--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't think that a novel is supposed to…" description: "\"“I don't think that a novel is supposed to be a guide book to happiness any more than it's supposed to be a journal of one's personal pain and frustrat..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/tom-robbins-169_books_i-don-t-think-that-a-novel-is-supposed-t_1507334.jpg" --- # I don't think that a novel is supposed to be a guide book… ![“I don't think that a novel is supposed to be a guide book to happiness any more than it's supposed to be a journal of one's personal pain and frustration, which most novels are today, unfortunately. I think the novels that are most important are those that are more on the order of those coyotes…” quote by Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/tom-robbins-169_books_i-don-t-think-that-a-novel-is-supposed-t_1507334.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/tom-robbins-169_books_i-don-t-think-that-a-novel-is-supposed-t_1507334.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/tom-robbins-169_books_i-don-t-think-that-a-novel-is-supposed-t_1507334.jpg) > ““I don't think that a novel is supposed to be a guide book to happiness any more than it's supposed to be a journal of one's personal pain and frustration, which most novels are today, unfortunately. I think the novels that are most important are those that are more on the order of those coyotes that howl on the hills outside of town. Something mysterious and wild and hypnotic.”” [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Novels should not serve as manuals for happiness or personal catharsis; their greatest value lies in evoking mystery, wildness, and a hypnotic, untamed spirit. **In simple terms:** Novels are for mystery, not self‑help guides. Key Takeaway Seek stories that awaken wonder. Themes literature creativity wildness Mood reflective intrigued Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - reading for inspiration - creative writing - teaching literature - personal reflection - book clubs Key Concepts existentialism mythic archetype aesthetic experience Questions to Reflect On - What novel has made you feel both unsettled and enchanted? - How does embracing mystery change your reading habits? A Different Perspective Some readers may find abstract, untamed narratives inaccessible or lacking clear moral guidance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Novels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novels/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [The best novels are those that are important without being like medicine; they have something to say, are expansive and intelligent but never forget…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/the-best-novels-are-those-that-are-important-without-being-like/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [I began writing 'Amanda Wakes Up' in 2012 as an outlet for frustration over what I was seeing in TV 'news' at the time.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alisyn-camerota/i-began-writing-amanda-wakes-up-in-2012-as-an-outlet-for-frustration/) [Alisyn Camerota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alisyn-camerota/) > [If you read many contemporary literary novels today, you may notice that regardless of the subject matter there's a 'sameness' about them, the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suhayl-saadi/if-you-read-many-contemporary-literary-novels-today-you-may-notice/) [Suhayl Saadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suhayl-saadi/) > [almost all American writers tend to overwrite, to tell too much. I get the disillusioned feeling that novels, today, are sold by the pound,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rona-jaffe/almost-all-american-writers-tend-to-overwrite-to-tell-too-much-i-get/) [Rona Jaffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rona-jaffe/) > [People who don't read seem to me mysterious. I don't know how they think or learn about other people. Novels are a very important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-bawden/people-who-don-t-read-seem-to-me-mysterious-i-don-t-know-how-they/) [Nina Bawden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-bawden/) > [If I had killed Crow off I can think of least six novels I would never have written, 400,000 words' worth of very necessary experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-lumley/if-i-had-killed-crow-off-i-can-think-of-least-six-novels-i-would/) [Brian Lumley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-lumley/) > [Often I think the novels I read won't make very good movies - I better not say which I'm looking at for potential films!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hampton/often-i-think-the-novels-i-read-won-t-make-very-good-movies-i-better/) [Christopher Hampton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hampton/) > [I think of novels as houses. You live in them over the course of a long period, both as a reader and as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/i-think-of-novels-as-houses-you-live-in-them-over-the-course-of-a/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [I think all novels are contemporary. When people went to see 'Antony-Cleopatra' at the Globe in the 16th century, they were not going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/i-think-all-novels-are-contemporary-when-people-went-to-see-antony/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [I do think novels are overlooked. I did write one some years ago that I think is quite good, called 'The End of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/i-do-think-novels-are-overlooked-i-did-write-one-some-years-ago-that/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [I think that novels are one of the best means that we have to communicate both with the past and with the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-barton/i-think-that-novels-are-one-of-the-best-means-that-we-have-to/) [Emily Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-barton/) > [I do not think novels are necessarily more worthwhile than games. A novel can be a trivial waste of time, and a game can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/i-do-not-think-novels-are-necessarily-more-worthwhile-than-games-a/) [Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/) > [I write my novels personally, desperately and non-negligently. When I write my novels, I think about my novels only, and never do other