---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's something that I know how to do…"
description: "\"It's something that I know how to do because I taught for a very long time, so I can do it, and I feel a responsibility to do it - for instance, in thi..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e5/alice-sebold-999_can-do_it-s-something-that-i-know-how-to-do-bec_1399288.jpg"
---

#  It's something that I know how to do because I taught for…

![“It's something that I know how to do because I taught for a very long time, so I can do it, and I feel a responsibility to do it - for instance, in this situation, where I'm touring specifically for this period of time. But most writers are not public people. There are a few writers out there who…” quote by Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e5/alice-sebold-999_can-do_it-s-something-that-i-know-how-to-do-bec_1399288.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e5/alice-sebold-999_can-do_it-s-something-that-i-know-how-to-do-bec_1399288.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e5/alice-sebold-999_can-do_it-s-something-that-i-know-how-to-do-bec_1399288.jpg)

> “It's something that I know how to do because I taught for a very long time, so I can do it, and I feel a responsibility to do it - for instance, in this situation, where I'm touring specifically for this period of time. But most writers are not public people. There are a few writers out there who really enjoy it and are good at it, and can both work and do that at the same time, but I'm not one of those people.”

[Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/)

## About This Quote

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

She feels obligated to speak publicly because of her long teaching experience, but acknowledges most writers avoid the spotlight.

**In simple terms:** Teaching makes her comfortable speaking, but most writers stay private.

Key Takeaway

Embrace your strengths, but respect personal limits.

Themes

responsibility public speaking writer identity

Mood

reflective determined

Type

advice personal narrative

When to use this quote

- teaching workshops
- author events
- media interviews

Key Concepts

confidence self-awareness role conflict

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you feel your teaching background helps in public speaking?
- How can writers balance privacy with occasional public duties?

A Different Perspective

Not all writers thrive in public roles; some may feel exposed.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Can do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/can-do/) [Enjoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoy/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [I can do it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can-do-it/) [Instance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instance/) [Know how](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-how/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-writers-841329/) [Periods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/periods/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Situation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/situation/) [Taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taught/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-writers-2662319/) [Touring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/touring/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers/) [Writers Public](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers-public-1438270/) [Writers Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers-really-336887/)

## Related quotes

> [I don't think, generally speaking, people become writers because they were the really good, really cool, attractive kid in class. I'll be honest. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-moffat/i-don-t-think-generally-speaking-people-become-writers-because-they/)

[Steven Moffat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-moffat/)

> [What is difficult is the promotion, balancing the public side of a writer's life with the writing. I think that's something a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/what-is-difficult-is-the-promotion-balancing-the-public-side-of-a/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

> [I believe that writers run out of material, I really do. I believe very strongly in the fact that when the natural time is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-wilson/i-believe-that-writers-run-out-of-material-i-really-do-i-believe-very/)

[Brian Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-wilson/)

> [We live in a time when writers do not always have barriers around them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-simenon/we-live-in-a-time-when-writers-do-not-always-have-barriers-around-them/)

[Georges Simenon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-simenon/)

> [The world is changing from day to day; it is high time for our writers to take off their masks, look frankly, keenly, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lu-xun/the-world-is-changing-from-day-to-day-it-is-high-time-for-our-writers/)

[Lu Xun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lu-xun/)

> [Country people give me more than writers, and country places than towns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/country-people-give-me-more-than-writers-and-country-places-than-towns/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“What happens to the people who became writers because yakking and tweeting and bragging felt to them like intolerably shallow forms of social engagement?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/what-happens-to-the-people-who-became-writers-because-yakking-and/)

[Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/)

> [“Writing is not a job description. A great deal of it is luck. Don't do it if you are not a gambler because a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/writing-is-not-a-job-description-a-great-deal-of-it-is-luck-don-t-do/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [It's not that I don't enjoy other people, but what I find with writers is this back and forth. And also, there's no need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/it-s-not-that-i-don-t-enjoy-other-people-but-what-i-find-with-writers/)

[Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/)

> [Writers don't want to appear to be stupid. I don't know - maybe people become writers so that they can prove that they're not.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/writers-don-t-want-to-appear-to-be-stupid-i-don-t-know-maybe-people/)

[Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/)

> [I feel like people who become writers are people who have been saved by books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-englander/i-feel-like-people-who-become-writers-are-people-who-have-been-saved/)

[Nathan Englander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-englander/)

> [Most people who are writers go through periods when they can't write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/most-people-who-are-writers-go-through-periods-when-they-can-t-write/)

[Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/)

> [Some people are writers and don't ever want to be on camera, some people act and not write - I like writing words for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-conover/some-people-are-writers-and-don-t-ever-want-to-be-on-camera-some/)

[Adam Conover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-conover/)

> [I want to be one of those people, be they writers, poets, musicians, who leaves clues for the next generation. The really good people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-casablancas/i-want-to-be-one-of-those-people-be-they-writers-poets-musicians-who/)

[Julian Casablancas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-casablancas/)

> [People only become writers if they can't find the one book they've always wanted to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/people-only-become-writers-if-they-can-t-find-the-one-book-they-ve/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

## More by Alice Sebold

> [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/)

[Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/)

> [I left my mark on that man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/i-left-my-mark-on-that-man/)

[Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/)

> [These things, she felt, were not to be passed around like disingenuous party favors. She kept an honor code with her journals and her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/these-things-she-felt-were-not-to-be-passed-around-like-disingenuous/)

[Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/)

> [I don't think ignorance is a way that you gain distance on something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/i-don-t-think-ignorance-is-a-way-that-you-gain-distance-on-something/)

[Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/)

> [I was like I was in science class: I was curious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/i-was-like-i-was-in-science-class-i-was-curious/)

[Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/)

> [“There are secret rooms inside us,” I had said to my therapist. “A relatively benign construct,” he said, and so I did not bother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/there-are-secret-rooms-inside-us-i-had-said-to-my-therapist-a/)

[Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/)

> [“This is just a temporary hell, not a permanent one”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/this-is-just-a-temporary-hell-not-a-permanent-one/)

[Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/)

> [“And a soul would run by a living being, touch them softly on the shoulder or cheek, and continue on its way to heaven.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/and-a-soul-would-run-by-a-living-being-touch-them-softly-on-the/)

[Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/)

> [As if in the other side of his kiss there could ve a new life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/as-if-in-the-other-side-of-his-kiss-there-could-ve-a-new-life/)

[Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/)

> [“My little brother's greatest fear was that the one person who meant so much to him would go away. He loved Lindsey and Grandma…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/my-little-brother-s-greatest-fear-was-that-the-one-person-who-meant/)

[Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/)

> [“She listened for the pain in my words, not to the narrative itself. She was intuiting what it meant to me, what was most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/she-listened-for-the-pain-in-my-words-not-to-the-narrative-itself-she/)

[Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/)

> [The relationship with the words someone uses is more intimate and integrated than just a quick read and a blurb can ever be. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/the-relationship-with-the-words-someone-uses-is-more-intimate-and/)

[Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/)

> [Ruth hadn't talked to my sister since before my death, and then it was only to excuse herself in the hallway at school. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/ruth-hadn-t-talked-to-my-sister-since-before-my-death-and-then-it-was/)

[Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/)

> [Since then I've always thought that under rape in the dictionary it should tell the truth. It is not just forcible intercourse; rape means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/since-then-i-ve-always-thought-that-under-rape-in-the-dictionary-it/)

[Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/)

> [I live in a world where two truths coexist: where both hell and hope lie in the palm of my hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/i-live-in-a-world-where-two-truths-coexist-where-both-hell-and-hope/)

[Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/)

[Explore all 302 Alice Sebold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/)

## More Can do quotes

> [Changes before your eyes, things you can do and things you can't. My attitude is always let it keep rolling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrence-malick/changes-before-your-eyes-things-you-can-do-and-things-you-can-t-my/)

