to-write-about/) [Marge Piercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marge-piercy/) > [I feel like women very often do write differently than men, but women write things that men can't write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ringwald/i-feel-like-women-very-often-do-write-differently-than-men-but-women/) [Molly Ringwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ringwald/) > [It's like if a young woman writes it, then it's chick lit. We don't care if she's slaying vampires or working as a nanny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/it-s-like-if-a-young-woman-writes-it-then-it-s-chick-lit-we-don-t/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [I suggest to my students that they write under a pseudonym for a week. That allows young men to write as women, and women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-suggest-to-my-students-that-they-write-under-a-pseudonym-for-a-week/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [I never can understand how two men can write a book together; to me that's like three people getting together to have a baby.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/i-never-can-understand-how-two-men-can-write-a-book-together-to-me/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [There are men who can write poetry, and there are men who can read balance sheets. The men who can read balance sheets cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-r-luce/there-are-men-who-can-write-poetry-and-there-are-men-who-can-read/) [Henry R. Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-r-luce/) > [I ask for your indulgence when I march out quotations. This is the double syndrome of men who write for a living and men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/i-ask-for-your-indulgence-when-i-march-out-quotations-this-is-the/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [When someone like Kurt Cobain or Jack White comes out, they didn't go, "He sounds just like Muddy Waters," did they? They just said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shingai-shoniwa/when-someone-like-kurt-cobain-or-jack-white-comes-out-they-didn-t-go/) [Shingai Shoniwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shingai-shoniwa/) > [“Men write great romance because they have more at stake”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pj-bayliss/men-write-great-romance-because-they-have-more-at-stake/) PJ Bayliss > [When men write women, they tend to write women the way they want women to be, or the way they resent women for being.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-pegg/when-men-write-women-they-tend-to-write-women-the-way-they-want-women/) [Simon Pegg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-pegg/) > [Two temptations that impair the value of their work inevitably beset public men who write memoirs. One is a tendency to reconstruct the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-grey-1st-viscount-grey-of-fallodon/two-temptations-that-impair-the-value-of-their-work-inevitably-beset/) [Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-grey-1st-viscount-grey-of-fallodon/) > [History -- its what those bitter old men write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/history-its-what-those-bitter-old-men-write/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [That's always been part of my goal - to show the dark side of women. Men write about bad men all the time, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/that-s-always-been-part-of-my-goal-to-show-the-dark-side-of-women-men/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [The men I write can be intense, quiet, outspoken and outrageous, deadly or fun... but I would never waste time on a hero who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-foster/the-men-i-write-can-be-intense-quiet-outspoken-and-outrageous-deadly/) [Lori Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-foster/) ## More by Solomon Northup > [“I had not then learned the measure of “man’s inhumanity to man,” nor to what limitless extent of wickedness he will go for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/i-had-not-then-learned-the-measure-of-man-s-inhumanity-to-man-nor-to/) [Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/) > [“adroitly that there was”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/adroitly-that-there-was/) [Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/) > [Unsoundness in a slave, as well as in a horse, detracts materially from his value. If no warranty is given, a close examination is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/unsoundness-in-a-slave-as-well-as-in-a-horse-detracts-materially-from/) [Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/) > [“Blessed be sleep! It visiteth all alike, descending as the dews of heaven on the bond and free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/blessed-be-sleep-it-visiteth-all-alike-descending-as-the-dews-of/) [Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/) > [I can speak of slavery only so far as it came under my own observation - only so far as I have known and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/i-can-speak-of-slavery-only-so-far-as-it-came-under-my-own/) [Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/) > [I could not comprehend the justice of that law, or that religion, which upholds or recognizes the principle of slavery;](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/i-could-not-comprehend-the-justice-of-that-law-or-that-religion-which/) [Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/) > [“I don't want to survive, I want to live.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/i-don-t-want-to-survive-i-want-to-live/) [Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/) > [My sufferings I can compare to nothing else than the burning agonies of hell!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/my-sufferings-i-can-compare-to-nothing-else-than-the-burning-agonies/) [Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/) > [My back is thick with scars for protesting my freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/my-back-is-thick-with-scars-for-protesting-my-freedom/) [Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/) > [“It is a mistaken opinion that prevails in some quarters that the slave does not understand the term - does not comprehend the idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/it-is-a-mistaken-opinion-that-prevails-in-some-quarters-that-the/) [Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/) > [At such times, the heart of man turns instictively towards his Maker. In prosperity, and whenever there is nothing to injure or make him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/at-such-times-the-heart-of-man-turns-instictively-towards-his-maker/) [Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/) > [“let them behold him scourged, hunted, trampled on, and they will come back with another story in their mouths. Let them know the heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/let-them-behold-him-scourged-hunted-trampled-on-and-they-will-come/) [Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/) > [“On