--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The attempt to devote oneself to…" description: "\"The attempt to devote oneself to literature alone is a most deceptive thing, and often, paradoxically, it is literature that suffers for it.\" — Vaclav ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f8/vaclav-havel-2013_books_the-attempt-to-devote-oneself-to-literat_1503466.jpg" --- # The attempt to devote oneself to literature alone is a… ![“The attempt to devote oneself to literature alone is a most deceptive thing, and often, paradoxically, it is literature that suffers for it.” quote by Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f8/vaclav-havel-2013_books_the-attempt-to-devote-oneself-to-literat_1503466.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f8/vaclav-havel-2013_books_the-attempt-to-devote-oneself-to-literat_1503466.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f8/vaclav-havel-2013_books_the-attempt-to-devote-oneself-to-literat_1503466.jpg) > “The attempt to devote oneself to literature alone is a most deceptive thing, and often, paradoxically, it is literature that suffers for it.” [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Focusing solely on literature can neglect its broader social impact, harming the art itself. **In simple terms:** Literature suffers when isolated from life. Key Takeaway Balance writing with engagement. Themes literature social responsibility artistic integrity Mood reflective critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - writing workshops - public readings - community projects Key Concepts cultural critique creative isolation Questions to Reflect On - How can writers stay connected to society? - What responsibilities do artists have? A Different Perspective Isolation limits relevance and audience reach. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Deceptive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceptive/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Literature Deceptive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature-deceptive-5517750/) [Literature Suffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature-suffers-2995829/) [Oneself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oneself/) [Oneself Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oneself-literature-3797453/) [Paradoxically Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradoxically-literature-5517749/) [Thing Paradoxically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-paradoxically-5517751/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [The one way of tolerating existence is to lose oneself in literature as in a perpetual orgy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/the-one-way-of-tolerating-existence-is-to-lose-oneself-in-literature/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [A child without an acquaintance of some kind with a classic of literature ... suffers from that impoverishment for the rest of his life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizette-woodworth-reese/a-child-without-an-acquaintance-of-some-kind-with-a-classic-of/) [Lizette Woodworth Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizette-woodworth-reese/) > [“Literature suffers because writers give their books to colleagues who will then write glowing reviews or saccharine introductions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/literature-suffers-because-writers-give-their-books-to-colleagues-who/) [F. 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It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/our-country-if-that-is-what-we-want-can-now-permanently-radiate-love/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [I cannot imagine that I could strive for something if I did not carry hope in me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/i-cannot-imagine-that-i-could-strive-for-something-if-i-did-not-carry/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [People, your Government has returned to you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/people-your-government-has-returned-to-you/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [A person who has been seduced by the consumer value system, whose identity is dissolved in an amalgam of the accouterments trappings of mass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/a-person-who-has-been-seduced-by-the-consumer-value-system-whose/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [Whether all is really lost or not depends entirely on whether or not I am lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/whether-all-is-really-lost-or-not-depends-entirely-on-whether-or-not/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [Sober perseverance is more effective than enthusiastic emotions, which are all too capable of being transferred, with little difficulty, to something different each day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/sober-perseverance-is-more-effective-than-enthusiastic-emotions-which/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [The exercise of power is determined by thousands of interactions between the world of the powerful and that of the powerless, all the more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/the-exercise-of-power-is-determined-by-thousands-of-interactions/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [It's not true that you should first think up an idea for a better world and only then "put it into practice," but, rather,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/it-s-not-true-that-you-should-first-think-up-an-idea-for-a-better/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) [Explore all 190 Vaclav Havel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) ## 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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