QuoteProject
When I write, I aim in my mind not toward New York but toward a vague spot a little to the east of Kansas.
John Updike
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote emphasizes aiming for personal goals rather than societal expectations.

John Updike's quote reflects the idea that a writer's focus should not be on prestigious locations like New York, but rather on their own unique vision and direction, illustrated metaphorically by a 'vague spot a little to the east of Kansas'. This suggests that true creativity stems from personal interpretation and aspiration rather than conforming to the mainstream or conventional standards.

Themes

WritingCreativityPersonal VisionGoalsIndividuality

In practice

Example use cases

In a writing workshop, to inspire young authors to find their unique voice.

More from John Updike

If you have the guts to be yourself, other people'll pay your price.
John UpdikeRead
Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of. _x000D_ _x000D_ Suspect each moment, for it is a thief, tiptoeing away with more than it brings.
John UpdikeRead
Museums and bookstores should feel, I think, like vacant lots - places where the demands on us are our own demands, where the spirit can find exercise in unsupervised play.
John UpdikeRead
But it is just two lovers, holding hands and in a hurry to reach their car, their locked hands a starfish leaping through the dark.
John UpdikeRead
The reader knows the writer better than he knows himself; but the writer's physical presence is light from a star that has moved on.
John UpdikeRead
To guarantee the individual maximum freedom within a social frame of minimal laws ensures - if not happiness - its hopeful pursuit.
John UpdikeRead

Similar quotes

There is a criterion by which you can judge whether the thoughts you are thinking and the things you are doing are right for you. The criterion is: Have they brought you inner peace?
Peace PilgrimRead
Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person.
Albert EinsteinRead
Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.
Albert EinsteinRead
The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness.
LaoziRead
Diversity and independence are important because the best collective decisions are the product of disagreement and contest, not consensus or compromise.
James SurowieckiRead
Truth always originates in a minority of one, and every custom begins as a broken precedent.
Will DurantRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.