--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You know that this vignette and that…" description: "\"You know that this vignette and that vignette belong side by side, you know that a certain turn of phrase you've been saving will probably work best wi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba7/teju-cole-2851_certain_you-know-that-this-vignette-and-that-vig_3110600.png" --- # You know that this vignette and that vignette belong side… ![“You know that this vignette and that vignette belong side by side, you know that a certain turn of phrase you've been saving will probably work best within a given section of the narrative. As in a jazz performance, writing lives or dies by what's produced in that moment. But that moment is…” quote by Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba7/teju-cole-2851_certain_you-know-that-this-vignette-and-that-vig_3110600.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba7/teju-cole-2851_certain_you-know-that-this-vignette-and-that-vig_3110600.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba7/teju-cole-2851_certain_you-know-that-this-vignette-and-that-vig_3110600.png) > “You know that this vignette and that vignette belong side by side, you know that a certain turn of phrase you've been saving will probably work best within a given section of the narrative. As in a jazz performance, writing lives or dies by what's produced in that moment. But that moment is attended by long preparation.” [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing requires both spontaneous moments and extensive preparation, like jazz improvisation, to create effective narrative flow. **In simple terms:** Good writing blends preparation and spontaneity. Key Takeaway Prepare, then trust the moment. Themes writing creativity process Mood thoughtful inspired Type instructional philosophical When to use this quote - novel drafting - short story crafting - speech writing Key Concepts narrative structure improvisation Questions to Reflect On - How do you know when to stop preparing? - What role does intuition play in writing? A Different Perspective Over‑preparation can stifle originality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Dies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dies/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Jazz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jazz/) [Know Vignette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-vignette-5431555/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrative/) [Performances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performances/) [Phrases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phrases/) [Preparation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preparation/) [Saving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saving/) [Section Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/section-narrative-5431559/) [Sections](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sections/) [Side by side](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/side-by-side/) [Sides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sides/) [That moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/that-moment/) [Turns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turns/) [Vignette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vignette-1078960/) [Vignette Belong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vignette-belong-5431557/) [Vignette Vignette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vignette-vignette-5431558/) [Vignettes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vignettes/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-life/) ## Related quotes > [I love the idea of the 'vignette,' which is associated with the decorative, illustrative, small, and thus with the feminine, and thus easily maligned.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bernheimer/i-love-the-idea-of-the-vignette-which-is-associated-with-the/) [Kate Bernheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bernheimer/) > [Remember: a story is not a vignette. It has a beginning, middle and an end. It is not merely a snapshot in time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-wendig/remember-a-story-is-not-a-vignette-it-has-a-beginning-middle-and-an/) [Chuck Wendig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-wendig/) > [The desire to express in an art form and to compose a tableau and vignette whether it's humorous, burlesque, or poetic comes simply from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-suleiman/the-desire-to-express-in-an-art-form-and-to-compose-a-tableau-and/) [Elia Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-suleiman/) > [“Hey amygdala, what’s wrong with a nice vignette that features me enjoying a warm day on a Florida beach”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-gatzby/hey-amygdala-what-s-wrong-with-a-nice-vignette-that-features-me/) [Rick Gatzby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-gatzby/) > [Aww man check out that vignette I added :P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-james/aww-man-check-out-that-vignette-i-added-p/) [Andrew James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-james/) > [Think like a photographer. Look at every vignette in your home like it's being shot for a shelter magazine and style accordingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-adler/think-like-a-photographer-look-at-every-vignette-in-your-home-like-it/) [Jonathan Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-adler/) > [There were long stretches where each of us was engaged in a private world of rapidly shifting vignettes. Always I was overwhelmed by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-thurman/there-were-long-stretches-where-each-of-us-was-engaged-in-a-private/) [Howard Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-thurman/) > [I like doing live things and plays. You can perfect the laugh or extend the laugh, you can get them on a roll. Versus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-idle/i-like-doing-live-things-and-plays-you-can-perfect-the-laugh-or/) [Eric Idle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-idle/) > [Einstein and the Quantum is delightful to read, with numerous historical details that were new to me and cham1ing vignettes of Einstein and his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kleppner/einstein-and-the-quantum-is-delightful-to-read-with-numerous/) [Daniel Kleppner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kleppner/) > [With non-fiction writing I feel like I'm confined and driven by what actually happened. That makes the "plot". So it's a process of getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/with-non-fiction-writing-i-feel-like-i-m-confined-and-driven-by-what/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [I was interested in cross-pollinating the two. I thought there was something lovely in the little vignette forms. I wanted to explore that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/i-was-interested-in-cross-pollinating-the-two-i-thought-there-was/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [Michael Ondaatje’s work taught me how to be at home in fragments, and how to think about a big story in carefully curated vignettes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitava-kumar/michael-ondaatje-s-work-taught-me-how-to-be-at-home-in-fragments-and/) [Amitava Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitava-kumar/) > [It seems to me that there are certain thoughts and vignettes and attitudes that I have always had the desire to represent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/it-seems-to-me-that-there-are-certain-thoughts-and-vignettes-and/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [I promptly said that life was a random series of beautifully composed vignettes, loosely tied together by a string of characters and time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahbod-seraji/i-promptly-said-that-life-was-a-random-series-of-beautifully-composed/) [Mahbod Seraji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahbod-seraji/) > [The joy of 'Crash' was that it was all about the work. It was my first real part. Before that, it was a line…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pena/the-joy-of-crash-was-that-it-was-all-about-the-work-it-was-my-first/) [Michael Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pena/) ## More by Teju Cole > [One of the difficulties of photography is that it is much better at being explicit than at being reticent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/one-of-the-difficulties-of-photography-is-that-it-is-much-better-at/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [Note-taking