--- title: "22 Ifs Quotes By Natalie Goldberg" description: "22 Ifs quotes by Natalie Goldberg. Plus more from Natalie Goldberg and more Ifs sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/natalie-goldberg-1741_book_if-you-read-good-books-when-you-write-go_2847395.png" --- > [If you read good books, when you write, good books will come out of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/if-you-read-good-books-when-you-write-good-books-will-come-out-of-you/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/natalie-goldberg-1741_book_if-you-read-good-books-when-you-write-go_2847395.png) > [If you love the work, it will love you back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/if-you-love-the-work-it-will-love-you-back/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b38/natalie-goldberg-1741_ifs_if-you-love-the-work-it-will-love-you-ba_3234401.png) > [All of us can create if we allow ourselves to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/all-of-us-can-create-if-we-allow-ourselves-to/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6dc/natalie-goldberg-1741_allow_all-of-us-can-create-if-we-allow-ourselv_988367.png) > [You don't need to go to a therapist, you don't need to do all kinds of things. If you want to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/you-don-t-need-to-go-to-a-therapist-you-don-t-need-to-do-all-kinds-of/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b95/natalie-goldberg-1741_all-kinds_you-don-t-need-to-go-to-a-therapist-you_2330602.jpg) > [I don't know anything but writing practice, and so what I really do is direct that energy as if it were flowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/i-don-t-know-anything-but-writing-practice-and-so-what-i-really-do-is/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7de/natalie-goldberg-1741_direct_i-don-t-know-anything-but-writing-practi_3033319.png) > [Use original detail in your writing. Life is so rich, if you can write down the real details of the way things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/use-original-detail-in-your-writing-life-is-so-rich-if-you-can-write/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/967/natalie-goldberg-1741_details_use-original-detail-in-your-writing-life_539828.png) > [The harder you chase something, the faster you go and the less you're able to let life meet life. If you're having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/the-harder-you-chase-something-the-faster-you-go-and-the-less-you-re/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7f/natalie-goldberg-1741_able_the-harder-you-chase-something-the-faste_2427093.jpg) > [Really you don't need more information. If you've lived twenty years, you probably have enough material for the rest of your life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/really-you-don-t-need-more-information-if-you-ve-lived-twenty-years/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3da/natalie-goldberg-1741_enough_really-you-don-t-need-more-information-i_2178287.png) > [A responsibility of literature is to make people awake, present, alive. If the writer wanders, then the reader, too, will wander.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/a-responsibility-of-literature-is-to-make-people-awake-present-alive/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/431/natalie-goldberg-1741_alive_a-responsibility-of-literature-is-to-mak_2946392.png) > [You'll lose your reader if you are vague, not clear, and not present. We love details, personal connections, stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/you-ll-lose-your-reader-if-you-are-vague-not-clear-and-not-present-we/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fe/natalie-goldberg-1741_books_you-ll-lose-your-reader-if-you-are-vague_1321555.png) > [If I didn't have that, fear and projections over what was coming next could have taken over. But it was tough. Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/if-i-didn-t-have-that-fear-and-projections-over-what-was-coming-next/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25b/natalie-goldberg-1741_angel_if-i-didn-t-have-that-fear-and-projectio_1395834.png) > [I have students that I tell, "If your book doesn't sell or you can't publish it, write another book. Quit sitting around."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/i-have-students-that-i-tell-if-your-book-doesn-t-sell-or-you-can-t/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47e/natalie-goldberg-1741_agents_i-have-students-that-i-tell-if-your-book_1933479.jpg) > [So writing is not just writing. It is also having a relationship with other writers. And don't be jealous, especially secretly. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/so-writing-is-not-just-writing-it-is-also-having-a-relationship-with/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ec/natalie-goldberg-1741_being-jealous_so-writing-is-not-just-writing-it-is-als_1707028.png) > [It is very important to go home if you want your work to be whole. You don't have to move in with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/it-is-very-important-to-go-home-if-you-want-your-work-to-be-whole-you/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d0/natalie-goldberg-1741_accepting_it-is-very-important-to-go-home-if-you-w_329923.jpg) > [I often wonder if all the writers who are alcoholics drink a lot because they aren't writing. It is not because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/i-often-wonder-if-all-the-writers-who-are-alcoholics-drink-a-lot/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23d/natalie-goldberg-1741_alcoholics_i-often-wonder-if-all-the-writers-who-ar_3072405.png) > [Finally, if you want to write, you have to just shut up, pick up a pen, and do it. I'm sorry there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/finally-if-you-want-to-write-you-have-to-just-shut-up-pick-up-a-pen/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72b/natalie-goldberg-1741_excuse_finally-if-you-want-to-write-you-have-to_1916891.png) > [And we can't avoid an inch of our own experience; if we do it causes a blur, a bleep, a puffy unreality.