--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Do you know what I was smiling at? You…" description: "\"Do you know what I was smiling at? You wrote down that you were a writer by profession. It sounded to me like the loveliest euphemism I had ever heard...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb2/anonymous-1_euphemism_do-you-know-what-i-was-smiling-at-you-wr_2807289.jpg" --- # Do you know what I was smiling at? You wrote down that you… ![“Do you know what I was smiling at? You wrote down that you were a writer by profession. It sounded to me like the loveliest euphemism I had ever heard. When was writing ever your profession? It's never been anything but your religion.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb2/anonymous-1_euphemism_do-you-know-what-i-was-smiling-at-you-wr_2807289.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb2/anonymous-1_euphemism_do-you-know-what-i-was-smiling-at-you-wr_2807289.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb2/anonymous-1_euphemism_do-you-know-what-i-was-smiling-at-you-wr_2807289.jpg) > “Do you know what I was smiling at? You wrote down that you were a writer by profession. It sounded to me like the loveliest euphemism I had ever heard. When was writing ever your profession? It's never been anything but your religion.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker equates writing with a deep personal calling, not just a job. **In simple terms:** Writing is a religion, not a profession. Key Takeaway Treat your passion as purpose. Themes identity calling profession Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career choice - creative expression - personal fulfillment Key Concepts vocational identity passion vs work Questions to Reflect On - Is your work a calling or a job? - How do you balance passion and livelihood? A Different Perspective Passion may not pay bills. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Euphemism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/euphemism/) [Euphemism Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/euphemism-heard-3495045/) [Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heard/) [Profession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profession/) [Profession Sounded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profession-sounded-3495044/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Smiling Wrote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smiling-wrote-1859838/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Profession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-profession-309553/) [Wrote Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrote-writer-390677/) ## Related quotes > [“Do you know what I was smiling at? You wrote down that you were a writer by profession. It sounded to me like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger-2/do-you-know-what-i-was-smiling-at-you-wrote-down-that-you-were-a/) [J. D. salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger-2/) > ["Striking looking." That's a euphemism if I ever heard one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-perlman/striking-looking-that-s-a-euphemism-if-i-ever-heard-one/) [Ron Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-perlman/) > [I was a writer. I wrote on the show. We were in the writer's room and by about episode five, I started to think:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-goldstein/i-was-a-writer-i-wrote-on-the-show-we-were-in-the-writer-s-room-and/) [Brett Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-goldstein/) > [I grew up - my dad, every time I was with my dad, he was always - not always, but he wrote. He's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ad-rock/i-grew-up-my-dad-every-time-i-was-with-my-dad-he-was-always-not/) [Ad-Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ad-rock/) > [“You wrote down that you were a writer by profession. It sounded to me like the loveliest euphemism I had ever heard. When was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/you-wrote-down-that-you-were-a-writer-by-profession-it-sounded-to-me/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [Every individual needs revolution, inner division, overthrow of the existing order, and renewal, but not by forcing them upon his neighbors under the hypocritical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-individual-needs-revolution-inner-division-overthrow-of-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Negotiations are a euphemism for capitulation if the shadow of power is not cast across the bargaining table.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/negotiations-are-a-euphemism-for-capitulation-if-the-shadow-of-power/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Writing seems to be the only profession people imagine you can do by thinking about doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/writing-seems-to-be-the-only-profession-people-imagine-you-can-do-by/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Writing ... is a profession that can only be learned by writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/writing-is-a-profession-that-can-only-be-learned-by-writing/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [Writers were never meant to be professionals. Writing is not a profession, it is an activity, an essentially amateur occupation. It is what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/writers-were-never-meant-to-be-professionals-writing-is-not-a/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [Writing is not a profession, occupation or job; it is not a way of life: it is a comprehensive response to life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-mcdonald/writing-is-not-a-profession-occupation-or-job-it-is-not-a-way-of-life/) [Gregory Mcdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-mcdonald/) > [The mystique and the false glamour of the writing profession grow partly out of a mistaken belief that people who can express profound ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-burroway/the-mystique-and-the-false-glamour-of-the-writing-profession-grow/) [Janet Burroway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-burroway/) > [To me, writing is not a profession. You might as well call living a profession. Or having children. Anything you can't help doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-baum/to-me-writing-is-not-a-profession-you-might-as-well-call-living-a/) [Vicki Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-baum/) > [“Writing- the profession in which you stare at a computer screen, stare out the window, type a few words, then curse repeatedly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-goodman/writing-the-profession-in-which-you-stare-at-a-computer-screen-stare/) [Drew Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-goodman/) > [Beware of self-indulgence. The romance surrounding the writing profession carries several myths: that one must suffer in order to be creative; that one must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/beware-of-self-indulgence-the-romance-surrounding-the-writing/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Euphemism quotes > [Show some mercy to this chair which has stretched out its arms to you for so long; please satisfy its desire to embrace you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/show-some-mercy-to-this-chair-which-has-stretched-out-its-arms-to-you/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [Asymmetrical warfare is a euphemism for terrorism, just like collateral damage is a euphemism for killing innocent civilians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/asymmetrical-warfare-is-a-euphemism-for-terrorism-just-like/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [“We're going to go sit and chat." "Nice euphemism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tellulah-darling/we-re-going-to-go-sit-and-chat-nice-euphemism/) [Tellulah Darling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tellulah-darling/) > [Planned Parenthood's entire existence is basically based on keeping people in the dark through euphemism. You don't call it genocide, you call it reproductive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/planned-parenthood-s-entire-existence-is-basically-based-on-keeping/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [There's a grosser irony about Politically Correct English. This is that PCE purports to be the dialect of progressive reform but is in fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/there-s-a-grosser-irony-about-politically-correct-english-this-is/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [It hurt, and that is not a euphemism. It hurt like a beating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/it-hurt-and-that-is-not-a-euphemism-it-hurt-like-a-beating/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [For one thing, before the 20th century, there were plenty of genocides. We tend to forget about them, partly because they weren't as well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/for-one-thing-before-the-20th-century-there-were-plenty-of-genocides/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [ In practice \[monetary management\] is merely a high-sounding euphemism for continuous currency debasement. It consists of constant lying in order to support constant swindling.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hazlitt/in-practice-monetary-management-is-merely-a-high-sounding-euphemism/) [Henry Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hazlitt/) > [When I heard you could get a disease from playing with your prairie dog, I thought, 'Wow, what a euphemism.' I thought playing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-giraldo/when-i-heard-you-could-get-a-disease-from-playing-with-your-prairie/) [Greg Giraldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-giraldo/) > [As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/as-societies-grow-decadent-the-language-grows-decadent-too-words-are-2/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [I'm waxed clean - hairless as the day as I was born. But don't say 'Tia has no pubic hair.' That's so clinical. Use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tia-carrere/i-m-waxed-clean-hairless-as-the-day-as-i-was-born-but-don-t-say-tia/) [Tia Carrere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tia-carrere/) > [“I sense that the chocolate chips have hit the fan.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lynn-barnes/i-sense-that-the-chocolate-chips-have-hit-the-fan/) [Jennifer Lynn Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lynn-barnes/) > [When I went to medical school, I was taught about two basic kinds of diabetes: juvenile onset and adult onset. From the time I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-katz/when-i-went-to-medical-school-i-was-taught-about-two-basic-kinds-of/) [David Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-katz/) > [Being fat just a fact. It feels important to me to speak the truth about that, and to not use a euphemism. Euphemisms are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindy-west/being-fat-just-a-fact-it-feels-important-to-me-to-speak-the-truth/) [Lindy West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindy-west/) > [Underhand euphemism are used, not so much to conceal offence and to deliberately disguise a topic and deceive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-burridge/underhand-euphemism-are-used-not-so-much-to-conceal-offence-and-to/) [Kate Burridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-burridge/) [Browse all 110 Euphemism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/euphemism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Do you know what I was smiling at? You wrote down that you were a writer by profession. It sounded to me like the loveliest euphemism I had ever heard. When was writing ever your profession? 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