---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writing is a mode of agency in the world…"
description: "\"Writing is a mode of agency in the world that is different from mere employment. There has to be some sort of ethical or moral drive, even if you are u..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ec/aleksandar-hemon-1490_agency_writing-is-a-mode-of-agency-in-the-world_1262896.jpg"
---

#  Writing is a mode of agency in the world that is different…

![“Writing is a mode of agency in the world that is different from mere employment. There has to be some sort of ethical or moral drive, even if you are unaware of it.” quote by Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ec/aleksandar-hemon-1490_agency_writing-is-a-mode-of-agency-in-the-world_1262896.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ec/aleksandar-hemon-1490_agency_writing-is-a-mode-of-agency-in-the-world_1262896.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ec/aleksandar-hemon-1490_agency_writing-is-a-mode-of-agency-in-the-world_1262896.jpg)

> “Writing is a mode of agency in the world that is different from mere employment. There has to be some sort of ethical or moral drive, even if you are unaware of it.”

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Writing serves as a form of personal power distinct from work, driven by ethical motives even when unconscious.

**In simple terms:** Writing is a moral act beyond a job.

Key Takeaway

Use writing to express ethical convictions.

Themes

creativity ethics agency expression responsibility

Mood

thoughtful introspective

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- journaling
- blogging
- advocacy writing
- fiction

Key Concepts

moral agency intentionality self‑actualization

Questions to Reflect On

- What ethical purpose guides your writing?
- Can unconscious motives shape your words?

A Different Perspective

If moral intent is unconscious, writing may lack direction.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Employment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/employment/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [The uncertain and imprecise way of constructing a drawing is sometimes a model of how to construct meaning... The ethical and moral questions...in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kentridge/the-uncertain-and-imprecise-way-of-constructing-a-drawing-is/)

[William Kentridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kentridge/)

> [As Muslims, we must have an active presence based on ethical and moral consistency. We need to be very vocal, to inform people, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/as-muslims-we-must-have-an-active-presence-based-on-ethical-and-moral/)

[Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/)

> [Literature remains an indispensable human activity, in which the reader and the writer are engaged of their own volition. Hence, literature has no duty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gao-xingjian/literature-remains-an-indispensable-human-activity-in-which-the/)

[Gao Xingjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gao-xingjian/)

> [Ethical and moral questions and how we answer them may determine whether primal scenes will continue to be a source of joy and comfort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigurd-f-olson/ethical-and-moral-questions-and-how-we-answer-them-may-determine/)

[Sigurd F. Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigurd-f-olson/)

> [I don't think it's an ethical or moral issue, or even that people are stupid, but I do feel like as a culture things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mackaye/i-don-t-think-it-s-an-ethical-or-moral-issue-or-even-that-people-are/)

[Ian MacKaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mackaye/)

> [I always turn to Wendy Williams when there's any type of ethical or moral crisis in our country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-eichner/i-always-turn-to-wendy-williams-when-there-s-any-type-of-ethical-or/)

[Billy Eichner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-eichner/)

> [I'm the kind of writer that, once I get into writing mode in my brain, I'm non-stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-prass/i-m-the-kind-of-writer-that-once-i-get-into-writing-mode-in-my-brain/)

[Natalie Prass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-prass/)

> [When I'm in writing mode I tend not to listen to music. I usually have a gestation period before I start writing. When I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-temple/when-i-m-in-writing-mode-i-tend-not-to-listen-to-music-i-usually-have/)

[Luke Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-temple/)

> [Writing is a mode of being. If I write I live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/writing-is-a-mode-of-being-if-i-write-i-live/)

[Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/)

> [As Muslims, our interests are our values. In any society, be it in Western or Muslim-majority countries, our duty is that of critical loyalty:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/as-muslims-our-interests-are-our-values-in-any-society-be-it-in/)

[Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/)

> [Character is ethical and moral strength. People of good character have the moral awareness and strength to know the good, love the good and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-josephson/character-is-ethical-and-moral-strength-people-of-good-character-have/)

