If you have the guts to be yourself, other people'll pay your price.
John UpdikeRead
When I write, I aim in my mind not toward New York but toward a vague spot a little to the east of Kansas.
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
All quotes →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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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To guarantee the individual maximum freedom within a social frame of minimal laws ensures - if not happiness - its hopeful pursuit.
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