--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Describing Wallace Stegner as an 'author'…" description: "\"Describing Wallace Stegner as an 'author' is like describing a grizzly as 'brown.'\" — Steven Rinella" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/178/steven-rinella-4635_author_describing-wallace-stegner-as-an-author_1508560.png" --- # Describing Wallace Stegner as an 'author' is like… ![“Describing Wallace Stegner as an 'author' is like describing a grizzly as 'brown.'” quote by Steven Rinella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/178/steven-rinella-4635_author_describing-wallace-stegner-as-an-author_1508560.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/178/steven-rinella-4635_author_describing-wallace-stegner-as-an-author_1508560.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/178/steven-rinella-4635_author_describing-wallace-stegner-as-an-author_1508560.png) > “Describing Wallace Stegner as an 'author' is like describing a grizzly as 'brown.'” [Steven Rinella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rinella/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The comparison highlights how labeling can be overly simplistic and miss essential nuances. **In simple terms:** Labels can be too simple and miss nuance. Key Takeaway Avoid reductive labels. Themes identity perception nuance Mood thoughtful analytical Type observational critical When to use this quote - personal description - literary criticism - media commentary Key Concepts categorization stereotype Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure nuanced understanding? - What are the risks of oversimplification? A Different Perspective Overly simplistic labels can obscure complexity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Author](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/author/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I'd be a dope to compare my writing with Wallace Stegner's, but that book probably influenced me in ways I didn't even realize while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-crook/i-d-be-a-dope-to-compare-my-writing-with-wallace-stegner-s-but-that/) [Elizabeth Crook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-crook/) > [“There are only two living American authors fully deserving of the Nobel Prize. One is Lewis Mumford. The other is Wallace Stegner, whose novels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/there-are-only-two-living-american-authors-fully-deserving-of-the/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [“This is the native home of hope,” Wallace Stegner wrote of the American West.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/porter-fox/this-is-the-native-home-of-hope-wallace-stegner-wrote-of-the-american/) [Porter Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/porter-fox/) > [To want to meet an author because you like his books is as ridiculous as wanting to meet the goose because you like pate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/to-want-to-meet-an-author-because-you-like-his-books-is-as-ridiculous/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [Being an author is always like being a well-run dictatorship - it's all one person speaking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/being-an-author-is-always-like-being-a-well-run-dictatorship-it-s-all/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [People are used to streaming and binge-watching. When they see an author they like, if there's only one book, even if they like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-clark/people-are-used-to-streaming-and-binge-watching-when-they-see-an/) [Marcia Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-clark/) > [“An author is like a jeweller, with words as their gemstones and imagination the precious metals.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-smy/an-author-is-like-a-jeweller-with-words-as-their-gemstones-and/) Steve Smy > [An author is like a baker; it is for him to make the sweets, and others to buy and enjoy them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/an-author-is-like-a-baker-it-is-for-him-to-make-the-sweets-and-others/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) > [It never occurred to me when I was young that I could be an author. That would be like saying, "I want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/it-never-occurred-to-me-when-i-was-young-that-i-could-be-an-author/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [There's an epigram tacked to my office bulletin board, pinched from a magazine -- "Wanting to meet an author because you like his work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/there-s-an-epigram-tacked-to-my-office-bulletin-board-pinched-from-a/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [The trouble is, I can't find a part of myself where you're not important. I write in order to be worth your while and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/the-trouble-is-i-can-t-find-a-part-of-myself-where-you-re-not/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [An author, like any other so-called artist, is a man in whom the normal vanity of all men is so vastly exaggerated that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/an-author-like-any-other-so-called-artist-is-a-man-in-whom-the-normal/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“How Are We to Live is a collection of short stories, not a novel. This in itself is a disappointment. It seems to diminish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/how-are-we-to-live-is-a-collection-of-short-stories-not-a-novel-this/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [“Being an author is like being a kick boxer. You take a lot of hits to the head.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judah-lee-davis/being-an-author-is-like-being-a-kick-boxer-you-take-a-lot-of-hits-to/) [Judah Lee Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judah-lee-davis/) > [In a general way, the literature of the twentieth century is essentially psychological; and psychology consists of describing states of the soul by displaying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/in-a-general-way-the-literature-of-the-twentieth-century-is/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) ## More by Steven Rinella > [There is a limit to political and public tolerance for sacrifice on behalf of wildlife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rinella/there-is-a-limit-to-political-and-public-tolerance-for-sacrifice-on/) [Steven Rinella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rinella/) > [I have done some overseas hunting, including in New Zealand and with Amerindians in the jungles of South America. In those cases, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rinella/i-have-done-some-overseas-hunting-including-in-new-zealand-and-with/) [Steven Rinella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rinella/) > [Deer won't trust their eyes, and they won't trust their ears, but they'll always trust their sense of smell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rinella/deer-won-t-trust-their-eyes-and-they-won-t-trust-their-ears-but-they/) [Steven Rinella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rinella/) > [I got an MFA in creative non-fiction writing at the University of Montana.