--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I always say writing a play is like…" description: "\"I always say writing a play is like toothache: I find it incredibly painful, and it's only once the play's out that the pain is gone.\" — Abi Morgan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/713/abi-morgan-5039_find_i-always-say-writing-a-play-is-like-toot_1635688.jpg" --- # I always say writing a play is like toothache: I find it… ![“I always say writing a play is like toothache: I find it incredibly painful, and it's only once the play's out that the pain is gone.” quote by Abi Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/713/abi-morgan-5039_find_i-always-say-writing-a-play-is-like-toot_1635688.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/713/abi-morgan-5039_find_i-always-say-writing-a-play-is-like-toot_1635688.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/713/abi-morgan-5039_find_i-always-say-writing-a-play-is-like-toot_1635688.jpg) > “I always say writing a play is like toothache: I find it incredibly painful, and it's only once the play's out that the pain is gone.” [Abi Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abi-morgan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing a play feels as painful as a toothache, but relief comes only after it’s finished. **In simple terms:** Playwriting is painful until it ends. Key Takeaway Embrace discomfort, finish the work. Themes creativity pain completion Mood reflective honest Type artistic personal When to use this quote - theatre production - personal projects - creative blocks Key Concepts artistic process psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you cope with creative pain? - What relief do you feel after finishing? A Different Perspective Pain can hinder progress if not managed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [It is so difficult to, day in and day out, hear these incredibly painful stories of the destructive nature of our broken immigration system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-gutierrez/it-is-so-difficult-to-day-in-and-day-out-hear-these-incredibly/) [Luis Gutierrez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-gutierrez/) > [“I'm not crying because you're mean. I just can't imagine how incredibly painful it must be to be you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wurtzel/i-m-not-crying-because-you-re-mean-i-just-can-t-imagine-how/) [Elizabeth Wurtzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wurtzel/) > [I mean my mother always wanted us to be individuals. She always instilled that into our brains which was incredibly painful for an adolescent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rzeznik/i-mean-my-mother-always-wanted-us-to-be-individuals-she-always/) [John Rzeznik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rzeznik/) > [Love was like a toothache.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eiji-yoshikawa/love-was-like-a-toothache/) [Eiji Yoshikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eiji-yoshikawa/) > [You say that love is nonsense. I tell you it is no such thing. For weeks and months it is a steady physical pain,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-say-that-love-is-nonsense-i-tell-you-it-is-no-such-thing-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [, loneliness is like a toothache: It's awarning signal that something is wrong. And like a toothache, if left unattended, it usually gets worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/loneliness-is-like-a-toothache-it-s-awarning-signal-that-something-is/) Senoraroy > [“And before you know it, the object disappears, arguments evaporate; no culprit is discovered, the offense ceases to be an offense and becomes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoevsky/and-before-you-know-it-the-object-disappears-arguments-evaporate-no/) [Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoevsky/) > [My first company, Pure Software, was exciting and innovative in the first few years and bureaucratic and painful in the last few before it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reed-hastings/my-first-company-pure-software-was-exciting-and-innovative-in-the/) [Reed Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reed-hastings/) > [I am sorry to upset my colleagues by saying we wasted four years in opposition, but if you do get so badly defeated as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clarke/i-am-sorry-to-upset-my-colleagues-by-saying-we-wasted-four-years-in/) [Kenneth Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clarke/) > [The most painful thing in life is losing yourself in the process of valuing someone too much & forgetting that you are special too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-most-painful-thing-in-life-is-losing-yourself-in-the-process-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Funny how 90% of the songs is based on something that's so painful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/funny-how-90-of-the-songs-is-based-on-something-that-s-so-painful/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My parents are divorced, and seeing that was really painful for me. Really painful for me. But that's also a big part of why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/my-parents-are-divorced-and-seeing-that-was-really-painful-for-me/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [I hate watching myself speak German, it's painful!