--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Great writers, I discovered, were not to…" description: "\"Great writers, I discovered, were not to be bowed down before and worshipped, but embraced and befriended. Their names resounded through history not be..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1eb/stephen-fry-573_arms_great-writers-i-discovered-were-not-to-b_1442932.jpg" --- # Great writers, I discovered, were not to be bowed down… ![“Great writers, I discovered, were not to be bowed down before and worshipped, but embraced and befriended. Their names resounded through history not because they had massive brows and thought deep incomprehensible thoughts, but because they opened windows in the mind, they put their arms round you…” quote by Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1eb/stephen-fry-573_arms_great-writers-i-discovered-were-not-to-b_1442932.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1eb/stephen-fry-573_arms_great-writers-i-discovered-were-not-to-b_1442932.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1eb/stephen-fry-573_arms_great-writers-i-discovered-were-not-to-b_1442932.jpg) > “Great writers, I discovered, were not to be bowed down before and worshipped, but embraced and befriended. Their names resounded through history not because they had massive brows and thought deep incomprehensible thoughts, but because they opened windows in the mind, they put their arms round you and showed you things you always knew but never dared to believe. Even if their names were terrifyingly foreign and intellectual sounding, Dostoevsky, Baudelaire or Cavafy, they turned out to be charming and wonderful and quite unalarming after all.” [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writers inspire by opening mental horizons, not by intimidation. **In simple terms:** Great writers open minds, not intimidate. Key Takeaway Seek writers who expand your view. Themes literature inspiration humility Mood thoughtful conversational Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - reading clubs - creative writing workshops - education - personal reflection Key Concepts narrative empathy creative imagination Questions to Reflect On - Which author has opened a new perspective for you? - How do you balance admiration with critical thinking? A Different Perspective Not all writers resonate; personal taste matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arms/) [Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baudelaire/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Brows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brows/) [Charming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charming/) [Great writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-writers/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Names](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/names/) [Names Terrifyingly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/names-terrifyingly-5168034/) [Turned Charming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turned-charming-5168033/) [Window](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/window/) [Wonderful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful/) [Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers/) [Writers Discovered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers-discovered-1841431/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [My generation of young female writers discovered that we could dictate the form and content of our own fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/my-generation-of-young-female-writers-discovered-that-we-could/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [One of the traps of adolescence is the sort of paranoid resentment that somehow you're never going to match up and that everybody else's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/one-of-the-traps-of-adolescence-is-the-sort-of-paranoid-resentment/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [And hence the poet must seek to be essentially anonymous, He must die a little death each morning, He must swallow his toad and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delmore-schwartz/and-hence-the-poet-must-seek-to-be-essentially-anonymous-he-must-die/) [Delmore Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delmore-schwartz/) > [(Baudelaire) had descended to the bottom of the inexhaustible mine, had picked his way along abandoned or unexplored galleries, and had finally reached those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joris-karl-huysmans/baudelaire-had-descended-to-the-bottom-of-the-inexhaustible-mine-had/) [Joris-Karl Huysmans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joris-karl-huysmans/) > [He was prepared to die for it, as one of Baudelaire's dandies might have been prepared to kill himself in order to preserve himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-carter/he-was-prepared-to-die-for-it-as-one-of-baudelaire-s-dandies-might/) [Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/) > [The story of the Baudelaires takes place in a very real world, where some people are laughed at just because they have something wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-story-of-the-baudelaires-takes-place-in-a-very-real-world-where/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In the time since the Baudelaire parents' death, most of the Baudelaire orphans' friends had fallen by the wayside, an expression wich here means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-the-time-since-the-baudelaire-parents-death-most-of-the-baudelaire/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The neo-conservative critics of leftist critics of mass culture ridicule the protest against Bach as background music in the kitchen, against Plato and Hegel,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-marcuse/the-neo-conservative-critics-of-leftist-critics-of-mass-culture/) [Herbert Marcuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-marcuse/) > [Life isn't fair," he said, in his undisguised voice, and for once the Baudelaire orphans agreed with every word the man said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-isn-t-fair-he-said-in-his-undisguised-voice-and-for-once-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Even the best critical writing on Emily Dickinson underestimates her. 