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/and-we-can-t-avoid-an-inch-of-our-own-experience-if-we-do-it-causes-a/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23e/natalie-goldberg-1741_blur_and-we-can-t-avoid-an-inch-of-our-own-ex_1547529.png) > [Katagiri Roshi says: "Poor artists. They suffer very much. They finish a masterpiece and they are not satisfied. They want to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/katagiri-roshi-says-poor-artists-they-suffer-very-much-they-finish-a/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff2/natalie-goldberg-1741_alcoholics_katagiri-roshi-says-poor-artists-they-su_2688157.jpg) > [It used to be with chocolate. I would put chocolate in my studio and say, "You know, Nat, there's this chocolate you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/it-used-to-be-with-chocolate-i-would-put-chocolate-in-my-studio-and/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f50/natalie-goldberg-1741_chocolate_it-used-to-be-with-chocolate-i-would-put_1721036.png) > [We have to look at our own inertia, insecurities, self-hate, fear that, in truth, we have nothing valuable to say. When your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/we-have-to-look-at-our-own-inertia-insecurities-self-hate-fear-that/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8de/natalie-goldberg-1741_artistic_we-have-to-look-at-our-own-inertia-insec_1184466.png) > [This is what metaphor is. It is not saying that an ant is an elephant. Perhaps; both are alive. No. Metaphor is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/this-is-what-metaphor-is-it-is-not-saying-that-an-ant-is-an-elephant/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/natalie-goldberg-1741_alive_this-is-what-metaphor-is-it-is-not-sayin_1587160.png) > [ Let's say I've directed that \[writing\] energy into writing my latest book but suddenly, I really want to write about an onion.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/let-s-say-i-ve-directed-that-writing-energy-into-writing-my-latest/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d8/natalie-goldberg-1741_book_let-s-say-i-ve-directed-that-writing-ene_1176445.png) ## Other authors on Ifs ## More by Natalie Goldberg > [“We heard about people who go back to their roots. That is good, but don't get stuck in the root. There is the branch,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/we-heard-about-people-who-go-back-to-their-roots-that-is-good-but-don/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [Over and over, we have to go back to the beginning. We should not be ashamed of this. It is good. It's like drinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/over-and-over-we-have-to-go-back-to-the-beginning-we-should-not-be/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [I feel very rich when I have time to write and very poor when I get a regular paycheck and no time at my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/i-feel-very-rich-when-i-have-time-to-write-and-very-poor-when-i-get-a/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [Actually, when I look at my old notebooks, I think I have been a bit self-indulgent and have given myself too much time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/actually-when-i-look-at-my-old-notebooks-i-think-i-have-been-a-bit/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [Our bodies are garbage heaps: we collect experience, and from the decomposition of the thrown-out eggshells, spinach leaves, coffee grinds, and old steak bones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/our-bodies-are-garbage-heaps-we-collect-experience-and-from-the/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [Know that you will eventually have to leave everything behind; the writing will demand it of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/know-that-you-will-eventually-have-to-leave-everything-behind-the/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [To encounter a fine book and have time to read it is a wonderful thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/to-encounter-a-fine-book-and-have-time-to-read-it-is-a-wonderful-thing/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [In the past few years I've assigned books to be read before a student attends one of my weeklong seminars. I have been astonished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/in-the-past-few-years-i-ve-assigned-books-to-be-read-before-a-student/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [“When you draw and pay attention to what is, it's a form of being present. This inspires the mind, makes it happy, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/when-you-draw-and-pay-attention-to-what-is-it-s-a-form-of-being/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [Poetry is a dumb Buddha who thinks a donkey is as important as a diamond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/poetry-is-a-dumb-buddha-who-thinks-a-donkey-is-as-important-as-a/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [I told all kinds of stories about going to Japan, about playing ball with my father... I wanted to record my life in case…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/i-told-all-kinds-of-stories-about-going-to-japan-about-playing-ball/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [“No matter what a person does