--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think literature reveals more about us…" description: "\"“I think literature reveals more about us than history does.”\" — Susan Meissner" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/305/susan-meissner-12773_books_i-think-literature-reveals-more-about-us_2096270.jpg" --- # I think literature reveals more about us than history does. ![“I think literature reveals more about us than history does.” quote by Susan Meissner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/305/susan-meissner-12773_books_i-think-literature-reveals-more-about-us_2096270.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/305/susan-meissner-12773_books_i-think-literature-reveals-more-about-us_2096270.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/305/susan-meissner-12773_books_i-think-literature-reveals-more-about-us_2096270.jpg) > ““I think literature reveals more about us than history does.”” [Susan Meissner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-meissner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Literature reflects personal and collective identity more accurately than historical facts. **In simple terms:** Stories reveal who we are more than dates. Key Takeaway Read fiction to understand yourself and society. Themes identity culture storytelling Mood introspective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - book clubs - education curricula - therapy sessions Key Concepts narrative psychology literary criticism Questions to Reflect On - What does your favorite novel say about you? - How does story shape cultural memory? A Different Perspective Fiction may oversimplify complex realities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) ## Related quotes > [We think literature is immortal, but even that decays and ultimately turns to dust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-farren/we-think-literature-is-immortal-but-even-that-decays-and-ultimately/) [Mick Farren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-farren/) > [I think literature is somehow both a fantasy and a reality we should all get back to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-warren-jones/i-think-literature-is-somehow-both-a-fantasy-and-a-reality-we-should/) [Shane Warren Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-warren-jones/) > [I don't think if you're serious about literature your library is filled with award-winning books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-wylie/i-don-t-think-if-you-re-serious-about-literature-your-library-is/) [Andrew Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-wylie/) > [Women's books are kind of discriminated against. If a man writes a book about his family stories, people think of it as literature. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/women-s-books-are-kind-of-discriminated-against-if-a-man-writes-a/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [The writer’s job is to write with rigor, with commitment, to defend what they believe with all the talent they have. I think that’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/the-writer-s-job-is-to-write-with-rigor-with-commitment-to-defend/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [I often like to think that our map of the world is wrong, that where we have centered physics, we should actually place literature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/i-often-like-to-think-that-our-map-of-the-world-is-wrong-that-where/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [It seems to me that literature is giving way a little bit to the immediacy of other diversions, other forms of entertainment. What will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/it-seems-to-me-that-literature-is-giving-way-a-little-bit-to-the/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [I don't really think in terms of the future of literature. I think literature will be around "forever" - but in a relatively niche…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-antosca/i-don-t-really-think-in-terms-of-the-future-of-literature-i-think/) [Nick Antosca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-antosca/) > [The way to rock oneself back into writing is this. First gentle exercise in the air. Second the reading of good literature. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-way-to-rock-oneself-back-into-writing-is-this-first-gentle/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [I think literature is best when it's voicing what we would prefer not to talk about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-moody/i-think-literature-is-best-when-it-s-voicing-what-we-would-prefer-not/) [Rick Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-moody/) > [I think literature has lost it's power. Great novels continue to be written, but they are no longer changing the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/i-think-literature-has-lost-it-s-power-great-novels-continue-to-be/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [I think that literature is something that embraces a much larger experience than politics. It's an expression of what is life, of what are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/i-think-that-literature-is-something-that-embraces-a-much-larger/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [“Mine is not an obedient writing. I think that literature as any art has to be irreverent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinaldo-arenas/mine-is-not-an-obedient-writing-i-think-that-literature-as-any-art/) [Reinaldo Arenas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinaldo-arenas/) > [“You don’t think that literature can be a reflection of real life?” “Sure it can. But, like I said, Mr. Darcy isn’t a reflection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-boyd/you-don-t-think-that-literature-can-be-a-reflection-of-real-life-sure/) [Christina Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-boyd/) > [I do not think of literature as something confessional or therapeutic. I make sentences in order to be precise about experiences and things. