--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Before I published anything, I dreamed of…" description: "\"Before I published anything, I dreamed of publication, but I didn't actually write for it. I imagined that writing for an audience was something for fa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d6/ariel-gore-16108_audience_before-i-published-anything-i-dreamed-of_2141105.png" --- # Before I published anything, I dreamed of publication, but… ![“Before I published anything, I dreamed of publication, but I didn't actually write for it. I imagined that writing for an audience was something for fancier people. I aspired, but mostly I wrote for myself. I wrote because it made me happy.” quote by Ariel Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d6/ariel-gore-16108_audience_before-i-published-anything-i-dreamed-of_2141105.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d6/ariel-gore-16108_audience_before-i-published-anything-i-dreamed-of_2141105.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d6/ariel-gore-16108_audience_before-i-published-anything-i-dreamed-of_2141105.png) > “Before I published anything, I dreamed of publication, but I didn't actually write for it. I imagined that writing for an audience was something for fancier people. I aspired, but mostly I wrote for myself. I wrote because it made me happy.” [Ariel Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-gore/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She imagined publishing as a lofty goal, but initially wrote for personal joy, not audience approval **In simple terms:** She wrote for herself, not for fame Key Takeaway Write for personal fulfillment first Themes creativity self‑expression writing Mood content reflective Type personal inspirational When to use this quote - journaling - blogging - creative projects - personal essays Key Concepts intrinsic motivation self‑actualization Questions to Reflect On - How does writing for yourself affect the quality of your work? - What would change if you wrote for an audience? A Different Perspective Audience expectations can later shift focus away from authenticity ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [It's so much easier to write for a person in your life than to write for some imagined readership, so you write something that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-peretti/it-s-so-much-easier-to-write-for-a-person-in-your-life-than-to-write/) [Jonah Peretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-peretti/) > [“I recalled the afternoon when the two of us stood beating erasers, and Camille confided that she'd done penance for stories - stories that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-dybek/i-recalled-the-afternoon-when-the-two-of-us-stood-beating-erasers-and/) [Stuart Dybek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-dybek/) > [I'd never imagined myself writing at all until I was almost 30. And horror films weren't to my taste, at least the super popular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-walton/i-d-never-imagined-myself-writing-at-all-until-i-was-almost-30-and/) [Karen Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-walton/) > [I've always done more than I ever thought I would. Becoming a professor - I never would have imagined that. Writing books - I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-gilpin-faust/i-ve-always-done-more-than-i-ever-thought-i-would-becoming-a/) [Drew Gilpin Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-gilpin-faust/) > [When Tolstoy wrote that all happy families are alike, what he meant was that there are no happy families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cheever/when-tolstoy-wrote-that-all-happy-families-are-alike-what-he-meant/) [Susan Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cheever/) > [When I was in grade school, they told me to write down what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-was-in-grade-school-they-told-me-to-write-down-what-i-wanted/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [And I made a rural pen, And I stained the water clear, And I wrote my happy songs Every Child may joy to hear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/and-i-made-a-rural-pen-and-i-stained-the-water-clear-and-i-wrote-my/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/when-i-went-to-school-they-asked-me-what-i-wanted-to-be-when-i-grew/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [I wrote 'Happy Man' with a couple of boys of mine. I have been writing in Nashville for a long time. Of course I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-kane/i-wrote-happy-man-with-a-couple-of-boys-of-mine-i-have-been-writing/) [Christian Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-kane/) > [When I was 5 years old my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/when-i-was-5-years-old-my-mother-always-told-me-that-happiness-was/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [I did The 'Acid Test' at the Royal Court, by Anya Reiss, who's the most wonderful, amazing female writer. She was only 19 when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-kirby/i-did-the-acid-test-at-the-royal-court-by-anya-reiss-who-s-the-most/) [Vanessa Kirby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-kirby/) > [“I didn't know what words to use until my hand wrote them, though as I wrote, I saw every color, heard the singing bird,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-berry/i-didn-t-know-what-words-to-use-until-my-hand-wrote-them-though-as-i/) [Julie Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-berry/) > [In the immediate aftermath of the separation I just wrote and wrote and wrote. And wrote and wrote and wrote. Thank God I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pegi-young/in-the-immediate-aftermath-of-the-separation-i-just-wrote-and-wrote/) [Pegi Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pegi-young/) > [I was a Teletype operator in the army, so that's where I learned to type. One day, I went downstairs to see if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-reiner/i-was-a-teletype-operator-in-the-army-so-that-s-where-i-learned-to/) [Carl Reiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-reiner/) > [“I was a wannabe who was actually unable to write because I had nothing to say, who wasn’t honest enough with himself to draw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/i-was-a-wannabe-who-was-actually-unable-to-write-because-i-had/) [Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) ## More by Ariel Gore > [“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 you study postpartum depression, there is a very clear understanding that in communities where you see more support, there is less depression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-gore/when-you-study-postpartum-depression-there-is-a-very-clear/) [Ariel Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-gore/) > [I don't know if my mother was a narcissist - or bi-polar or borderline. Those were words she tossed around over the years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-gore/i-don-t-know-if-my-mother-was-a-narcissist-or-bi-polar-or-borderline/) [Ariel Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-gore/) > [“No one ever does the last thing on their list.