---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I often feel newspapers are just filling…"
description: "\"I often feel newspapers are just filling up space. Of course, I also know people who write really long books.\" — Vikram Seth"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cab/vikram-seth-4208_book_i-often-feel-newspapers-are-just-filling_1223533.jpg"
---

#  I often feel newspapers are just filling up space. Of…

![“I often feel newspapers are just filling up space. Of course, I also know people who write really long books.” quote by Vikram Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cab/vikram-seth-4208_book_i-often-feel-newspapers-are-just-filling_1223533.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cab/vikram-seth-4208_book_i-often-feel-newspapers-are-just-filling_1223533.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cab/vikram-seth-4208_book_i-often-feel-newspapers-are-just-filling_1223533.jpg)

> “I often feel newspapers are just filling up space. Of course, I also know people who write really long books.”

[Vikram Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-seth/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker sees many newspapers as superficial, yet acknowledges that some authors produce substantial, meaningful works.

**In simple terms:** Newspapers can seem shallow, but books can be deep.

Key Takeaway

Value depth over quantity.

Themes

media criticism literature perception

Mood

skeptical reflective

Type

critical observational

When to use this quote

- reading habits
- media consumption
- writing
- publishing
- education

Key Concepts

superficiality depth value information overload

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you differentiate meaningful content from filler?
- What criteria define a “good” book?

A Different Perspective

Not all long works are valuable; brevity can also be powerful.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Feel Newspapers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-newspapers-3756373/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Filling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filling/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-book/) [Long Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-books-286260/) [Newspapers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/newspapers/) [Newspapers Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/newspapers-just-1993900/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-write/) [Really long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-long/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [But I too hate long books: the better, the worse. If they're bad they merely make me pant with the effort of holding them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-seth/but-i-too-hate-long-books-the-better-the-worse-if-they-re-bad-they/)

[Vikram Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-seth/)

> [I think shorter books are going to become more and more of the trend. So I don't think you have to write big, big,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-winget/i-think-shorter-books-are-going-to-become-more-and-more-of-the-trend/)

[Larry Winget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-winget/)

> [Long books, when read, are usually overpraised, because the reader wishes to convince others and himself that he has not wasted his time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/long-books-when-read-are-usually-overpraised-because-the-reader/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Make no mistake, those who write long books have nothing to say. Of course those who write short books have even less to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-z-danielewski/make-no-mistake-those-who-write-long-books-have-nothing-to-say-of/)

[Mark Z. Danielewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-z-danielewski/)

> [I cannot write long books; I leave that for those who have nothing to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celia-green/i-cannot-write-long-books-i-leave-that-for-those-who-have-nothing-to/)

[Celia Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celia-green/)

> [Once I start reading something, I can't stop. I obsessively read, which is a problem with long books!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keegan-allen/once-i-start-reading-something-i-can-t-stop-i-obsessively-read-which/)

[Keegan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keegan-allen/)

> [Writing long books is a laborious and impoverishing act of foolishness: expanding in five hundred pages an idea that could be perfectly explained in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/writing-long-books-is-a-laborious-and-impoverishing-act-of/)

[Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/)

> [On the whole, I don't like reading long books. I'm not a fan of 'Ulysses.' And I haven't quite finished 'War and Peace.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-seth/on-the-whole-i-don-t-like-reading-long-books-i-m-not-a-fan-of-ulysses/)

[Vikram Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-seth/)

> [“Telling you and putting it on the front pages of the newspapers is just about the same thing!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-falconer/telling-you-and-putting-it-on-the-front-pages-of-the-newspapers-is/)

[Colin Falconer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-falconer/)

> [Criticism is nonsense. TV shows and newspapers just want to fill the space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronaldo/criticism-is-nonsense-tv-shows-and-newspapers-just-want-to-fill-the/)

[Ronaldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronaldo/)

> [Some of those stories in local newspapers are just as dull and boring as the stories that I get from on-line services, which are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tabitha-soren/some-of-those-stories-in-local-newspapers-are-just-as-dull-and-boring/)

[Tabitha Soren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tabitha-soren/)

> [I don't read newspapers too much , just because they tend to make me feel I have a political obligation that I think is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/i-don-t-read-newspapers-too-much-just-because-they-tend-to-make-me/)

[Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/)

> [I don't like to read long books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomi-lahren/i-don-t-like-to-read-long-books/)

[Tomi Lahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomi-lahren/)

> [The power of a book lies in its power to turn a solitary act into a shared vision. As long as we have books,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-bush/the-power-of-a-book-lies-in-its-power-to-turn-a-solitary-act-into-a/)

[Laura Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-bush/)

> [I'm a big believer in big books, and that doesn't necessarily mean long books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-z-danielewski/i-m-a-big-believer-in-big-books-and-that-doesn-t-necessarily-mean/)