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rinella/i-got-an-mfa-in-creative-non-fiction-writing-at-the-university-of/) [Steven Rinella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rinella/) > [I trapped for 10 years, selling the hides and everything. Muskrats, raccoons, coyote, mink, beaver, otter, fox. When I figured out you couldn't make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rinella/i-trapped-for-10-years-selling-the-hides-and-everything-muskrats/) [Steven Rinella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rinella/) > [I was born with this wanderlust to move, constantly, as far as I could. It's more than I have a very hard time holding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rinella/i-was-born-with-this-wanderlust-to-move-constantly-as-far-as-i-could/) [Steven Rinella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rinella/) > [Microthreats are hardly confined to the wilderness. From the common cold to the Ebola virus, various nasties could be waiting to pounce on you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rinella/microthreats-are-hardly-confined-to-the-wilderness-from-the-common/) [Steven Rinella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rinella/) > [If you strip away someone's connection to the landscape, you risk losing their support as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rinella/if-you-strip-away-someone-s-connection-to-the-landscape-you-risk/) [Steven Rinella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rinella/) > [My first two kids were born in New York City, but there is a lot of exploration to be done just learning the natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rinella/my-first-two-kids-were-born-in-new-york-city-but-there-is-a-lot-of/) [Steven Rinella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rinella/) > [At its core, hunting is about food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rinella/at-its-core-hunting-is-about-food/) [Steven Rinella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rinella/) > [Getting published was like God stamping you 'acceptable,' and all of a sudden you can start writing for other places.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rinella/getting-published-was-like-god-stamping-you-acceptable-and-all-of-a/) [Steven Rinella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rinella/) > [If I could be attacked by a grizzly and not be killed, or maimed in a way that made women afraid of me, I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rinella/if-i-could-be-attacked-by-a-grizzly-and-not-be-killed-or-maimed-in-a/) [Steven Rinella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rinella/) > [A gadget connoisseur has to be able to suspend feelings of disbelief, pessimism, and mockery. 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I was brought up knowing that I could use them to feed myself, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rinella/i-own-guns-now-i-know-how-to-use-them-i-was-brought-up-knowing-that-i/) [Steven Rinella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rinella/) [Explore all 108 Steven Rinella quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rinella/) ## More Author quotes > [An author departs; he does not die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/an-author-departs-he-does-not-die/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Writers whose thoughts are expressed with clarity and precision are assumed by readers to be superficial. Where the meaning is obscured, then readers give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/writers-whose-thoughts-are-expressed-with-clarity-and-precision-are/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“There's a word for an author who doesn't give up... published.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-a-word-for-an-author-who-doesn-t-give-up-published/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A children's author on a soapbox is not a pleasant sight but I have become drawn into issues, slightly unwillingly, relating to young people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/a-children-s-author-on-a-soapbox-is-not-a-pleasant-sight-but-i-have/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [“Grayson: Fiction is just a lie anyway. Brianna: But it's not - it's a different kind of truth - it would be your truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/grayson-fiction-is-just-a-lie-anyway-brianna-but-it-s-not-it-s-a/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [“Religion is like wax. How anyone deals with it is decisive for how it will look like.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-midland/religion-is-like-wax-how-anyone-deals-with-it-is-decisive-for-how-it/) [Ben Midland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-midland/) > [“Expression is a function of intention and intention emanates from your thought faculty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ifeanyi-enoch-onuoha/expression-is-a-function-of-intention-and-intention-emanates-from/) [Ifeanyi Enoch Onuoha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ifeanyi-enoch-onuoha/) > [“There is no shortcut for hard work that leads to effectiveness. You must stay disciplined because most of the work is behind the scenes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/there-is-no-shortcut-for-hard-work-that-leads-to-effectiveness-you/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [I come from a working-class family. They're the people I know and the people I love, I guess. I do not write about them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/i-come-from-a-working-class-family-they-re-the-people-i-know-and-the/) [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) > [I am a completely horizontal author. I can't think unless I'm lying down, either in bed or stretched on a couch and with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/i-am-a-completely-horizontal-author-i-can-t-think-unless-i-m-lying/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [The author I wish I was reading right now and always is Nora Ephron. I love the humor, the awareness, the sense of self-deprecation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garance-dore/the-author-i-wish-i-was-reading-right-now-and-always-is-nora-ephron-i/) [Garance Dore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garance-dore/) > [“Betsy was so full of joy that she had to be alone. She went upstairs to her bedroom and sat down on Uncle Keith's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maud-hart-lovelace/betsy-was-so-full-of-joy-that-she-had-to-be-alone-she-went-upstairs/) [Maud Hart Lovelace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maud-hart-lovelace/) > [Writing is a intensely personal activity. I can pen down my best thoughts when I'm alone. But when one is elevated into the stature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwin-sanghi/writing-is-a-intensely-personal-activity-i-can-pen-down-my-best/) [Ashwin Sanghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwin-sanghi/) > [Meg Cabot is the best author ever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/meg-cabot-is-the-best-author-ever/) [Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/) > [“WHEN THE ALMIGHTY HAS PREDESTINED YOU, THERE IS NOONE IN THIS PHYSICAL LIFE THAT CAN BLOCK YOUR BLESSINGS…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muffin/when-the-almighty-has-predestined-you-there-is-noone-in-this-physical/) Muffin [Browse all 1,048 Author quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/author/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Describing Wallace Stegner as an 'author' is like describing a grizzly as 'brown.'", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Steven Rinella" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rinella/describing-wallace-stegner-as-an-author-is-like-describing-a-grizzly/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Author" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rinella/describing-wallace-stegner-as-an-author-is-like-describing-a-grizzly/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/178/steven-rinella-4635_author_describing-wallace-stegner-as-an-author_1508560.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/178/steven-rinella-4635_author_describing-wallace-stegner-as-an-author_1508560.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/178/steven-rinella-4635_author_describing-wallace-stegner-as-an-author_1508560.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Describing Wallace Stegner as an 'author' is like describing a grizzly as 'brown.'” — Steven Rinella", "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": "Steven Rinella", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rinella/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Describing Wallace Stegner as an 'author'...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rinella/describing-wallace-stegner-as-an-author-is-like-describing-a-grizzly/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rinella/describing-wallace-stegner-as-an-author-is-like-describing-a-grizzly/#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 } } ] } ```