To me, there is nothing higher than fiction. Nothing. It is fundamentally who I am. I am a teller of stories. For me, that's the only way I can make sense of the world, with all the dance that it involves.
Arundhati RoyRead
I do what I do, and write what I write, without calculating what is worth what and so on. Fortunately, I am not a banker or an accountant. I feel that there is a time when a political statement needs to be made and I make it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses the importance of authentic self-expression over financial considerations, especially in art and political statements.
Arundhati Roy emphasizes the value of creating art and making political statements without being constrained by the potential monetary worth of the work. She contrasts her identity as an artist with that of a banker or an accountant, implying that the essence of her work is about meaningful expression rather than commercial gain. This highlights the conviction of prioritizing genuine expression and social commentary in her writing.
Themes
ExpressionArtPoliticsAuthenticitySelfMeaning
In practice
Example use cases
During a writer's retreat, this quote can inspire fellow authors to pursue genuine artistry.
More from Arundhati Roy
All quotes →When she listened to songs that she loved on the radio, something stirred inside her. A liquid ache spread under her skin, and she walked out of the world like a witch.
Arundhati RoyRead
Caste is about dividing people up in ways that preclude every form of solidarity, because even in the lowest castes, there are divisions and sub-castes, and everyone's co-opted into the business of this hierarchical, silo-ised society.
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When I decided to write 'The God of Small Things', I had been working in cinema. It was almost a decision to downshift from there. I thought that 300 people would read it. But it created a platform of trust.
Arundhati RoyRead
In California, there are huge problems because of dams. I'm against big dams, per se, because I think that they are economically unfeasible. They're ecologically unsustainable. And they're hugely undemocratic.
Arundhati RoyRead
To call someone 'anti-American', indeed, to be anti-American, is not just racist, it's a failure of the imagination.
Arundhati RoyRead
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Mark RothkoRead
Watch out for music. It should come with a health warning. It can be dangerous. It can make you feel so alive, so connected to the people around you, and connected to what you really are inside. And it can make you think that the world should, and could, be a much better place. And just occasionally, it can make you very, very happy.
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What I need most of all is color, always, always.
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It always gave me the creeps when I saw performers who desperately wanted the audience to like them. That's not what I'm about.
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