--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One rule of the road not directly stated…" description: "\"“One rule of the road not directly stated elsewhere in this book: 'The editor is always right.' The corollary is that no writer will take all of his or..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15c/stephen-king-13_books_one-rule-of-the-road-not-directly-stated_58338.jpg" --- # One rule of the road not directly stated elsewhere in this… ![“One rule of the road not directly stated elsewhere in this book: 'The editor is always right.' The corollary is that no writer will take all of his or her editor’s advice; for all have sinned and fallen short of editorial perfection.” quote by Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15c/stephen-king-13_books_one-rule-of-the-road-not-directly-stated_58338.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15c/stephen-king-13_books_one-rule-of-the-road-not-directly-stated_58338.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15c/stephen-king-13_books_one-rule-of-the-road-not-directly-stated_58338.jpg) > ““One rule of the road not directly stated elsewhere in this book: 'The editor is always right.' The corollary is that no writer will take all of his or her editor’s advice; for all have sinned and fallen short of editorial perfection.”” [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Editorial authority is a guiding principle, yet writers must balance it with their own judgment because editors are fallible. **In simple terms:** Editors guide, but writers must decide. Key Takeaway Balance editorial advice with personal voice. Themes authority collaboration imperfection creative autonomy decision-making Mood pragmatic reflective instructive Type advice observation maxim When to use this quote - manuscript revision - publishing workflow - author-editor meetings - self-editing sessions Key Concepts editorial process authorial agency quality control Practical Applications - guidelines for editorial feedback - training for writers on critical evaluation of edits Questions to Reflect On - When should a writer accept an editor's suggestion? - How can editors acknowledge their own limitations? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I'm a writer, not an editor, and though the editing rarely cut into my writing time, it did take away from that walking-around-thinking-about-it-when-you're-not-thinking-about-it time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/i-m-a-writer-not-an-editor-and-though-the-editing-rarely-cut-into-my/) [Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/) > [I'm a writer first and an editor second... or maybe third or even fourth. 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I'm going to send you up where the air is rare and the view is much more than fair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/climb-aboard-jonesy-i-m-going-to-send-you-up-where-the-air-is-rare/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) [Explore all 3,589 Stephen King quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## 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! 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