--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But the writer who endures and keeps…" description: "\"But the writer who endures and keeps working will finally know that writing the book was something hard and glorious, for at the desk a writer must try..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c96/andre-dubus-13616_book_but-the-writer-who-endures-and-keeps-wor_2751931.jpg" --- # But the writer who endures and keeps working will finally… ![“But the writer who endures and keeps working will finally know that writing the book was something hard and glorious, for at the desk a writer must try to be free of prejudice, meanness of spirit, pettiness, and hatred; strive to be a better human being than the writer normally is, and to do this…” quote by Andre Dubus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c96/andre-dubus-13616_book_but-the-writer-who-endures-and-keeps-wor_2751931.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c96/andre-dubus-13616_book_but-the-writer-who-endures-and-keeps-wor_2751931.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c96/andre-dubus-13616_book_but-the-writer-who-endures-and-keeps-wor_2751931.jpg) > “But the writer who endures and keeps working will finally know that writing the book was something hard and glorious, for at the desk a writer must try to be free of prejudice, meanness of spirit, pettiness, and hatred; strive to be a better human being than the writer normally is, and to do this through concentration on a single word, and then another, and another. This is splendid work, as worthy and demanding as any, and the will and resilience to do it are good for the writer's soul.” [Andre Dubus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-dubus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The writer must overcome personal flaws and focus intensely on each word, turning the craft into a moral discipline that strengthens the soul. **In simple terms:** Writing demands self‑discipline and moral growth. Key Takeaway Cultivate humility and concentration in writing. Themes self‑discipline growth creativity Mood reflective determined Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - authoring a novel - daily writing practice - editing sessions - creative workshops Key Concepts humanism resilience concentration Questions to Reflect On - How does focusing on each word change your self‑view? - What habits protect against creative fatigue? A Different Perspective The process can be isolating and may cause burnout without balance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Concentration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration/) [Desk Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desk-writer-3105190/) [Desks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desks/) [Endure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endure/) [Glorious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glorious/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Hatred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hatred/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Human Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-writer-2680973/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Meanness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meanness/) [Pettiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pettiness/) [Prejudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prejudice/) [Resilience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resilience/) [Single word](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/single-word/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) [Splendid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/splendid/) [Strive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strive/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Worthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worthy/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writer Endures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-endures-3105189/) [Writer Normally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-normally-3105191/) [Writer Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-soul-2603123/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Even today it’s not uncommon to find teachers who believe that if a child can’t take a pen in hand and write an essay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-a-spencer/even-today-it-s-not-uncommon-to-find-teachers-who-believe-that-if-a/) [Sally A. 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The smaller the person, the larger the need for revenge. This may account for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-mcwilliams/pettiness-seems-to-go-hand-in-hand-with-vindictiveness-the-smaller/) [Peter McWilliams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-mcwilliams/) > [A noble heart cannot suspect in others the pettiness and malice that it has never felt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-racine/a-noble-heart-cannot-suspect-in-others-the-pettiness-and-malice-that/) [Jean Racine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-racine/) > [“Odd, don't you think? I have seen war, and invasions and riots. I have heard of massacres and brutalities beyond imagining, and I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-pears/odd-don-t-you-think-i-have-seen-war-and-invasions-and-riots-i-have/) [Iain Pears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-pears/) > [I think you are a liar because you think you know what is true. You think you feel what is true. 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With all of us,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-dubus/what-s-so-exciting-and-terrifying-about-the-writing-process-is-that/) [Andre Dubus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-dubus/) > [Don't outline your stories. A lot of fiction workshops say you should. I say the opposite. 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Shyness has a strange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-dubus/proportion-is-all-and-in-sports-at-school-i-lost-it-by-surrendering/) [Andre Dubus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-dubus/) > [“When Jennifer was here in the summer, they were at the house most days. I would say generally that as they got older they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-dubus/when-jennifer-was-here-in-the-summer-they-were-at-the-house-most-days/) [Andre Dubus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-dubus/) > [“The office was large, with many women and men at desks, and she learned their names, and presented to them an amiability she assumed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-dubus/the-office-was-large-with-many-women-and-men-at-desks-and-she-learned/) [Andre Dubus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-dubus/) > [Don't quit. It's very easy to quit during the first 10 years. 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Love did not bring happiness, it did not last, and it ended in pain.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-dubus/its-sound-in-her-soul-was-a-distant-fast-train-love-did-not-bring/) [Andre Dubus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-dubus/) [Explore all 49 Andre Dubus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-dubus/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. 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