to cover up and conceal themselves, when we write and lose control, I can spot a person from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/no-matter-what-a-person-does-to-cover-up-and-conceal-themselves-when/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [To stay close and intimate with experience is to stay close to the mind; the nitty gritty mind of the way things really are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/to-stay-close-and-intimate-with-experience-is-to-stay-close-to-the/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [I read Eve Ensler and thought it was fabulous. Not only that, but it was really the only thing I could relate to about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/i-read-eve-ensler-and-thought-it-was-fabulous-not-only-that-but-it/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [If you feel bored or uncomfortable as you're writing, ask yourself what's bothering you and write about that. Sometimes your creative energy is like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/if-you-feel-bored-or-uncomfortable-as-you-re-writing-ask-yourself/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/natalie-goldberg/#itemlist", "name": "22 Ifs Quotes By Natalie Goldberg", "numberOfItems": 22, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you read good books, when you write, good books will come out of you.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Natalie Goldberg" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/if-you-read-good-books-when-you-write-good-books-will-come-out-of-you/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/natalie-goldberg-1741_book_if-you-read-good-books-when-you-write-go_2847395.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/natalie-goldberg-1741_book_if-you-read-good-books-when-you-write-go_2847395.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7c/natalie-goldberg-1741_book_if-you-read-good-books-when-you-write-go_2847395.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you read good books, when you write, good books will come out of you.” — Natalie Goldberg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you love the work, it will love you back.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Natalie Goldberg" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/if-you-love-the-work-it-will-love-you-back/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b38/natalie-goldberg-1741_ifs_if-you-love-the-work-it-will-love-you-ba_3234401.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b38/natalie-goldberg-1741_ifs_if-you-love-the-work-it-will-love-you-ba_3234401.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b38/natalie-goldberg-1741_ifs_if-you-love-the-work-it-will-love-you-ba_3234401.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you love the work, it will love you back.” — Natalie Goldberg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "All of us can create if we allow ourselves to.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Natalie Goldberg" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/all-of-us-can-create-if-we-allow-ourselves-to/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6dc/natalie-goldberg-1741_allow_all-of-us-can-create-if-we-allow-ourselv_988367.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6dc/natalie-goldberg-1741_allow_all-of-us-can-create-if-we-allow-ourselv_988367.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6dc/natalie-goldberg-1741_allow_all-of-us-can-create-if-we-allow-ourselv_988367.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“All of us can create if we allow ourselves to.” — Natalie Goldberg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You don't need to go to a therapist, you don't need to do all kinds of things. If you want to write, you physically have to do it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Natalie Goldberg" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/you-don-t-need-to-go-to-a-therapist-you-don-t-need-to-do-all-kinds-of/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b95/natalie-goldberg-1741_all-kinds_you-don-t-need-to-go-to-a-therapist-you_2330602.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b95/natalie-goldberg-1741_all-kinds_you-don-t-need-to-go-to-a-therapist-you_2330602.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b95/natalie-goldberg-1741_all-kinds_you-don-t-need-to-go-to-a-therapist-you_2330602.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You don't need to go to a therapist, you don't need to do all kinds of things. 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Life is so rich, if you can write down the real details of the way things were and are, you hardly need anything else.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Natalie Goldberg" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/use-original-detail-in-your-writing-life-is-so-rich-if-you-can-write/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/967/natalie-goldberg-1741_details_use-original-detail-in-your-writing-life_539828.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/967/natalie-goldberg-1741_details_use-original-detail-in-your-writing-life_539828.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/967/natalie-goldberg-1741_details_use-original-detail-in-your-writing-life_539828.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Use original detail in your writing. Life is so rich, if you can write down the real details of the way…” — Natalie Goldberg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 7, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The harder you chase something, the faster you go and the less you're able to let life meet life. If you're having difficulty coming up with new ideas, then slow down...", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Natalie Goldberg" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/the-harder-you-chase-something-the-faster-you-go-and-the-less-you-re/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7f/natalie-goldberg-1741_able_the-harder-you-chase-something-the-faste_2427093.