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This too was the lesson that Theophile Gautier, most subtle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-heart-contains-passion-but-the-imagination-alone-contains-poetry/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Baudelaire children had a slightly different”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemony-snicket/baudelaire-children-had-a-slightly-different/) [Lemony Snicket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lemony-snicket/) > [Artists are people who are subject to irrational convictions of the sacred. Baudelaire said that an artist is a child who has acquired adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schjeldahl/artists-are-people-who-are-subject-to-irrational-convictions-of-the/) [Peter Schjeldahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schjeldahl/) > [“I think I would be happy in that place I happen not to be, and this question of moving house is the subject of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-chatwin/i-think-i-would-be-happy-in-that-place-i-happen-not-to-be-and-this/) [Bruce Chatwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-chatwin/) ## More by Stephen Fry > [“...Catholic versus Protestant, essentially. It's that kind of fight. ... And it goes on to this day. Will we never learn? Who knows? Religion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/catholic-versus-protestant-essentially-it-s-that-kind-of-fight-and-it/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [How dare you? How dare you create a world in which there is such misery that is not our fault? It's not right, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/how-dare-you-how-dare-you-create-a-world-in-which-there-is-such/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [“Look at the kind of people who most object to the childishness and cheapness of celebrity culture. Does one really want to side with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/look-at-the-kind-of-people-who-most-object-to-the-childishness-and/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [“The object of love should feel honoured or flattered, responsible in some way. Instead he felt insulted, degraded and revolted. More than that, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/the-object-of-love-should-feel-honoured-or-flattered-responsible-in/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [The only people who are obsessed with food are anorexics and the morbidly obese. 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Apart from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/i-ve-never-had-any-illusions-about-being-a-lead-actor-in-films/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [Because, let's face it, I do not get offered the parts that Brad Pitt has just turned down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/because-let-s-face-it-i-do-not-get-offered-the-parts-that-brad-pitt/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [I will defend the absolute value of Mozart over Miley Cyrus, of course I will, but we should be wary of false dichotomies. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/i-will-defend-the-absolute-value-of-mozart-over-miley-cyrus-of-course/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [You can't just say there is a god because the world is beautiful. You have to account for bone cancer in children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/you-can-t-just-say-there-is-a-god-because-the-world-is-beautiful-you/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [If you know someone who's depressed, please resolve never to ask them why. Depression isn't a straightforward response to a bad situation; depression just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/if-you-know-someone-who-s-depressed-please-resolve-never-to-ask-them/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [It's as if scientists exert every effort of will they possess deliberately to find the least significant problems in the world and explain them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/it-s-as-if-scientists-exert-every-effort-of-will-they-possess/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) [Explore all 466 Stephen Fry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) ## More Arms quotes > [I genuinely did not expect more than half our nation to choose to walk away from our long-term allies into the arms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reade/i-genuinely-did-not-expect-more-than-half-our-nation-to-choose-to/) [Brian Reade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-reade/) > [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-wear-a-watch-because-i-want-my-arms-to-weigh-the-same-so-if/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. There's a reason the right does it and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/preaching-to-the-choir-actually-arms-the-choir-with-arguments-and/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [Are we fighting?" I asked Morelli. "No. Were discussing." "Are you sure?" "Am I yelling?" Morelli asked. "Is my face purple? Are the cords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/are-we-fighting-i-asked-morelli-no-were-discussing-are-you-sure-am-i/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [A home isn't just a roof over our heads. A home is a place where we feel loved and where we love others. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/a-home-isn-t-just-a-roof-over-our-heads-a-home-is-a-place-where-we/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Comerado, this is no book,Who touches this, touches a man,(Is it night? Are we here alone?)It is I you hold, and who holds you,I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/comerado-this-is-no-book-who-touches-this-touches-a-man-is-it-night/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [Even the stove and the refrigerator looked human, I mean good human - they seemed to have arms and voices and they said, hang…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/even-the-stove-and-the-refrigerator-looked-human-i-mean-good-human/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [I separated the joints, the arm joints, the leg joints, and had to do two boilings. 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Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [How shall freedom be defended? By arms when it is attacked by arms, by truth when it is attacked by lies, by faith when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-macleish/how-shall-freedom-be-defended-by-arms-when-it-is-attacked-by-arms-by/) [Archibald MacLeish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-macleish/) > [You don't have to say it out loud. I already know why you like me.' 'You do, huh?' 'Yep.' He wrapped his arms around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/you-don-t-have-to-say-it-out-loud-i-already-know-why-you-like-me-you/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [Another step had her backed up against the wall, and he braced his arms on both sides of her. "I'm beginning to look forward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-lindsey/another-step-had-her-backed-up-against-the-wall-and-he-braced-his/) [Johanna Lindsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-lindsey/) [Browse all 4,470 Arms quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arms/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Great writers, I discovered, were not to be bowed down before and worshipped, but embraced and befriended. Their names resounded through history not because they had massive brows and thought deep incomprehensible thoughts, but because they opened windows in the mind, they put their arms round you and showed you things you always knew but never dared to believe. 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