--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had a period when I read Nobel Prize…" description: "\"I had a period when I read Nobel Prize winners. I figured they had to be good. I discovered some people I didn't know about, like the Icelandic writer ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb0/stephen-dobyns-13599_be-good_i-had-a-period-when-i-read-nobel-prize-w_2453241.jpg" --- # I had a period when I read Nobel Prize winners. I figured… ![“I had a period when I read Nobel Prize winners. I figured they had to be good. I discovered some people I didn't know about, like the Icelandic writer Halldor Laxness, who wrote "Independent People." .” quote by Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb0/stephen-dobyns-13599_be-good_i-had-a-period-when-i-read-nobel-prize-w_2453241.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb0/stephen-dobyns-13599_be-good_i-had-a-period-when-i-read-nobel-prize-w_2453241.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb0/stephen-dobyns-13599_be-good_i-had-a-period-when-i-read-nobel-prize-w_2453241.jpg) > “I had a period when I read Nobel Prize winners. I figured they had to be good. I discovered some people I didn't know about, like the Icelandic writer Halldor Laxness, who wrote "Independent People." .” [Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author assumed Nobel laureates were inherently superior, but discovered valuable works from less celebrated writers, challenging that. **In simple terms:** Assumed Nobel winners are best, found hidden gems elsewhere. Key Takeaway Explore beyond famous names for quality. Themes literature assumptions discovery quality recognition Mood curious analytical Type critical reflective When to use this quote - reading lists - library research - academic study Key Concepts canon formation cultural bias Questions to Reflect On - What criteria do you use to judge literature? - How can you broaden your reading horizons? A Different Perspective Famous awards don’t guarantee quality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Nobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nobel/) [Nobel prize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nobel-prize/) [Nobel prize winners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nobel-prize-winners/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Prize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prize/) [Winner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winner/) ## Related quotes > [As a Nobel Prize winner I cannot but regret that the award was never given to Mark Twain, nor to Henry James, speaking only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/as-a-nobel-prize-winner-i-cannot-but-regret-that-the-award-was-never/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [It is not the same thing if I sign Jean-Paul Sartre or if I sign Jean-Paul Sartre, Nobel Prize winner. A writer must refuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/it-is-not-the-same-thing-if-i-sign-jean-paul-sartre-or-if-i-sign-jean/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [I was never going to be one of Nobel prize winners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-schiff/i-was-never-going-to-be-one-of-nobel-prize-winners/) [Lewis Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-schiff/) > [If you look at the recent Nobel Prize winners, one couldn't say that the work didn't matter and the political commitment did. Who had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/if-you-look-at-the-recent-nobel-prize-winners-one-couldn-t-say-that/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [Harkening back to a story about my grandfather, I was lucky to attend a great high school in New York, Bronx High School of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-schiff/harkening-back-to-a-story-about-my-grandfather-i-was-lucky-to-attend/) [Lewis Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-schiff/) > [I think there is a huge difference between writers who have very big sales, and writers who have small sales. Even writers with very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/i-think-there-is-a-huge-difference-between-writers-who-have-very-big/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [ We \[Corbis\] make it so easy to call up images, whether art or people or beaches or sunsets or Nobel Prize winners. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/we-corbis-make-it-so-easy-to-call-up-images-whether-art-or-people-or/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Misguided liberal Joseph Stiglitz.Columbia University professor and Nobel Prize winner, claims the American dream is dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jedediah-bila/misguided-liberal-joseph-stiglitz-columbia-university-professor-and/) [Jedediah Bila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jedediah-bila/) > [And this indifference is still very much present in modern South Africa. 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I was to be an engineering major, despite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/my-two-jamaican-cousins-were-studying-engineering-that-s-where-the/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [“In a recent study comparing every Nobel Prize–winning scientist from 1901 to 2005 with typical scientists of the same era, both groups attained deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-m-grant/in-a-recent-study-comparing-every-nobel-prize-winning-scientist-from/) [Adam M. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-m-grant/) > [I thought maybe I would become a god, or a goddess, or a president or a Nobel Prize winner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelie-nothomb/i-thought-maybe-i-would-become-a-god-or-a-goddess-or-a-president-or-a/) [Amelie Nothomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelie-nothomb/) > [In fact, 37 percent of all United States Nobel Prize winners in the 20th century have been representatives of the Jewish community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-porter/in-fact-37-percent-of-all-united-states-nobel-prize-winners-in-the/) [Jon Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-porter/) > [“But a progressive policy needs more than just a bigger break with the economic and moral assumptions of the past 30 years. It needs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hobsbawm/but-a-progressive-policy-needs-more-than-just-a-bigger-break-with-the/) [Eric Hobsbawm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hobsbawm/) ## More by Stephen Dobyns > [Love doesn't need a reason. Hate needs a reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/love-doesn-t-need-a-reason-hate-needs-a-reason/) [Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) > [“Isn't that why you want to shoot yourself? 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A work of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/a-work-of-art-gives-testimony-to-what-it-is-to-be-a-human-being-it/) [Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) > [“It was not that she felt any allegiance to the truth. God knows she had cheated on too many men for the truth to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/it-was-not-that-she-felt-any-allegiance-to-the-truth-god-knows-she/) [Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) > [I'm reading "The Sunset of a Splendid Century" by W.H. Lewis. He was C.S. Lewis's brother. He wrote two books about the French court…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dobyns/i-m-reading-the-sunset-of-a-splendid-century-by-w-h-lewis-he-was-c-s/) [Stephen Dobyns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dobyns/) > [“Each thing I do I rush through so I can do something else.. in such a way do the days pass.. 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I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-garner/to-become-a-classical-ballerina-you-have-to-move-to-new-york-when-you/) [Jennifer Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-garner/) > [The producers felt that 24 would be good for the audience, to really get to know who these 12 and 12 are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-abdul/the-producers-felt-that-24-would-be-good-for-the-audience-to-really/) [Paula Abdul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-abdul/) > [All will concede that in order to have good neighbors, we must also be good neighbors. That applies in every field of human endeavor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/all-will-concede-that-in-order-to-have-good-neighbors-we-must-also-be/) [Harry S. 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