--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I cannot imagine a sorrier pursuit than…" description: "\"I cannot imagine a sorrier pursuit than struggling for years to write a book that attempts to appeal to people who do not read in the first place.\" — A..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96c/annie-dillard-509_appeals_i-cannot-imagine-a-sorrier-pursuit-than_565664.jpg" --- # I cannot imagine a sorrier pursuit than struggling for… ![“I cannot imagine a sorrier pursuit than struggling for years to write a book that attempts to appeal to people who do not read in the first place.” quote by Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96c/annie-dillard-509_appeals_i-cannot-imagine-a-sorrier-pursuit-than_565664.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96c/annie-dillard-509_appeals_i-cannot-imagine-a-sorrier-pursuit-than_565664.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96c/annie-dillard-509_appeals_i-cannot-imagine-a-sorrier-pursuit-than_565664.jpg) > “I cannot imagine a sorrier pursuit than struggling for years to write a book that attempts to appeal to people who do not read in the first place.” [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing for an audience that doesn’t read is a paradoxical, often futile endeavor. **In simple terms:** Writing for non‑readers feels pointless. Key Takeaway Focus on readers who engage with your work. Themes writing audience paradox Mood reflective melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - author workshops - publishing pitches - marketing strategies Key Concepts literature communication motivation Questions to Reflect On - Why write for those who won’t read? - How can you reach reluctant readers? A Different Perspective May limit creative freedom or alienate niche audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Appeals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appeals/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Book Attempts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-attempts-4679666/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [First place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-place/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine/) [Imagine Sorrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine-sorrier-4679668/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Pursuit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursuit/) [Pursuit Struggling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursuit-struggling-4679667/) [Sorrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrier-4679669/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Struggling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggling/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [“How could I not come for you Moira? If I’d know who you were from the beginning I would have never let you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-lunderman/how-could-i-not-come-for-you-moira-if-i-d-know-who-you-were-from-the/) [Amy Lunderman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-lunderman/) > [At Lifes end, most people say they are sorrier for the things they didn't do than the things they did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/at-lifes-end-most-people-say-they-are-sorrier-for-the-things-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Democracy holds little appeal for people who are struggling to survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kagame/democracy-holds-little-appeal-for-people-who-are-struggling-to-survive/) [Paul Kagame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kagame/) > [The written word is weak. Many people prefer life to it. Life gets your blood going, & it smells good. Writing is mere writing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-written-word-is-weak-many-people-prefer-life-to-it-life-gets-your-2/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [I was giving people $15,000 checks, my friends that, like, we're struggling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-pratt/i-was-giving-people-15-000-checks-my-friends-that-like-we-re/) [Spencer Pratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-pratt/) > [I was a breed of people who aren't capable of doing anything, really. At college I began to get the idea that being macho…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-seymour-hoffman/i-was-a-breed-of-people-who-aren-t-capable-of-doing-anything-really/) [Philip Seymour Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-seymour-hoffman/) > [It's one thing to be struggling and not really making money in your early 20s and figuring out your life. Early 30s, you start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-eichner/it-s-one-thing-to-be-struggling-and-not-really-making-money-in-your/) [Billy Eichner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-eichner/) > [I did a lot of struggling with my identity trying to figure out who the heck I was. I had to face my demons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carter-cash/i-did-a-lot-of-struggling-with-my-identity-trying-to-figure-out-who/) [John Carter Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carter-cash/) > [Sometimes it's better to shut up and leave me alone then pester me constantly because I am a human and I have feelings too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamika-leeigh/sometimes-it-s-better-to-shut-up-and-leave-me-alone-then-pester-me/) [Tamika-leeigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamika-leeigh/) > [When you're struggling, especially mentally, it's only the team who can bring you out of that situation. It's not one or two players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-laudrup/when-you-re-struggling-especially-mentally-it-s-only-the-team-who-can/) [Michael Laudrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-laudrup/) > [The best education in the world is that got by struggling to get a