---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writing at its best is simply taking…"
description: "\"“Writing at its best is simply taking dictation from your soul.”\" — Catherine Carrigan"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cf/catherine-carrigan-17640_dictation_writing-at-its-best-is-simply-taking-dic_2644783.jpg"
---

#  Writing at its best is simply taking dictation from your…

![“Writing at its best is simply taking dictation from your soul.” quote by Catherine Carrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cf/catherine-carrigan-17640_dictation_writing-at-its-best-is-simply-taking-dic_2644783.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cf/catherine-carrigan-17640_dictation_writing-at-its-best-is-simply-taking-dic_2644783.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cf/catherine-carrigan-17640_dictation_writing-at-its-best-is-simply-taking-dic_2644783.jpg)

> ““Writing at its best is simply taking dictation from your soul.””

[Catherine Carrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-carrigan/)

## About This Quote

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

Writing at its deepest level involves listening to an inner voice and transcribing its truth onto the page

**In simple terms:** Writing is listening to your soul and recording it

Key Takeaway

Cultivate quiet introspection before writing

Themes

creativity spirituality authenticity

Mood

inspirational quiet

Type

artistic reflective

When to use this quote

- journaling
- creative workshops
- spiritual practice

Key Concepts

intuition inner voice expression

Questions to Reflect On

- What does your soul want to say right now?
- How can you silence external noise to hear it?

A Different Perspective

May be vague for those seeking concrete technique

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing advice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-advice/) [Writing process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-process/)

## Related quotes

> [“Now, Muriel Spark is said to have felt that she was taking dictation from God every morning-- sitting there, one supposes, plugged into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/now-muriel-spark-is-said-to-have-felt-that-she-was-taking-dictation/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [Artists are modest. They know they're not doing the work; they're just taking dictation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/artists-are-modest-they-know-they-re-not-doing-the-work-they-re-just/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [I never exactly made a book. It's rather like taking dictation. I was given things to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-never-exactly-made-a-book-it-s-rather-like-taking-dictation-i-was/)

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

> [You can't sort of write the novel as if you're taking dictation from heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/you-can-t-sort-of-write-the-novel-as-if-you-re-taking-dictation-from/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [“Writing...is the best, the only way I know to investigate myself, to figure out what I think and how I feel and what matters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrina-kennison/writing-is-the-best-the-only-way-i-know-to-investigate-myself-to/)

Katrina Kennison

> [“I can tell you that the writing of a book, no matter how deeply, profoundly personal-if it is literature, if you have attended to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-can-tell-you-that-the-writing-of-a-book-no-matter-how-deeply/)

[Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/)

> [“One author said "I write because I want to live a footprint in the sands of history.” It's hard to live a footprint in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/one-author-said-i-write-because-i-want-to-live-a-footprint-in-the/)

[Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/)

> [“I think if you want to make a recipe for making a writer, have them feel a little out of place everywhere, have them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-manuel-miranda/i-think-if-you-want-to-make-a-recipe-for-making-a-writer-have-them/)

[Lin-Manuel Miranda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-manuel-miranda/)

> [“I used to be afraid about what people might say or think after reading what I had written. I am not afraid anymore, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/i-used-to-be-afraid-about-what-people-might-say-or-think-after/)

[Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/)

> [“Live first, write second.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-paul/live-first-write-second/)

Miranda Paul

> [“Perfectionism is the enemy of the author. There is a difference between good writing habits and perfectionism. The author who displays good writing habits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gudjon-bergmann/perfectionism-is-the-enemy-of-the-author-there-is-a-difference/)

[Gudjon Bergmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gudjon-bergmann/)

> [“Coffee, my delight of the morning; yoga, my delight of the noon. Then before nightfall, I run along the pleasant paths of the Jardin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/coffee-my-delight-of-the-morning-yoga-my-delight-of-the-noon-then/)

[Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/)

> [“Perhaps the hardest thing in all literature— at least I have found it so: by no voluntary effort can I accomplish it: I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/perhaps-the-hardest-thing-in-all-literature-at-least-i-have-found-it/)

[Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/)

> [“It's all mine, it's all sacred.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-weise/it-s-all-mine-it-s-all-sacred/)

