--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The problem is to find the time to write…" description: "\"The problem is to find the time to write. That's why I go to sea. I couldn't be happier than when at sea.\" — Alex Haley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b8/alex-haley-8212_find_the-problem-is-to-find-the-time-to-write_618945.jpg" --- # The problem is to find the time to write. That's why I go… ![“The problem is to find the time to write. That's why I go to sea. I couldn't be happier than when at sea.” quote by Alex Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b8/alex-haley-8212_find_the-problem-is-to-find-the-time-to-write_618945.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b8/alex-haley-8212_find_the-problem-is-to-find-the-time-to-write_618945.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b8/alex-haley-8212_find_the-problem-is-to-find-the-time-to-write_618945.jpg) > “The problem is to find the time to write. That's why I go to sea. I couldn't be happier than when at sea.” [Alex Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-haley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker finds writing time scarce, so he seeks the sea for happiness and inspiration. **In simple terms:** Sea offers freedom when writing feels impossible. Key Takeaway Seek inspiration outdoors when stuck. Themes creativity solitude inspiration Mood reflective hopeful Type creative inspirational When to use this quote - writer's block - creative retreat - travel for ideas Key Concepts existentialism nature therapy Questions to Reflect On - How does nature affect your creative flow? - What other environments spark your work? A Different Perspective Sea may not solve deeper discipline issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“To the stars, with regards, I write. The sea has called you home.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-d-vulpe/to-the-stars-with-regards-i-write-the-sea-has-called-you-home/) P.d. Vulpe > [“So let me take some pressure off. Your problem is not discipline. Your problem is not organization. Your problem is not that you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/so-let-me-take-some-pressure-off-your-problem-is-not-discipline-your/) [Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/) > [The only problem is time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-macfarlane/the-only-problem-is-time/) [Seth MacFarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-macfarlane/) > [Every big problem was at one time a wee disturbance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate/every-big-problem-was-at-one-time-a-wee-disturbance/) [Nate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate/) > [Music is such a problem in the time it takes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harrison-birtwistle/music-is-such-a-problem-in-the-time-it-takes/) [Harrison Birtwistle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harrison-birtwistle/) > [“The problem with time is, sometimes there's just too much of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-rothenberg/the-problem-with-time-is-sometimes-there-s-just-too-much-of-it/) [Jess Rothenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-rothenberg/) > [They say time heals everything . So technically my problem is not you, my problem is time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-say-time-heals-everything-so-technically-my-problem-is-not-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The big problem is time. I don't have enough of it to do all the things I think about doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-morrison/the-big-problem-is-time-i-don-t-have-enough-of-it-to-do-all-the/) [Grant Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-morrison/) > [“As you grow older, you become faced with the problem of what to with your time”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/as-you-grow-older-you-become-faced-with-the-problem-of-what-to-with/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [When you have problem you have time but when you are happy you can't even realize you can be in a problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ks/when-you-have-problem-you-have-time-but-when-you-are-happy-you-can-t/) KS > [All things have a purpose so, if you have a problem, never give up. Time will come and it will be solved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-things-have-a-purpose-so-if-you-have-a-problem-never-give-up-time/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I've come to the realization that I have an attitude problem. But I have 0 time to fix it so deal with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ve-come-to-the-realization-that-i-have-an-attitude-problem-but-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There's a practical problem about time and energy, and a more subtle problem of what it does to a writer's head, to continually analyze…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/there-s-a-practical-problem-about-time-and-energy-and-a-more-subtle/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [Death is the problem but rather time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrique-alcala/death-is-the-problem-but-rather-time/) [Enrique Alcala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrique-alcala/) > [The problem is that, over time, big pieces of business that have to get done without leadership from Washington, don't get done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-problem-is-that-over-time-big-pieces-of-business-that-have-to-get/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) ## More by Alex Haley > [I tell younger writers that indeed it is devastating to be rejected. You feel like the bottom dropped out of your world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-haley/i-tell-younger-writers-that-indeed-it-is-devastating-to-be-rejected/) [Alex Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-haley/) > [If you're blessed to do something like 'Roots'... you find yourself immersed. You're asked to do this, to do that - all for admirable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-haley/if-you-re-blessed-to-do-something-like-roots-you-find-yourself/) [Alex Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-haley/) > [I think from what I personally know, I am really quite proud of most of the people I know who have 'made it,' who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-haley/i-think-from-what-i-personally-know-i-am-really-quite-proud-of-most/) [Alex Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-haley/) > [In the bush, trust no one you don't know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-haley/in-the-bush-trust-no-one-you-don-t-know/) [Alex Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-haley/) > [Either you deal with what is the reality, or you can be sure that the reality is going to deal with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-haley/either-you-deal-with-what-is-the-reality-or-you-can-be-sure-that-the/) [Alex Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-haley/) > [I know Juffure was a British trading post and my portrait of the village bears no resemblance to the way it was. But the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-haley/i-know-juffure-was-a-british-trading-post-and-my-portrait-of-the/) [Alex Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-haley/) > [I look at my books the way parents look at their children. The fact that one becomes more successful than the others doesn't make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-haley/i-look-at-my-books-the-way-parents-look-at-their-children-the-fact/) [Alex Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-haley/) > [Never completely encircle your enemy. Leave him some escape, for he will fight even more desperately if trapped.