[Michael Josephson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-josephson/)

> [It's fun to play a character who lives on the edge, who is an ethical and moral mess, and is paying the price for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-charles/it-s-fun-to-play-a-character-who-lives-on-the-edge-who-is-an-ethical/)

[Josh Charles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-charles/)

> [Every night I go over what I did in the day, in ethical or moral terms. Have I treated people properly? Did I tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanne-moreau/every-night-i-go-over-what-i-did-in-the-day-in-ethical-or-moral-terms/)

[Jeanne Moreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanne-moreau/)

> [Rather take that moral sense and apply it to the particulars of a job that is going to test those ethical and moral precepts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/rather-take-that-moral-sense-and-apply-it-to-the-particulars-of-a-job/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> ['Farscape' is a fabulous vehicle for looking at ethical, moral, political, and social issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-hammer/farscape-is-a-fabulous-vehicle-for-looking-at-ethical-moral-political/)

[Bonnie Hammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-hammer/)

## More by Aleksandar Hemon

> [Even if you tried to extinguish your personality, what is left in the story will reflect it, perhaps by its negation. Our lives provide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/even-if-you-tried-to-extinguish-your-personality-what-is-left-in-the/)

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

> [To me there's no difference between a book of stories and a novel - they're just slightly different shapes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/to-me-there-s-no-difference-between-a-book-of-stories-and-a-novel/)

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

> [Lord, why did you leave me in these woods?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/lord-why-did-you-leave-me-in-these-woods/)

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

> [I want to change something. I want to stop the germs from attacking my daughters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-want-to-change-something-i-want-to-stop-the-germs-from-attacking-my/)

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

> [Cliché activates the comfortable mental laziness, we sort of revert to the domain of the already-familiar, what we have already imagined so that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/clich-activates-the-comfortable-mental-laziness-we-sort-of-revert-to/)

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

> [“The writer does not dare dream of giving the best of his individuality. No, he must never express his anger. The vacillating demands of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/the-writer-does-not-dare-dream-of-giving-the-best-of-his/)

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

> [I know a lot of people in the city, at all levels, horizontally and vertically - and that to me is a privilege, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-know-a-lot-of-people-in-the-city-at-all-levels-horizontally-and/)

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

> [What fiction and art can do, particularly narrative art, is construct consciousness - in a sense, we have to do it for the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/what-fiction-and-art-can-do-particularly-narrative-art-is-construct/)

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

> [I read everything I could find in English - Twain, Henry James, Hemingway, really everything. And then after a while I started writing shorter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-read-everything-i-could-find-in-english-twain-henry-james-hemingway/)

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

> [It was always clear to me that I would have to earn my readers, some I would have to find, some to create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/it-was-always-clear-to-me-that-i-would-have-to-earn-my-readers-some-i/)

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

> [I never thought of myself as an outsider. Because outside of what? You would have to give advantage to this space where you're not,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-never-thought-of-myself-as-an-outsider-because-outside-of-what-you/)

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

> [There are studies that have shown that we make decisions, ethical and otherwise, based on the way we imagine ourselves as characters in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/there-are-studies-that-have-shown-that-we-make-decisions-ethical-and/)

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

> [I long for, not a writer's retreat - I can write in any situation - but a reader's retreat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-long-for-not-a-writer-s-retreat-i-can-write-in-any-situation-but-a/)

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

> [I much preferred winning to thinking and I didn't like losing at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/i-much-preferred-winning-to-thinking-and-i-didn-t-like-losing-at-all/)

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

> [Memory narrativises itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/memory-narrativises-itself/)

[Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

[Explore all 236 Aleksandar Hemon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/)

## More Agency quotes

> [The work, the work, the work. This is what the business is all about. This is the fun, the glory, the pleasure. It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-dusenberry/the-work-the-work-the-work-this-is-what-the-business-is-all-about/)

[Phil Dusenberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-dusenberry/)

