--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think there is a naturally subversive…" description: "\"“I think there is a naturally subversive role that writers play in any society, simply because they are trying to use language precisely, whereas nearl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bb/vern-rutsala-59309_subversive_i-think-there-is-a-naturally-subversive_1265407.jpg" --- # I think there is a naturally subversive role that writers… ![“I think there is a naturally subversive role that writers play in any society, simply because they are trying to use language precisely, whereas nearly everyone else in society is trying to use language to pull the wool over our eyes or sell us something or make us vote for a particular candidate.” quote by Vern Rutsala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bb/vern-rutsala-59309_subversive_i-think-there-is-a-naturally-subversive_1265407.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bb/vern-rutsala-59309_subversive_i-think-there-is-a-naturally-subversive_1265407.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bb/vern-rutsala-59309_subversive_i-think-there-is-a-naturally-subversive_1265407.jpg) > ““I think there is a naturally subversive role that writers play in any society, simply because they are trying to use language precisely, whereas nearly everyone else in society is trying to use language to pull the wool over our eyes or sell us something or make us vote for a particular candidate.”” [Vern Rutsala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vern-rutsala/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writers aim to expose truth by using language precisely, countering widespread manipulation for profit, power, or persuasion. **In simple terms:** Writers reveal truth against manipulation. Key Takeaway Use precise language to challenge deception. Themes truth language power manipulation Mood critical defiant analytical Type philosophical commentary inspirational When to use this quote - journalism - political campaigns - advertising - education - public speaking Key Concepts critical theory ethics political discourse Questions to Reflect On - How can writers ensure their precision reaches a broad audience? - What responsibilities do writers have when confronting manipulation? A Different Perspective Precise language can be co-opted or ignored by audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Naturally Subversive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/naturally-subversive-4037392/) [Role Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/role-writers-4037393/) [Society Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society-trying-258359/) [Subversive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subversive/) [Subversive Role](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subversive-role-4037391/) [Ur Eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ur-eyes/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [This is the role of writers: to turn their tears into a story - and perhaps into a prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/this-is-the-role-of-writers-to-turn-their-tears-into-a-story-and/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [To find freedom and happiness in each others' arms, or you know, inside their own bodies and minds. That is a very empowering thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/to-find-freedom-and-happiness-in-each-others-arms-or-you-know-inside/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [Society is always trying in some way to grind us down to a single flat surface.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/society-is-always-trying-in-some-way-to-grind-us-down-to-a-single/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [An inherent tension between the seeming ineffectiveness of immediate and individual action and the long view the government is trying to take here may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/an-inherent-tension-between-the-seeming-ineffectiveness-of-immediate/) [Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/) > [No matter what society is trying to drill in your head about how you should look, how you should act, and what you need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-grimmie/no-matter-what-society-is-trying-to-drill-in-your-head-about-how-you/) [Christina Grimmie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-grimmie/) > [Trying to keep a society together, trying to keep the older and the younger people together, trying to keep those who live in rural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/trying-to-keep-a-society-together-trying-to-keep-the-older-and-the/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [We are a traditional sport in an innovative society, and so trying to make change is always a task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrina-adams/we-are-a-traditional-sport-in-an-innovative-society-and-so-trying-to/) [Katrina Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katrina-adams/) > [I've always been like, if society's trying to push me in one direction, I always rebel against it, thinking, 'Nope, I'm going to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-namajunas/i-ve-always-been-like-if-society-s-trying-to-push-me-in-one-direction/) [Rose Namajunas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-namajunas/) > [When all you can think of is your own personal problems, you have nothing to give to your society. If you're trying to figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ani-difranco/when-all-you-can-think-of-is-your-own-personal-problems-you-have/) [Ani DiFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-difranco/) > [We have a society that's trying to make sure that nobody gets any adventures because adventures are dangerous and danger is bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-weir/we-have-a-society-that-s-trying-to-make-sure-that-nobody-gets-any/) [Bob Weir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-weir/) > [I have seen people from every strata of society trying to prove their talent. And I value people only for their talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anu-malik/i-have-seen-people-from-every-strata-of-society-trying-to-prove-their/) [Anu Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anu-malik/) > [We live in a highly competitive society, each of us trying to outdo the other in wealth, in popularity or social prestige, in dress,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/we-live-in-a-highly-competitive-society-each-of-us-trying-to-outdo/) [S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/) > [Our Christian faith is actually very subversive of the conventional notion of success - the notion that what invests a person with worth is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/our-christian-faith-is-actually-very-subversive-of-the-conventional/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [“Like symbolism, decadence puts forth the idea that the function of literature is to evoke impressions and 'correspondences', rather than to realistically depict the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asti-hustvedt/like-symbolism-decadence-puts-forth-the-idea-that-the-function-of/) [Asti Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asti-hustvedt/) > [“Men circle like bees around honey, buzzing to communicate their sexual despair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-h-krueger/men-circle-like-bees-around-honey-buzzing-to-communicate-their-sexual/) [Carla H Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-h-krueger/) ## More by Vern Rutsala > [ “The Windowsill Over the Sink \[...\] begins to crowd around you with its clutter showing you that you can keep everything but promises.