--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: By delivering experience, novels can…" description: "\"By delivering experience, novels can alter the stance we adopt toward news - not much, I'm sure, but they can make it a little more difficult for us to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c7/zia-haider-rahman-16075_ability_by-delivering-experience-novels-can-alte_1822862.jpg" --- # By delivering experience, novels can alter the stance we… ![“By delivering experience, novels can alter the stance we adopt toward news - not much, I'm sure, but they can make it a little more difficult for us to consign "other people" to our tidy boxes. Widening our imaginative life might - it's not hard to imagine - also develop our ability to contemplate…” quote by Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c7/zia-haider-rahman-16075_ability_by-delivering-experience-novels-can-alte_1822862.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c7/zia-haider-rahman-16075_ability_by-delivering-experience-novels-can-alte_1822862.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c7/zia-haider-rahman-16075_ability_by-delivering-experience-novels-can-alte_1822862.jpg) > “By delivering experience, novels can alter the stance we adopt toward news - not much, I'm sure, but they can make it a little more difficult for us to consign "other people" to our tidy boxes. Widening our imaginative life might - it's not hard to imagine - also develop our ability to contemplate counterfactuals and our capacity to speculate about how things might differ from how they're being represented.” [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Stories expand empathy and imagination, making it harder to stereotype and easier to envision alternatives to current narratives. **In simple terms:** Novels broaden empathy and imagination. Key Takeaway Read fiction to challenge biases. Themes empathy imagination stereotypes counterfactual thinking Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - education - journalism - policy making - personal growth Key Concepts narrative empathy social cognition Questions to Reflect On - How can reading diverse novels reshape your view of others? - What counterfactuals have you imagined after a story? A Different Perspective Fiction may not change entrenched beliefs quickly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Imaginative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imaginative/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [Are we all living like this? Two lives, the ideal outer life and the inner imaginative life where we keep our secrets?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/are-we-all-living-like-this-two-lives-the-ideal-outer-life-and-the/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [And people who don’t dream, who don’t have any kind of imaginative life, they must… they must go nuts. I can’t imagine that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/and-people-who-don-t-dream-who-don-t-have-any-kind-of-imaginative/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The life of reality is confused, disorderly, almost always without apparent purpose, whereas in the artist's imaginative life there is purpose. There is determination…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwood-anderson/the-life-of-reality-is-confused-disorderly-almost-always-without/) [Sherwood Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwood-anderson/) > [Personal life becomes paler as the imaginative life becomes richer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/personal-life-becomes-paler-as-the-imaginative-life-becomes-richer/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Through an experience that simultaneously involved my sensibility and intelligence, I realized early on that the imaginative life, however morbid it might seem, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/through-an-experience-that-simultaneously-involved-my-sensibility-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ \[My works are\] an imitation of my own past and present and of my own creative vitality as I experience them in one particular… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-hepworth/my-works-are-an-imitation-of-my-own-past-and-present-and-of-my-own/) [Barbara Hepworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-hepworth/) > [If writers stuck to firsthand experience, novels would be pretty limited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stef-penney/if-writers-stuck-to-firsthand-experience-novels-would-be-pretty/) [Stef Penney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stef-penney/) > [Through writing, through that process, they realize that they become more intelligent, and more honest and more imaginative than they can be in any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-banks/through-writing-through-that-process-they-realize-that-they-become/) [Russell Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-banks/) > [I spent a lot of time in hospitals as a child with these dreadful calliper things, and in push-chairs and God knows what else.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-starkey/i-spent-a-lot-of-time-in-hospitals-as-a-child-with-these-dreadful/) [David Starkey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-starkey/) > [“The life of reality is confused, disorderly, almost always without apparent purpose, where in the artist's imaginative life there is purpose. There is determination…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwood-anderson/the-life-of-reality-is-confused-disorderly-almost-always-without-2/) [Sherwood Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwood-anderson/) > [Acting is an imaginative leap, really, isn't it? And imaginations prosper in different circumstances. And it's being able - I can't tell you how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hurt/acting-is-an-imaginative-leap-really-isn-t-it-and-imaginations/) [John Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hurt/) > [It is not necessary to have an extravagant food budget in order to serve things with variety and tastefully cooked. It is not necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-schaeffer/it-is-not-necessary-to-have-an-extravagant-food-budget-in-order-to/) [Edith Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-schaeffer/) > [When any civilization is dust and ashes," he said, "art is all that's left over. Images, words, music. Imaginative structures. Meaning—human meaning, that is—is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/when-any-civilization-is-dust-and-ashes-he-said-art-is-all-that-s/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [I definitely go through periods where I'm in a particular mood, or there's a consistent imaginative context that I feel I'm in, and I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/i-definitely-go-through-periods-where-i-m-in-a-particular-mood-or/) [Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/) > [Individually, museums are fine institutions, dedicated to the high values of preservation, education and truth; collectively, their growth in numbers points to the imaginative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hewison/individually-museums-are-fine-institutions-dedicated-to-the-high/) [Robert Hewison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hewison/) ## More by Zia Haider Rahman > [“My point is that you could think of the people you meet in your life as questions, there to help you figure out who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/my-point-is-that-you-could-think-of-the-people-you-meet-in-your-life/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) > [I had an indefatigable curiosity about everything. But why should my fate have depended upon that? Why does the curiosity of a child born…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/i-had-an-indefatigable-curiosity-about-everything-but-why-should-my/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) > [“As I reached the highest step, I turned. Spread along the platform was a mass of bobbing black hair like a long wave of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/as-i-reached-the-highest-step-i-turned-spread-along-the-platform-was/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) > [News has a way of distancing us from events, even as it informs us about them. News articles almost always present both the event…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/news-has-a-way-of-distancing-us-from-events-even-as-it-informs-us/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) > [My parents were entirely unpredictable and what they said very unreliable, which meant I became very attuned to the range of other signals human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/my-parents-were-entirely-unpredictable-and-what-they-said-very/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) > [Until I reached my late teens, there was not enough money for luxuries - a holiday, a car, or a computer. I learned how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/until-i-reached-my-late-teens-there-was-not-enough-money-for-luxuries/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) > [Experience belongs to the actor, but the story belongs to the teller. We write so we will never forget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/experience-belongs-to-the-actor-but-the-story-belongs-to-the-teller/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) > [My own disposition is to trust the reader. Of course, there's a line between trusting the reader and expecting her to read your mind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/my-own-disposition-is-to-trust-the-reader-of-course-there-s-a-line/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) > [The difference does not lie in the things that news does that novels do not do, but in the things that novels do that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/the-difference-does-not-lie-in-the-things-that-news-does-that-novels/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) > [The mathematics is the odd one, odd because I'm not sure how to measure its effect. It is so fundamental to my outlook on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/the-mathematics-is-the-odd-one-odd-because-i-m-not-sure-how-to/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) > [Novels need readers of a certain kind, people who are patient and enjoy immersing themselves in another perspective for uninterrupted stretches of time. Reading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/novels-need-readers-of-a-certain-kind-people-who-are-patient-and/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) > [A poison can hardly be called safe if for some reason specific to me it's ineffective against, say, my body. But the power of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/a-poison-can-hardly-be-called-safe-if-for-some-reason-specific-to-me/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) > [The mathematical tilt remains basic to my epistemological perspective, my howling plea in the still of night for epistemic humility. Mathematics gave me that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/the-mathematical-tilt-remains-basic-to-my-epistemological-perspective/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) > [I don't want you to think that I'm being willfully obtuse, but I've never really grasped how point of view could be regarded as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/i-don-t-want-you-to-think-that-i-m-being-willfully-obtuse-but-i-ve/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) > [The twentieth century saw a professionalization of fiction writing, particularly in its second half and particularly in the Anglo-Saxon world - not so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/the-twentieth-century-saw-a-professionalization-of-fiction-writing/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) [Explore all 41 Zia Haider Rahman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. If you want them in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-importance-of-ability-the-things-that-make-a-great-job-great-i/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. 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