---
title: "21 Compelled Write Quotes by 16 authors"
description: "Browse 21 Compelled Write quotes by 16 authors. Discover the best Compelled Write sayings and thoughts."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d59/richard-flanagan-2253_am_i-believe-in-the-verb-not-the-noun-i-am_3115144.jpg"
---

> [I believe in the verb, not the noun - I am not a writer, but someone compelled to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/i-believe-in-the-verb-not-the-noun-i-am-not-a-writer-but-someone/)

[Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d59/richard-flanagan-2253_am_i-believe-in-the-verb-not-the-noun-i-am_3115144.jpg)

> [I can't explain inspiration. A writer is either compelled to write or not. And if I waited for inspiration I wouldn't really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/i-can-t-explain-inspiration-a-writer-is-either-compelled-to-write-or/)

[Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3c/toni-morrison-271_compelled_i-can-t-explain-inspiration-a-writer-is_554309.jpg)

> [I don't set out to write a political song. I am not one of those that feels compelled to write about what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-stills/i-don-t-set-out-to-write-a-political-song-i-am-not-one-of-those-that/)

[Stephen Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-stills/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/969/stephen-stills-17130_about_i-don-t-set-out-to-write-a-political-son_857798.jpg)

> [Why am I compelled to write? Because the writing saves me from this complacency I fear. Because I have no choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-e-anzald-a/why-am-i-compelled-to-write-because-the-writing-saves-me-from-this/)

[Gloria E. Anzaldúa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-e-anzald-a/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/gloria-e-anzald-a-19502_choices_why-am-i-compelled-to-write-because-the_3095834.png)

> [If people would write exactly what I wanted to read I wouldn't feel so compelled to write myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-people-would-write-exactly-what-i-wanted-to-read-i-wouldn-t-feel/)

[Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/laurell-k-hamilton-199_compelled_if-people-would-write-exactly-what-i-wan_2080203.png)

> [You have to be compelled to write. If you’re not, nothing else that you do matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/you-have-to-be-compelled-to-write-if-you-re-not-nothing-else-that-you/)

[Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f70/rick-riordan-27_compelled_you-have-to-be-compelled-to-write-if-you_2787013.jpg)

> [Throughout my life, there's just periods when I write and periods when I don't. I don't feel like anything's really blocked. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kozelek/throughout-my-life-there-s-just-periods-when-i-write-and-periods-when-2/)

[Mark Kozelek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kozelek/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/565/mark-kozelek-8742_life_throughout-my-life-there-s-just-periods_3235239.jpg)

> [The good thing about being a writer is that you don't need anything except for a laptop. You can really do your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-good-thing-about-being-a-writer-is-that-you-don-t-need-anything/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/828/anonymous-1_anything_the-good-thing-about-being-a-writer-is-t_2911666.jpg)

> [There have been times in my life when I felt compelled to write things down as a matter of therapy, but whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/there-have-been-times-in-my-life-when-i-felt-compelled-to-write/)

[Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8f/cal-ripken-jr-8454_about_there-have-been-times-in-my-life-when-i_1877705.png)

> [I'm writing out of desperation. I felt compelled to write to make sense of it to myself - so I don't end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/i-m-writing-out-of-desperation-i-felt-compelled-to-write-to-make/)

[Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed6/jamaica-kincaid-1540_black_i-m-writing-out-of-desperation-i-felt-co_2138143.jpg)

> [ Isn't it remarkable how everyone who knew \[D.H.\] Lawrence has felt compelled to write about him? Why, he's had more books written… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/isn-t-it-remarkable-how-everyone-who-knew-d-h-lawrence-has-felt/)

[Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/291/aldous-huxley-97_book_isn-t-it-remarkable-how-everyone-who-kne_621653.jpg)

> [I still encourage anyone who feels at all compelled to write to do so. I just try to warn people who hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-still-encourage-anyone-who-feels-at-all-compelled-to-write-to-do-so/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93e/anne-lamott-188_compelled_i-still-encourage-anyone-who-feels-at-al_2006471.jpg)

