--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I believe that, more than anything else…" description: "\"“I believe that, more than anything else, this grief of constantly having to face down our own inadequacies is what keeps people from being writers. Fo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/ann-patchett-670_forgiveness_i-believe-that-more-than-anything-else-t_1635480.jpg" --- # I believe that, more than anything else, this grief of… ![“I believe that, more than anything else, this grief of constantly having to face down our own inadequacies is what keeps people from being writers. Forgiveness,” quote by Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/ann-patchett-670_forgiveness_i-believe-that-more-than-anything-else-t_1635480.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/ann-patchett-670_forgiveness_i-believe-that-more-than-anything-else-t_1635480.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/ann-patchett-670_forgiveness_i-believe-that-more-than-anything-else-t_1635480.jpg) > ““I believe that, more than anything else, this grief of constantly having to face down our own inadequacies is what keeps people from being writers. Forgiveness,”” [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Perfectionism and self‑doubt block creative work; forgiveness of oneself is essential to writing. **In simple terms:** Self‑doubt hinders writing; forgiveness helps. Key Takeaway Practice forgiving self‑criticism. Themes creativity self‑doubt forgiveness Mood reflective hopeful Type literary motivational When to use this quote - writing sessions - editorial feedback - personal journaling - teaching Key Concepts psychology literature Questions to Reflect On - How do you confront your inadequacies? - What rituals enable you to write despite fear? A Different Perspective Perfectionism may persist despite forgiveness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-grief-520937/) [Forgiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiveness/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Grief Constantly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief-constantly-520936/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers/) [Writers Forgiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers-forgiveness-520935/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I believe that, more than anything else, this grief of constantly having to face down our own inadequacies is what keeps people from being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/i-believe-that-more-than-anything-else-this-grief-of-constantly/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [“Forgiveness. The ability to forgive oneself. Stop here for a few breaths and think about this because it is the key to making art,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/forgiveness-the-ability-to-forgive-oneself-stop-here-for-a-few/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [As a child I had dealt with a lot of loss and grief. I was constantly losing my parents, losing my home, constantly moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-gray/as-a-child-i-had-dealt-with-a-lot-of-loss-and-grief-i-was-constantly/) [Erin Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-gray/) > [I don't' believe it's grief I don't believe it's susan or the other girls I breed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beenie-man/i-don-t-believe-it-s-grief-i-don-t-believe-it-s-susan-or-the-other/) [Beenie Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beenie-man/) > [New grief, when it came, you could feel filling the air. It took up all the room there was. The place itself, the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/new-grief-when-it-came-you-could-feel-filling-the-air-it-took-up-all/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [I don't believe that grief passes away. It has its time and place forever. More time is added to it; it becomes a story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/i-don-t-believe-that-grief-passes-away-it-has-its-time-and-place/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [I do not believe that grief is ever so great that it can not be contained within.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/i-do-not-believe-that-grief-is-ever-so-great-that-it-can-not-be/) [Judith McNaught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/) > [Inside if you, you have the ability to accept that even the most perfect beginnings has the most imperfect endings. The courage to overcome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julandie/inside-if-you-you-have-the-ability-to-accept-that-even-the-most/) [Julandie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julandie/) > [What I expect from writers-and from myself as a writer-is to articulate a complex view of things. To incite us to be more compassionate.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/what-i-expect-from-writers-and-from-myself-as-a-writer-is-to/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [After the dead are buried, after the physical pain of grief has become a permanent wound in the soul, then comes the transcendent and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-dubus/after-the-dead-are-buried-after-the-physical-pain-of-grief-has-become/) [Andre Dubus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-dubus/) > [Christ took your cup of grief, your cup of the curse, pressed it to his lips, drank it to its dregs, then filled it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavius-winslow/christ-took-your-cup-of-grief-your-cup-of-the-curse-pressed-it-to-his/) [Octavius Winslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavius-winslow/) > [“A disproportionate number of stories are love stories – and what is homosexuality but a special narrative of love?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bram/a-disproportionate-number-of-stories-are-love-stories-and-what-is/) [Christopher Bram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bram/) > [The talk shows in the States want celebrities, not authors. In France, it is different; writers are called upon to comment on everything. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/the-talk-shows-in-the-states-want-celebrities-not-authors-in-france/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [To refer even in passing to unpublished or struggling authors and their problems is to put oneself at some risk, so I will say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/to-refer-even-in-passing-to-unpublished-or-struggling-authors-and/) [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) ## More by Ann Patchett > [She sang as if she was saving the life of every person in the room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/she-sang-as-if-she-was-saving-the-life-of-every-person-in-the-room/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [If I had problems, I kept them to myself. I didn't make a scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/if-i-had-problems-i-kept-them-to-myself-i-didn-t-make-a-scene/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [I can't write the book I want to write, but I can and will write the book I am capable of writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/i-can-t-write-the-book-i-want-to-write-but-i-can-and-will-write-the/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [“Without worry to protect me, every thought that came into my mind received real attention.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/without-worry-to-protect-me-every-thought-that-came-into-my-mind/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [“I wrote the last sentence of The Patron Saint of Liars in early April and stumbled out of my apartment and into the beautiful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/i-wrote-the-last-sentence-of-the-patron-saint-of-liars-in-early-april/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [“In the future, he will try to say her name enough, but he never can.