---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's not a matter of old or new forms; a…"
description: "\"It's not a matter of old or new forms; a person writes without thinking about any forms, he writes because it flows freely from his soul.\" — Anton Chekhov"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/320/anton-chekhov-298_flow_it-s-not-a-matter-of-old-or-new-forms-a_1445335.jpg"
---

#  It's not a matter of old or new forms; a person writes…

![“It's not a matter of old or new forms; a person writes without thinking about any forms, he writes because it flows freely from his soul.” quote by Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/320/anton-chekhov-298_flow_it-s-not-a-matter-of-old-or-new-forms-a_1445335.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/320/anton-chekhov-298_flow_it-s-not-a-matter-of-old-or-new-forms-a_1445335.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/320/anton-chekhov-298_flow_it-s-not-a-matter-of-old-or-new-forms-a_1445335.jpg)

> “It's not a matter of old or new forms; a person writes without thinking about any forms, he writes because it flows freely from his soul.”

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

## About This Quote

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

Writing emerges naturally from the soul, not from conscious adherence to form.

**In simple terms:** Writing flows from inner feeling.

Key Takeaway

Write authentically.

Themes

creativity authenticity expression

Mood

inspirational philosophical

Type

reflective creative

When to use this quote

- journaling
- creative writing workshops
- personal essays

Key Concepts

soulful writing spontaneity

Questions to Reflect On

- How does form influence meaning?
- Can unstructured writing be effective?

A Different Perspective

Risk of neglecting structure.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Flow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flow/) [Flows Freely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flows-freely-1315568/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Freely Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freely-soul-5183097/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Person Writes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person-writes-354189/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writes/) [Writes Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writes-thinking-5183098/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [Whenever a person writes something, anything, it's usually because they're going through something so strong all they can do is try to put it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugenia-vela/whenever-a-person-writes-something-anything-it-s-usually-because-they/)

[Eugenia Vela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugenia-vela/)

> [I don't even know how to define myself. I'm a person who writes. It's something I enjoy, and hopefully people enjoy it as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macaulay-culkin/i-don-t-even-know-how-to-define-myself-i-m-a-person-who-writes-it-s/)

[Macaulay Culkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macaulay-culkin/)

> [I think of myself as someone who thinks largely through writing. Thus I write more than most people, and I write in many different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/i-think-of-myself-as-someone-who-thinks-largely-through-writing-thus/)

[Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/)

> [No person writes to win awards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-yan/no-person-writes-to-win-awards/)

[Mo Yan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-yan/)

> [One of the reasons that any person writes anything is to try and keep his own sanity together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-wilentz/one-of-the-reasons-that-any-person-writes-anything-is-to-try-and-keep/)

[Sean Wilentz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-wilentz/)

> [Suppose that a person writes what she must. That is only the first step of becoming a writer. The work must survive the moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-piercy/suppose-that-a-person-writes-what-she-must-that-is-only-the-first/)

[Marge Piercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marge-piercy/)

> [“Every person writes his own book with the example of his life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casper-silk/every-person-writes-his-own-book-with-the-example-of-his-life/)

[Casper Silk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casper-silk/)

> [Love flows freely from the fountain of a love-filled heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-flows-freely-from-the-fountain-of-a-love-filled-heart/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [We shouldn't feel insulated just because water flows freely from our taps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/we-shouldn-t-feel-insulated-just-because-water-flows-freely-from-our/)

[Jessica Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-yu/)

> [The point of the dragonfly's terrible lip, the giant water bug, birdsong, or the beautiful dazzle and flash of sunlighted minnows,is not that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-point-of-the-dragonfly-s-terrible-lip-the-giant-water-bug/)

[Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/)

> [“Release and resolve fear, and what you want flows freely.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-maclaine/release-and-resolve-fear-and-what-you-want-flows-freely/)

[Shirley Maclaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-maclaine/)

