--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The most important thing for aspiring…" description: "\"The most important thing for aspiring writers is for them to give themselves permission to be brave on the page, to write in the presence of fear, to g..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/806/cheryl-strayed-605_aspiring-writers_the-most-important-thing-for-aspiring-wr_313942.jpg" --- # The most important thing for aspiring writers is for them… ![“The most important thing for aspiring writers is for them to give themselves permission to be brave on the page, to write in the presence of fear, to go to those places that you think you can’t write - really that’s exactly what you need to write.” quote by Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/806/cheryl-strayed-605_aspiring-writers_the-most-important-thing-for-aspiring-wr_313942.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/806/cheryl-strayed-605_aspiring-writers_the-most-important-thing-for-aspiring-wr_313942.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/806/cheryl-strayed-605_aspiring-writers_the-most-important-thing-for-aspiring-wr_313942.jpg) > “The most important thing for aspiring writers is for them to give themselves permission to be brave on the page, to write in the presence of fear, to go to those places that you think you can’t write - really that’s exactly what you need to write.” [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She urges writers to confront fear, be bold, and explore difficult topics to create authentic work. **In simple terms:** Write bravely despite fear, explore tough subjects. Key Takeaway Embrace fear to unlock genuine writing. Themes creativity courage self‑expression Mood inspirational encouraging Type creative motivational When to use this quote - writing workshops - personal journaling - creative retreats Key Concepts fear management authentic voice Questions to Reflect On - What personal fears block your writing? - How can you safely explore uncomfortable topics? A Different Perspective Fear can paralyze without support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aspiring writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aspiring-writers/) [Brave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brave/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Important things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-things/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [That's something I've certainly taken from writers like Gord Downie is that there is a whole potential for breaking out of meter. Even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-k-samson/that-s-something-i-ve-certainly-taken-from-writers-like-gord-downie/) [John K. Samson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-k-samson/) > [Be brave enough to break your own heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/be-brave-enough-to-break-your-own-heart/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [So on one hand, because the wilderness was familiar to me, it really helped me be brave. But it still was scary sometimes. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/so-on-one-hand-because-the-wilderness-was-familiar-to-me-it-really/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [So release yourself from that. Don't be strategic or coy. Strategic and coy are for jackasses. Be brave. Be authentic. Practice saying the word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/so-release-yourself-from-that-don-t-be-strategic-or-coy-strategic-and/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [Aspiring writers should read the entire canon of literature that precedes them, back to the Greeks, up to the current issue of The Paris…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kennedy/aspiring-writers-should-read-the-entire-canon-of-literature-that/) [William Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kennedy/) > [In many ways, a degree in the history of ideas is the ideal training for an aspiring writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-fortier/in-many-ways-a-degree-in-the-history-of-ideas-is-the-ideal-training/) [Anne Fortier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-fortier/) > [The only advice I can give to aspiring writers is don't do it unless you're willing to give your whole life to it. Red…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harrison/the-only-advice-i-can-give-to-aspiring-writers-is-don-t-do-it-unless/) [Jim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harrison/) > [The easiest way to separate yourself from the unformed blobby mass of "aspiring" writers is to a) actually write and b) actually finish. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-wendig/the-easiest-way-to-separate-yourself-from-the-unformed-blobby-mass-of/) [Chuck Wendig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-wendig/) > [My advice for aspiring writers is threefold.First, read as much as possible, both within and outside the genre you arem working in. By reading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/my-advice-for-aspiring-writers-is-threefold-first-read-as-much-as/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [About a year after (my stories began being published), magazine editor George Scithers, suggested to me that since I was so new at being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-b-longyear/about-a-year-after-my-stories-began-being-published-magazine-editor/) [Barry B. Longyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-b-longyear/) > [“Find tricks to keep yourself going,” William Least Heat Moon once advised a group of aspiring writers. “Anything you can do to trick yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-keyes/find-tricks-to-keep-yourself-going-william-least-heat-moon-once/) [Ralph Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-keyes/) > [I tell aspiring writers that you have to find what you MUST write. When you find it, you will know, because the subject matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/i-tell-aspiring-writers-that-you-have-to-find-what-you-must-write/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Encourage aspiring writers to continue writing when things are going against them, when it feels hard. Explain the typical obstacles that occur, and encourage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-modiano/encourage-aspiring-writers-to-continue-writing-when-things-are-going/) [Patrick Modiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-modiano/) > [I am dismayed to realize that much of the advice I used to parcel out to aspiring writers has passed its sell-by date.