"I like writing because you can make things happen and turn out the way they never do in real life"
About this Quote
The intent is deceptively simple: defend storytelling as an act of control. But the subtext is more revealing, almost confessional. Reiner isn't pitching escapism so much as admitting a lifelong negotiation with disappointment. The phrase "turn out the way they never do" suggests he's not chasing fantasy; he's chasing the version of events reality withholds - clarity, accountability, catharsis. That longing is the emotional motor behind crowd-pleasing craft: a romantic beat that actually lands, a reconciliation that isn't sabotaged by pride, a villain who faces consequences.
Context matters because Reiner's filmography is basically a syllabus in engineered outcomes. When Harry Met Sally... manufactures the conversational honesty real relationships dodge. The Princess Bride turns cynicism into a joke it can beat, then rewards sincerity anyway. A Few Good Men delivers the courtroom truth bomb we wish institutions would cough up without a subpoena. Even his comedy roots (Spinal Tap) underline the point: when life is absurd, the artist can at least frame the absurdity so it means something.
It's also a quiet manifesto for directing. Writing isn't just making things happen; it's choosing what "happen" should feel like. Reiner is talking about the power to give mess a shape - and to make that shaping look like inevitability.
Quote Details
| Topic | Writing |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Reiner, Rob. (2026, January 15). I like writing because you can make things happen and turn out the way they never do in real life. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-like-writing-because-you-can-make-things-happen-106153/
Chicago Style
Reiner, Rob. "I like writing because you can make things happen and turn out the way they never do in real life." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-like-writing-because-you-can-make-things-happen-106153/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I like writing because you can make things happen and turn out the way they never do in real life." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-like-writing-because-you-can-make-things-happen-106153/. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.