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/i-do-not-think-of-literature-as-something-confessional-or-therapeutic/) [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) ## More by Susan Meissner > [“Life is wonderful and beautiful but oh, how hard it can be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-meissner/life-is-wonderful-and-beautiful-but-oh-how-hard-it-can-be/) [Susan Meissner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-meissner/) > [“Poetry speaks slowly. My mother told me that. We are usually too much in a hurry.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-meissner/poetry-speaks-slowly-my-mother-told-me-that-we-are-usually-too-much/) [Susan Meissner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-meissner/) > [“Everything in my life suddenly shifted into focus. It was like time froze and I was given a dazzling moment to comprehend the difference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-meissner/everything-in-my-life-suddenly-shifted-into-focus-it-was-like-time/) [Susan Meissner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-meissner/) > [“Everything beautiful has a story it wants to tell'" she said reading aloud the store's tagline at the top of the form.. "I love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-meissner/everything-beautiful-has-a-story-it-wants-to-tell-she-said-reading/) [Susan Meissner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-meissner/) > [“Death doesn't ever look at shoulda, though, does it? Death looks at nothing. It just does what it's meant to do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-meissner/death-doesn-t-ever-look-at-shoulda-though-does-it-death-looks-at/) [Susan Meissner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-meissner/) > [“You shouldn't imagine things that you haven't a shred of proof happened...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-meissner/you-shouldn-t-imagine-things-that-you-haven-t-a-shred-of-proof/) [Susan Meissner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-meissner/) > [The past hadn't been erased just because a new future had been handed it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-meissner/the-past-hadn-t-been-erased-just-because-a-new-future-had-been-handed/) [Susan Meissner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-meissner/) > [“What's there to remember if not the good things?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-meissner/what-s-there-to-remember-if-not-the-good-things/) [Susan Meissner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-meissner/) > [“thoughts are not things you can give or not give. Thoughts are thrust upon you. You can only hope that thoughts that you don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-meissner/thoughts-are-not-things-you-can-give-or-not-give-thoughts-are-thrust/) [Susan Meissner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-meissner/) > [“Shut your eyes to the world of pain, and you also shut your eyes to the world of delight.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-meissner/shut-your-eyes-to-the-world-of-pain-and-you-also-shut-your-eyes-to/) [Susan Meissner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-meissner/) > [“Hurried people miss many things. They see only what is right on top. . . .”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-meissner/hurried-people-miss-many-things-they-see-only-what-is-right-on-top/) [Susan Meissner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-meissner/) > [We moved wordlessly from one room to another, from the room of the dead to the room where time lay in pages everywhere I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-meissner/we-moved-wordlessly-from-one-room-to-another-from-the-room-of-the/) [Susan Meissner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-meissner/) > [“There is a calming aura at the ocean’s edge, despite the frothing foam, crashing waves and roaring white noise. The ocean looks the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-meissner/there-is-a-calming-aura-at-the-ocean-s-edge-despite-the-frothing-foam/) [Susan Meissner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-meissner/) > [“People who say everything happens for a reason usually say that only when they agree with the reason.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-meissner/people-who-say-everything-happens-for-a-reason-usually-say-that-only/) [Susan Meissner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-meissner/) > [“Terrible things can happen to you that leave you unable to risk trusting the world with what you love; I know this better than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-meissner/terrible-things-can-happen-to-you-that-leave-you-unable-to-risk/) [Susan Meissner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-meissner/) [Explore all 53 Susan Meissner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-meissner/) ## 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! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I think literature reveals more about us than history does.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Susan Meissner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-meissner/i-think-literature-reveals-more-about-us-than-history-does/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-meissner/i-think-literature-reveals-more-about-us-than-history-does/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/305/susan-meissner-12773_books_i-think-literature-reveals-more-about-us_2096270.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/305/susan-meissner-12773_books_i-think-literature-reveals-more-about-us_2096270.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/305/susan-meissner-12773_books_i-think-literature-reveals-more-about-us_2096270.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think literature reveals more about us than history does.” — Susan Meissner", "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": "Susan Meissner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-meissner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I think literature reveals more about...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-meissner/i-think-literature-reveals-more-about-us-than-history-does/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-meissner/i-think-literature-reveals-more-about-us-than-history-does/#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 } } ] } ```