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-am-dismayed-to-realize-that-much-of-the-advice-i-used-to-parcel-out/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [The short of it is, as an aspiring writer, there is nothing as damaging to your credibility as saying that you don't like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/the-short-of-it-is-as-an-aspiring-writer-there-is-nothing-as-damaging/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) ## More by Cheryl Strayed > [“She understands that attention is the first and final act of love, and that the ultimate dwindling resource in the human arrangement isn’t cheap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/she-understands-that-attention-is-the-first-and-final-act-of-love-and/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“The most terrible and beautiful and interesting things happen in life. For some of you, those things have already happened. Whatever happens to you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/the-most-terrible-and-beautiful-and-interesting-things-happen-in-life/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [Of course you want someone special to love you. A majority of the people who write to me inquire about how they can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/of-course-you-want-someone-special-to-love-you-a-majority-of-the/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [It's still true that literary works by women, gays, and writers of color are often framed as specific, rather than universal, small rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/it-s-still-true-that-literary-works-by-women-gays-and-writers-of/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [My whole life sort of ended when my mom died.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/my-whole-life-sort-of-ended-when-my-mom-died/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“And you have to do it no matter what is true. No matter what is hard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/and-you-have-to-do-it-no-matter-what-is-true-no-matter-what-is-hard/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“Don’t listen to those people who suggest you should be “over” your daughter’s death by now. The people who squawk the loudest about such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/don-t-listen-to-those-people-who-suggest-you-should-be-over-your/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“. . . there was the actual doing it, quickly followed by the grim realization of what it meant to do it, followed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/there-was-the-actual-doing-it-quickly-followed-by-the-grim/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“The sky didn't wonder where it was.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/the-sky-didn-t-wonder-where-it-was/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [He was the most ordinary man in all the world, and yet in her memory he'd become luminous, like the prince in a fairy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/he-was-the-most-ordinary-man-in-all-the-world-and-yet-in-her-memory/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [Love is our essential nutrient. Without it, life has little meaning. It's the best thing we have to give and the most valuable thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/love-is-our-essential-nutrient-without-it-life-has-little-meaning-it/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“I never believed the boys were angry. I believed they were hurt and anger was the safest manifestation of their sorrow. It was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/i-never-believed-the-boys-were-angry-i-believed-they-were-hurt-and/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“It’s wrong that this is required of you. It’s wrong that your son died. It will always be wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/it-s-wrong-that-this-is-required-of-you-it-s-wrong-that-your-son-died/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“Your ultimatum is simple. It’s fair. And it’s stating your own intentions, not what you hope theirs will be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/your-ultimatum-is-simple-it-s-fair-and-it-s-stating-your-own/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“We aren't poor," my mother said, again and again. "Because we're rich in love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/we-aren-t-poor-my-mother-said-again-and-again-because-we-re-rich-in/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) [Explore all 450 Cheryl Strayed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) ## More Aspiring writers quotes > [The short of it is, as an aspiring writer, there is nothing as damaging to your credibility as saying that you don't like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/the-short-of-it-is-as-an-aspiring-writer-there-is-nothing-as-damaging/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [In many ways, a degree in the history of ideas is the ideal training for an aspiring writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-fortier/in-many-ways-a-degree-in-the-history-of-ideas-is-the-ideal-training/) [Anne Fortier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-fortier/) > [The