--- title: "7 Writing Afraid Quotes by 7 authors" description: "Browse 7 Writing Afraid quotes by 7 authors. Discover the best Writing Afraid sayings and thoughts." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1a/anne-lamott-188_afraid_i-don-t-think-you-have-time-to-waste-not_63032.png" --- > [I don't think you have time to waste not writing because you are afraid you won't be good at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-don-t-think-you-have-time-to-waste-not-writing-because-you-are/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1a/anne-lamott-188_afraid_i-don-t-think-you-have-time-to-waste-not_63032.png) > [I heard a white writer say, 'Oh, I'd never put black people in my writing, I'm afraid I would offend someone by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mattison/i-heard-a-white-writer-say-oh-i-d-never-put-black-people-in-my/) [Alice Mattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mattison/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d9/alice-mattison-11066_bears_i-heard-a-white-writer-say-oh-i-d-never_195930.jpg) > [I have a great many opinions about writing, but I'm afraid that all of them are unprintable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lansing/i-have-a-great-many-opinions-about-writing-but-i-m-afraid-that-all-of/) [Alfred Lansing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lansing/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11f/alfred-lansing-28327_great-man_i-have-a-great-many-opinions-about-writi_1312859.png) > [I think writing for me has always been a matter of fear. Writing is fear and not writing is fear. I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-think-writing-for-me-has-always-been-a-matter-of-fear-writing-is/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/041/fran-lebowitz-690_fear_i-think-writing-for-me-has-always-been-a_1662817.png) > [ I felt better about myself that I did it \[calling Max Askeli Commander Askeli\], rather than have - rather than thinking it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/i-felt-better-about-myself-that-i-did-it-calling-max-askeli-commander/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b9/nat-hentoff-1615_being-afraid_i-felt-better-about-myself-that-i-did-it_2291553.png) > [I've written so many verses and keep on writing so many more that I became afraid that if I didn't write them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-st-vincent-millay/i-ve-written-so-many-verses-and-keep-on-writing-so-many-more-that-i/) [Edna St. Vincent Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-st-vincent-millay/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66c/edna-st-vincent-millay-1291_big_i-ve-written-so-many-verses-and-keep-on_2394499.jpg) > [“The other thing that’s happened with writing is that I’m not afraid it will go away. Up until a couple of years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsha-l-larsen/the-other-thing-that-s-happened-with-writing-is-that-i-m-not-afraid/) [Marsha L. Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsha-l-larsen/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/873/marsha-l-larsen-260510_good-enough_the-other-thing-that-s-happened-with-wri_2504554.jpg) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-afraid/#itemlist", "name": "Writing Afraid Quotes", "numberOfItems": 7, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't think you have time to waste not writing because you are afraid you won't be good at it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anne Lamott" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-don-t-think-you-have-time-to-waste-not-writing-because-you-are/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1a/anne-lamott-188_afraid_i-don-t-think-you-have-time-to-waste-not_63032.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1a/anne-lamott-188_afraid_i-don-t-think-you-have-time-to-waste-not_63032.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1a/anne-lamott-188_afraid_i-don-t-think-you-have-time-to-waste-not_63032.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I don't think you have time to waste not writing because you are afraid you won't be good at it.” — Anne Lamott", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I heard a white writer say, 'Oh, I'd never put black people in my writing, I'm afraid I would offend someone by doing it wrong.' I can't bear that!", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alice Mattison" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mattison/i-heard-a-white-writer-say-oh-i-d-never-put-black-people-in-my/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d9/alice-mattison-11066_bears_i-heard-a-white-writer-say-oh-i-d-never_195930.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d9/alice-mattison-11066_bears_i-heard-a-white-writer-say-oh-i-d-never_195930.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d9/alice-mattison-11066_bears_i-heard-a-white-writer-say-oh-i-d-never_195930.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I heard a white writer say, 'Oh, I'd never put black people in my writing, I'm afraid I would offend someone…” — Alice Mattison", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have a great many opinions about writing, but I'm afraid that all of them are unprintable", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alfred Lansing" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lansing/i-have-a-great-many-opinions-about-writing-but-i-m-afraid-that-all-of/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11f/alfred-lansing-28327_great-man_i-have-a-great-many-opinions-about-writi_1312859.