--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Write. No amount of self-inflicted…" description: "\"Write. No amount of self-inflicted misery, altered states, black pullovers or being publicly obnoxious will ever add up to your being a writer. Writers..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7af/a-l-kennedy-28869_add_write-no-amount-of-self-inflicted-misery_3161455.png" --- # Write. No amount of self-inflicted misery, altered states… ![“Write. No amount of self-inflicted misery, altered states, black pullovers or being publicly obnoxious will ever add up to your being a writer. Writers write. On you go.” quote by A.L. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7af/a-l-kennedy-28869_add_write-no-amount-of-self-inflicted-misery_3161455.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7af/a-l-kennedy-28869_add_write-no-amount-of-self-inflicted-misery_3161455.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7af/a-l-kennedy-28869_add_write-no-amount-of-self-inflicted-misery_3161455.png) > “Write. No amount of self-inflicted misery, altered states, black pullovers or being publicly obnoxious will ever add up to your being a writer. Writers write. On you go.” [A.L. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-kennedy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing requires action, not self‑inflicted suffering; writers become writers by writing. **In simple terms:** Writing is about doing, not suffering. Key Takeaway Write consistently, regardless of hardship. Themes creativity discipline authorship Mood pragmatic encouraging Type advice motivational When to use this quote - daily writing - creative workshops - self‑help routines Key Concepts self‑discipline process over pain habit formation Questions to Reflect On - What daily habit supports your writing? - How do you avoid self‑sabotage? A Different Perspective Suffering does not guarantee artistic merit; focus on craft over drama. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Altered states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/altered-states/) [Misery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misery/) [Obnoxious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obnoxious/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I started out life as a writer, and writers write in part because they don't want to talk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-started-out-life-as-a-writer-and-writers-write-in-part-because-they/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [For almost anyone who chooses to be a writer, since so very few writers are able to learn a living from their work that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-banks/for-almost-anyone-who-chooses-to-be-a-writer-since-so-very-few/) [Russell Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-banks/) > [“Talent is extremely common. What is rare is the willingness to endure the life of the writer. Writers have no one to talk shop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/talent-is-extremely-common-what-is-rare-is-the-willingness-to-endure-2/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I often said that writers are of two types. There is the architect, which is one type. The architect, as if designing a building,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/i-often-said-that-writers-are-of-two-types-there-is-the-architect/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [“It's not Jane Austen, it's not Henry James. But this writer, or writers, well, they're pretty damn good too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-curtis/it-s-not-jane-austen-it-s-not-henry-james-but-this-writer-or-writers/) [Richard Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-curtis/) > [I'm a writer and writers either have good memories or nothing at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-m-a-writer-and-writers-either-have-good-memories-or-nothing-at-all/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [As a young child I wanted to be a writer because writers were rich and famous. They lounged around Singapore and Rangoon smoking opium…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/as-a-young-child-i-wanted-to-be-a-writer-because-writers-were-rich/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [Nobody becomes a writer overnight. Well, I'm sure somebody did, but that person's head probably went all asplodey from paroxysms of joy, fear, paranoia,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-wendig/nobody-becomes-a-writer-overnight-well-i-m-sure-somebody-did-but-that/) [Chuck Wendig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-wendig/) > [Originality is also very important to a writer. And all of the writers I've mentioned, of course, are original, but it's important to me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/originality-is-also-very-important-to-a-writer-and-all-of-the-writers/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [“Write from truth, write from self. Writing theory or conceptual writing may be A way to create new forms or styles but in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-m-engelhardt/write-from-truth-write-from-self-writing-theory-or-conceptual-writing/) [R.M. Engelhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-m-engelhardt/) > [As publishing has become less expensive, the urge to write my own self has become the opportunity to publish my own self. Everyone now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-zaid/as-publishing-has-become-less-expensive-the-urge-to-write-my-own-self/) [Gabriel Zaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-zaid/) > [Woman must write her self: must write about women and bring women to writing, from which they have been driven away as violently as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-ne-cixous/woman-must-write-her-self-must-write-about-women-and-bring-women-to/) [Helene Cixous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-ne-cixous/) > [“better? But what would become of me if I didn’t write what I can, however inferior it may be to what I am? In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/better-but-what-would-become-of-me-if-i-didn-t-write-what-i-can/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [Even if other write up don't write your self off, but only believe in yourself emptiness is no mans island so you can decide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nkemjika-linus/even-if-other-write-up-don-t-write-your-self-off-but-only-believe-in/) [Nkemjika Linus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nkemjika-linus/) > [If you think about what you do, if you become self-conscious about it, you've got to be very careful. Because I really like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-morgan/if-you-think-about-what-you-do-if-you-become-self-conscious-about-it/) [Peter Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-morgan/) ## More by A.L. Kennedy > [Remember you love writing. It wouldn't be worth it if you didn't. If the love fades, do what you need to and get it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-l-kennedy/remember-you-love-writing-it-wouldn-t-be-worth-it-if-you-didn-t-if/) [A.L. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-kennedy/) > [“I end up discussing the weather when the weather is all around us and both I and whoever the stranger might be must surely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-l-kennedy/i-end-up-discussing-the-weather-when-the-weather-is-all-around-us-and/) [A.L. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-kennedy/) > [“I can't help it either, the laughing: solemn gatherings, slow ballads, pompous orations, any person or occasion that assumes I'll offer my unreserved respect:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-l-kennedy/i-can-t-help-it-either-the-laughing-solemn-gatherings-slow-ballads/) [A.L. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-kennedy/) > [“Perhaps i am a masochist. No. Not Possible. If I were basically a masochist then most of my life would have been just nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-l-kennedy/perhaps-i-am-a-masochist-no-not-possible-if-i-were-basically-a/) [A.L. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-kennedy/) > [“The right wrist, because I'm right-handed - so that must be the one that's done most wrong. Although, now that I think, my sins…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-l-kennedy/the-right-wrist-because-i-m-right-handed-so-that-must-be-the-one-that/) [A.L. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-kennedy/) > [“Writers' trousers are famously unpredictable in many ways, but I haven't met another author whose trousers simply disintegrated en route to a reading. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-l-kennedy/writers-trousers-are-famously-unpredictable-in-many-ways-but-i-haven/) [A.L. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-kennedy/) > [“If ever the difficulties of your life seem overwhelming, consider the prospect of being eaten alive by savage penguins and rejoice that such horrors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-l-kennedy/if-ever-the-difficulties-of-your-life-seem-overwhelming-consider-the/) [A.L. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-kennedy/) > [A good roast of sun, it slows you, lets you relax–and out here if there's anything wrong, you can see it coming with bags…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-l-kennedy/a-good-roast-of-sun-it-slows-you-lets-you-relax-and-out-here-if-there/) [A.L. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-kennedy/) > [Have more humility. Remember you don't know the limits of your own abilities. Successful or not, if you keep pushing beyond yourself, you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-l-kennedy/have-more-humility-remember-you-don-t-know-the-limits-of-your-own/) [A.L. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-kennedy/) > [We are not all connected. We are bags of skin. We are all separate bags of thinking skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-l-kennedy/we-are-not-all-connected-we-are-bags-of-skin-we-are-all-separate-bags/) [A.L. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-kennedy/) > [Remember you love writing. It wouldn’t be worth it if you didn’t. If the love fades, do what you need to and get it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-l-kennedy/remember-you-love-writing-it-wouldn-t-be-worth-it-if-you-didn-t-if-2/) [A.L. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-kennedy/) > [Surgery is just stabbing in a courteous environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-l-kennedy/surgery-is-just-stabbing-in-a-courteous-environment/) [A.L. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-kennedy/) > [“There are times when you've personally known things to misfire--the sentence that fell badly, the dull gift, slapdash comment, hobbled punch line, tight-fisted tip--trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-l-kennedy/there-are-times-when-you-ve-personally-known-things-to-misfire-the/) [A.L. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-kennedy/) > [Nothing makes you feel more stupid than finding out you were wrong when you thought you were loved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-l-kennedy/nothing-makes-you-feel-more-stupid-than-finding-out-you-were-wrong/) [A.L. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-kennedy/) > [“He's doing something in Surbiton next. Or Serbia, one or the other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-l-kennedy/he-s-doing-something-in-surbiton-next-or-serbia-one-or-the-other/) [A.L. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-kennedy/) [Explore all 18 A.L. Kennedy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-l-kennedy/) ## More Add quotes > [Most marriages don't add two people together. They subtract one from the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/most-marriages-don-t-add-two-people-together-they-subtract-one-from/) [Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/) > [Friendship, "the wine of life," should, like a well-stocked cellar, be continually renewed; and it is consolatory to think, that although we can seldom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-boswell/friendship-the-wine-of-life-should-like-a-well-stocked-cellar-be/) [James Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-boswell/) > [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [Give me a platter of choice finnan haddie, freshly cooked in its bath of water and milk, add melted butter, a slice or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/give-me-a-platter-of-choice-finnan-haddie-freshly-cooked-in-its-bath/) [Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/) > [Writing adds up to the conscience of our times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-firrell/writing-adds-up-to-the-conscience-of-our-times/) [Martin Firrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-firrell/) > [A 'modern' man has nothing to add to modernism, if only because he has nothing to oppose it with. 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