Writing is a unique art form that captures the human experience in words. It challenges, inspires, and transforms both writer and reader. To celebrate this craft, we present 137 of the best quotes about writing. These quotes reveal the passion, struggle, and joy behind the written word. Whether you are a seasoned author or a budding writer, these insights will fuel your creativity and dedication.
137 Best Quotes About Writing Every Aspiring Author Must Read
1. “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
2. “The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.”
3. “I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.”
4. “Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic.”
5. “The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself.”
6. “The true alchemists do not change lead into gold; they change the world into words.”
7. “Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go.”
8. “A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.”
9. “Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”
10. “You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write.”
11. “I write to discover what I know.”
12. “To write well, express yourself like the common people, but think like a wise man.”
13. “The first sentence can’t be written until the final sentence is written.”
14. “We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.”
15. “Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.”
16. “Writing is the painting of the voice.”
17. “Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia.”
18. “A word after a word after a word is power.”
19. “Writing is the only thing that, when I do it, I don’t feel I should be doing something else.”
20. “Write hard and clear about what hurts.”
21. “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.”
22. “One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple.”
23. “Words can be like X-rays if you use them properly — they’ll go through anything. You read and you’re pierced.”
24. “Writing is its own reward.”
25. “A writer, I think, is someone who pays attention to the world.”
26. “I write for the same reason I breathe – because if I didn’t, I would die.”
27. “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”
28. “The desire to write grows with writing.”
29. “And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.”
30. “Half my life is an act of revision.”
31. “Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it’s the only way you can do anything really good.”
32. “The best way is always to stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next. If you do that every day … you will never be stuck.”
33. “We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.”
34. “I hate writing, I love having written.”
35. “Revision is one of the exquisite pleasures of writing.”
36. “Words are the most powerful drug used by mankind.”
37. “My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way.”
38. “If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.”
39. “The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.”
40. “A successful book is not made of what is in it, but what is left out of it.”
41. “All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.”
42. “Every secret of a writer’s soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind, is written large in his works.”
43. “I write to find what I have to say. I edit to figure out how to say it right.”
44. “If the book is true, it will find an audience that is meant to read it.”
45. “Writing is storytelling. If you want to know if you have a truly interesting story, tell it to your children at bedtime. If they stay awake, then write it down.”
46. “Planning to write is not writing. Writing is writing.”
47. “Write what should not be forgotten.”
48. “If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t; you’ll find an excuse.”
49. “We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.”
50. “No joy in the writer, no joy in the reader.”
51. “I have walked myself into my best thoughts.”
52. “I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.”
53. “We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we only have one.”
54. “I try to leave out the parts people skip.”
55. “Make your life your lab.”
56. “Write drunk, edit sober.”
57. “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”
58. “The main rule of writing is that if you do it with enough assurance and confidence, you’re allowed to do whatever you like.”
59. “Exercise the writing muscle every day, even if it is only a letter, notes, a title list, a character sketch, a journal entry.”
60. “Style means the right word. The rest matters little.”
61. “My aim in constructing sentences is to make the sentence utterly easy to understand.”
62. “Writing is like sex. First you do it for love, then you do it for your friends, and then you do it for money.”
63. “Words do not express thoughts very well. They always become a little different immediately after they are expressed.”
64. “Writing books is the closest men ever come to childbearing.”
65. “Find out the reason that commands you to write; see whether it has spread its roots into the very depth of your heart.”
66. “As a writer, you should not judge, you should understand.”
67. “A good writer possesses not only his own spirit but also the spirit of his friends.”
68. “Writers live twice.”
69. “The road to hell is paved with adverbs.”
70. “A short saying often contains much wisdom.”
71. “Writing for me is a kind of compulsion.”
72. “Don’t let the bastards grind you down.”
73. “Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind.”
74. “You can write nothing of value unless you give yourself wholly to the theme.”
75. “Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.”
76. “We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down.”
77. “The very reason I write is so that I might not sleepwalk through my entire life.”
78. “History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.”
79. “People should be interested in books, not their authors.”
80. “The most beautiful things are those that madness prompts and reason writes.”
81. “A good writer possesses not only his own spirit but also the spirit of his friends.”
82. “The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself.”
83. “Fiction is the truth inside the lie.”
84. “If there is a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, you must be the one to write it.”
85. “The first draft of everything is shit.”
86. “Write while the heat is in you.”
87. “Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights.”
88. “I had so many ideas. Jammed up. It was like they just needed permission to come out.”
89. “You go where the story leads you.”
90. “You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.”
91. “I am not at all in a humor for writing; I must write on until I am.”
92. “I don’t want just words. If that’s all you have for me, you’d better go.”
93. “Forget all the rules. Forget about being published. Write for yourself and celebrate writing.”
94. “Good fiction’s job is to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.”
95. “A writer is a world trapped in a person.”
96. “Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.”
97. “Without great solitude no serious work is possible.”
98. “Good things, when short, are twice as good.”
99. “Go inside where silence is. Stay there. Let words bubble up.”
100. “All bad writers are in love with the epic.”
101. “Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”
102. “Write with conviction. Pick a side and be bold. And if you’re wrong, admit it.”
103. “There is no real ending. It’s just the place where you stop the story.”
104. “If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write.”
105. “Write what should not be forgotten.”
106. “If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way.”
107. “No joy in the writer, no joy in the reader.”
108. “I have walked myself into my best thoughts.”
109. “We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we only have one.”
110. “I try to leave out the parts people skip.”
111. “Make your life your lab.”
112. “Write drunk, edit sober.”
113. “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”
114. “The main rule of writing is that if you do it with enough assurance and confidence, you’re allowed to do whatever you like.”
115. “Exercise the writing muscle every day, even if it is only a letter, notes, a title list, a character sketch, a journal entry.”
116. “Style means the right word. The rest matters little.”
117. “My aim in constructing sentences is to make the sentence utterly easy to understand.”
118. “Writing is like sex. First you do it for love, then you do it for your friends, and then you do it for money.”
119. “Words do not express thoughts very well. They always become a little different immediately after they are expressed.”
120. “Writing books is the closest men ever come to childbearing.”
121. “Find out the reason that commands you to write; see whether it has spread its roots into the very depth of your heart.”
122. “As a writer, you should not judge, you should understand.”
123. “A good writer possesses not only his own spirit but also the spirit of his friends.”
124. “Writers live twice.”
125. “The road to hell is paved with adverbs.”
126. “A short saying often contains much wisdom.”
127. “Writing for me is a kind of compulsion.”
128. “Don’t let the bastards grind you down.”
129. “Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind.”
130. “You can write nothing of value unless you give yourself wholly to the theme.”
131. “Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.”
132. “We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down.”
133. “The very reason I write is so that I might not sleepwalk through my entire life.”
134. “History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.”
135. “People should be interested in books, not their authors.”
136. “The most beautiful things are those that madness prompts and reason writes.”
137. “A good writer possesses not only his own spirit but also the spirit of his friends.”
Conclusion
Writing is an endless journey of discovery, courage, and expression. These 137 quotes capture the spirit of that journey, reminding us that writing is both a craft and a calling. Whether you seek motivation, insight, or simply the joy of words, these quotes offer a timeless source of inspiration. Embrace the power of writing and let your voice be heard.