living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/the-best-education-in-the-world-is-that-got-by-struggling-to-get-a/) [Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/) > [The world around us is an increasingly hostile and sinful place. Occasionally that splashes onto us, and perhaps, in the case of a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-world-around-us-is-an-increasingly-hostile-and-sinful-place/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [I have been struggling to find my way back into my body my whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/i-have-been-struggling-to-find-my-way-back-into-my-body-my-whole-life/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [I want to help people struggling with whatever it is they're going through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santan-dave/i-want-to-help-people-struggling-with-whatever-it-is-they-re-going/) [Santan Dave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santan-dave/) > [I always feel like I'm struggling to become someone else. Like I'm trying to find a new place, grab hold of a new life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-always-feel-like-i-m-struggling-to-become-someone-else-like-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## More by Annie Dillard > [Like everyone in his right mind, I feared Santa Claus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/like-everyone-in-his-right-mind-i-feared-santa-claus/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“This is a spendthrift economy; though nothing is lost, all is spent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/this-is-a-spendthrift-economy-though-nothing-is-lost-all-is-spent/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [The creatures I seek do not want to be seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-creatures-i-seek-do-not-want-to-be-seen/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [Nothing moves a woman so deeply as the boyhood of the man she loves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/nothing-moves-a-woman-so-deeply-as-the-boyhood-of-the-man-she-loves/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [We live in all we seek. The hidden shows up in too-plain sight. It lives captive on the face of the obvious - the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/we-live-in-all-we-seek-the-hidden-shows-up-in-too-plain-sight-it/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“...The mockingbird took a single step into the air and dropped. His wings were still folded against his sides as though he were singing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-mockingbird-took-a-single-step-into-the-air-and-dropped-his-wings/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“Father had stretched out his long legs and was tilting back in his chair. Mother sat with her knees crossed, in blue slacks, smoking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/father-had-stretched-out-his-long-legs-and-was-tilting-back-in-his/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [I am a frayed and nibbled survivor in a fallen world, and I am getting along. I am aging and eaten and have done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/i-am-a-frayed-and-nibbled-survivor-in-a-fallen-world-and-i-am-getting/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [It should surprise no one that the life of the writer - such as it is - is colorless to the point of sensory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/it-should-surprise-no-one-that-the-life-of-the-writer-such-as-it-is/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [It is madness to wear ladies' straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/it-is-madness-to-wear-ladies-straw-hats-and-velvet-hats-to-church-we/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [The sense impressions of one-celled animals are not edited for the brain. This is philosophically interesting in a rather mournful way, since it means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-sense-impressions-of-one-celled-animals-are-not-edited-for-the/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“What can we make of the inexpressible joy of children? It is a kind of gratitude, I think—the gratitude of the ten-year-old who wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/what-can-we-make-of-the-inexpressible-joy-of-children-it-is-a-kind-of/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“If we were to judge nature by its common sense or likelihood, we wouldn't believe the world existed. In nature, improbabilities are the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/if-we-were-to-judge-nature-by-its-common-sense-or-likelihood-we/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [For writing a first draft requires from the writer a peculiar internal state which ordinary life does not induce. ... how to set yourself spinning?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/for-writing-a-first-draft-requires-from-the-writer-a-peculiar/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [I am a fugitive and a vagabond, a sojourner seeking signs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/i-am-a-fugitive-and-a-vagabond-a-sojourner-seeking-signs/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) [Explore all 509 Annie Dillard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) ## More Appeals quotes > [Quotations can be valuable, like raisins in the rice pudding, for adding iron as well as eye appeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-bracken/quotations-can-be-valuable-like-raisins-in-the-rice-pudding-for/) [Peg Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-bracken/) > [If Robert Heinlein is more to your taste than George Lucas: “If you are part of a society that votes, then do so. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-drum/if-robert-heinlein-is-more-to-your-taste-than-george-lucas-if-you-are/) [Kevin Drum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-drum/) > [All the cliches of glamorous sophistication have little appeal to me. Do I want to live the British version of 'Dynasty?' No thanks!