works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-write-my-novels-personally-desperately-and-non-negligently-when-i/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [I couldn't think about novels at all. It seemed the only writing that was appropriate to that horrendous event was journalism, reportage. And, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-couldn-t-think-about-novels-at-all-it-seemed-the-only-writing-that/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I started out as a novelist, and I think novels have gotten a little stiff, a little repetitive, and the energy in comics was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-king/i-started-out-as-a-novelist-and-i-think-novels-have-gotten-a-little/) [Tom King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-king/) ## More by Tom Robbins > [There are times when we can feel destiny close around us like a fist around a doorknob. Sure, we can resist. But a knob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/there-are-times-when-we-can-feel-destiny-close-around-us-like-a-fist/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won't adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/love-is-the-ultimate-outlaw-it-just-won-t-adhere-to-any-rules-the/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [The party in Alobar’s head, which agitation and anxiety were throwing, now was crashed by a notion: existence can be rearranged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-party-in-alobar-s-head-which-agitation-and-anxiety-were-throwing/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-world-is-a-wonderfully-weird-place-consensual-reality-is/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Anyone who maintains absolute standards of good and evil is dangerous. As dangerous as a maniac with a loaded revolver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/anyone-who-maintains-absolute-standards-of-good-and-evil-is-dangerous/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“I believe in everything; nothing is sacred. I believe in nothing; everything is sacred. Ha Ha Ho Ho Hee Hee.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/i-believe-in-everything-nothing-is-sacred-i-believe-in-nothing/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [A sense of humor...is superior to any religion so far devised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/a-sense-of-humor-is-superior-to-any-religion-so-far-devised/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won't adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/love-is-the-ultimate-outlaw-it-just-won-t-adhere-to-any-rules-the-2/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“The glue that holds the natural world together appears to be a harmonious balance of opposites: day and night, light and dark, winter and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-glue-that-holds-the-natural-world-together-appears-to-be-a/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Zippers are primal and modern at the very same time. On the one hand, your zipper is primitive and reptilian, on the other, mechanical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/zippers-are-primal-and-modern-at-the-very-same-time-on-the-one-hand/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“religion is a paramount contributor to human misery. It is not merely the opium of the masses, it is the cyanide.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/religion-is-a-paramount-contributor-to-human-misery-it-is-not-merely/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [She continued weeping until the heat of her tear water, the sheer velocity of its flow, finally obscured the already vague circumstances of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/she-continued-weeping-until-the-heat-of-her-tear-water-the-sheer/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [The bottom line is that (a) people are never perfect, but love can be, (b) that is the one and only way that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-bottom-line-is-that-a-people-are-never-perfect-but-love-can-be-b/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Virtually every advancement made by our species since civilization first peeked out of its nest of stone has been initiated by lone individuals, mavericks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/virtually-every-advancement-made-by-our-species-since-civilization/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [When we accept small wonders, we qualify ourselves to imagine great wonders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/when-we-accept-small-wonders-we-qualify-ourselves-to-imagine-great/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) [Explore all 994 Tom Robbins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) ## 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 don't think that a novel is supposed to be a guide book to happiness any more than it's supposed to be a journal of one's personal pain and frustration, which most novels are today, unfortunately. I think the novels that are most important are those that are more on the order of those coyotes that howl on the hills outside of town. Something mysterious and wild and hypnotic.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Robbins" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/i-don-t-think-that-a-novel-is-supposed-to-be-a-guide-book-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/i-don-t-think-that-a-novel-is-supposed-to-be-a-guide-book-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/tom-robbins-169_books_i-don-t-think-that-a-novel-is-supposed-t_1507334.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/tom-robbins-169_books_i-don-t-think-that-a-novel-is-supposed-t_1507334.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/tom-robbins-169_books_i-don-t-think-that-a-novel-is-supposed-t_1507334.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don't think that a novel is supposed to be a guide book to happiness any more than it's supposed to be a…” — Tom Robbins", "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": "Tom Robbins", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I don't think that a novel...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/i-don-t-think-that-a-novel-is-supposed-to-be-a-guide-book-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/i-don-t-think-that-a-novel-is-supposed-to-be-a-guide-book-to/#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 } } ] } ```