--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm not interested in writers who are…" description: "\"I'm not interested in writers who are overcome with certainty, with single-mindedness, or with a sense of how consistent and morally upstanding they ar..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fc/andrew-o-hagan-12635_certainty_i-m-not-interested-in-writers-who-are-ov_764494.jpg" --- # I'm not interested in writers who are overcome with… ![“I'm not interested in writers who are overcome with certainty, with single-mindedness, or with a sense of how consistent and morally upstanding they are. My writers are in the thick of it and they seek the truth, rather than embody it, and sometimes they find truths that don't sit palatably or…” quote by Andrew O'Hagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fc/andrew-o-hagan-12635_certainty_i-m-not-interested-in-writers-who-are-ov_764494.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fc/andrew-o-hagan-12635_certainty_i-m-not-interested-in-writers-who-are-ov_764494.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fc/andrew-o-hagan-12635_certainty_i-m-not-interested-in-writers-who-are-ov_764494.jpg) > “I'm not interested in writers who are overcome with certainty, with single-mindedness, or with a sense of how consistent and morally upstanding they are. My writers are in the thick of it and they seek the truth, rather than embody it, and sometimes they find truths that don't sit palatably or easily together. That's life. That's personality. And that's writing.” [Andrew O'Hagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-o-hagan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writers should embrace uncertainty and seek truth rather than claim moral certainty. **In simple terms:** Writers pursue truth over certainty. Key Takeaway Embrace ambiguity in writing. Themes truth uncertainty authenticity personality writing Mood reflective introspective Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - novel writing - journalism - personal essays Key Concepts philosophical literary criticism creative process Questions to Reflect On - How does uncertainty enrich your work? - When do you prioritize honesty over comfort? A Different Perspective Truth seeking can clash with audience expectations for clear answers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Certainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty/) [Overcoming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overcoming/) [Personality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personality/) [Seek The Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seek-the-truth/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I'm pulling out different aspects of my personality in writing each character and, if I'm doing my job well, I'm being true to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/i-m-pulling-out-different-aspects-of-my-personality-in-writing-each/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [Writers seek to create order out of the chaos of everyday life, and to extract meaning from both the tragic and the mundane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-edelman/writers-seek-to-create-order-out-of-the-chaos-of-everyday-life-and-to/) [Hope Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-edelman/) > [This is the gift all writers seek-to write language that incandesces yet does not melt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-clark-powell/this-is-the-gift-all-writers-seek-to-write-language-that-incandesces/) [Lawrence Clark Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-clark-powell/) > [“Writing is a pitched battle with the elusive self, a contest that resultant celebratory jubilee demonstrates the writer’s innate capacity to meld abstract ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/writing-is-a-pitched-battle-with-the-elusive-self-a-contest-that/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [I read, therefore I'm interested in writers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kaufman/i-read-therefore-i-m-interested-in-writers/) [Philip Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kaufman/) > [I had a teacher once who said, "If you are going to write fiction, you should only read poetry." I have always been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-lipsyte/i-had-a-teacher-once-who-said-if-you-are-going-to-write-fiction-you/) [Sam Lipsyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-lipsyte/) > [I was always very curious as a young man about why older writers who I met seemed so indifferent to what was going on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-was-always-very-curious-as-a-young-man-about-why-older-writers-who/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [I am very interested in writers from the Francophone world. I like Kamel Daoud a lot, for example. In "The Meursault Investigation" and "Zabor,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-macron/i-am-very-interested-in-writers-from-the-francophone-world-i-like/) [Emmanuel Macron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-macron/) > [I get interested in writers who are enigmatic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-hamlin/i-get-interested-in-writers-who-are-enigmatic/) [Harry Hamlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-hamlin/) > [“Ally wasn't disappointed in the writers: she hadn't expected anything from them in the first place; it hadn't occurred to her to be interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-hadley/ally-wasn-t-disappointed-in-the-writers-she-hadn-t-expected-anything/) [Tessa Hadley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-hadley/) > [John Dos Passos, Raymond Carver, Flaubert and William Maxwell were all very influential when I first started writing. Now, the writers I'm most interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/john-dos-passos-raymond-carver-flaubert-and-william-maxwell-were-all/) [Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/) > [We must seek the truth, love it, defend it, and hand it down uncorrupted to our posterity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-melanchthon/we-must-seek-the-truth-love-it-defend-it-and-hand-it-down-uncorrupted/) Philip Melanchthon > [The Spirit is as operative today in communicating the gospel to all who seek the truth as it was on the day of Pentecost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-b-wirthlin/the-spirit-is-as-operative-today-in-communicating-the-gospel-to-all/) [Joseph B. Wirthlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-b-wirthlin/) > [“Don’t seek the truth. Just cease to cherish opinions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/don-t-seek-the-truth-just-cease-to-cherish-opinions/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [For those who sincerely seek the truth should not fear the outcome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/for-those-who-sincerely-seek-the-truth-should-not-fear-the-outcome/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) ## More by Andrew O'Hagan > [The first rule of travel is that you should always go with someone you love, which is why I travel alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-o-hagan/the-first-rule-of-travel-is-that-you-should-always-go-with-someone/) [Andrew O'Hagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-o-hagan/) > [You'll find that no pride is greater than the pride that comes with being thick. Britain is filled with people who are really proud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-o-hagan/you-ll-find-that-no-pride-is-greater-than-the-pride-that-comes-with/) [Andrew O'Hagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-o-hagan/) > [I always knew I would come to London. I loved Glasgow, but it seemed filled with echoes of my parents' lives, and sometimes you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-o-hagan/i-always-knew-i-would-come-to-london-i-loved-glasgow-but-it-seemed/) [Andrew O'Hagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-o-hagan/) > [Interviewing is not a democratic art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-o-hagan/interviewing-is-not-a-democratic-art/) [Andrew O'Hagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-o-hagan/) > [High culture isn't what it used to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-o-hagan/high-culture-isn-t-what-it-used-to-be/) [Andrew O'Hagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-o-hagan/) > [When you grow up by the sea, you spend a good deal of time looking at the horizon. You wonder what on Earth the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-o-hagan/when-you-grow-up-by-the-sea-you-spend-a-good-deal-of-time-looking-at/) [Andrew O'Hagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-o-hagan/) > [“But she was half in love with chaos... With all her yearning for the ordinary life, she was born to admire outsiders. You could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-o-hagan/but-she-was-half-in-love-with-chaos-with-all-her-yearning-for-the/) [Andrew O'Hagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-o-hagan/) > [Long before I was a writer, when I was just a haphazard reader and a dreamer of stories, I learnt about an influential book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-o-hagan/long-before-i-was-a-writer-when-i-was-just-a-haphazard-reader-and-a/) [Andrew O'Hagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-o-hagan/) > [Fans of football and fans of nationhood have a similar zeal. Read the fanzines: their contributors could find a needle-sized diss in a haystack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-o-hagan/fans-of-football-and-fans-of-nationhood-have-a-similar-zeal-read-the/) [Andrew O'Hagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-o-hagan/) > [Writing a novel is an act of self-annihilation as much as self-discovery. You can kill whole appetites and flood whole depths while plumbing them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-o-hagan/writing-a-novel-is-an-act-of-self-annihilation-as-much-as-self/) [Andrew O'Hagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-o-hagan/) > [It's not a crime not to know yourself. It's not a crime to send life away. It's just a shame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-o-hagan/it-s-not-a-crime-not-to-know-yourself-it-s-not-a-crime-to-send-life/) [Andrew O'Hagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-o-hagan/) > [Art you can flush down the loo means nothing to me, even were the loo to be selected by Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-o-hagan/art-you-can-flush-down-the-loo-means-nothing-to-me-even-were-the-loo/) [Andrew O'Hagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-o-hagan/) > [Long before the arrival of reality TV - before speed cameras, before recording angels on buses and lampposts - I felt I was living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-o-hagan/long-before-the-arrival-of-reality-tv-before-speed-cameras-before/) [Andrew O'Hagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-o-hagan/) > [Once upon a time, I thought that politics was the name we gave to our higher instincts. That was before Margaret Thatcher, who came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-o-hagan/once-upon-a-time-i-thought-that-politics-was-the-name-we-gave-to-our/) [Andrew O'Hagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-o-hagan/) > [Traveling alone offers the chance to test the limits of what you think you know about yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-o-hagan/traveling-alone-offers-the-chance-to-test-the-limits-of-what-you/) [Andrew O'Hagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-o-hagan/) [Explore all 54 Andrew O'Hagan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-o-hagan/) ## More Certainty quotes > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [Sometimes we have the absolute certainty there's something inside us that's so hideous and monstrous that if we ever search it out we won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/sometimes-we-have-the-absolute-certainty-there-s-something-inside-us/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [The past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-past-and-the-future-become-unimportant-there-is-only-that-moment/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [In the mental disturbance and effort of writing, what sustains you is the certainty that on every page there is something left unsaid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/in-the-mental-disturbance-and-effort-of-writing-what-sustains-you-is/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [Of course I doubt. I do not practice a certainty. I practice a faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/of-course-i-doubt-i-do-not-practice-a-certainty-i-practice-a-faith/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-world-is-a-wonderfully-weird-place-consensual-reality-is/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [As a businessman, I know that businesses need certainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-foster/as-a-businessman-i-know-that-businesses-need-certainty/) [Bill Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-foster/) > [It is suggested that in domestic violence at least the presence or absence of a firearm, or of any other type of weapon, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/it-is-suggested-that-in-domestic-violence-at-least-the-presence-or/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [Every single person who is a member of our party deserves to have certainty. They deserve to know that my attention and focus is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annamie-paul/every-single-person-who-is-a-member-of-our-party-deserves-to-have/) [Annamie Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annamie-paul/) > [The significance and volume of repairs that are needed across the country demand that we give state and local governments the long-term certainty they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-graves/the-significance-and-volume-of-repairs-that-are-needed-across-the/) [Sam Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-graves/) > [“Death is the one great certainty in life. That’s what my dad used to say. Nothing else is certain. Not love. Not happiness. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mila-gray/death-is-the-one-great-certainty-in-life-that-s-what-my-dad-used-to/) [Mila Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mila-gray/) > [ \[I\]f in other sciences we should arrive at certainty without doubt and truth without error, it behooves us to place the foundations of knowledge… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bacon/i-f-in-other-sciences-we-should-arrive-at-certainty-without-doubt-and/) [Roger Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bacon/) > [Do not lose hope; St. Joseph also experienced moments of difficulty, but he never lost faith and was able to overcome them, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/do-not-lose-hope-st-joseph-also-experienced-moments-of-difficulty-but/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [As the future is never known with certainty, the evaluation of the prospective benefits requires the formation of expectations. An acceptable house, partner or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-t-mortensen/as-the-future-is-never-known-with-certainty-the-evaluation-of-the/) [Dale T. Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-t-mortensen/) > [Finding someone that trusted my vision helped me find certainty in who I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd/finding-someone-that-trusted-my-vision-helped-me-find-certainty-in/) [Syd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd/) [Browse all 1,776 Certainty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm not interested in writers who are overcome with certainty, with single-mindedness, or with a sense of how consistent and morally upstanding they are. My writers are in the thick of it and they seek the truth, rather than embody it, and sometimes they find truths that don't sit palatably or easily together. That's life. That's personality. And that's writing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Andrew O'Hagan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-o-hagan/i-m-not-interested-in-writers-who-are-overcome-with-certainty-with/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Certainty" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-o-hagan/i-m-not-interested-in-writers-who-are-overcome-with-certainty-with/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fc/andrew-o-hagan-12635_certainty_i-m-not-interested-in-writers-who-are-ov_764494.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fc/andrew-o-hagan-12635_certainty_i-m-not-interested-in-writers-who-are-ov_764494.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fc/andrew-o-hagan-12635_certainty_i-m-not-interested-in-writers-who-are-ov_764494.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm not interested in writers who are overcome with certainty, with single-mindedness, or with a sense of…” — Andrew O'Hagan", "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": "Andrew O'Hagan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-o-hagan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'm not interested in writers who...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-o-hagan/i-m-not-interested-in-writers-who-are-overcome-with-certainty-with/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-o-hagan/i-m-not-interested-in-writers-who-are-overcome-with-certainty-with/#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 } } ] } ```