--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think I write fiction for the…" description: "\"I think I write fiction for the opportunity to get beyond the limits of my own life.\" — Wally Lamb" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/628/wally-lamb-1817_fiction_i-think-i-write-fiction-for-the-opportun_2119821.png" --- # I think I write fiction for the opportunity to get beyond… ![“I think I write fiction for the opportunity to get beyond the limits of my own life.” quote by Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/628/wally-lamb-1817_fiction_i-think-i-write-fiction-for-the-opportun_2119821.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/628/wally-lamb-1817_fiction_i-think-i-write-fiction-for-the-opportun_2119821.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/628/wally-lamb-1817_fiction_i-think-i-write-fiction-for-the-opportun_2119821.png) > “I think I write fiction for the opportunity to get beyond the limits of my own life.” [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing fiction allows him to transcend personal limitations and explore broader experiences **In simple terms:** He writes to go beyond his own life’s limits Key Takeaway Use storytelling to expand personal horizons Themes creativity self‑exploration fiction Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical creative When to use this quote - creative writing workshops - personal development - therapy - educational curricula Key Concepts narrative imagination empathy building Questions to Reflect On - What boundaries does fiction help you cross? - How does imagination influence personal growth? A Different Perspective Fiction may not fully capture lived realities ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-opportunity-4319349/) [Limits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limits/) [My own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-own/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Opportunity Limits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity-limits-4319350/) [Think Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-write/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Write Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-fiction/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [For me, crime fiction was an opportunity to sneak up on readers with social issues, something they won't go out of their way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-lippman/for-me-crime-fiction-was-an-opportunity-to-sneak-up-on-readers-with/) [Laura Lippman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-lippman/) > [I don't want to write poems that are just really clear about how I'm aware of all the traps involved in writing poetry; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/i-don-t-want-to-write-poems-that-are-just-really-clear-about-how-i-m/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [Because I write fiction, I don't write autobiography, and to me they are very different things. The first-person narrative is a very intimate thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/because-i-write-fiction-i-don-t-write-autobiography-and-to-me-they/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [I remember reading an interview with a writer who said that in nonfiction if you have one lie it sort of messes it up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/i-remember-reading-an-interview-with-a-writer-who-said-that-in/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [I am furious at all the letters to answer, when all I want to do is think and write poems. ... I long for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/i-am-furious-at-all-the-letters-to-answer-when-all-i-want-to-do-is/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [One of the things that's good for me is that I can go from one art form to another. Because I think if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-miller/one-of-the-things-that-s-good-for-me-is-that-i-can-go-from-one-art/) [Rebecca Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-miller/) > [It seems a pity, but I do not think that I can write more. For God's sake look after our people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-falcon-scott/it-seems-a-pity-but-i-do-not-think-that-i-can-write-more-for-god-s/) [Robert Falcon Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-falcon-scott/) > [“Sitting to think of what to write will only set your ass on fire, give you headache, twist your face to look stupid, instead,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/sitting-to-think-of-what-to-write-will-only-set-your-ass-on-fire-give/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [I don't agree with the sentiment 'write what you know.'... I think one should write what one doesn't know. The world is bigger and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-ozick/i-don-t-agree-with-the-sentiment-write-what-you-know-i-think-one/) [Cynthia Ozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-ozick/) > [I really think I write about everyday life. I don't think I'm quite as odd as others say I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gorey/i-really-think-i-write-about-everyday-life-i-don-t-think-i-m-quite-as/) [Edward Gorey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gorey/) > [For me, as a writer, I desperately want to be read. I'm very conscious of readers as I'm writing. I think, 'If you write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/for-me-as-a-writer-i-desperately-want-to-be-read-i-m-very-conscious/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [“Write. If you've always dreamed of being a writer, write. Even if you think what you write is crap, write. You might be surprised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-woods/write-if-you-ve-always-dreamed-of-being-a-writer-write-even-if-you/) [Stephen Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-woods/) > [I think sometimes - not always - I write songs that are accessible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/i-think-sometimes-not-always-i-write-songs-that-are-accessible/) [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) > [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/) > [I sometimes think I should write a book. I've seen some things, you know, but it's all there in the songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dizzee-rascal/i-sometimes-think-i-should-write-a-book-i-ve-seen-some-things-you/) [Dizzee Rascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dizzee-rascal/) ## More by Wally Lamb > [“Sometimes we want something to be true so badly that we convince ourselves that it is true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/sometimes-we-want-something-to-be-true-so-badly-that-we-convince/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [I like to write first-person because I like to become the character I'm writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/i-like-to-write-first-person-because-i-like-to-become-the-character-i/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [But I think this: that whatever prices I've paid, whatever sorrows I shoulder, well, I have blessings, too. Not just my family now, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/but-i-think-this-that-whatever-prices-i-ve-paid-whatever-sorrows-i/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [“why would white dudes want to change things when they held all the cards?