--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All writers steal from their own lives." description: "\"All writers steal from their own lives.\" — Brad Meltzer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/473/brad-meltzer-7672_lives_all-writers-steal-from-their-own-lives-2_2959624.jpg" --- # All writers steal from their own lives. ![“All writers steal from their own lives.” quote by Brad Meltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/473/brad-meltzer-7672_lives_all-writers-steal-from-their-own-lives-2_2959624.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/473/brad-meltzer-7672_lives_all-writers-steal-from-their-own-lives-2_2959624.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/473/brad-meltzer-7672_lives_all-writers-steal-from-their-own-lives-2_2959624.jpg) > “All writers steal from their own lives.” [Brad Meltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-meltzer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests that personal experience is the primary source of creative material, implying authenticity stems from lived reality. **In simple terms:** Writers draw on personal life for authenticity. Key Takeaway Use your own experiences as creative fuel. Themes creativity authenticity writing Mood reflective inspirational Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - novel writing - journalism - screenwriting - blogging - personal essays Key Concepts autobiographical influence originality Questions to Reflect On - How can you transform mundane experiences into compelling stories? - What aspects of your life are untapped for writing? A Different Perspective Personal anecdotes may limit imaginative scope. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Most writers steal a good thing when they can, and when 'Tis safely got 'Tis worth the winning. The worst of 't is we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-procter/most-writers-steal-a-good-thing-when-they-can-and-when-tis-safely-got/) [Bryan Procter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-procter/) > [Mediocre writers borrow; great writers steal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/mediocre-writers-borrow-great-writers-steal/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [Bad writers have influences. Good writers steal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-m-stirling/bad-writers-have-influences-good-writers-steal/) [S.M. Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-m-stirling/) > [Good writers borrow from other writers. Great writers steal from them outright.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-sorkin/good-writers-borrow-from-other-writers-great-writers-steal-from-them/) [Aaron Sorkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-sorkin/) > [A boy sent by his father to steal does not go stealthily but breaks the door with his feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/a-boy-sent-by-his-father-to-steal-does-not-go-stealthily-but-breaks/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [Out of the closets and into the museums, libraries, architectural monuments, concert halls, bookstores, recording studios and film studios of the world. Everything belongs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/out-of-the-closets-and-into-the-museums-libraries-architectural/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One should steal only where one cannot rob.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/one-should-steal-only-where-one-cannot-rob/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [The bad artists imitate, the great artists steal,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/the-bad-artists-imitate-the-great-artists-steal/) [Banksy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banksy/) > [I often steal sandwiches, eat them, and put the container's back., with a signed autograph of my self in its place. It's my way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/i-often-steal-sandwiches-eat-them-and-put-the-container-s-back-with-a/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [Don't let those people steal your day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/don-t-let-those-people-steal-your-day/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [Steal a chicken if you get a chance, Huck, because if you don't want it, someone else does and a good deed ain't never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/steal-a-chicken-if-you-get-a-chance-huck-because-if-you-don-t-want-it/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Someone has to really like you to go out there and physically get your CD. Shout out to everybody who actually paid for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginuwine/someone-has-to-really-like-you-to-go-out-there-and-physically-get/) [Ginuwine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginuwine/) > [I try to live in a little bit of my own joy and not let people steal it or take it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hoda-kotb/i-try-to-live-in-a-little-bit-of-my-own-joy-and-not-let-people-steal/) [Hoda Kotb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hoda-kotb/) > [“Having no applicable skills, in any possible area whatsoever, effectively makes me the master of redundancy. But that info is obsolete, like my insults…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-advise/having-no-applicable-skills-in-any-possible-area-whatsoever/) Will Advise > [Every now and then we could steal somebody else's stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-kooper/every-now-and-then-we-could-steal-somebody-else-s-stuff/) [Al Kooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-kooper/) ## More by Brad Meltzer > [“Don't you know me by now, Angel? I never do what I'm meant for.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-meltzer/don-t-you-know-me-by-now-angel-i-never-do-what-i-m-meant-for/) [Brad Meltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-meltzer/) > [The past may not hurt you, but it won't challenge you, either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-meltzer/the-past-may-not-hurt-you-but-it-won-t-challenge-you-either/) [Brad Meltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-meltzer/) > [There's nothing wrong with wanting someone to save us - or admitting we can't do it all ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-meltzer/there-s-nothing-wrong-with-wanting-someone-to-save-us-or-admitting-we/) [Brad Meltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-meltzer/) > [There's nothing in the world like buried treasure-and people hungry and obsessed enough to risk their lives for it. Pirate Hunters isn't just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-meltzer/there-s-nothing-in-the-world-like-buried-treasure-and-people-hungry/) [Brad Meltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-meltzer/) > [“Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, it’s at the end of your arm. As you get older, remember you have another hand:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-meltzer/remember-if-you-ever-need-a-helping-hand-it-s-at-the-end-of-your-arm/) [Brad Meltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-meltzer/) > [When you believe in something, fight for it. And when you see injustice, fight harder than you've ever fought before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-meltzer/when-you-believe-in-something-fight-for-it-and-when-you-see-injustice/) [Brad Meltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-meltzer/) > [The point is, as death gets closer - what's so wrong with wanting someone you love to live forever?