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7f/natalie-goldberg-1741_able_the-harder-you-chase-something-the-faste_2427093.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7f/natalie-goldberg-1741_able_the-harder-you-chase-something-the-faste_2427093.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The harder you chase something, the faster you go and the less you're able to let life meet life. If you're…” — Natalie Goldberg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 8, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Really you don't need more information. If you've lived twenty years, you probably have enough material for the rest of your life", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Natalie Goldberg" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/really-you-don-t-need-more-information-if-you-ve-lived-twenty-years/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3da/natalie-goldberg-1741_enough_really-you-don-t-need-more-information-i_2178287.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3da/natalie-goldberg-1741_enough_really-you-don-t-need-more-information-i_2178287.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3da/natalie-goldberg-1741_enough_really-you-don-t-need-more-information-i_2178287.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Really you don't need more information. If you've lived twenty years, you probably have enough material for…” — Natalie Goldberg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 9, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A responsibility of literature is to make people awake, present, alive. If the writer wanders, then the reader, too, will wander.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Natalie Goldberg" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/a-responsibility-of-literature-is-to-make-people-awake-present-alive/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/431/natalie-goldberg-1741_alive_a-responsibility-of-literature-is-to-mak_2946392.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/431/natalie-goldberg-1741_alive_a-responsibility-of-literature-is-to-mak_2946392.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/431/natalie-goldberg-1741_alive_a-responsibility-of-literature-is-to-mak_2946392.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A responsibility of literature is to make people awake, present, alive. If the writer wanders, then the…” — Natalie Goldberg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 10, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You'll lose your reader if you are vague, not clear, and not present. We love details, personal connections, stories.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Natalie Goldberg" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/you-ll-lose-your-reader-if-you-are-vague-not-clear-and-not-present-we/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fe/natalie-goldberg-1741_books_you-ll-lose-your-reader-if-you-are-vague_1321555.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fe/natalie-goldberg-1741_books_you-ll-lose-your-reader-if-you-are-vague_1321555.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fe/natalie-goldberg-1741_books_you-ll-lose-your-reader-if-you-are-vague_1321555.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You'll lose your reader if you are vague, not clear, and not present. We love details, personal connections…” — Natalie Goldberg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 11, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If I didn't have that, fear and projections over what was coming next could have taken over. But it was tough. Don't think I was an angel. It was hell.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Natalie Goldberg" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/if-i-didn-t-have-that-fear-and-projections-over-what-was-coming-next/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25b/natalie-goldberg-1741_angel_if-i-didn-t-have-that-fear-and-projectio_1395834.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25b/natalie-goldberg-1741_angel_if-i-didn-t-have-that-fear-and-projectio_1395834.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25b/natalie-goldberg-1741_angel_if-i-didn-t-have-that-fear-and-projectio_1395834.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If I didn't have that, fear and projections over what was coming next could have taken over. But it was…” — Natalie Goldberg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 12, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have students that I tell, \"If your book doesn't sell or you can't publish it, write another book. Quit sitting around.\" The publishing world is a business, but it's not any big deal. An editor is not your guru. Your agent is not your guru.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Natalie Goldberg" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/i-have-students-that-i-tell-if-your-book-doesn-t-sell-or-you-can-t/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47e/natalie-goldberg-1741_agents_i-have-students-that-i-tell-if-your-book_1933479.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47e/natalie-goldberg-1741_agents_i-have-students-that-i-tell-if-your-book_1933479.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47e/natalie-goldberg-1741_agents_i-have-students-that-i-tell-if-your-book_1933479.