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-marsch/i-hate-watching-myself-speak-german-it-s-painful/) [Jesse Marsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-marsch/) > [“I don’t know. We all have to bear things, Ari. All of us. Your father has to bear the war and what it did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-know-we-all-have-to-bear-things-ari-all-of-us-your-father-has/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Well, I've been politically involved for a really long time. Growing up in the segregated South, it was a very painful experience for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cybill-shepherd/well-i-ve-been-politically-involved-for-a-really-long-time-growing-up/) [Cybill Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cybill-shepherd/) ## More by Abi Morgan > [I'm so straight and boring, really. I have two kids and a very nice partner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abi-morgan/i-m-so-straight-and-boring-really-i-have-two-kids-and-a-very-nice/) [Abi Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abi-morgan/) > [I never know if I'm the builder or architect. The role shifts all the time. But what I have come to conclude is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abi-morgan/i-never-know-if-i-m-the-builder-or-architect-the-role-shifts-all-the/) [Abi Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abi-morgan/) > [Now I would say I'm absolutely a feminist writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abi-morgan/now-i-would-say-i-m-absolutely-a-feminist-writer/) [Abi Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abi-morgan/) > [I'm a cheap date.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abi-morgan/i-m-a-cheap-date/) [Abi Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abi-morgan/) > [I think theater is very much my natural home. But the truth is that the older I've got, and the more I've written film…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abi-morgan/i-think-theater-is-very-much-my-natural-home-but-the-truth-is-that/) [Abi Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abi-morgan/) > [Plays are the marathon of scriptwriting. You fix on a point somewhere in the middle distance, and you start running, and you don't stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abi-morgan/plays-are-the-marathon-of-scriptwriting-you-fix-on-a-point-somewhere/) [Abi Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abi-morgan/) > [The world can make you very angry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abi-morgan/the-world-can-make-you-very-angry/) [Abi Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abi-morgan/) > [I hope my pieces have an authenticity to them, but my job is to filter the world and tell a story, not to define…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abi-morgan/i-hope-my-pieces-have-an-authenticity-to-them-but-my-job-is-to-filter/) [Abi Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abi-morgan/) > [I think casting is everything. You get a great cast and - certainly, as happens in 'The Hour' - so many of those performances…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abi-morgan/i-think-casting-is-everything-you-get-a-great-cast-and-certainly-as/) [Abi Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abi-morgan/) > [I try to stay focused on the work and recognize that I've been very lucky. Maybe it's 'cause I grew up with actors, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abi-morgan/i-try-to-stay-focused-on-the-work-and-recognize-that-i-ve-been-very/) [Abi Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abi-morgan/) > [When you see in this country and every other part of the world the huge pay disparity - in Hollywood, in every profession in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abi-morgan/when-you-see-in-this-country-and-every-other-part-of-the-world-the/) [Abi Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abi-morgan/) > [I'm the world's worst at reading reviews and then pretending I've read the book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abi-morgan/i-m-the-world-s-worst-at-reading-reviews-and-then-pretending-i-ve/) [Abi Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abi-morgan/) > [If you want to fit in, you try to mirror whatever anyone wants from you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abi-morgan/if-you-want-to-fit-in-you-try-to-mirror-whatever-anyone-wants-from-you/) [Abi Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abi-morgan/) > [I get the 'Guardian' delivered every day and read it very quickly. I like it for both the TV and theatre reviews and because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abi-morgan/i-get-the-guardian-delivered-every-day-and-read-it-very-quickly-i/) [Abi Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abi-morgan/) > [I don't look back. I don't look forward. I am totally now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abi-morgan/i-don-t-look-back-i-don-t-look-forward-i-am-totally-now/) [Abi Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abi-morgan/) [Explore all 104 Abi Morgan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abi-morgan/) ## More Find quotes > [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [I ask for tips, for advice. What I have also learnt is that I need to do things that are good for me. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthijs-de-ligt/i-ask-for-tips-for-advice-what-i-have-also-learnt-is-that-i-need-to/) [Matthijs de Ligt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthijs-de-ligt/) > [Consumers can choose organic cotton grown without pesticides, but it uses more water and requires more land than conventional crops. Organic cotton can also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/consumers-can-choose-organic-cotton-grown-without-pesticides-but-it/) [Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/) > [You will find that the more successful the individual, the less inclined he is to make excuses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-joseph-schwartz/you-will-find-that-the-more-successful-the-individual-the-less/) [David Joseph Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-joseph-schwartz/) > [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/) [Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/) > [They will find somebody younger, somebody funnier, somebody more engaged. As long as the court genre is viable, people are going to be looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-sheindlin/they-will-find-somebody-younger-somebody-funnier-somebody-more/) [Judy Sheindlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-sheindlin/) > [I think I need the demons in order to write, but the demons have gone. It bothers me a lot. I've tried and tried,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-wilson/i-think-i-need-the-demons-in-order-to-write-but-the-demons-have-gone/) [Brian Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-wilson/) > [I'm very fond of classical music, especially Mozart. I find it relaxes me and helps me concentrate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guler-sabanci/i-m-very-fond-of-classical-music-especially-mozart-i-find-it-relaxes/) [Guler Sabanci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guler-sabanci/) > [Failure to find a way to incorporate political Islam in democracy, however uncomfortable its ideology is for secular liberals, will mean we have given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crispin-blunt/failure-to-find-a-way-to-incorporate-political-islam-in-democracy/) [Crispin Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crispin-blunt/) > [Reading counts as partying, even if you're not enjoying it! Even if someone's forcing you to read, you can find a way to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-w-k/reading-counts-as-partying-even-if-you-re-not-enjoying-it-even-if/) [Andrew W.K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-w-k/) > [George Roy Hill, Redford, and I have been looking for a script to do together for 13 years. We haven't been able to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-newman/george-roy-hill-redford-and-i-have-been-looking-for-a-script-to-do/) [Paul Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-newman/) > [People from all walks of life that you might find as a King Diamond fan - you don't look a certain way; you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-diamond/people-from-all-walks-of-life-that-you-might-find-as-a-king-diamond/) [King Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-diamond/) > [My mom and my aunties are really devout Christians. My mom married a Muslim when I was 12, so I got teachings from both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tech-n9ne/my-mom-and-my-aunties-are-really-devout-christians-my-mom-married-a/) [Tech N9ne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tech-n9ne/) > [For me, I like to be different. I didn't want to imitate another wrestler. I always try to find something from other genres, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shinsuke-nakamura/for-me-i-like-to-be-different-i-didn-t-want-to-imitate-another/) [Shinsuke Nakamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shinsuke-nakamura/) > [For young people in the U.K. who find themselves without anywhere to live - perhaps they have left the family home after a relationship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-viner/for-young-people-in-the-u-k-who-find-themselves-without-anywhere-to/) [Katharine Viner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-viner/) Browse all 11,342 Find quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I always say writing a play is like toothache: I find it incredibly painful, and it's only once the play's out that the pain is gone.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Abi Morgan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abi-morgan/i-always-say-writing-a-play-is-like-toothache-i-find-it-incredibly/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Find" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abi-morgan/i-always-say-writing-a-play-is-like-toothache-i-find-it-incredibly/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/713/abi-morgan-5039_find_i-always-say-writing-a-play-is-like-toot_1635688.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/713/abi-morgan-5039_find_i-always-say-writing-a-play-is-like-toot_1635688.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/713/abi-morgan-5039_find_i-always-say-writing-a-play-is-like-toot_1635688.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I always say writing a play is like toothache: I find it incredibly painful, and it's only once the play's…” — Abi Morgan", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Abi Morgan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abi-morgan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I always say writing a play...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abi-morgan/i-always-say-writing-a-play-is-like-toothache-i-find-it-incredibly/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abi-morgan/i-always-say-writing-a-play-is-like-toothache-i-find-it-incredibly/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```