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sade-adu/all-the-cliches-of-glamorous-sophistication-have-little-appeal-to-me/) [Sade Adu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sade-adu/) > [It's an appeal as old as America and its presidency: This is an extraordinary country populated by hard-working, big-dreaming, freedom-loving people graced by God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-fournier/it-s-an-appeal-as-old-as-america-and-its-presidency-this-is-an/) [Ron Fournier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-fournier/) > [I liked wrestling a lot better than boxing. I remember thinking at that time that wrestling was a pure demonstration of strength, which I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-carpenter/i-liked-wrestling-a-lot-better-than-boxing-i-remember-thinking-at/) [Scott Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-carpenter/) > [As a social and as a personal force, religion has become a dependent variable. It does not originate; it reacts. It does not denounce;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-wright-mills/as-a-social-and-as-a-personal-force-religion-has-become-a-dependent/) [C. Wright Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-wright-mills/) > [The ascent of any route begins, in dreams at least, the autumn before. Our minds ring, involuntarily, with the alluring names of mountains, aiguilles,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-rebuffat/the-ascent-of-any-route-begins-in-dreams-at-least-the-autumn-before/) [Gaston Rebuffat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-rebuffat/) > [I sometimes find that my family's emphasis on stories, characters, and art that appeals directly to children rather than over their heads to adults…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-berenstain/i-sometimes-find-that-my-family-s-emphasis-on-stories-characters-and/) [Mike Berenstain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-berenstain/) > [Vice is its own reward. It is virtue which, if it is to be marketed with consumer appeal, must carry Green Shield stamps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/vice-is-its-own-reward-it-is-virtue-which-if-it-is-to-be-marketed/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [In my early teens, science fiction and fantasy had an almost-total hold over my imagination. Their outcast status was part of their appeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kunzru/in-my-early-teens-science-fiction-and-fantasy-had-an-almost-total/) [Hari Kunzru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kunzru/) > [The fact is that there is a profound spiritual hunger in the western world which, for a variety of reasons, its church is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-phillips/the-fact-is-that-there-is-a-profound-spiritual-hunger-in-the-western/) [Melanie Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-phillips/) > [People can talk about punk all they want, but after new wave put that down, metal is the voice of the disenfranchised and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-taylor/people-can-talk-about-punk-all-they-want-but-after-new-wave-put-that/) [Corey Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-taylor/) > [Appeal to all scholars of stupidity in the world. Come to Italy, this country has the highest rate of morons of the universe, especially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/appeal-to-all-scholars-of-stupidity-in-the-world-come-to-italy-this/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [Popular thought appeals to crowds, gatherings and tribes, who use it as a way to guide the herd. It is very evident in protests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-taylor/popular-thought-appeals-to-crowds-gatherings-and-tribes-who-use-it-as/) [Corey Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-taylor/) > [It is a law of nature we overlook, that intellectual versatility is the compensation for change, danger, and trouble. An animal perfectly in harmony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-law-of-nature-we-overlook-that-intellectual-versatility-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 1,420 Appeals quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appeals/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I cannot imagine a sorrier pursuit than struggling for years to write a book that attempts to appeal to people who do not read in the first place.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Annie Dillard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/i-cannot-imagine-a-sorrier-pursuit-than-struggling-for-years-to-write/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Appeals" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/i-cannot-imagine-a-sorrier-pursuit-than-struggling-for-years-to-write/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96c/annie-dillard-509_appeals_i-cannot-imagine-a-sorrier-pursuit-than_565664.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96c/annie-dillard-509_appeals_i-cannot-imagine-a-sorrier-pursuit-than_565664.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96c/annie-dillard-509_appeals_i-cannot-imagine-a-sorrier-pursuit-than_565664.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I cannot imagine a sorrier pursuit than struggling for years to write a book that attempts to appeal to…” — Annie Dillard", "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": "Annie Dillard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I cannot imagine a sorrier pursuit...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/i-cannot-imagine-a-sorrier-pursuit-than-struggling-for-years-to-write/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/i-cannot-imagine-a-sorrier-pursuit-than-struggling-for-years-to-write/#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 } } ] } ```