--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's the whole country that makes or…" description: "\"“It's the whole country that makes or breaks a thing like this. New York has very little to do with it. Now if it were a play, it would be different. N..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f11/william-dean-howells-10621_books_it-s-the-whole-country-that-makes-or-bre_2567511.jpg" --- # It's the whole country that makes or breaks a thing like… ![“It's the whole country that makes or breaks a thing like this. New York has very little to do with it. Now if it were a play, it would be different. New York does make or break a play; but it doesn't make or break a book; it doesn't make or break a magazine. The great mass of the readers are…” quote by William Dean Howells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f11/william-dean-howells-10621_books_it-s-the-whole-country-that-makes-or-bre_2567511.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f11/william-dean-howells-10621_books_it-s-the-whole-country-that-makes-or-bre_2567511.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f11/william-dean-howells-10621_books_it-s-the-whole-country-that-makes-or-bre_2567511.jpg) > ““It's the whole country that makes or breaks a thing like this. New York has very little to do with it. Now if it were a play, it would be different. New York does make or break a play; but it doesn't make or break a book; it doesn't make or break a magazine. The great mass of the readers are outside of New York and the rural districts are what we have got to go for. They don't read much in New York; they write and talk about what they've written. Don't you worry.”” [William Dean Howells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dean-howells/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success of a work depends on broad audience, not just a cultural hub; regional readers matter more than elite city circles. **In simple terms:** Broad readership matters more than city fame. Key Takeaway Target diverse markets beyond major cities. Themes publishing audience regional focus Mood reflective strategic Type advisory analytical When to use this quote - book launch - magazine distribution - regional marketing - author tours Key Concepts market dynamics cultural diffusion Questions to Reflect On - How can authors reach readers outside cultural hubs? - What strategies expand regional influence? A Different Perspective Urban bias can overlook niche audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) ## Related quotes > [I came to New York to write and direct, and when I got here, a lot of my rage came out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-wolfe/i-came-to-new-york-to-write-and-direct-and-when-i-got-here-a-lot-of/) [George C. Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-wolfe/) > [“To Europe she was America. To America she was the gateway to the earth. But to tell the story of New York would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/to-europe-she-was-america-to-america-she-was-the-gateway-to-the-earth/) [H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/) > [We have to be successful at the cutting-edge industries of the future like Twitter. But we also have always been a country that makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-have-to-be-successful-at-the-cutting-edge-industries-of-the-future/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The manner of the country makes the usage of life there, and the land will not be lived in except in its own fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-hunter-austin/the-manner-of-the-country-makes-the-usage-of-life-there-and-the-land/) [Mary Hunter Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-hunter-austin/) > [“This country makes a man younger than his birthdays.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keith/this-country-makes-a-man-younger-than-his-birthdays/) Sam Keith > [By the time you become the leader of a country, someone else makes all the decisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/by-the-time-you-become-the-leader-of-a-country-someone-else-makes-all/) [William J. 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A dog doesn't make a cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yannick-noah/we-have-a-saying-in-france-a-dog-doesn-t-make-a-cat/) [Yannick Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yannick-noah/) > [“You should know a weapon doesn't make the man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akira-toriyama/you-should-know-a-weapon-doesn-t-make-the-man/) [Akira Toriyama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akira-toriyama/) > [Money doesn't make me - I make the money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-ross/money-doesn-t-make-me-i-make-the-money/) [Rick Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-ross/) ## More by William Dean Howells > [It is the still, small voice that the soul heeds, not the deafening blasts of doom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-dean-howells/it-is-the-still-small-voice-that-the-soul-heeds-not-the-deafening/) [William Dean Howells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dean-howells/) > [“How strange it (the earthquake) must all have seemed to them, here where they lived so safely always! 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