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-gore/no-one-ever-does-the-last-thing-on-their-list/) [Ariel Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-gore/) > [Conventional wisdom tells us we'll only be happier after a divorce if the marriage itself was a war zone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-gore/conventional-wisdom-tells-us-we-ll-only-be-happier-after-a-divorce-if/) [Ariel Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-gore/) > [My own habit had always been to write about the things that ticked me off in a given day. If I kept a journal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-gore/my-own-habit-had-always-been-to-write-about-the-things-that-ticked-me/) [Ariel Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-gore/) > [I think there are different kinds of happiness. We know when we're happy a lot of the time, but then there are those moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-gore/i-think-there-are-different-kinds-of-happiness-we-know-when-we-re/) [Ariel Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-gore/) > [Some caregivers want to reciprocate the care they themselves received as children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-gore/some-caregivers-want-to-reciprocate-the-care-they-themselves-received/) [Ariel Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-gore/) > [“I wanted to be a writer, so I became one. How? I wrote things down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-gore/i-wanted-to-be-a-writer-so-i-became-one-how-i-wrote-things-down/) [Ariel Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-gore/) > [ “Poet' had always sounded like a profession to me, or a talent. But the dead American \[Muriel Rukeyser, The Life of Poetry\] made it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-gore/poet-had-always-sounded-like-a-profession-to-me-or-a-talent-but-the/) [Ariel Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-gore/) > [In my experience, staying in a marriage that my ex and I both agreed had all its best moments behind it was epically depressing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-gore/in-my-experience-staying-in-a-marriage-that-my-ex-and-i-both-agreed/) [Ariel Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-gore/) > [I always do like seeing other people dance in their cars. It's one of the things that makes me happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-gore/i-always-do-like-seeing-other-people-dance-in-their-cars-it-s-one-of/) [Ariel Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-gore/) > [Maybe it goes without saying that if you want to become a famous writer before you’re dead, you’ll have to write something. But the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-gore/maybe-it-goes-without-saying-that-if-you-want-to-become-a-famous/) [Ariel Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-gore/) > [Your heart is the size of your fist; keep loving, keep fighting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-gore/your-heart-is-the-size-of-your-fist-keep-loving-keep-fighting/) [Ariel Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-gore/) > [New Agers have always told us that we create our own realities. Mind over matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-gore/new-agers-have-always-told-us-that-we-create-our-own-realities-mind/) [Ariel Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-gore/) [Explore all 41 Ariel Gore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-gore/) ## More Audience quotes > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [It's the adrenaline rush you only get from being in front of an audience. It's addictive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-saadiq/it-s-the-adrenaline-rush-you-only-get-from-being-in-front-of-an/) [Raphael Saadiq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-saadiq/) > [If I had to speak in front of a Korean audience, I would be hard pressed to sound other than a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/if-i-had-to-speak-in-front-of-a-korean-audience-i-would-be-hard/) [An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/) > [The liveness of theater, and the excitement of experiencing it alongside an audience, is something you can't get at home. That makes the theater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-blaemire/the-liveness-of-theater-and-the-excitement-of-experiencing-it/) [Nick Blaemire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-blaemire/) > [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [When you lived it for years and years and years and seen different characters just get pummeled and squashed because 'I said so,' it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arn-anderson/when-you-lived-it-for-years-and-years-and-years-and-seen-different/) [Arn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arn-anderson/) > [“During the first few minutes of your presentation, your job is to assure the audience members that you are not going to waste their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/during-the-first-few-minutes-of-your-presentation-your-job-is-to/) [Dale Ludwig and Greg Owen-Boger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I don't think about who the audience is for my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-don-t-think-about-who-the-audience-is-for-my-books/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [I feel I have been playing all primary characters. And if your character forms a connect with the audience, it doesn't matter if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angad-bedi/i-feel-i-have-been-playing-all-primary-characters-and-if-your/) [Angad Bedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angad-bedi/) > [When I was playing piano, it was like, 'I'm going to write a song using all the white keys.' My music director, who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/when-i-was-playing-piano-it-was-like-i-m-going-to-write-a-song-using/) [John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/) [Browse all 9,118 Audience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Before I published anything, I dreamed of publication, but I didn't actually write for it. I imagined that writing for an audience was something for fancier people. I aspired, but mostly I wrote for myself. 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