[Mark Z. Danielewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-z-danielewski/)

## More by Vikram Seth

> [Realism hasn't fallen out of favor with most people, who are interested in people's lives rather than gymnastics of style or literary trends. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-seth/realism-hasn-t-fallen-out-of-favor-with-most-people-who-are/)

[Vikram Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-seth/)

> [I don't think anyone should be banned. If you don't like a book, set it aside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-seth/i-don-t-think-anyone-should-be-banned-if-you-don-t-like-a-book-set-it/)

[Vikram Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-seth/)

> [It's not the gods But our own hearts We need to fear. The evil starts Against all odds Not there but here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-seth/it-s-not-the-gods-but-our-own-hearts-we-need-to-fear-the-evil-starts/)

[Vikram Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-seth/)

> [“But what should I do?' Varun was saying. 'I'm not good for anything.' 'Write a book! Pull a rickshaw! Live! Don't make excuses,' said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-seth/but-what-should-i-do-varun-was-saying-i-m-not-good-for-anything-write/)

[Vikram Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-seth/)

> [“In a clear brook With joyful haste The whimsical trout Shot past me like an arrow I play the line of the song, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-seth/in-a-clear-brook-with-joyful-haste-the-whimsical-trout-shot-past-me/)

[Vikram Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-seth/)

> [Boredom provides a stronger inclination to write than anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-seth/boredom-provides-a-stronger-inclination-to-write-than-anything/)

[Vikram Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-seth/)

> [I don't think people give Indian society enough credit. We may not like to talk much about things but we do, basically, want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-seth/i-don-t-think-people-give-indian-society-enough-credit-we-may-not/)

[Vikram Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-seth/)

> [The problem with too beautiful a view is that it's alright for the mulling stage. But for the writing stage, you want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-seth/the-problem-with-too-beautiful-a-view-is-that-it-s-alright-for-the/)

[Vikram Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-seth/)

> [“Romantic retrospect aside, the night spent in the truck is distinctly unpleasant. We are cramped and cold. The much-vaunted heating of the truck is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-seth/romantic-retrospect-aside-the-night-spent-in-the-truck-is-distinctly/)

[Vikram Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-seth/)

> [Is it not love that knows how to make smooth things rough and rough things smooth?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-seth/is-it-not-love-that-knows-how-to-make-smooth-things-rough-and-rough/)

[Vikram Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-seth/)

> [“Well, what do you think? Avanti?" "Avanti," cries everyone, and, after a few quick re-tunings of our instruments, and re-initialisings of our hearts, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-seth/well-what-do-you-think-avanti-avanti-cries-everyone-and-after-a-few/)

[Vikram Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-seth/)

> [Behind every door on every ordinary street, in every hut in every ordinary village in this middling planet of a trivial star, such riches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-seth/behind-every-door-on-every-ordinary-street-in-every-hut-in-every/)

[Vikram Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-seth/)

> [“Perhaps it is true that for all the evidence of the mirror, one pictures oneself in some deep niche of the mind as forever 18.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-seth/perhaps-it-is-true-that-for-all-the-evidence-of-the-mirror-one/)

[Vikram Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-seth/)

> [What is the difference between my life and my love? One gets me low, the other lets me go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-seth/what-is-the-difference-between-my-life-and-my-love-one-gets-me-low/)

[Vikram Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-seth/)

> [“The past is the past, and he can't make amends, only hope that the gain will outlast the damage.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-seth/the-past-is-the-past-and-he-can-t-make-amends-only-hope-that-the-gain/)

[Vikram Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-seth/)

[Explore all 113 Vikram Seth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-seth/)

## More Book 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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/)

[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/)

> [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/)

[Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/)

> [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/)

[Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/)

> [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/)

[Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/)

[Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I often feel newspapers are just filling up space. Of course, I also know people who write really long books.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Vikram Seth"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-seth/i-often-feel-newspapers-are-just-filling-up-space-of-course-i-also/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-seth/i-often-feel-newspapers-are-just-filling-up-space-of-course-i-also/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cab/vikram-seth-4208_book_i-often-feel-newspapers-are-just-filling_1223533.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cab/vikram-seth-4208_book_i-often-feel-newspapers-are-just-filling_1223533.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cab/vikram-seth-4208_book_i-often-feel-newspapers-are-just-filling_1223533.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I often feel newspapers are just filling up space. Of course, I also know people who write really long books.” — Vikram Seth",
                "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": "Vikram Seth",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-seth/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I often feel newspapers are just...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-seth/i-often-feel-newspapers-are-just-filling-up-space-of-course-i-also/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-seth/i-often-feel-newspapers-are-just-filling-up-space-of-course-i-also/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