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I have students that I tell, \"If your book doesn't sell or you can't publish it, write another book. Quit…” — Natalie Goldberg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 13, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "So writing is not just writing. It is also having a relationship with other writers. And don't be jealous, especially secretly. That's the worst kind. If someone writes something great, it's just more clarity in the world for all of us.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Natalie Goldberg" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/so-writing-is-not-just-writing-it-is-also-having-a-relationship-with/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ec/natalie-goldberg-1741_being-jealous_so-writing-is-not-just-writing-it-is-als_1707028.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ec/natalie-goldberg-1741_being-jealous_so-writing-is-not-just-writing-it-is-als_1707028.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ec/natalie-goldberg-1741_being-jealous_so-writing-is-not-just-writing-it-is-als_1707028.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“So writing is not just writing. It is also having a relationship with other writers. And don't be jealous…” — Natalie Goldberg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 14, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is very important to go home if you want your work to be whole. You don't have to move in with your parents again and collect a weekly allowance, but you must claim where you come from and look deep into it. Come to honor and embrace it, or at the least, accept it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Natalie Goldberg" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/it-is-very-important-to-go-home-if-you-want-your-work-to-be-whole-you/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d0/natalie-goldberg-1741_accepting_it-is-very-important-to-go-home-if-you-w_329923.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d0/natalie-goldberg-1741_accepting_it-is-very-important-to-go-home-if-you-w_329923.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d0/natalie-goldberg-1741_accepting_it-is-very-important-to-go-home-if-you-w_329923.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is very important to go home if you want your work to be whole. You don't have to move in with your…” — Natalie Goldberg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 15, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I often wonder if all the writers who are alcoholics drink a lot because they aren't writing. It is not because they are writers that they are drinking, but because they are writers who are not writing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Natalie Goldberg" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/i-often-wonder-if-all-the-writers-who-are-alcoholics-drink-a-lot/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23d/natalie-goldberg-1741_alcoholics_i-often-wonder-if-all-the-writers-who-ar_3072405.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23d/natalie-goldberg-1741_alcoholics_i-often-wonder-if-all-the-writers-who-ar_3072405.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23d/natalie-goldberg-1741_alcoholics_i-often-wonder-if-all-the-writers-who-ar_3072405.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I often wonder if all the writers who are alcoholics drink a lot because they aren't writing. It is not…” — Natalie Goldberg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 16, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Finally, if you want to write, you have to just shut up, pick up a pen, and do it. I'm sorry there are no true excuses. This is our life. Step forward. Maybe it's only for ten minutes. That's okay. To write feels better than all the excuses.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Natalie Goldberg" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/finally-if-you-want-to-write-you-have-to-just-shut-up-pick-up-a-pen/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72b/natalie-goldberg-1741_excuse_finally-if-you-want-to-write-you-have-to_1916891.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72b/natalie-goldberg-1741_excuse_finally-if-you-want-to-write-you-have-to_1916891.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72b/natalie-goldberg-1741_excuse_finally-if-you-want-to-write-you-have-to_1916891.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Finally, if you want to write, you have to just shut up, pick up a pen, and do it. I'm sorry there are no…” — Natalie Goldberg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 17, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "And we can't avoid an inch of our own experience; if we do it causes a blur, a bleep, a puffy unreality. Our job is to wake up to everything, because if we slow down enough, we see that we are everything.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Natalie Goldberg" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/and-we-can-t-avoid-an-inch-of-our-own-experience-if-we-do-it-causes-a/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23e/natalie-goldberg-1741_blur_and-we-can-t-avoid-an-inch-of-our-own-ex_1547529.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23e/natalie-goldberg-1741_blur_and-we-can-t-avoid-an-inch-of-our-own-ex_1547529.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23e/natalie-goldberg-1741_blur_and-we-can-t-avoid-an-inch-of-our-own-ex_1547529.