---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've heard people, usually writers, say…"
description: "\"I've heard people, usually writers, say that no one wrote a great book after winning the Booker, but I honestly did not feel any big pressure. 'The Gat..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/746/anne-enright-5402_bigs_i-ve-heard-people-usually-writers-say-th_1123630.png"
---

#  I've heard people, usually writers, say that no one wrote…

![“I've heard people, usually writers, say that no one wrote a great book after winning the Booker, but I honestly did not feel any big pressure. 'The Gathering' did hang over me in that it was darker than I thought at the time.” quote by Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/746/anne-enright-5402_bigs_i-ve-heard-people-usually-writers-say-th_1123630.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/746/anne-enright-5402_bigs_i-ve-heard-people-usually-writers-say-th_1123630.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/746/anne-enright-5402_bigs_i-ve-heard-people-usually-writers-say-th_1123630.png)

> “I've heard people, usually writers, say that no one wrote a great book after winning the Booker, but I honestly did not feel any big pressure. 'The Gathering' did hang over me in that it was darker than I thought at the time.”

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

## About This Quote

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

The author feels no pressure after winning a major award, though the previous work casts a darker shadow.

**In simple terms:** Award success doesn’t guarantee pressure.

Key Takeaway

Stay true to your voice.

Themes

creative pressure award expectations authorship

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

literary inspirational

When to use this quote

- writing a novel
- publishing
- public speaking

Key Concepts

literary criticism psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you handle expectations after success?
- What role does past work play in future projects?

A Different Perspective

Success can create hidden expectations.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/booker-495044/) [Booker Honestly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/booker-honestly-3052833/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Darker Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darker-thought-3052834/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Gathering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gathering/) [Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great/) [Great book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-book/) [Hang over](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hang-over/) [Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heard/) [Honestly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honestly/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Pressure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pressure/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Winning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winning/) [Winning Booker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winning-booker-3052832/) [Writers Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers-say-499483/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [Unless you got real short and real fat, you ain't no Booker T!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stone-cold-steve-austin/unless-you-got-real-short-and-real-fat-you-ain-t-no-booker-t/)

[Stone Cold Steve Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stone-cold-steve-austin/)

> [“When Booker first started working for her a few years ago and was living in their home, she saw him cower with apprehension every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheridan-brown/when-booker-first-started-working-for-her-a-few-years-ago-and-was/)

[Sheridan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheridan-brown/)

> [Booker Washington was branded an accommodationist by many of the people who criticized him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/booker-washington-was-branded-an-accommodationist-by-many-of-the/)

[H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/)

> [When I first went to Georgia Championship Wrestling, the promoter at the time Jim Barnett brought in Robert Fuller, who later became Colonel Rob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dibiase-sr/when-i-first-went-to-georgia-championship-wrestling-the-promoter-at/)

[Ted DiBiase Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dibiase-sr/)

> [I'm not defending what Cory Booker said. I'm saying I understand why he has to kiss the asses of the rich people on Wall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/i-m-not-defending-what-cory-booker-said-i-m-saying-i-understand-why/)

[Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/)

> [Cory Booker was somebody who just speaks kind of plain, and I don't mean that in a bad way at all. But he's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-redd/cory-booker-was-somebody-who-just-speaks-kind-of-plain-and-i-don-t/)

[Chris Redd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-redd/)

> [People aren't quite sure what it means when a book is a Booker Prize winner. They're not quite sure what is being recommended, what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/people-aren-t-quite-sure-what-it-means-when-a-book-is-a-booker-prize/)

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

> [ I'm hugely honored \[with the Man Booker Prize\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-beatty/i-m-hugely-honored-with-the-man-booker-prize/)

[Paul Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-beatty/)

> [Cory Booker I've known since 1993. We used to be part of the L'Chaim Society at Oxford University together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-garcetti/cory-booker-i-ve-known-since-1993-we-used-to-be-part-of-the-l-chaim/)

[Eric Garcetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-garcetti/)

> [He (Vince Russo) is the only booker I've seen who doesn't get people over, he gets them under.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cornette/he-vince-russo-is-the-only-booker-i-ve-seen-who-doesn-t-get-people/)

[Jim Cornette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cornette/)

> [The first record I bought was actually Booker T and the MG's 'Red Beans and Rice.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rodgers/the-first-record-i-bought-was-actually-booker-t-and-the-mg-s-red/)

[Paul Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rodgers/)

> [Booker Washington was essentially the head Republican boss in the South. He was a power broker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/booker-washington-was-essentially-the-head-republican-boss-in-the/)

[H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/)

> [ The \[Booker\] prize was actually responsible in many ways for my political activism. I won this thing and I was suddenly the darling of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/the-booker-prize-was-actually-responsible-in-many-ways-for-my/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [You can't really win as a Booker judge. If you choose the obvious names, the unit-shifters, you're accused of being timid and unimaginative; if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tibor-fischer/you-can-t-really-win-as-a-booker-judge-if-you-choose-the-obvious/)