[Jamie Weise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-weise/)

> [“The sooner you finish procrastinating, the sooner you can get back to your art.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-lennox/the-sooner-you-finish-procrastinating-the-sooner-you-can-get-back-to/)

[Stephanie Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-lennox/)

## More by Catherine Carrigan

> [“Simply put, you cannot get rid of your pain unless and until you have resolved the emotions that have held it in place.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-carrigan/simply-put-you-cannot-get-rid-of-your-pain-unless-and-until-you-have/)

[Catherine Carrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-carrigan/)

> [“What is your light body? Simply put, it is the radiance of your soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-carrigan/what-is-your-light-body-simply-put-it-is-the-radiance-of-your-soul/)

[Catherine Carrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-carrigan/)

> [“Simply put, your pain body is the same thing as your unresolved emotional baggage.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-carrigan/simply-put-your-pain-body-is-the-same-thing-as-your-unresolved/)

[Catherine Carrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-carrigan/)

> [“By the time you experience pain and suffering,g the causes have been with you for some time. That's because energy enters through our spiritual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-carrigan/by-the-time-you-experience-pain-and-suffering-g-the-causes-have-been/)

[Catherine Carrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-carrigan/)

> [“Do you honestly want to get well? If the answer is no, then you’re juicing the payoffs and won’t truly get well until you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-carrigan/do-you-honestly-want-to-get-well-if-the-answer-is-no-then-you-re/)

[Catherine Carrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-carrigan/)

> [“Healing happens whenever you send the vibration of unconditional love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-carrigan/healing-happens-whenever-you-send-the-vibration-of-unconditional-love/)

[Catherine Carrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-carrigan/)

> [“Healing happens when you see your own light body and give yourself permission to shine that light for the benefit of all living beings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-carrigan/healing-happens-when-you-see-your-own-light-body-and-give-yourself/)

[Catherine Carrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-carrigan/)

> [“The real you is always here. You just have to recognize the light within and give yourself permission to radiate from your soul --…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-carrigan/the-real-you-is-always-here-you-just-have-to-recognize-the-light/)

[Catherine Carrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-carrigan/)

> [“The most healing frequency of all is the vibration of unconditional love, a love that you’ll be happy to learn requires nothing of anybody,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-carrigan/the-most-healing-frequency-of-all-is-the-vibration-of-unconditional/)

[Catherine Carrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-carrigan/)

> [“Suffering is the negative story you are telling yourself about what is happening now, what has happened in the past or what could potentially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-carrigan/suffering-is-the-negative-story-you-are-telling-yourself-about-what/)

[Catherine Carrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-carrigan/)

> [“Just as your cells hold memories of trauma, your body also remembers wholeness – feeling relaxed, happy, easy, comfortable and pain-free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-carrigan/just-as-your-cells-hold-memories-of-trauma-your-body-also-remembers/)

[Catherine Carrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-carrigan/)

> [“Healing happens when you allow yourself to be divinely guided to all that is truly helpful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-carrigan/healing-happens-when-you-allow-yourself-to-be-divinely-guided-to-all/)

[Catherine Carrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-carrigan/)

> [“Many people are unable to get rid of their pain completely because they haven't confronted themselves about their suffering.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-carrigan/many-people-are-unable-to-get-rid-of-their-pain-completely-because/)

[Catherine Carrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-carrigan/)

> [“A good way to think of your physical body is that it is the result of your energy, your emotions, your mind and your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-carrigan/a-good-way-to-think-of-your-physical-body-is-that-it-is-the-result-of/)

[Catherine Carrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-carrigan/)

> [“You are not your pain. You are not your choices, either good or bad. You are not your body, no matter how beautiful, healthy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-carrigan/you-are-not-your-pain-you-are-not-your-choices-either-good-or-bad-you/)

[Catherine Carrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-carrigan/)

[Explore all 36 Catherine Carrigan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-carrigan/)

## More Dictation quotes

> [War is an evil thing; but to submit to the dictation of other states is worse… Freedom, if we hold fast to it, will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/war-is-an-evil-thing-but-to-submit-to-the-dictation-of-other-states/)

[Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/)

> [It's a question of trying to take down by dictation what's already there. I'm not making something, I'm trying to hear it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-oswald/it-s-a-question-of-trying-to-take-down-by-dictation-what-s-already/)

[Alice Oswald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-oswald/)

> [I wrote before I could write. I got my hands on a journal, maybe a hand-me-down; I had three older siblings. My first entries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianna-baggott/i-wrote-before-i-could-write-i-got-my-hands-on-a-journal-maybe-a-hand/)

[Julianna Baggott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianna-baggott/)

> [You can't sort of write the novel as if you're taking dictation from heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/you-can-t-sort-of-write-the-novel-as-if-you-re-taking-dictation-from/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [I have a feeling that art is something you do for yourself, and that any time you turn your decisions over to someone else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/i-have-a-feeling-that-art-is-something-you-do-for-yourself-and-that/)

[William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/)

> [Is not the real experience of each individual very limited? And, if a writer dwells upon that solely or principally, is he not in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/is-not-the-real-experience-of-each-individual-very-limited-and-if-a/)

[Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/)

> [ \[The married woman is\] is a bonded slave, who takes her master's name, her master's bread, and serves her master's passion; \[and\] who passes… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/the-married-woman-is-is-a-bonded-slave-who-takes-her-master-s-name/)

[Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/)

> [I'm a situational writer. You give me a situation, like a writer gets in a car crash, breaks his leg, is kidnapped by his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/i-m-a-situational-writer-you-give-me-a-situation-like-a-writer-gets-2/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [I never exactly made a book. It's rather like taking dictation. I was given things to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-never-exactly-made-a-book-it-s-rather-like-taking-dictation-i-was/)

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

> [Nail polish or false eyelashes isn't politics. If you have good politics, what you wear is irrelevant. I don't take dictation from the pig-o-cratic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florynce-kennedy/nail-polish-or-false-eyelashes-isn-t-politics-if-you-have-good/)

[Florynce Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florynce-kennedy/)

> [What is Americanism? Every one has a different answer. Some people say it is never to submit to the dictation of a King. Others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-howard-shaw/what-is-americanism-every-one-has-a-different-answer-some-people-say/)

[Anna Howard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-howard-shaw/)

> [Sometimes the impressions are just general feelings. Sometimes the direction comes so clearly and so unmistakably that it can be written down like spiritual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-g-scott/sometimes-the-impressions-are-just-general-feelings-sometimes-the/)

[Richard G. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-g-scott/)

> [The best, most natural dialogue is usually written as if the writer is listening to dictation. You might get stuck on any particular point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/the-best-most-natural-dialogue-is-usually-written-as-if-the-writer-is/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [I would love to employ a man, but how can I possibly give a man dictation from the bath?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-cartland/i-would-love-to-employ-a-man-but-how-can-i-possibly-give-a-man/)

[Barbara Cartland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-cartland/)

> [“Do Not Dictate a Child through Someone, it Ruins the Child's Experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vineet-raj-kapoor/do-not-dictate-a-child-through-someone-it-ruins-the-child-s-experience/)

[Vineet Raj Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vineet-raj-kapoor/)

Browse all 42 Dictation quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Writing at its best is simply taking dictation from your soul.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Catherine Carrigan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-carrigan/writing-at-its-best-is-simply-taking-dictation-from-your-soul/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dictation"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-carrigan/writing-at-its-best-is-simply-taking-dictation-from-your-soul/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cf/catherine-carrigan-17640_dictation_writing-at-its-best-is-simply-taking-dic_2644783.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cf/catherine-carrigan-17640_dictation_writing-at-its-best-is-simply-taking-dic_2644783.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cf/catherine-carrigan-17640_dictation_writing-at-its-best-is-simply-taking-dic_2644783.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Writing at its best is simply taking dictation from your soul.” — Catherine Carrigan",
                "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": "Catherine Carrigan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-carrigan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Writing at its best is simply...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-carrigan/writing-at-its-best-is-simply-taking-dictation-from-your-soul/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-carrigan/writing-at-its-best-is-simply-taking-dictation-from-your-soul/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