the way, a great many demanded it, read it, and passed on. Those having the air and appearance of gentlemen, whose dress indicated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/on-the-way-a-great-many-demanded-it-read-it-and-passed-on-those/) [Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/) > [“case with Cocodrie Bayou, which Solomon must have heard with a starting “p.” Here is a list”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/case-with-cocodrie-bayou-which-solomon-must-have-heard-with-a/) [Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/) > [Life is dear to every living thing; the worm that crawls upon the ground will struggle for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/life-is-dear-to-every-living-thing-the-worm-that-crawls-upon-the/) [Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/) [Explore all 53 Solomon Northup quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/) ## More Fictions quotes > [“She smiled sinisterly. Light mist started to slowly swirl around us. All I could see was her, the tall rocks and the white wall.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-sehyun-song/she-smiled-sinisterly-light-mist-started-to-slowly-swirl-around-us/) [Erica Sehyun Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-sehyun-song/) > [Religious fictions,fates are illusion to science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/you-ng-micky-m-yzzy/religious-fictions-fates-are-illusion-to-science/) You'ng Micky M'yzzy > [“He had a respect for facts maybe this was one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/he-had-a-respect-for-facts-maybe-this-was-one/) [Anne Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-carson/) > [Our lives are fictions, a work we leave behind, signed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanna-bonta/our-lives-are-fictions-a-work-we-leave-behind-signed/) [Vanna Bonta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanna-bonta/) > [“This is not one of your fictions where people bleed ink.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-paul-winter/this-is-not-one-of-your-fictions-where-people-bleed-ink/) Terence Paul Winter > [“I told you; I am Arianna, the Siren, your Guardian, and how is a Guardian supposed to do her job if she is clueless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-sehyun-song/i-told-you-i-am-arianna-the-siren-your-guardian-and-how-is-a-guardian/) [Erica Sehyun Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-sehyun-song/) > [“Generations are fictions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-chang/generations-are-fictions/) [Jeff Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-chang/) > [“There is a continuity of all things that make classifications fictions. But all human knowledge depends upon arrangements. Then all books--scientific, theological, philosophical--are only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fort/there-is-a-continuity-of-all-things-that-make-classifications/) [Charles Fort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fort/) > [In merest prudence men should teach . . . That science ranks as monstrous things Two pairs of upper limbs; so wings-- E'en Angel's wings!--are fictions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-austin-dobson/in-merest-prudence-men-should-teach-that-science-ranks-as-monstrous/) [Henry Austin Dobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-austin-dobson/) > [Contrary to what Kafka does, I always like to refer all of my fictions to the level of reality, He, on the other hand,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manuel-puig/contrary-to-what-kafka-does-i-always-like-to-refer-all-of-my-fictions/) [Manuel Puig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manuel-puig/) > [Art is amoral, whether we accept this or not; it does not take sides. The finest fictions are cold at heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/art-is-amoral-whether-we-accept-this-or-not-it-does-not-take-sides/) [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) > [And I am a writer, writer of fictions I am the heart that you call home And I've written pages upon pages Trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-meloy/and-i-am-a-writer-writer-of-fictions-i-am-the-heart-that-you-call/) [Colin Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-meloy/) > [“No one wants the complete picture, the whole story. It would leave no room for the fictions we need to tell ourselves about ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caite-dolan-leach/no-one-wants-the-complete-picture-the-whole-story-it-would-leave-no/) [Caite Dolan-Leach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caite-dolan-leach/) > [“Perhaps we are all fictions, father, in the mind of God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/perhaps-we-are-all-fictions-father-in-the-mind-of-god/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [“An author's ultimate reward is expanding mankind's understanding of our world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-mathews/an-author-s-ultimate-reward-is-expanding-mankind-s-understanding-of/) Richard Mathews [Browse all 93 Fictions quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fictions/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Men may write fictions portraying lowly life as it is, or as it is not—may expatiate with owlish gravity upon the bliss of ignorance—discourse flippantly from arm chairs of the pleasures of slave life; but let them toil with him in the field—sleep with him in the cabin—feed with him on husks; let them behold him scourged, hunted, trampled on, and they will come back with another story in their mouths.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Solomon Northup" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/men-may-write-fictions-portraying-lowly-life-as-it-is-or-as-it-is-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fictions" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/men-may-write-fictions-portraying-lowly-life-as-it-is-or-as-it-is-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb5/solomon-northup-12765_fictions_men-may-write-fictions-portraying-lowly_285561.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb5/solomon-northup-12765_fictions_men-may-write-fictions-portraying-lowly_285561.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb5/solomon-northup-12765_fictions_men-may-write-fictions-portraying-lowly_285561.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Men may write fictions portraying lowly life as it is, or as it is not—may expatiate with owlish gravity…” — Solomon Northup", "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": "Solomon Northup", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Men may write fictions portraying lowly...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/men-may-write-fictions-portraying-lowly-life-as-it-is-or-as-it-is-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/men-may-write-fictions-portraying-lowly-life-as-it-is-or-as-it-is-not/#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 } } ] } ```