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“And we can't avoid an inch of our own experience; if we do it causes a blur, a bleep, a puffy unreality. Our…” — Natalie Goldberg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 18, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Katagiri Roshi says: \"Poor artists. They suffer very much. They finish a masterpiece and they are not satisfied. They want to go on and do another.\" Yes, but it's better to go on and do another if you have the urge than to start drinking and become alcoholic or eat a pound of good fudge and get fat.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Natalie Goldberg" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/katagiri-roshi-says-poor-artists-they-suffer-very-much-they-finish-a/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff2/natalie-goldberg-1741_alcoholics_katagiri-roshi-says-poor-artists-they-su_2688157.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff2/natalie-goldberg-1741_alcoholics_katagiri-roshi-says-poor-artists-they-su_2688157.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff2/natalie-goldberg-1741_alcoholics_katagiri-roshi-says-poor-artists-they-su_2688157.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Katagiri Roshi says: \"Poor artists. They suffer very much. They finish a masterpiece and they are not…” — Natalie Goldberg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 19, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It used to be with chocolate. I would put chocolate in my studio and say, \"You know, Nat, there's this chocolate you can have if you get over there.\" And usually if I got over there, I would start writing. Sometimes I need get out of the house and go to a café and write. Sometimes I'll write with other friends to get myself going. And sometimes I just say \"Ok, Nat, enough. Go one hour. Keep your hand going.\" I'll do whatever it takes.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Natalie Goldberg" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/it-used-to-be-with-chocolate-i-would-put-chocolate-in-my-studio-and/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f50/natalie-goldberg-1741_chocolate_it-used-to-be-with-chocolate-i-would-put_1721036.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f50/natalie-goldberg-1741_chocolate_it-used-to-be-with-chocolate-i-would-put_1721036.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f50/natalie-goldberg-1741_chocolate_it-used-to-be-with-chocolate-i-would-put_1721036.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It used to be with chocolate. I would put chocolate in my studio and say, \"You know, Nat, there's this…” — Natalie Goldberg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 20, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We have to look at our own inertia, insecurities, self-hate, fear that, in truth, we have nothing valuable to say. When your writing blooms out of the back of this garbage compost, it is very stable. You are not running from anything. You can have a sense of artistic security. If you are not afraid of the voices inside you, you will not fear the critics outside you.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Natalie Goldberg" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/we-have-to-look-at-our-own-inertia-insecurities-self-hate-fear-that/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8de/natalie-goldberg-1741_artistic_we-have-to-look-at-our-own-inertia-insec_1184466.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8de/natalie-goldberg-1741_artistic_we-have-to-look-at-our-own-inertia-insec_1184466.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8de/natalie-goldberg-1741_artistic_we-have-to-look-at-our-own-inertia-insec_1184466.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We have to look at our own inertia, insecurities, self-hate, fear that, in truth, we have nothing valuable…” — Natalie Goldberg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 21, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "This is what metaphor is. It is not saying that an ant is an elephant. Perhaps; both are alive. No. Metaphor is saying the ant is an elephant. Now, logically speaking, I know there is a difference. If you put elephants and ants before me, I believe that every time I will correctly identify the elephant and the ant. So metaphor must come from a very different place than that of the logical, intelligent mind. It comes from a place that is very courageous, willing to step out of our preconceived ways of seeing things and open so large that it can see the oneness in an ant and in an elephant.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Natalie Goldberg" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/this-is-what-metaphor-is-it-is-not-saying-that-an-ant-is-an-elephant/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/natalie-goldberg-1741_alive_this-is-what-metaphor-is-it-is-not-sayin_1587160.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/natalie-goldberg-1741_alive_this-is-what-metaphor-is-it-is-not-sayin_1587160.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/natalie-goldberg-1741_alive_this-is-what-metaphor-is-it-is-not-sayin_1587160.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“This is what metaphor is. It is not saying that an ant is an elephant. Perhaps; both are alive. No. Metaphor…” — Natalie Goldberg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 22, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Let's say I've directed that [writing] energy into writing my latest book but suddenly, I really want to write about an onion. I don't say to myself, \"No, you have stay on the subject,\" because I know that the longer I stay on the subject the more boring I get. So, if my mind wants to write about an onion, it might be a deeper way to go into what I'm working on, even though it might seem irrelevant. 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