The ugliest truth, in the end, was still better than the prettiest of lies.
Harlan CobenRead
In real life, coincidences happen all the time. In novels, they are leapt upon with fury.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the difference between the randomness of real life and the structured narrative of fiction.
Harlan Coben's quote emphasizes that while coincidences are a common occurrence in everyday life, in literature they are often exaggerated and treated with intensity. This distinction reflects the ways narratives are constructed to create drama and engage readers, contrasting with the unpredictable nature of reality where such events are often overlooked or occur without significance.
Themes
CoincidenceNovelsReal LifeNarrativeFiction
In practice
Example use cases
Use this quote in a discussion about storytelling in literature vs. real-life experiences.
More from Harlan Coben
All quotes →When you like something and you're pretty good at it and you can make a living doing it, you don't ask why. You just count your blessings and go with it.
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No, I don’t live in heartache. I don’t cry myself to sleep or any of that. I am, I tell myself, over it. But I do feel a void, icky as that sounds. And—like it or not—I still think about her every single day.
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Life may not always fall into neat chapters, and you may not always get the satisfying ending you're looking for, but sometimes a good explanation is all the rewrite you need.
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The most annoying and full- of- crap thing a writer says is, I write only for myself, I don't care if anyone reads it. A writer without a reader doesn't exist.
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There's always a price you pay when you lie. Once you introduce a lie into a relationship, even for the best of intentions, it is always there. Whenever you’re with that person again, that lie is in the room too. It sits on your shoulder. Good lie or bad lie, it's in the room with you forever now. It's your constant companion.
Harlan CobenRead
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