[Terrence Malick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrence-malick/)

> [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/)

[Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/)

> [If I had a million dollars, I just wouldn't just completely set back. I'd have to get out there and show my face to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muddy-waters/if-i-had-a-million-dollars-i-just-wouldn-t-just-completely-set-back-i/)

[Muddy Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muddy-waters/)

> [Anybody can be Prince Charming one day a year, with the dinner and the flowers and all that. But you know what impresses me?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-howard/anybody-can-be-prince-charming-one-day-a-year-with-the-dinner-and-the/)

[Ryan Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-howard/)

> [And if the mind thinks with a believing attitude one can do amazing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/and-if-the-mind-thinks-with-a-believing-attitude-one-can-do-amazing/)

[Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/)

> [The amount of things you can do with a kettlebell is unsurpassed by any other training equipment - dumbbells, resistance machines, free weights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laird-hamilton/the-amount-of-things-you-can-do-with-a-kettlebell-is-unsurpassed-by/)

[Laird Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laird-hamilton/)

> [It's nice when you've done enough movies that you can do your own anthology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/it-s-nice-when-you-ve-done-enough-movies-that-you-can-do-your-own/)

[John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/)

> [If people don't have their own vision, all they can do is 'sign-up' for someone else's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/if-people-don-t-have-their-own-vision-all-they-can-do-is-sign-up-for/)

[Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/)

> [The one thing that flies in the face of all human history and experience, is that the government can do a superior job than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/the-one-thing-that-flies-in-the-face-of-all-human-history-and/)

[James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/)

> [...what I can do is offer myself, wholehearted and present, to walk with the people I love through the fear and the mess. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/what-i-can-do-is-offer-myself-wholehearted-and-present-to-walk-with/)

[Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/)

> [Whether that's speaking up in your job or asking for a promotion or saying, 'I think I can do that.' Using your voice in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-shriver/whether-that-s-speaking-up-in-your-job-or-asking-for-a-promotion-or/)

[Maria Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-shriver/)

> [The average ordinary citizen can do a lot of different things when it comes to the climate crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/the-average-ordinary-citizen-can-do-a-lot-of-different-things-when-it/)

[Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/)

> [A professional is a man who can do his job when he doesn't feel like it. An amateur is a man who can't do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agate/a-professional-is-a-man-who-can-do-his-job-when-he-doesn-t-feel-like/)

[James Agate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agate/)

> [The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, as it pleases him, for he can do all things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/the-lord-gives-and-the-lord-takes-away-as-it-pleases-him-for-he-can/)

[Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/)

> [I'm not an educated man. I only know what I'm told, and I'm not told that much; I have no frame of reference for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/i-m-not-an-educated-man-i-only-know-what-i-m-told-and-i-m-not-told/)

[Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/)

[Browse all 5,673 Can do quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/can-do/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It's something that I know how to do because I taught for a very long time, so I can do it, and I feel a responsibility to do it - for instance, in this situation, where I'm touring specifically for this period of time. But most writers are not public people. There are a few writers out there who really enjoy it and are good at it, and can both work and do that at the same time, but I'm not one of those people.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Alice Sebold"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/it-s-something-that-i-know-how-to-do-because-i-taught-for-a-very-long/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Can do"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/it-s-something-that-i-know-how-to-do-because-i-taught-for-a-very-long/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e5/alice-sebold-999_can-do_it-s-something-that-i-know-how-to-do-bec_1399288.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e5/alice-sebold-999_can-do_it-s-something-that-i-know-how-to-do-bec_1399288.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e5/alice-sebold-999_can-do_it-s-something-that-i-know-how-to-do-bec_1399288.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It's something that I know how to do because I taught for a very long time, so I can do it, and I feel a…” — Alice Sebold",
                "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": "Alice Sebold",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It's something that I know how...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/it-s-something-that-i-know-how-to-do-because-i-taught-for-a-very-long/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/it-s-something-that-i-know-how-to-do-because-i-taught-for-a-very-long/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