[Tibor Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tibor-fischer/)

> [The Booker Prize is a big, popular prize for big, popular books, and that's the way it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/the-booker-prize-is-a-big-popular-prize-for-big-popular-books-and/)

[John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/)

## More by Anne Enright

> [Story is about pulling the reader in and a plot is a more externalized mechanism of revelation. A plot is more antic, more performative,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/story-is-about-pulling-the-reader-in-and-a-plot-is-a-more/)

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

> [I am interested in levels of brain discourse. How articulate are the voices in your head? You know, there's a different voice for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/i-am-interested-in-levels-of-brain-discourse-how-articulate-are-the/)

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

> [I have a small room to write in. One wall is completely covered in books. And I face the window with the curtain closed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/i-have-a-small-room-to-write-in-one-wall-is-completely-covered-in/)

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

> [I do not think we remember our family in any real sense. We live in them instead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/i-do-not-think-we-remember-our-family-in-any-real-sense-we-live-in/)

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

> [I do not believe in evil- I believe that we are human and fallible, that we things and spoil them in an ordinary way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/i-do-not-believe-in-evil-i-believe-that-we-are-human-and-fallible/)

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

> [“Val is a bachelor farmer in his seventies, so he should, by rights, be half mad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/val-is-a-bachelor-farmer-in-his-seventies-so-he-should-by-rights-be/)

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

> [Sometimes I will spend two or three days not speaking to anyone outside of the immediate family when they come home, and then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/sometimes-i-will-spend-two-or-three-days-not-speaking-to-anyone/)

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

> [God, I hate my family, these people I never chose to love, but love all the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/god-i-hate-my-family-these-people-i-never-chose-to-love-but-love-all/)

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

> [I find being Irish quite a wearing thing. It takes so much work because it is a social construction. People think you are going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/i-find-being-irish-quite-a-wearing-thing-it-takes-so-much-work/)

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

> [Writing is not my problem, it is my solution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/writing-is-not-my-problem-it-is-my-solution/)

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

> [The writing day can be, in some ways, too short, but it's actually a long series of hours, for months at a time, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/the-writing-day-can-be-in-some-ways-too-short-but-it-s-actually-a/)

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

> [People do not change, they are merely revealed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/people-do-not-change-they-are-merely-revealed/)

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

> [My kids are supposed to live till they are one hundred. You don't have to have a perfect house or a perfect relationship with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/my-kids-are-supposed-to-live-till-they-are-one-hundred-you-don-t-have/)

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

> [Cats, I always think, only jump into your lap to check if you are cold enough, yet, to eat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/cats-i-always-think-only-jump-into-your-lap-to-check-if-you-are-cold/)

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

> [Description is hard. Remember that all description is an opinion about the world. Find a place to stand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/description-is-hard-remember-that-all-description-is-an-opinion-about/)

[Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

[Explore all 101 Anne Enright quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/)

## More Bigs quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/)

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

> [I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-m-a-true-believer-in-prayer-a-big-believer-in-prayer/)

[Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/)

> [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/)

[Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/)

> [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/)

[Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/)

> [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/)

[Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/)

> [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/)

[Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/)

> [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/)

[Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/)

> [I didn't get how big it was until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news, and later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-didn-t-get-how-big-it-was-until-i-went-home-turned-on-the/)

[Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/)

> [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/)

[Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/)

> [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/)

[Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/)

> [People forget that there is a big difference between coercion and persuasion. The idea that evangelism is coercive is nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/people-forget-that-there-is-a-big-difference-between-coercion-and/)

[Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/)

> [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/)

[Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/)

> [I got in trouble my whole life for having a big mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/i-got-in-trouble-my-whole-life-for-having-a-big-mouth/)

[Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/)

[Browse all 15,539 Bigs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I've heard people, usually writers, say that no one wrote a great book after winning the Booker, but I honestly did not feel any big pressure. 'The Gathering' did hang over me in that it was darker than I thought at the time.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anne Enright"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/i-ve-heard-people-usually-writers-say-that-no-one-wrote-a-great-book/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bigs"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/i-ve-heard-people-usually-writers-say-that-no-one-wrote-a-great-book/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/746/anne-enright-5402_bigs_i-ve-heard-people-usually-writers-say-th_1123630.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/746/anne-enright-5402_bigs_i-ve-heard-people-usually-writers-say-th_1123630.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/746/anne-enright-5402_bigs_i-ve-heard-people-usually-writers-say-th_1123630.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I've heard people, usually writers, say that no one wrote a great book after winning the Booker, but I…” — Anne Enright",
                "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": "Anne Enright",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I've heard people, usually writers, say...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/i-ve-heard-people-usually-writers-say-that-no-one-wrote-a-great-book/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/i-ve-heard-people-usually-writers-say-that-no-one-wrote-a-great-book/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