only advice I can give to aspiring writers is don't do it unless you're willing to give your whole life to it. Red…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harrison/the-only-advice-i-can-give-to-aspiring-writers-is-don-t-do-it-unless/) [Jim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harrison/) > [I tell aspiring writers that you have to find what you MUST write. When you find it, you will know, because the subject matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/i-tell-aspiring-writers-that-you-have-to-find-what-you-must-write/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Aspiring writers should read the entire canon of literature that precedes them, back to the Greeks, up to the current issue of The Paris…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kennedy/aspiring-writers-should-read-the-entire-canon-of-literature-that/) [William Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kennedy/) > [I am dismayed to realize that much of the advice I used to parcel out to aspiring writers has passed its sell-by date.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-am-dismayed-to-realize-that-much-of-the-advice-i-used-to-parcel-out/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [Encourage aspiring writers to continue writing when things are going against them, when it feels hard. Explain the typical obstacles that occur, and encourage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-modiano/encourage-aspiring-writers-to-continue-writing-when-things-are-going/) [Patrick Modiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-modiano/) > [“Find tricks to keep yourself going,” William Least Heat Moon once advised a group of aspiring writers. “Anything you can do to trick yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-keyes/find-tricks-to-keep-yourself-going-william-least-heat-moon-once/) [Ralph Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-keyes/) > [About a year after (my stories began being published), magazine editor George Scithers, suggested to me that since I was so new at being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-b-longyear/about-a-year-after-my-stories-began-being-published-magazine-editor/) [Barry B. Longyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-b-longyear/) > [My advice for aspiring writers is threefold.First, read as much as possible, both within and outside the genre you arem working in. By reading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/my-advice-for-aspiring-writers-is-threefold-first-read-as-much-as/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [The easiest way to separate yourself from the unformed blobby mass of "aspiring" writers is to a) actually write and b) actually finish. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-wendig/the-easiest-way-to-separate-yourself-from-the-unformed-blobby-mass-of/) [Chuck Wendig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-wendig/) > [When I read students’ attempts at creative writing it is obvious immediately that most of them have not read much or widely. The aspiring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-lester/when-i-read-students-attempts-at-creative-writing-it-is-obvious/) [Julius Lester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-lester/) > [“I read daily, not so much for the benefit of my writing, but because I am addicted to it. There is nothing in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-read-daily-not-so-much-for-the-benefit-of-my-writing-but-because-i/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [I think when you are an aspiring writer, you must write every day. It's not as though anybody will call you up on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/i-think-when-you-are-an-aspiring-writer-you-must-write-every-day-it-s/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [I have very specific advice for aspiring writers: go to New York. And if you can't go to New York, go to the place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/i-have-very-specific-advice-for-aspiring-writers-go-to-new-york-and/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) [Browse all 48 Aspiring writers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aspiring-writers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The most important thing for aspiring writers is for them to give themselves permission to be brave on the page, to write in the presence of fear, to go to those places that you think you can’t write - really that’s exactly what you need to write.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cheryl Strayed" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/the-most-important-thing-for-aspiring-writers-is-for-them-to-give/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aspiring writers" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/the-most-important-thing-for-aspiring-writers-is-for-them-to-give/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/806/cheryl-strayed-605_aspiring-writers_the-most-important-thing-for-aspiring-wr_313942.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/806/cheryl-strayed-605_aspiring-writers_the-most-important-thing-for-aspiring-wr_313942.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/806/cheryl-strayed-605_aspiring-writers_the-most-important-thing-for-aspiring-wr_313942.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The most important thing for aspiring writers is for them to give themselves permission to be brave on the…” — Cheryl Strayed", "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": "Cheryl Strayed", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The most important thing for aspiring...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/the-most-important-thing-for-aspiring-writers-is-for-them-to-give/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/the-most-important-thing-for-aspiring-writers-is-for-them-to-give/#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 } } ] } ```