--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The writer is the midwife of understanding." description: "\"The writer is the midwife of understanding.\" — Arundhati Roy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/276/arundhati-roy-346_learning_the-writer-is-the-midwife-of-understandi_3134934.png" --- # The writer is the midwife of understanding. ![“The writer is the midwife of understanding.” quote by Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/276/arundhati-roy-346_learning_the-writer-is-the-midwife-of-understandi_3134934.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/276/arundhati-roy-346_learning_the-writer-is-the-midwife-of-understandi_3134934.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/276/arundhati-roy-346_learning_the-writer-is-the-midwife-of-understandi_3134934.png) > “The writer is the midwife of understanding.” [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writers help others understand deeper truths by facilitating insight. **In simple terms:** Writers help uncover understanding. Key Takeaway Support writers as bridges to insight. Themes writing understanding communication clarity insight Mood thoughtful reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - teaching - media analysis - creative workshops Key Concepts literature interpretation empathy Questions to Reflect On - What role does a writer play in shaping perception? - How can we foster deeper reading? A Different Perspective Readers may misinterpret or oversimplify messages. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Fiction is truth. I think fiction is the truest thing there ever was. My whole effort is to remove that distinction. The writer is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/fiction-is-truth-i-think-fiction-is-the-truest-thing-there-ever-was/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Well, I've just played a midwife but never for a second would I think that I could ever deliver a baby! So, to that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-bottomley/well-i-ve-just-played-a-midwife-but-never-for-a-second-would-i-think/) [Christine Bottomley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-bottomley/) > [No times were more dangerous than when our country was born, when revolution was our midwife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-inouye/no-times-were-more-dangerous-than-when-our-country-was-born-when/) [Daniel Inouye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-inouye/) > [We should work to guarantee that there is a midwife or health worker by every woman's side during childbirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liya-kebede/we-should-work-to-guarantee-that-there-is-a-midwife-or-health-worker/) [Liya Kebede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liya-kebede/) > [Other days, other ways; and, although they have now been greatly improved upon, the old country midwives did at least succeed in bringing into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flora-thompson/other-days-other-ways-and-although-they-have-now-been-greatly/) [Flora Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flora-thompson/) > [A lonely Autumn leaf on the road by sticking to another one becomes more resistant to harsh winds. Unity is the midwife of security!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/a-lonely-autumn-leaf-on-the-road-by-sticking-to-another-one-becomes/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [The artist's job, I think, is to be a conduit for mystery. To intuit it, and recognize that the story-germ has some inherent mystery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/the-artist-s-job-i-think-is-to-be-a-conduit-for-mystery-to-intuit-it/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [The sobs and tears of joy he had not foreseen rose with such force within him that his whole body shook and for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-sobs-and-tears-of-joy-he-had-not-foreseen-rose-with-such-force/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My dad is a nurse midwife, one of about only 50 male midwives in the U.S., I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-morrison/my-dad-is-a-nurse-midwife-one-of-about-only-50-male-midwives-in-the-u/) [Matthew Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-morrison/) > [Country music has been empowering to women. Women invented it - it was women singing to their children that built country music. The people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ketch-secor/country-music-has-been-empowering-to-women-women-invented-it-it-was/) [Ketch Secor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ketch-secor/) > [Midwives and doctors play a crucial role preventing unnecessary maternal deaths. They educate women about nutrition, health and family planning. And they step in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liya-kebede/midwives-and-doctors-play-a-crucial-role-preventing-unnecessary/) [Liya Kebede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liya-kebede/) > [“a midwife’s role was to work with nature, whereas a doctor was trained to seek out its defects and remedy them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-palmer/a-midwife-s-role-was-to-work-with-nature-whereas-a-doctor-was-trained/) [Gabrielle Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-palmer/) > [“I cried with pride as I looked into the face of a midwife from the next generation of baby catchers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-vincent/i-cried-with-pride-as-i-looked-into-the-face-of-a-midwife-from-the/) Peggy Vincent > [When you are in hard labor, remember that the length of labor is usually proportional to the number of people around. Avoid the presence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-odent/when-you-are-in-hard-labor-remember-that-the-length-of-labor-is/) [Michel Odent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-odent/) > [I was born in Tyrone, 1956, for something I didn't do. I was innocent. But they gave me life. I still remember the midwife…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mcaleer/i-was-born-in-tyrone-1956-for-something-i-didn-t-do-i-was-innocent/) Kevin McAleer ## More by Arundhati Roy > [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [In 2001, we were told that the war in Afghanistan was a feminist mission. The marines were liberating Afghan women from the Taliban. Can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-2001-we-were-told-that-the-war-in-afghanistan-was-a-feminist/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Poverty is a crime and the poor are terrorists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/poverty-is-a-crime-and-the-poor-are-terrorists/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Flat muscled and honey coloured. Sea secrets in his eyes. A silver raindrop in his ear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/flat-muscled-and-honey-coloured-sea-secrets-in-his-eyes-a-silver/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Fiction and non-fiction are only different techniques of story telling. For reasons I do not fully understand, fiction dances out of me. Non-fiction is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/fiction-and-non-fiction-are-only-different-techniques-of-story/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [NGOs have a complicated space in neoliberal politics. They are supposed to mop up the anger. Even when they are doing good work, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/ngos-have-a-complicated-space-in-neoliberal-politics-they-are/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [I've never been that person who thought that because I've written one novel, I should write another and another. It's only when there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/i-ve-never-been-that-person-who-thought-that-because-i-ve-written-one/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [It is such a supreme folly to believe that nuclear weapons are deadly only if they're used.