> [Borders are semiporous. Capital flows more freely than people across them. on C Span.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/borders-are-semiporous-capital-flows-more-freely-than-people-across/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [“Money flows to me freely, copiously, and endlessly. I AM tuned into the flow of prosperity and abundance!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-barrow/money-flows-to-me-freely-copiously-and-endlessly-i-am-tuned-into-the/)

[Ron Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-barrow/)

> [“As the river that flows freely, your mind drives me to look at the cages that I have built around me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-wolf/as-the-river-that-flows-freely-your-mind-drives-me-to-look-at-the/)

[J.WOLF](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-wolf/)

> [“Energy is Everything, including you, When your energy flows freely, your life flows easily”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazel-butterworth/energy-is-everything-including-you-when-your-energy-flows-freely-your/)

[Hazel Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazel-butterworth/)

## More by Anton Chekhov

> [“Using vile means to attain worthy ends makes the ends themselves vile. Let them ride on the backs of doctors and medical assistants, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/using-vile-means-to-attain-worthy-ends-makes-the-ends-themselves-vile/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [If ever my life can be of any use to you, come and claim it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/if-ever-my-life-can-be-of-any-use-to-you-come-and-claim-it/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [There are still many more days of failure ahead, whole seasons of failure, things will go terribly wrong, you will have huge disappointments ,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/there-are-still-many-more-days-of-failure-ahead-whole-seasons-of/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [“But here was all the timorousness and angularity of inexperienced youth, a feeling of awkwardness, and an impression of bewilderment, as if someone had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/but-here-was-all-the-timorousness-and-angularity-of-inexperienced/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [“At the water's edge, barrels of pitch blazed like huge bonfires. Their reflection, crimson as the rising moon, crept to meet us in long,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/at-the-water-s-edge-barrels-of-pitch-blazed-like-huge-bonfires-their/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [Anna Petrovna: Never talk to women about your own good qualities. Let them find out for themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/anna-petrovna-never-talk-to-women-about-your-own-good-qualities-let/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [While you're playing cards with a regular guy or having a bite to eat with him, he seems a peaceable, good-humoured and not entirely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/while-you-re-playing-cards-with-a-regular-guy-or-having-a-bite-to-eat/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [“Lebedev: France has a clear and defined policy... The French know what they want. They just want to wipe out the Krauts, finish, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/lebedev-france-has-a-clear-and-defined-policy-the-french-know-what/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [“My holy of holies are the human body, health, intelligence, talent, inspiration, love, and the most absolute freedom - freedom from force and falsity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/my-holy-of-holies-are-the-human-body-health-intelligence-talent/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [“What we have, we do not treasure,” and what’s more we do not even love it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/what-we-have-we-do-not-treasure-and-what-s-more-we-do-not-even-love-it/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [No matter how corrupt and unjust a convict may be, he loves fairness more than anything else. If the people placed over him are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/no-matter-how-corrupt-and-unjust-a-convict-may-be-he-loves-fairness/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [“It is my opinion that every woman can be a writer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/it-is-my-opinion-that-every-woman-can-be-a-writer/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [“His reading suggested a man swimming in the sea among the wreckage of his ship, and trying to save his life by greedily clutching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/his-reading-suggested-a-man-swimming-in-the-sea-among-the-wreckage-of/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [“Experience often repeated, truly bitter experience, had taught him long ago that with decent people, especially Moscow people -- always slow to move and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/experience-often-repeated-truly-bitter-experience-had-taught-him-long/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [“Why do you always wear black?” "I am mourning for my life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/why-do-you-always-wear-black-i-am-mourning-for-my-life/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

[Explore all 679 Anton Chekhov quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

## More Flow quotes

> [Humanitarian goods and people must flow in both directions. Gaza cannot and must not be allowed to remain a prison camp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cameron/humanitarian-goods-and-people-must-flow-in-both-directions-gaza/)

[David Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cameron/)

> [Memory is funny. Once you hit a vein the problem is not how to remember but how to control the flow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-wolff/memory-is-funny-once-you-hit-a-vein-the-problem-is-not-how-to/)