> [Anyone who's read my 'Terror in the Skies' series knows that I have not been writing with an eye toward approval from any government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/anyone-who-s-read-my-terror-in-the-skies-series-knows-that-i-have-not/)

[Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/)

> [ We have no clear ideas of the agency of \[demonic\] spirits, nor is it necessary. The Scripture says little to satisfy our curiosity; but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/we-have-no-clear-ideas-of-the-agency-of-demonic-spirits-nor-is-it/)

[John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/)

> [It’s a shameful moment for U.S. media when it insists on being subservient to the grotesque propaganda agencies of a violent, aggressive state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/it-s-a-shameful-moment-for-u-s-media-when-it-insists-on-being/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [In 1949 there was a new thing called Television, to which my agency and advisers opposed as a performance medium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loretta-young/in-1949-there-was-a-new-thing-called-television-to-which-my-agency/)

[Loretta Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loretta-young/)

> [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/)

[Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/)

> [I know that God loves us. He allows us to exercise our moral agency even when we misuse it. He permits us to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-s-monson/i-know-that-god-loves-us-he-allows-us-to-exercise-our-moral-agency/)

[Thomas S. Monson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-s-monson/)

> [I was taking all prints and I brought them to the Magnum meetings, trying the old Josef Koudelka trick: Give them to photographers, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-van-agtmael/i-was-taking-all-prints-and-i-brought-them-to-the-magnum-meetings/)

[Peter van Agtmael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-van-agtmael/)

> [The WPA was one of the most productive elements of FDR's alphabet soup of agencies because it put people to work building roads, bridges,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-wpa-was-one-of-the-most-productive-elements-of-fdr-s-alphabet/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [In most agencies, account executives outnumber the copywriters two to one. If you were a dairy farmer, would you employ twice as many milkers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/in-most-agencies-account-executives-outnumber-the-copywriters-two-to/)

[David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/)

> [Free agency is a gift of God…The world does not comprehend the significance of that divine gift to the individual. It is as inherent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-o-mckay/free-agency-is-a-gift-of-god-the-world-does-not-comprehend-the/)

[David O. McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-o-mckay/)

> [You are also asked to take an oath, and that's the oath of service. The oath of service is not to secrecy, but to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/you-are-also-asked-to-take-an-oath-and-that-s-the-oath-of-service-the/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [You cannot have 300-some million Americans - and really, right, the global citizenry be at risk of having their phone conversations intercepted with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-lieu/you-cannot-have-300-some-million-americans-and-really-right-the/)

[Ted Lieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-lieu/)

> [I do a lot of writing in my capacity as the creative director for a marketing agency. These days, though, I'm trying to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-doescher/i-do-a-lot-of-writing-in-my-capacity-as-the-creative-director-for-a/)

[Ian Doescher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-doescher/)

> [Unfortunately, corruption is widespread in government agencies and public enterprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-papandreou/unfortunately-corruption-is-widespread-in-government-agencies-and/)

[George Papandreou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-papandreou/)

Browse all 1,225 Agency quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Writing is a mode of agency in the world that is different from mere employment. There has to be some sort of ethical or moral drive, even if you are unaware of it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Aleksandar Hemon"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/writing-is-a-mode-of-agency-in-the-world-that-is-different-from-mere/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Agency"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/writing-is-a-mode-of-agency-in-the-world-that-is-different-from-mere/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ec/aleksandar-hemon-1490_agency_writing-is-a-mode-of-agency-in-the-world_1262896.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ec/aleksandar-hemon-1490_agency_writing-is-a-mode-of-agency-in-the-world_1262896.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ec/aleksandar-hemon-1490_agency_writing-is-a-mode-of-agency-in-the-world_1262896.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Writing is a mode of agency in the world that is different from mere employment. There has to be some sort…” — Aleksandar Hemon",
                "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": "Aleksandar Hemon",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Writing is a mode of agency...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/writing-is-a-mode-of-agency-in-the-world-that-is-different-from-mere/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/writing-is-a-mode-of-agency-in-the-world-that-is-different-from-mere/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