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/in-the-future-he-will-try-to-say-her-name-enough-but-he-never-can/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [My novels are very much the same, as I think many people's novels are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/my-novels-are-very-much-the-same-as-i-think-many-people-s-novels-are/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [“He was in love, and never had he felt such kindness towards another person.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/he-was-in-love-and-never-had-he-felt-such-kindness-towards-another/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [“Gen was sleeping the sleep of the heavily drugged.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/gen-was-sleeping-the-sleep-of-the-heavily-drugged/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [If I was a waitress, I was too tired at the end of the day when I came home to try to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/if-i-was-a-waitress-i-was-too-tired-at-the-end-of-the-day-when-i-came/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [“She didn't know how to hate her mother yet, but every time she left her father crying in the airport she came that much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/she-didn-t-know-how-to-hate-her-mother-yet-but-every-time-she-left/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [“When you think of love you think as an American. You must think like a Russian. It is a more expansive view.' 'Americans havea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/when-you-think-of-love-you-think-as-an-american-you-must-think-like-a/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [“...Nebraska was white, a page as still as fallen snow. It was not crosshatched with roads, overrun with the hard lines of interstate systems.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/nebraska-was-white-a-page-as-still-as-fallen-snow-it-was-not/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [“Clearly he needed a father, but some other father, any other father, would have been preferable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/clearly-he-needed-a-father-but-some-other-father-any-other-father/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [“I don't have any talent for vacations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/i-don-t-have-any-talent-for-vacations/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) [Explore all 413 Ann Patchett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) ## More Forgiveness quotes > [“Lord I come before you, I repent all my sins; forgive me. I repent on behalf of my children forgive them Lord. Help them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euginia-herlihy/lord-i-come-before-you-i-repent-all-my-sins-forgive-me-i-repent-on/) [Euginia Herlihy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euginia-herlihy/) > [Forgiveness is not saying, What you did to me is okay. It is saying, Im not going to let what you did to me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate/forgiveness-is-not-saying-what-you-did-to-me-is-okay-it-is-saying-im/) [Nate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate/) > [“So in practicing blanket forgiveness you first assume that in any current condition of pain or discomfort there is some anger involved, even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-kahili-king/so-in-practicing-blanket-forgiveness-you-first-assume-that-in-any/) [Serge Kahili King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serge-kahili-king/) > [Do what is given to you, and do it well, and you will have done enough...live together in the forgiveness of your sins. Forgive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-what-is-given-to-you-and-do-it-well-and-you-will-have-done-enough/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The public, more often than not, will forgive mistakes, but it will not forgive trying to wiggle out of one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-grizzard/the-public-more-often-than-not-will-forgive-mistakes-but-it-will-not/) [Lewis Grizzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-grizzard/) > [A Real Boyfriend does the sweetest things randomly because he never wants her to feel unappreciated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enhance-dreams/a-real-boyfriend-does-the-sweetest-things-randomly-because-he-never/) [Enhance Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enhance-dreams/) > [“(Evil people) do not believe in forgiveness. Their transgressions are either punished or not punished. That is the only result that matters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mchugh/evil-people-do-not-believe-in-forgiveness-their-transgressions-are/) [Daniel McHugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mchugh/) > [Friendship means understanding, not argument. it means forgiveness, not forgetting. it means the memories last, even if contact is lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sokhom/friendship-means-understanding-not-argument-it-means-forgiveness-not/) [Sokhom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sokhom/) > [Grace is the wonderful spirit that imbues every fiber of our being when we practice the fruits of the spirit: kindness, patience, understanding, forgiveness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-cayce/grace-is-the-wonderful-spirit-that-imbues-every-fiber-of-our-being/) [Edgar Cayce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-cayce/) > [One of the most basic principles for making and keeping peace within and between nations. . . is that in political, military, moral, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/one-of-the-most-basic-principles-for-making-and-keeping-peace-within/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [“Have an open mind and heart. Learn to journey in understanding and forgiveness. It's not always going to be easy but it will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-elle/have-an-open-mind-and-heart-learn-to-journey-in-understanding-and/) [Alexandra Elle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-elle/) > [Forgive us our trespasses," says Margarethe, "and get out of our way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/forgive-us-our-trespasses-says-margarethe-and-get-out-of-our-way/) [Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/) > [“ving self and others is an every second of every day of every week, of every month, of every year gift that should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/ving-self-and-others-is-an-every-second-of-every-day-of-every-week-of/) [Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/) > [Forgive yourself for not being the richest, the thinnest, the tallest, the one with the best hair. Forgive yourself for not being the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/forgive-yourself-for-not-being-the-richest-the-thinnest-the-tallest/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [If you can't forgive and forget, pick only one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-brault/if-you-can-t-forgive-and-forget-pick-only-one/) [Robert Brault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-brault/) [Browse all 8,311 Forgiveness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiveness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I believe that, more than anything else, this grief of constantly having to face down our own inadequacies is what keeps people from being writers. 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