--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm not a writer, but today I think you…" description: "\"I'm not a writer, but today I think you have to be everything. As an artist you have an obligation to let people know what is on your mind and why you'..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bc/ai-weiwei-824_art_i-m-not-a-writer-but-today-i-think-you-h_450735.png" --- # I'm not a writer, but today I think you have to be… ![“I'm not a writer, but today I think you have to be everything. As an artist you have an obligation to let people know what is on your mind and why you're doing this.” quote by Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bc/ai-weiwei-824_art_i-m-not-a-writer-but-today-i-think-you-h_450735.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bc/ai-weiwei-824_art_i-m-not-a-writer-but-today-i-think-you-h_450735.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6bc/ai-weiwei-824_art_i-m-not-a-writer-but-today-i-think-you-h_450735.png) > “I'm not a writer, but today I think you have to be everything. As an artist you have an obligation to let people know what is on your mind and why you're doing this.” [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artists must voice truth and explain their purpose. **In simple terms:** Artists have a duty to speak out. Key Takeaway Use art to communicate clear messages. Themes activism responsibility expression Mood determined hopeful Type political inspirational When to use this quote - public installations - exhibitions - digital media - community projects Key Concepts political art social commentary Questions to Reflect On - What message will you share next? - How do you balance art and advocacy? A Different Perspective Risk of censorship or backlash exists. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Obligation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obligation/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [ An artist has an obligation to tell the truth. \[...\] that the true horrors of human history derive not from orcs and Dark Lords,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-2/an-artist-has-an-obligation-to-tell-the-truth-that-the-true-horrors/) [George R. R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-2/) > [I believe the artist has an obligation to society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/i-believe-the-artist-has-an-obligation-to-society/) [Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/) > [If you are a young writer today, it's very hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/if-you-are-a-young-writer-today-it-s-very-hard/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [For better or worse I'm the writer I am today because of hearing those Dylan records. For better and most certainly not for worse,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-erickson/for-better-or-worse-i-m-the-writer-i-am-today-because-of-hearing/) [Steve Erickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-erickson/) > [You're not going to be a writer someday. You're a writer today. Discipline yourself to write and take time to enjoy writing. Do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-heffron/you-re-not-going-to-be-a-writer-someday-you-re-a-writer-today/) [Jack Heffron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-heffron/) > [Keep your head down, avoid all the distractions of being a writer today—all the shifts in the business, all the drama, all the debating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-abbott/keep-your-head-down-avoid-all-the-distractions-of-being-a-writer/) [Jeff Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-abbott/) > [Did you write today? Then you're a writer today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/did-you-write-today-then-you-re-a-writer-today/) [Julia Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/) > [A writer cannot put himself today in service of those who make history; he is at the service of those who suffer it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/a-writer-cannot-put-himself-today-in-service-of-those-who-make/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“Writing for the sake of writing, writing that draws its credibility from its very existence, is a foreign idea to most Americans. As a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/writing-for-the-sake-of-writing-writing-that-draws-its-credibility/) [Julia Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/) > [I think it's significantly easier to be a female writer today than in the early 1800's. That said, it's hard to imagine almost anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/i-think-it-s-significantly-easier-to-be-a-female-writer-today-than-in/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [I do think I am funny, or I wouldn't be where I am today. I do think there is always room for improvement and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/i-do-think-i-am-funny-or-i-wouldn-t-be-where-i-am-today-i-do-think/) [Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/) > [That is the problem that we have with the so-called hip hop culture today... I think our foundation is a bunch of people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mc-hammer/that-is-the-problem-that-we-have-with-the-so-called-hip-hop-culture/) [MC Hammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mc-hammer/) > [God created today, He had you and me in mind and He has included us in His Divine plan. We have the choice to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kreger/god-created-today-he-had-you-and-me-in-mind-and-he-has-included-us-in/) [David Kreger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kreger/) > [If you are worrying about tomorrow, you can't possibly enjoy today. Think about it: you can't really give God tomorrow; you can give him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lahaye/if-you-are-worrying-about-tomorrow-you-can-t-possibly-enjoy-today/) [Tim LaHaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lahaye/) > [Today before you think of saying an unkind word. think of someone who cant speak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rares/today-before-you-think-of-saying-an-unkind-word-think-of-someone-who/) Rares ## More by Ai Weiwei > [I'm totally independent. I don't bear any responsibility to any system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-m-totally-independent-i-don-t-bear-any-responsibility-to-any-system/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [If my art has nothing to do with people's pain and sorrow, what is 'art' for?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/if-my-art-has-nothing-to-do-with-people-s-pain-and-sorrow-what-is-art/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Police in China can do whatever they want; after 81 days in arbitrary detention you clearly realise that they don't have to obey their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/police-in-china-can-do-whatever-they-want-after-81-days-in-arbitrary/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [China has a rich history that has spanned millennia. It consists of the histories of many nations and regions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/china-has-a-rich-history-that-has-spanned-millennia-it-consists-of/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [This world should be much more open and should be much more free, so the young people would have the chance to exercise the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/this-world-should-be-much-more-open-and-should-be-much-more-free-so/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [By participating in the society we live in, we understand our conditions and the way we relate to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/by-participating-in-the-society-we-live-in-we-understand-our/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I see the Beijing National Stadium as an architectural project. I accepted Herzog and De Meuron's invitation to collaborate on the design, and our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-see-the-beijing-national-stadium-as-an-architectural-project-i/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [ I curated this show \[Shanghai Biennale \], I was by no means trying to shock people or be controversial. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-curated-this-show-shanghai-biennale-i-was-by-no-means-trying-to/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I think we cannot have a double standard. We cannot see our art as different from the reality. We cannot use two different sets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-think-we-cannot-have-a-double-standard-we-cannot-see-our-art-as/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [It doesn't matter where I am - China will stay in me. I don't know how far I can still walk on this road…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/it-doesn-t-matter-where-i-am-china-will-stay-in-me-i-don-t-know-how/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Chinese citizens have never had the right to really express their opinions; in the constitution it says you can, but in the real world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/chinese-citizens-have-never-had-the-right-to-really-express-their/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Your own acts tell the world who you are and what kind of society you think it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/your-own-acts-tell-the-world-who-you-are-and-what-kind-of-society-you/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Our lives are bound by physical limits, familial ties, political conditions, and geographical restrictions. Individual freedom takes us beyond them all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/our-lives-are-bound-by-physical-limits-familial-ties-political/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Now I've come to such a mixed culture: America, Europe, South America, Africa. And the politics are changing everywhere all the time and becoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/now-i-ve-come-to-such-a-mixed-culture-america-europe-south-america/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I don't think it's worth discussing new directions in the context of Chinese art - there were no old directions, either. Chinese art has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-don-t-think-it-s-worth-discussing-new-directions-in-the-context-of/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) [Explore all 359 Ai Weiwei quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm not a writer, but today I think you have to be everything. 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