is important to me: a week's worth of reading notes (or "thoughts I had in the shower" notes) is cumulatively more interesting than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/note-taking-is-important-to-me-a-week-s-worth-of-reading-notes-or/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [It's an Obama book, certainly. I was delighted, and astonished, to hear recently that he was reading it. It's a book about a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/it-s-an-obama-book-certainly-i-was-delighted-and-astonished-to-hear/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [Because I'm an art historian, I have some experience of writing that comes out of close attention. That's what really art history is. You're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/because-i-m-an-art-historian-i-have-some-experience-of-writing-that/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [For purposes of marketing, writers are designated as poets, novelists, or something else. But writing is about matchmaking, an attempt to marry sensations with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/for-purposes-of-marketing-writers-are-designated-as-poets-novelists/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [“Most of the people around me yesterday were middle-aged or old. I am used to it, but it never ceases to surprise me how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/most-of-the-people-around-me-yesterday-were-middle-aged-or-old-i-am/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [“I look at his hands. In those hands is new knowledge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/i-look-at-his-hands-in-those-hands-is-new-knowledge/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [“The mind roams more widely in the dark than it does in light. It is no surprise, then, stepping out of the unlit house…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/the-mind-roams-more-widely-in-the-dark-than-it-does-in-light-it-is-no/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [“Each person must, on some level, take himself as the calibration point for normalcy, must assume that the room of his own mind is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/each-person-must-on-some-level-take-himself-as-the-calibration-point/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [Writing as writing. Writing as rioting. Writing as righting. On the best days, all three.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/writing-as-writing-writing-as-rioting-writing-as-righting-on-the-best/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [“The site was a palimpsest, as was all the city, written, erased, rewritten...Generations rushed through the eye of the needle, and I, one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/the-site-was-a-palimpsest-as-was-all-the-city-written-erased/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [“As I contemplated the silent world before me, I thought of the many romantic ideas attached to blindness. Ideas of unusual sensitivity and genius…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/as-i-contemplated-the-silent-world-before-me-i-thought-of-the-many/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [Always say 'no pun intended' to draw attention to the intended pun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/always-say-no-pun-intended-to-draw-attention-to-the-intended-pun/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [In a sense, Open City is a kind of Wunderkammer, one of those little rooms assembled with bric-a-brac by Renaissance scholars. I don't mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/in-a-sense-open-city-is-a-kind-of-wunderkammer-one-of-those-little/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [One of the chief characteristics of a mob is its quickness. It is sudden. It pounces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/one-of-the-chief-characteristics-of-a-mob-is-its-quickness-it-is/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) [Explore all 146 Teju Cole quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) ## More Certain quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [People don't always realize that a record is forever. It'll always be there under your name. You've got to be certain that it's right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-iero/people-don-t-always-realize-that-a-record-is-forever-it-ll-always-be/) [Frank Iero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-iero/) > [Faith gives you a certain structure and meaning to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riffat-hassan/faith-gives-you-a-certain-structure-and-meaning-to-your-life/) [Riffat Hassan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riffat-hassan/) > [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/) [Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/) > [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [I mean those people who are interested in good government will certainly contribute in order to make certain there's some counter-balance to those whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-breyer/i-mean-those-people-who-are-interested-in-good-government-will/) [Stephen Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-breyer/) > [Why do we love certain homes, and why do they seem to love us? It is the warmth of our individual hearts reflected in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-h-robsjohn-gibbings/why-do-we-love-certain-homes-and-why-do-they-seem-to-love-us-it-is/) [T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-h-robsjohn-gibbings/) > [Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/human-life-consists-of-doing-certain-things-to-take-part-in-the-life/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [We've all seen talented young players who get to a certain level but there comes a point where that talent will only take you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-gatland/we-ve-all-seen-talented-young-players-who-get-to-a-certain-level-but/) [Warren Gatland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-gatland/) > [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/) [Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/) > [I think that at a certain age, say fifteen or sixteen, poetry is like masturbation. But later in life good poets burn their early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-think-that-at-a-certain-age-say-fifteen-or-sixteen-poetry-is-like/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [If a person does not listen to the demands of their own spiritual and heart life and insists on a certain program, you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-a-person-does-not-listen-to-the-demands-of-their-own-spiritual-and/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) [Browse all 13,673 Certain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You know that this vignette and that vignette belong side by side, you know that a certain turn of phrase you've been saving will probably work best within a given section of the narrative. As in a jazz performance, writing lives or dies by what's produced in that moment. But that moment is attended by long preparation.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Teju Cole" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/you-know-that-this-vignette-and-that-vignette-belong-side-by-side-you/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Certain" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/you-know-that-this-vignette-and-that-vignette-belong-side-by-side-you/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba7/teju-cole-2851_certain_you-know-that-this-vignette-and-that-vig_3110600.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba7/teju-cole-2851_certain_you-know-that-this-vignette-and-that-vig_3110600.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba7/teju-cole-2851_certain_you-know-that-this-vignette-and-that-vig_3110600.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You know that this vignette and that vignette belong side by side, you know that a certain turn of phrase…” — Teju Cole", "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": "Teju Cole", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You know that this vignette and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/you-know-that-this-vignette-and-that-vignette-belong-side-by-side-you/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/you-know-that-this-vignette-and-that-vignette-belong-side-by-side-you/#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 } } ] } ```