> [I tell aspiring writers that you have to find what you MUST write. When you find it, you will know, because the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/i-tell-aspiring-writers-that-you-have-to-find-what-you-must-write/)

[Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1c/rick-riordan-27_aspiring-writers_i-tell-aspiring-writers-that-you-have-to_193336.jpg)

> [Whenever I write songs, it's my outlet for a certain feeling. I just don't as often feel compelled to write when I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-bridgers/whenever-i-write-songs-it-s-my-outlet-for-a-certain-feeling-i-just/)

[Phoebe Bridgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-bridgers/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/221/phoebe-bridgers-11897_dark_whenever-i-write-songs-it-s-my-outlet-fo_1002838.jpg)

> [I still encourage anyone who feels at all compelled to write to do so. I just try to warn people who hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-still-encourage-anyone-who-feels-at-all-compelled-to-write-to-do-so-2/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c6/anne-lamott-188_being-the-best_i-still-encourage-anyone-who-feels-at-al_2036519.png)

> [“Why did I write it down? In order to remember, of course, but exactly what was it I wanted to remember? How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/why-did-i-write-it-down-in-order-to-remember-of-course-but-exactly-2/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a62/joan-didion-497_five-years_why-did-i-write-it-down-in-order-to-reme_2735665.jpg)

> [Although I have felt compelled to write things down since I was five years old, I doubt that my daughter ever will,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/although-i-have-felt-compelled-to-write-things-down-since-i-was-five/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/joan-didion-497_accepting_although-i-have-felt-compelled-to-write_233533.jpg)

> [“I don't sit here and make these stories up. They are delivered to me, over time, by some relentless and shadowy demand.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-lorr/i-don-t-sit-here-and-make-these-stories-up-they-are-delivered-to-me/)

[Julian Lorr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-lorr/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14b/julian-lorr-87740_on-writing_i-don-t-sit-here-and-make-these-stories_1433670.jpg)

> [Why am I compelled to write?... Because the world I create in the writing compensates for what the real world does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-anzaldua/why-am-i-compelled-to-write-because-the-world-i-create-in-the-writing/)

[Gloria Anzaldua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-anzaldua/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/452/gloria-anzaldua-63772_inspirational_why-am-i-compelled-to-write-because-the_129740.jpg)

> [“The impulse to write things down is a peculiarly compulsive one, inexplicable to those who do not share it, useful only accidentally,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/the-impulse-to-write-things-down-is-a-peculiarly-compulsive-one-4/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a0/joan-didion-497_compulsion_the-impulse-to-write-things-down-is-a-pe_3139195.jpg)

> [“Why did I write it down? In order to remember, of course, but exactly what was it I wanted to remember? How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/why-did-i-write-it-down-in-order-to-remember-of-course-but-exactly/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/589/joan-didion-497_five-years_why-did-i-write-it-down-in-order-to-reme_16027.jpg)