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-meltzer/the-point-is-as-death-gets-closer-what-s-so-wrong-with-wanting/) [Brad Meltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-meltzer/) > [“History is simply what's behind us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-meltzer/history-is-simply-what-s-behind-us/) [Brad Meltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-meltzer/) > [“That was the problem with being desperate. It always made you sloppy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-meltzer/that-was-the-problem-with-being-desperate-it-always-made-you-sloppy/) [Brad Meltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-meltzer/) > [We make a great bad guy, and they all say they hate us. But at the end of every day, people want to trust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-meltzer/we-make-a-great-bad-guy-and-they-all-say-they-hate-us-but-at-the-end/) [Brad Meltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-meltzer/) > [Overwatch doesn't just bring together the legal and espionage genres. It merges family problems with professional ones, swirls in a major helping of murder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-meltzer/overwatch-doesn-t-just-bring-together-the-legal-and-espionage-genres/) [Brad Meltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-meltzer/) > [In this life, y'ever notice that you face the same challenges again and again? We all do. They're challenges to your soul. We repeat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-meltzer/in-this-life-y-ever-notice-that-you-face-the-same-challenges-again/) [Brad Meltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-meltzer/) > [In this world, there was nothing scarier than trusting someone. But there was also nothing more rewarding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-meltzer/in-this-world-there-was-nothing-scarier-than-trusting-someone-but/) [Brad Meltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-meltzer/) > [“It's so damn easy to judge. But as Paolo knows from his niece, no matter how much you want someone back in your life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-meltzer/it-s-so-damn-easy-to-judge-but-as-paolo-knows-from-his-niece-no/) [Brad Meltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-meltzer/) > [And y'know what they decided the number one threat was? The destructive and disruptive capability of a small group. That's what they're worried about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-meltzer/and-y-know-what-they-decided-the-number-one-threat-was-the/) [Brad Meltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-meltzer/) [Explore all 87 Brad Meltzer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-meltzer/) ## More Lives quotes > [Here's the reality. The image of a white Jesus has been used to justify enslavement, conquest, colonialism, the genocide of indigenous peoples. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/here-s-the-reality-the-image-of-a-white-jesus-has-been-used-to/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) > [“But life isn’t like that. You can’t be sure how it’s going to come out, even if you do everything right. They turn around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-dellaira/but-life-isn-t-like-that-you-can-t-be-sure-how-it-s-going-to-come-out/) [Ava Dellaira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-dellaira/) > [That is the real problem of depression - a condition which will affect an estimated one in five of the population at some point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-andreae/that-is-the-real-problem-of-depression-a-condition-which-will-affect/) [Giles Andreae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-andreae/) > [I believe that government is too large, costs too much, spends too much, and has too much regulatory power in our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-walberg/i-believe-that-government-is-too-large-costs-too-much-spends-too-much/) [Tim Walberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-walberg/) > [“We both suffered but neither of us stopped living our lives and we got so much out of them, so, so much. And now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-ashley/we-both-suffered-but-neither-of-us-stopped-living-our-lives-and-we/) [Kristen Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-ashley/) > [The foundations of our lives are far more fragile than we think. So we are severely shaken when life turns out to have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanne-bier/the-foundations-of-our-lives-are-far-more-fragile-than-we-think-so-we/) [Susanne Bier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanne-bier/) > [We all are different. Our lives are different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-jedrzejczyk/we-all-are-different-our-lives-are-different/) [Joanna Jedrzejczyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-jedrzejczyk/) > [We need to be more conversant with it because science is in our lives. It's in everything. It's in the food we eat. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/we-need-to-be-more-conversant-with-it-because-science-is-in-our-lives/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [“Because before we'd met, we'd both thought in our own ways that our lives were over just as they'd begun, that we were stuck…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-chamberlain/because-before-we-d-met-we-d-both-thought-in-our-own-ways-that-our/) [Sarah Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-chamberlain/) > [As a director, people are trusting you with their lives, with their stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-chai-vasarhelyi/as-a-director-people-are-trusting-you-with-their-lives-with-their/) [Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-chai-vasarhelyi/) > [Patients' lives are more important than embryos. I do want to avoid the use of embryos if possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shinya-yamanaka/patients-lives-are-more-important-than-embryos-i-do-want-to-avoid-the/) [Shinya Yamanaka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shinya-yamanaka/) > [The Filipino embraces civilization and lives and thrives in every clime, in contact with every people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-rizal/the-filipino-embraces-civilization-and-lives-and-thrives-in-every/) [Jose Rizal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-rizal/) > [“When it's clear that we have a commitment to God that comes before anything else in our lives, most people will respect us even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-groeschel/when-it-s-clear-that-we-have-a-commitment-to-god-that-comes-before/) [Craig Groeschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-groeschel/) > [I've got passion, and for people who don't, I make them see how trite their lives are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-singleton/i-ve-got-passion-and-for-people-who-don-t-i-make-them-see-how-trite/) [John Singleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-singleton/) Browse all 2,736 Lives quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "All writers steal from their own lives.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Brad Meltzer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-meltzer/all-writers-steal-from-their-own-lives/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Lives" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-meltzer/all-writers-steal-from-their-own-lives/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/473/brad-meltzer-7672_lives_all-writers-steal-from-their-own-lives-2_2959624.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/473/brad-meltzer-7672_lives_all-writers-steal-from-their-own-lives-2_2959624.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/473/brad-meltzer-7672_lives_all-writers-steal-from-their-own-lives-2_2959624.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“All writers steal from their own lives.” — Brad Meltzer", "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": "Brad Meltzer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-meltzer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "All writers steal from their own...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-meltzer/all-writers-steal-from-their-own-lives/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-meltzer/all-writers-steal-from-their-own-lives/#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 } } ] } ```