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vern-rutsala/the-windowsill-over-the-sink-begins-to-crowd-around-you-with-its/) [Vern Rutsala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vern-rutsala/) > [They said daydreaming was against the law, but some of us escaped, slipping out windows and over cyclone fences, some of us flying away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vern-rutsala/they-said-daydreaming-was-against-the-law-but-some-of-us-escaped/) [Vern Rutsala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vern-rutsala/) > [The language is spare and under control and has a genuine immediacy...The poems never preach but are lined out with a cool and therefore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vern-rutsala/the-language-is-spare-and-under-control-and-has-a-genuine-immediacy/) [Vern Rutsala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vern-rutsala/) > [“Logs drowse in the pond Dreaming of their heroes Alligator and crocodile”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vern-rutsala/logs-drowse-in-the-pond-dreaming-of-their-heroes-alligator-and/) [Vern Rutsala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vern-rutsala/) [Explore all 5 Vern Rutsala quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vern-rutsala/) ## More Subversive quotes > [“Men circle like bees around honey, buzzing to communicate their sexual despair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-h-krueger/men-circle-like-bees-around-honey-buzzing-to-communicate-their-sexual/) [Carla H Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-h-krueger/) > [“Like symbolism, decadence puts forth the idea that the function of literature is to evoke impressions and 'correspondences', rather than to realistically depict the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asti-hustvedt/like-symbolism-decadence-puts-forth-the-idea-that-the-function-of/) [Asti Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asti-hustvedt/) > [Our Christian faith is actually very subversive of the conventional notion of success - the notion that what invests a person with worth is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/our-christian-faith-is-actually-very-subversive-of-the-conventional/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [That's the privilege of being a grandparent - they can indulge the children while parents have to be the bad guy. Grandparents can also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-stephens/that-s-the-privilege-of-being-a-grandparent-they-can-indulge-the/) [Toby Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-stephens/) > [The most subversive people are those who ask questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/the-most-subversive-people-are-those-who-ask-questions/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [Indian spirituality, proclaimed that the true Godhead was beyond number and count; that it had many manifestations which did not exclude or repel each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-swarup/indian-spirituality-proclaimed-that-the-true-godhead-was-beyond/) [Ram Swarup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-swarup/) > [It's hard to describe to people how terrible it was when you could only watch cartoons at a certain time in your life. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-hamm/it-s-hard-to-describe-to-people-how-terrible-it-was-when-you-could/) [Jon Hamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-hamm/) > [Some comedians are silly or goofy or straight joke writers who avoid anything subversive or political. Others are drawn to it. The beauty of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-alexandro/some-comedians-are-silly-or-goofy-or-straight-joke-writers-who-avoid/) [Ted Alexandro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-alexandro/) > ['The Beach' novel, in my mind, was, in some respects, subversive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-garland/the-beach-novel-in-my-mind-was-in-some-respects-subversive/) [Alex Garland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-garland/) > [I have to say that Adam Levine is truly a daring young man to go on Twitter to bash Fox News. He's so rebellious,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/i-have-to-say-that-adam-levine-is-truly-a-daring-young-man-to-go-on/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [Every rebellion against suffering is fed by the subversive power of remembered suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-baptist-metz/every-rebellion-against-suffering-is-fed-by-the-subversive-power-of/) [Johann Baptist Metz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-baptist-metz/) > [“What's disappointing is that it's just another mold, you leave one cliche and end up right back in another. Not really that subversive or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginie-despentes/what-s-disappointing-is-that-it-s-just-another-mold-you-leave-one/) [Virginie Despentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginie-despentes/) > [“Every time I so much as blink you get an erection.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-h-krueger/every-time-i-so-much-as-blink-you-get-an-erection/) [Carla H Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-h-krueger/) > [Honesty is the most subversive of all disguises,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-bone-burnett/honesty-is-the-most-subversive-of-all-disguises/) [T Bone Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-bone-burnett/) > [Feminist pedagogy can only be liberatory if it is truly revolutionary because the mechanisms of appropriation within white supremacist, capitalist patriarchy are able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/feminist-pedagogy-can-only-be-liberatory-if-it-is-truly-revolutionary/) [Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) [Browse all 247 Subversive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subversive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I think there is a naturally subversive role that writers play in any society, simply because they are trying to use language precisely, whereas nearly everyone else in society is trying to use language to pull the wool over our eyes or sell us something or make us vote for a particular candidate.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Vern Rutsala" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vern-rutsala/i-think-there-is-a-naturally-subversive-role-that-writers-play-in-any/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Subversive" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vern-rutsala/i-think-there-is-a-naturally-subversive-role-that-writers-play-in-any/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bb/vern-rutsala-59309_subversive_i-think-there-is-a-naturally-subversive_1265407.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bb/vern-rutsala-59309_subversive_i-think-there-is-a-naturally-subversive_1265407.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bb/vern-rutsala-59309_subversive_i-think-there-is-a-naturally-subversive_1265407.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think there is a naturally subversive role that writers play in any society, simply because they are…” — Vern Rutsala", "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": "Vern Rutsala", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vern-rutsala/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I think there is a naturally...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vern-rutsala/i-think-there-is-a-naturally-subversive-role-that-writers-play-in-any/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vern-rutsala/i-think-there-is-a-naturally-subversive-role-that-writers-play-in-any/#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 } } ] } ```