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                        "text": "I'm writing out of desperation. I felt compelled to write to make sense of it to myself - so I don't end up saying peculiar things like 'I'm black and I'm proud.' I write so I don't end up as a set of slogans and clichés.",
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                        "text": "Isn't it remarkable how everyone who knew [D.H.] Lawrence has felt compelled to write about him? Why, he's had more books written about him than any writer since Byron!",
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                        "text": "I still encourage anyone who feels at all compelled to write to do so. I just try to warn people who hope to get published that publication is not all it is cracked up to be. But writing is.",
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                        "text": "I tell aspiring writers that you have to find what you MUST write. When you find it, you will know, because the subject matter won’t let you go. It’s not enough to write simply because you think it would be neat to be published. You have to be compelled to write. If you’re not, nothing else that you do matters.",
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                        "text": "Whenever I write songs, it's my outlet for a certain feeling. I just don't as often feel compelled to write when I'm not really sad about something, or wanting to sort through something dark.",
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                            "caption": "“Whenever I write songs, it's my outlet for a certain feeling. I just don't as often feel compelled to write…” — Phoebe Bridgers",
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                        "text": "I still encourage anyone who feels at all compelled to write to do so. I just try to warn people who hope to get published that publication is not all it is cracked up to be. But writing is. Writing has so much to give, so much to teach, so many surprises. That thing you had to force yourself to do---the actual act of writing---turns out to be the best part. It's like discovering that while you thought you needed the tea ceremony for the caffeine, what you really needed was the tea ceremony. The act of writing turns out to be its own reward.",
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                        "text": "“Why did I write it down? In order to remember, of course, but exactly what was it I wanted to remember? How much of it actually happened? Did any of it? Why do I keep a notebook at all? It is easy to deceive oneself on all those scores. The impulse to write things down is a peculiarly compulsive one, inexplicable to those who do not share it, useful only accidentally, only secondarily, in the way that any compulsion tries to justify itself. I suppose that it begins or does not begin in the cradle. Although I have felt compelled to write things down since I was five years old, I doubt that my daughter ever will,”",
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                        "text": "Although I have felt compelled to write things down since I was five years old, I doubt that my daughter ever will, for she is a singularly blessed and accepting child, delighted with life exactly as life presents itself to her, unafraid to go to sleep and unafraid to wake up. Keepers of private notebooks are a different breed altogether, lonely and resistant rearrangers of things, anxious malcontents, children afflicted apparently at birth with some presentiment of loss.",
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                        "text": "“I don't sit here and make these stories up. They are delivered to me, over time, by some relentless and shadowy demand. Trust me, if I wasn't compelled to write then I wouldn't; it doesn't generally make me happy, it certainly doesn't bring any fame or fortune, and the more I think about it the more I struggle to find the positives in it. And yet I cannot help but continually do it. It is like a whisper on a warm breeze from the heart of a portentous sunset: It promises so much, but, ultimately just draws you into the stormy waters.”",
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                            "caption": "“I don't sit here and make these stories up. They are delivered to me, over time, by some relentless and…” — Julian Lorr",
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                        "text": "Why am I compelled to write?... Because the world I create in the writing compensates for what the real world does not give me. By writing I put order in the world, give it a handle so I can grasp it. I write because life does not appease my appetites and anger... To become more intimate with myself and you. To discover myself, to preserve myself, to make myself, to achieve self-autonomy. To dispell the myths that I am a mad prophet or a poor suffering soul. To convince myself that I am worthy and that what I have to say is not a pile of shit... Finally I write because I'm scared of writing, but I'm more scared of not writing.",
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                        "text": "“The impulse to write things down is a peculiarly compulsive one, inexplicable to those who do not share it, useful only accidentally, only secondarily, in the way that any compulsion tries to justify itself. I suppose that it begins or does not begin in the cradle. Although I have felt compelled to write things down since I was five years old, I doubt that my daughter ever will, for she is a singularly blessed and accepting child, delighted with life exactly as life presents itself to her, unafraid to go to sleep and unafraid to wake up. Keepers of private notebooks are a different breed altogether, lonely and resistant rearrangers of things, anxious malcontents, children afflicted apparently at birth with some presentiment of loss.”",
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                        "text": "“Why did I write it down? In order to remember, of course, but exactly what was it I wanted to remember? How much of it actually happened? Any of it? Why do I keep a notebook at all? It is easy to deceive oneself on all those scores. The impulse to write things down is a peculiarly compulsive one, inexplicable to those who do not share it, useful if accidentally, only secondarily, in the way that compulsion tries to justify itself. I suppose that it begins or does not begin in the cradle. Although I have felt compelled to write things down since I was five years old, I doubt my daughter ever will, for she is a singularly blessed and accepting child, delighted with life exactly as life presents itself to her, unafraid to wake up. Keepers of private notebooks are a different breed altogether, lonely and resistant rearranger of things, anxious malcontents, children afflicted apparently at birth with some presentment of loss.”",
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}
```