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-haley/never-completely-encircle-your-enemy-leave-him-some-escape-for-he/) [Alex Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-haley/) > [I can't feel Irish to save my soul, but it's a fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-haley/i-can-t-feel-irish-to-save-my-soul-but-it-s-a-fact/) [Alex Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-haley/) > [Most of the people I've met who are black in other countries look up to the blacks in this country. Though they may talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-haley/most-of-the-people-i-ve-met-who-are-black-in-other-countries-look-up/) [Alex Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-haley/) > [Early in the spring of 1750, in the village of Juffure, four days upriver from the coast of The Gambia, West Africa, a manchild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-haley/early-in-the-spring-of-1750-in-the-village-of-juffure-four-days/) [Alex Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-haley/) > [“nightly boiling and then cooling a broth of freshly pounded fudano leaves in which she soaked her feat -and the pale palms of her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-haley/nightly-boiling-and-then-cooling-a-broth-of-freshly-pounded-fudano/) [Alex Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-haley/) > [In all of us there is a hunger, marrow-deep, to know our heritage, to know who we are and where we came from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-haley/in-all-of-us-there-is-a-hunger-marrow-deep-to-know-our-heritage-to/) [Alex Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-haley/) > [If you think about it, there's not a religious group, there's not a nationalistic group, there's not a tribe, there is no grouping of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-haley/if-you-think-about-it-there-s-not-a-religious-group-there-s-not-a/) [Alex Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-haley/) > [Is this how you repay my goodness--with badness?” cried the boy. “Of course,” said the crocodile out of the corner of his mouth. “That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-haley/is-this-how-you-repay-my-goodness-with-badness-cried-the-boy-of/) [Alex Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-haley/) [Explore all 83 Alex Haley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-haley/) ## More Find quotes > [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [I ask for tips, for advice. What I have also learnt is that I need to do things that are good for me. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthijs-de-ligt/i-ask-for-tips-for-advice-what-i-have-also-learnt-is-that-i-need-to/) [Matthijs de Ligt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthijs-de-ligt/) > [Consumers can choose organic cotton grown without pesticides, but it uses more water and requires more land than conventional crops. Organic cotton can also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/consumers-can-choose-organic-cotton-grown-without-pesticides-but-it/) [Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/) > [You will find that the more successful the individual, the less inclined he is to make excuses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-joseph-schwartz/you-will-find-that-the-more-successful-the-individual-the-less/) [David Joseph Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-joseph-schwartz/) > [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/) [Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/) > [They will find somebody younger, somebody funnier, somebody more engaged. As long as the court genre is viable, people are going to be looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-sheindlin/they-will-find-somebody-younger-somebody-funnier-somebody-more/) [Judy Sheindlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-sheindlin/) > [I think I need the demons in order to write, but the demons have gone. It bothers me a lot. I've tried and tried,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-wilson/i-think-i-need-the-demons-in-order-to-write-but-the-demons-have-gone/) [Brian Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-wilson/) > [I'm very fond of classical music, especially Mozart. I find it relaxes me and helps me concentrate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guler-sabanci/i-m-very-fond-of-classical-music-especially-mozart-i-find-it-relaxes/) [Guler Sabanci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guler-sabanci/) > [Failure to find a way to incorporate political Islam in democracy, however uncomfortable its ideology is for secular liberals, will mean we have given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crispin-blunt/failure-to-find-a-way-to-incorporate-political-islam-in-democracy/) [Crispin Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crispin-blunt/) > [Reading counts as partying, even if you're not enjoying it! Even if someone's forcing you to read, you can find a way to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-w-k/reading-counts-as-partying-even-if-you-re-not-enjoying-it-even-if/) [Andrew W.K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-w-k/) > [George Roy Hill, Redford, and I have been looking for a script to do together for 13 years. We haven't been able to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-newman/george-roy-hill-redford-and-i-have-been-looking-for-a-script-to-do/) [Paul Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-newman/) > [People from all walks of life that you might find as a King Diamond fan - you don't look a certain way; you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-diamond/people-from-all-walks-of-life-that-you-might-find-as-a-king-diamond/) [King Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-diamond/) > [My mom and my aunties are really devout Christians. My mom married a Muslim when I was 12, so I got teachings from both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tech-n9ne/my-mom-and-my-aunties-are-really-devout-christians-my-mom-married-a/) [Tech N9ne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tech-n9ne/) > [For me, I like to be different. I didn't want to imitate another wrestler. I always try to find something from other genres, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shinsuke-nakamura/for-me-i-like-to-be-different-i-didn-t-want-to-imitate-another/) [Shinsuke Nakamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shinsuke-nakamura/) > [For young people in the U.K. who find themselves without anywhere to live - perhaps they have left the family home after a relationship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-viner/for-young-people-in-the-u-k-who-find-themselves-without-anywhere-to/) [Katharine Viner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-viner/) Browse all 11,342 Find quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The problem is to find the time to write. That's why I go to sea. 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