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/why-would-white-dudes-want-to-change-things-when-they-held-all-the/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [“And in taking on the subject of themselves-making themselves vulnerable to the unseen reader-they have exchanged powerlessness for for the power that comes with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/and-in-taking-on-the-subject-of-themselves-making-themselves/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [“People had always amazed him, he began. But they amazed him more since the sickness. For as long as the two of them had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/people-had-always-amazed-him-he-began-but-they-amazed-him-more-since/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [“So I got my stuff and the girl at the register puts these other things in my bag, too. Little free samples: gum and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/so-i-got-my-stuff-and-the-girl-at-the-register-puts-these-other/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [What if I don’t like adventure? Then cultivate a taste for it. Take a chance. That’s how you grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/what-if-i-don-t-like-adventure-then-cultivate-a-taste-for-it-take-a/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [“Guess what?' I said. 'I have a psychic.' His head tilted questioningly, birdlike. A sidekick?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/guess-what-i-said-i-have-a-psychic-his-head-tilted-questioningly/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [The evidence of God exists in the roundness of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/the-evidence-of-god-exists-in-the-roundness-of-things/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [Life is a whoopee cushion, a chair pulled away just as you were taking a seat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/life-is-a-whoopee-cushion-a-chair-pulled-away-just-as-you-were-taking/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [“What I remembered about those seesaw rides was the way Thomas would get mad at me, midride, and evacuate. Send me crashing back down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/what-i-remembered-about-those-seesaw-rides-was-the-way-thomas-would/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [“I didn't respond to him. Couldn't speak at all. Couldn't look at his self-mutilation--not even the clean, bandaged version of it. Instead, I looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/i-didn-t-respond-to-him-couldn-t-speak-at-all-couldn-t-look-at-his/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [I write to find out what the story means to me, that is what I try to do especially with the first draft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/i-write-to-find-out-what-the-story-means-to-me-that-is-what-i-try-to/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [“As anxious and limited as that love might have been, it had been love nonetheless.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/as-anxious-and-limited-as-that-love-might-have-been-it-had-been-love/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) [Explore all 204 Wally Lamb quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) ## More Fiction quotes > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) [Phil Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hogan/) > [The thing about science fiction is that it's totally wide open. But it's wide open in a conditional way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-butler/the-thing-about-science-fiction-is-that-it-s-totally-wide-open-but-it/) [Octavia Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-butler/) > [I do think that theater is a great venue for science fiction, and not just adaptations but also original work. I also think some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-einhorn/i-do-think-that-theater-is-a-great-venue-for-science-fiction-and-not/) [Edward Einhorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-einhorn/) > [Fiction is a way of exploring possibilities present but undreamt of in the living of a single life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/fiction-is-a-way-of-exploring-possibilities-present-but-undreamt-of/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [I love writing fiction and can do it anywhere - I once even missed a flight because I was so engrossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prue-leith/i-love-writing-fiction-and-can-do-it-anywhere-i-once-even-missed-a/) [Prue Leith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prue-leith/) > [“The fiction will seek the real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coheed-and-cambria/the-fiction-will-seek-the-real/) [Coheed and Cambria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coheed-and-cambria/) > [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [The danger that may really threaten (crime fiction) is that soon there will be more writers than readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-danger-that-may-really-threaten-crime-fiction-is-that-soon-there/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/) [L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/) > [Inspiration comes from so many sources. Music, other fiction, the non-fiction I read, TV shows, films, news reports, people I know, stories I hear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/inspiration-comes-from-so-many-sources-music-other-fiction-the-non/) [Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/) > [I'm not interested in making a diagnostic novel or a concern. I'm 100 percent committed in fiction to the pleasure principle - that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/i-m-not-interested-in-making-a-diagnostic-novel-or-a-concern-i-m-100/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [“His hands on my waist he gently pulled me n embrace. I could feel his breath on my face our lips were about to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-eglinger/his-hands-on-my-waist-he-gently-pulled-me-n-embrace-i-could-feel-his/) [Nicole Eglinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-eglinger/) > [In early drafts, one of the trickiest things for me to do was to realize that the techniques and devices that make readable and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-rooney/in-early-drafts-one-of-the-trickiest-things-for-me-to-do-was-to/) [Kathleen Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-rooney/) > [I don't think it's always a sign of respect for persons (inside or outside of fiction) to pretend to be able to represent, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/i-don-t-think-it-s-always-a-sign-of-respect-for-persons-inside-or/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [Metafiction says something. It has to do with taking a large fiction itself and writing within it; that kind of self-reflecting writing that emerges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-coover/metafiction-says-something-it-has-to-do-with-taking-a-large-fiction/) [Robert Coover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-coover/) [Browse all 7,410 Fiction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think I write fiction for the opportunity to get beyond the limits of my own life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Wally Lamb" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/i-think-i-write-fiction-for-the-opportunity-to-get-beyond-the-limits/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fiction" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/i-think-i-write-fiction-for-the-opportunity-to-get-beyond-the-limits/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/628/wally-lamb-1817_fiction_i-think-i-write-fiction-for-the-opportun_2119821.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/628/wally-lamb-1817_fiction_i-think-i-write-fiction-for-the-opportun_2119821.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/628/wally-lamb-1817_fiction_i-think-i-write-fiction-for-the-opportun_2119821.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think I write fiction for the opportunity to get beyond the limits of my own life.” — Wally Lamb", "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": "Wally Lamb", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think I write fiction for...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/i-think-i-write-fiction-for-the-opportunity-to-get-beyond-the-limits/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/i-think-i-write-fiction-for-the-opportunity-to-get-beyond-the-limits/#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 } } ] } ```