[Tobias Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-wolff/)

> [Behind every word flows energy. If you use your words to gossip or babble about what you are going to do before you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-choquette/behind-every-word-flows-energy-if-you-use-your-words-to-gossip-or/)

[Sonia Choquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-choquette/)

> [We need to discover all over again that worship is natural to the Christian, as it was to the godly Israelites who wrote the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-packer/we-need-to-discover-all-over-again-that-worship-is-natural-to-the/)

[J. I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/)

> [I take the seashell from my jeans pocket and rub my fingers across its silken, indented surface, shallow as my own open hand. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrina-kenison/i-take-the-seashell-from-my-jeans-pocket-and-rub-my-fingers-across/)

[Katrina Kenison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katrina-kenison/)

> [Like the water of a deep stream, love is always too much. We did not make it. Though we drink till we burst, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/like-the-water-of-a-deep-stream-love-is-always-too-much-we-did-not/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [Forgetting your Self is the greatest injury; all the calamities flow from it. Take care of the most important, the lesser will take care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/forgetting-your-self-is-the-greatest-injury-all-the-calamities-flow/)

[Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/)

> [“When we strike a balance between the challenge of an activity and our skill at performing it, when the rhythm of the work itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-gore/when-we-strike-a-balance-between-the-challenge-of-an-activity-and-our/)

[Ariel Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-gore/)

> [When we fall utterly, something gathers us up. But our falling must be without reservation, without expectation, without hope, though not hopeless. You cant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/when-we-fall-utterly-something-gathers-us-up-but-our-falling-must-be/)

[Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/)

> [I have this belief about things happening organically. I believe life has this organic flow in a way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naoko-mori/i-have-this-belief-about-things-happening-organically-i-believe-life/)

[Naoko Mori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naoko-mori/)

> [Sometimes by a woodland stream he watched the water rush over the pebbled bed, its tiny modulations of bounce and flow. A woman's body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/sometimes-by-a-woodland-stream-he-watched-the-water-rush-over-the/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [David Rockefeller is the most conspicuous representative today of the ruling class, a multinational fraternity of men who shape the global economy and manage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-moyers/david-rockefeller-is-the-most-conspicuous-representative-today-of-the/)

[Bill Moyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-moyers/)

> [The tides which flow and lapse in the Bristol Channel are often distained by the freshets of many streams falling through wooded coombes below…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-williamson/the-tides-which-flow-and-lapse-in-the-bristol-channel-are-often/)

[Henry Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-williamson/)

> [“Life is a flow which we can either resist or go with it gracefully.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonmoy-acharjee/life-is-a-flow-which-we-can-either-resist-or-go-with-it-gracefully/)

[Tonmoy Acharjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonmoy-acharjee/)

> [What a strange power the perception of beauty is! It seems to ebb and flow like some secret tide, independent alike of health and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-benson/what-a-strange-power-the-perception-of-beauty-is-it-seems-to-ebb-and/)

[A. C. Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-benson/)

[Browse all 3,282 Flow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flow/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It's not a matter of old or new forms; a person writes without thinking about any forms, he writes because it flows freely from his soul.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anton Chekhov"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/it-s-not-a-matter-of-old-or-new-forms-a-person-writes-without/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Flow"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/it-s-not-a-matter-of-old-or-new-forms-a-person-writes-without/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/320/anton-chekhov-298_flow_it-s-not-a-matter-of-old-or-new-forms-a_1445335.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/320/anton-chekhov-298_flow_it-s-not-a-matter-of-old-or-new-forms-a_1445335.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/320/anton-chekhov-298_flow_it-s-not-a-matter-of-old-or-new-forms-a_1445335.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It's not a matter of old or new forms; a person writes without thinking about any forms, he writes because…” — Anton Chekhov",
                "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": "Anton Chekhov",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It's not a matter of old...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/it-s-not-a-matter-of-old-or-new-forms-a-person-writes-without/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/it-s-not-a-matter-of-old-or-new-forms-a-person-writes-without/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
