Famous Quotes About Writing
Quotations From Great Writers Twain, Asimov, Beckett and More
Mar 3, 2009
Sometimes it's helpful to remember that every writer sits down to a blank page and struggles with the act of writing. And even the best writers out there have suffered their share of rejection.
The following quotes provide writing inspiration, guidance and humour from some of the most successful writers out there.
Quotes About How To Write
“Substitute 'damn' every time you're inclined to write 'very;' your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.” - Mark Twain
“I'm not a very good writer, but I'm an excellent rewriter.” - James Michener
“Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of ligt on broken glass.” - Anton Chekhov
Quotes About the Writer's Work Ethic
“Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand. - George Orwell, "Why I Write," 1947
“Writing is not a job description. A great deal of it is luck. Don't do it if you are not a gambler because a lot of people devote many years of their lives to it (for little reward). I think people become writers because they are compulsive wordsmiths.” - Margaret Atwood in The Times
“Quantity produces quality. If you only write a few things, you're doomed.” - Ray Bradbury
“I do not like to write - I like to have written.” - Gloria Steinem
Quotes About Rejection
“You must keep sending work out; you must never let a manuscript do nothing but eat its head off in a drawer. You send that work out again and again, while you're working on another one. If you have talent, you will receive some measure of success - but only if you persist.” - Isaac Asimov
“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” - Samuel Beckett
“I've been reading reviews of my stories for twenty-five years, and can't remember a single useful point in any of them, or the slightest good advice. The only reviewer who ever made an impression on me was Skabichevsky, who prophesied that I would die drunk in the bottom of a ditch.” - Anton Chekhov
“This manuscript of yours that has just come back from another editor is a precious package. Don't consider it rejected. Consider that you've addressed it 'to the editor who can appreciate my work' and it has simply come back stamped 'Not at this address'. Just keep looking for the right address.” - Barbara Kingsolver
Quotes About the Writing Life
“If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” - Toni Morrison
“Coleridge was a drug addict. Poe was an alcoholic. Marlowe was stabbed by a man whom he was treacherously trying to stab. Pope took money to keep a woman's name out of a satire; then wrote a piece so that she could still be recognized anyhow. Chatterton killed himself. Byron was accused of incest. Do you still want to be a writer - and if so, why?” - Bennett Cerf, co-founder of Random House
“If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster.” - Isaac Asimov
Personal Favourites
Choose a few of your favourite writing quotes and post them by your workstation. When you are struggling with your writing, look to your mentors for help and encouragement. Writing is not an easy pursuit, but those who love it say it's well worth the effort.
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