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/it-is-such-a-supreme-folly-to-believe-that-nuclear-weapons-are-deadly/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [I think one of the saddest things that's happening to literature is that it's getting over-simplified by this diet of simple political ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/i-think-one-of-the-saddest-things-that-s-happening-to-literature-is/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [The only dream worth having, I told her, is to dream that you will live while you're alive and die only when you're dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/the-only-dream-worth-having-i-told-her-is-to-dream-that-you-will-live/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [But what was there to say? Only that there were tears. Only that Quietness and Emptiness fitted together like stacked spoons. Only that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/but-what-was-there-to-say-only-that-there-were-tears-only-that/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Truly, there's no alternative to stupidity. Cretinism is the mother of fascism. I have no defence against it, really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/truly-there-s-no-alternative-to-stupidity-cretinism-is-the-mother-of/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“...the secret of the Great Stories is that they have no secrets. The Great Stories are the ones you have heard and want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/the-secret-of-the-great-stories-is-that-they-have-no-secrets-the/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“stilts, the ground floors given over to parking. It’s a good idea in this car-maddened city,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/stilts-the-ground-floors-given-over-to-parking-it-s-a-good-idea-in/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“Perhaps it’s true that things can change in a day. That a few dozen hours can affect the outcome of whole lifetimes. And that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/perhaps-it-s-true-that-things-can-change-in-a-day-that-a-few-dozen/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) [Explore all 628 Arundhati Roy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) ## More Learning quotes > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [Just understand that the good that you want is already here. All you have to do is get in harmony with it. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/just-understand-that-the-good-that-you-want-is-already-here-all-you/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [“Men mistook measurement for understanding. And they always had to put themselves at the center of everything. That was their greatest conceit. The earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/men-mistook-measurement-for-understanding-and-they-always-had-to-put/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/) [Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/) > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [Learning from the best, you will eventually become the best if you have the talent already, if you have that potential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-orton/learning-from-the-best-you-will-eventually-become-the-best-if-you/) [Randy Orton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-orton/) > [Everything I do is more memorable and I understand music more than ever now. It's not a burden to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seungri/everything-i-do-is-more-memorable-and-i-understand-music-more-than/) [Seungri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seungri/) > [“let us not teach / what we have learned badly / and not profited by”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-hilda-doolittle/let-us-not-teach-what-we-have-learned-badly-and-not-profited-by/) H.D. (Hilda Doolittle > [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [once in awhile you get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look it right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/once-in-awhile-you-get-shown-the-light-in-the-strangest-of-places-if/) [Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/) > [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. Shakespeare is just like learning a new, exciting language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barnett/it-s-like-saying-french-shouldn-t-be-taught-because-you-don-t/) [Samuel Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barnett/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [Would she understand that time had stopped while she was gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/would-she-understand-that-time-had-stopped-while-she-was-gone/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) > [It's difficult for people to come to the understanding that only a small minority of the people ever really get the word about life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/it-s-difficult-for-people-to-come-to-the-understanding-that-only-a/) [Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/) > [“Damen's understanding of Laurent rearranged itself, in order that he might despise him more accurately.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-u-pacat/damen-s-understanding-of-laurent-rearranged-itself-in-order-that-he/) [S.U. Pacat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-u-pacat/) [Browse all 22,300 Learning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The writer is the midwife of understanding.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Arundhati Roy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/the-writer-is-the-midwife-of-understanding/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Learning" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/the-writer-is-the-midwife-of-understanding/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/276/arundhati-roy-346_learning_the-writer-is-the-midwife-of-understandi_3134934.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/276/arundhati-roy-346_learning_the-writer-is-the-midwife-of-understandi_3134934.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/276/arundhati-roy-346_learning_the-writer-is-the-midwife-of-understandi_3134934.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The writer is the midwife of understanding.” — Arundhati Roy", "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": "Arundhati Roy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The writer is the midwife of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/the-writer-is-the-midwife-of-understanding/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/the-writer-is-the-midwife-of-understanding/#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 } } ] } ```