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11f/alfred-lansing-28327_great-man_i-have-a-great-many-opinions-about-writi_1312859.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11f/alfred-lansing-28327_great-man_i-have-a-great-many-opinions-about-writi_1312859.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I have a great many opinions about writing, but I'm afraid that all of them are unprintable” — Alfred Lansing", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think writing for me has always been a matter of fear. Writing is fear and not writing is fear. I am afraid of writing and then I'm afraid of not writing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Fran Lebowitz" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-think-writing-for-me-has-always-been-a-matter-of-fear-writing-is/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/041/fran-lebowitz-690_fear_i-think-writing-for-me-has-always-been-a_1662817.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/041/fran-lebowitz-690_fear_i-think-writing-for-me-has-always-been-a_1662817.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/041/fran-lebowitz-690_fear_i-think-writing-for-me-has-always-been-a_1662817.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think writing for me has always been a matter of fear. Writing is fear and not writing is fear. I am…” — Fran Lebowitz", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 5, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I felt better about myself that I did it [calling Max Askeli Commander Askeli], rather than have - rather than thinking it and not writing it for being afraid of what might happen to me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nat Hentoff" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/i-felt-better-about-myself-that-i-did-it-calling-max-askeli-commander/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b9/nat-hentoff-1615_being-afraid_i-felt-better-about-myself-that-i-did-it_2291553.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b9/nat-hentoff-1615_being-afraid_i-felt-better-about-myself-that-i-did-it_2291553.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b9/nat-hentoff-1615_being-afraid_i-felt-better-about-myself-that-i-did-it_2291553.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I felt better about myself that I did it [calling Max Askeli Commander Askeli], rather than have - rather…” — Nat Hentoff", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 6, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I've written so many verses and keep on writing so many more that I became afraid that if I didn't write them into one big book, I might forget some of them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edna St. Vincent Millay" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-st-vincent-millay/i-ve-written-so-many-verses-and-keep-on-writing-so-many-more-that-i/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66c/edna-st-vincent-millay-1291_big_i-ve-written-so-many-verses-and-keep-on_2394499.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66c/edna-st-vincent-millay-1291_big_i-ve-written-so-many-verses-and-keep-on_2394499.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66c/edna-st-vincent-millay-1291_big_i-ve-written-so-many-verses-and-keep-on_2394499.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I've written so many verses and keep on writing so many more that I became afraid that if I didn't write…” — Edna St. Vincent Millay", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 7, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The other thing that’s happened with writing is that I’m not afraid it will go away. Up until a couple of years ago, I feared that sitting down with paper and pencil revealed too much desire and that for such ambition I would be punished. My vocabulary would contract anorexia, ideas would be born autistic, even titles would not come to flirt with me anymore. I suppose this was tied to that internal judge, the serpent who eats her own tail. She insinuates you’re not good enough; you believe her and try less, ratifying her assessment; so you try even less; and on and on. This snake survives on your dying. Finally, now, the elided words of my wisest writing teacher, the poet David Wojahn, make sense. “Be ambitious,” he said, “for the work.” Not for the in-dwelling editor. That bitch was impossible to please anyway.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marsha L. Larsen" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsha-l-larsen/the-other-thing-that-s-happened-with-writing-is-that-i-m-not-afraid/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/873/marsha-l-larsen-260510_good-enough_the-other-thing-that-s-happened-with-wri_2504554.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/873/marsha-l-larsen-260510_good-enough_the-other-thing-that-s-happened-with-wri_2504554.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/873/marsha-l-larsen-260510_good-enough_the-other-thing-that-s-happened-with-wri_2504554.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The other thing that’s happened with writing is that I’m not afraid it will go away. Up until a couple of…” — Marsha L. 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