--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I didn't have to keep a bloody journal…" description: "\"I didn't have to keep a bloody journal. It's terribly boring keeping a journal anyway. I hate it. You spend more time writing down life instead of livi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ce/christopher-plummer-12045_hate_i-didn-t-have-to-keep-a-bloody-journal-i_2971319.jpg" --- # I didn't have to keep a bloody journal. It's terribly… ![“I didn't have to keep a bloody journal. It's terribly boring keeping a journal anyway. I hate it. You spend more time writing down life instead of living it.” quote by Christopher Plummer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ce/christopher-plummer-12045_hate_i-didn-t-have-to-keep-a-bloody-journal-i_2971319.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ce/christopher-plummer-12045_hate_i-didn-t-have-to-keep-a-bloody-journal-i_2971319.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ce/christopher-plummer-12045_hate_i-didn-t-have-to-keep-a-bloody-journal-i_2971319.jpg) > “I didn't have to keep a bloody journal. It's terribly boring keeping a journal anyway. I hate it. You spend more time writing down life instead of living it.” [Christopher Plummer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-plummer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He argues that journaling can distract from living, suggesting experience should outweigh documentation. **In simple terms:** Writing can take time away from living. Key Takeaway Prioritize lived experience over excessive note‑taking. Themes mindfulness experience reflection Mood contemplative thoughtful Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - travel - daily routines - creative projects - personal growth Key Concepts philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - Do you need a balance between recording and experiencing? - How might selective note‑taking enhance rather than hinder life? A Different Perspective Journaling can help process thoughts and improve memory. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bloody Journal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bloody-journal-4576199/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Journal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journal/) [Journal Terribly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journal-terribly-4576200/) [Keeping a journal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keeping-a-journal/) [Keeping Journal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keeping-journal-704093/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-life/) ## Related quotes > [I suffered from a quite severe speech impediment when I was young, and keeping a journal was part of the therapy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-fetherling/i-suffered-from-a-quite-severe-speech-impediment-when-i-was-young-and/) [George Fetherling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-fetherling/) > [I've been keeping a journal since I was in the seventh grade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenifer-lewis/i-ve-been-keeping-a-journal-since-i-was-in-the-seventh-grade/) [Jenifer Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenifer-lewis/) > [I feel happy to be keeping a journal again. I've missed it, missed naming things as they appear, missed the half hour when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/i-feel-happy-to-be-keeping-a-journal-again-i-ve-missed-it-missed/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [It is this delightful habit of journalizing which largely contributes to form the easy style of writing for which ladies are so generally celebrated.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/it-is-this-delightful-habit-of-journalizing-which-largely-contributes/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [If you feel like keeping a journal-that neither you nor anyone else on earth will ever want to read-be my guest. But if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-masello/if-you-feel-like-keeping-a-journal-that-neither-you-nor-anyone-else/) [Robert Masello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-masello/) > [I've never been one for keeping a journal, so my songs were my journals. They allowed me to express my feelings and let people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-ve-never-been-one-for-keeping-a-journal-so-my-songs-were-my/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [Whether you're keeping a journal or writing as a meditation, it's the same thing. What's important is you're having a relationship with your mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/whether-you-re-keeping-a-journal-or-writing-as-a-meditation-it-s-the/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [“Perhaps you are not sitting in this room, and I am not sitting by you. These are points in which a doubt is equally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/perhaps-you-are-not-sitting-in-this-room-and-i-am-not-sitting-by-you/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [Keeping a journal is like taking good care of one’s heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-kooser/keeping-a-journal-is-like-taking-good-care-of-one-s-heart/) [Ted Kooser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kooser/) > [I guess whatever maturity is there may be there because I've been keeping a journal forever. In high school my friends would make fun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/i-guess-whatever-maturity-is-there-may-be-there-because-i-ve-been/) [Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) > [ Keeping a \[journal\] need not be a major chore-just a few minutes of notes each day can be valuable. Writing crystallizes insights, fools the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-n-walsh/keeping-a-journal-need-not-be-a-major-chore-just-a-few-minutes-of/) [Roger N. Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-n-walsh/) > [Keeping a journal will change your life in ways that you'd never imagine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/keeping-a-journal-will-change-your-life-in-ways-that-you-d-never/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [Keeping a journal implies hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/keeping-a-journal-implies-hope/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [Writing is another powerful way to sharpen the mental saw. Keeping a journal of our thoughts, experiences, insights, and learnings promotes mental clarity, exactness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/writing-is-another-powerful-way-to-sharpen-the-mental-saw-keeping-a/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [“David Gascoyne once told me that the only point of keeping a journal was to concentrate of the personal, the diurnal minutiae, and forget…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-boyd/david-gascoyne-once-told-me-that-the-only-point-of-keeping-a-journal/) [William Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-boyd/) ## More by Christopher Plummer > [I just do what I want to do, and if it's a rather interesting script - which I found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-plummer/i-just-do-what-i-want-to-do-and-if-it-s-a-rather-interesting-script/) [Christopher Plummer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-plummer/) > [I'm used to big roles and lots of words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-plummer/i-m-used-to-big-roles-and-lots-of-words/) [Christopher Plummer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-plummer/) > [I'm talking about when you're nearer the end of your life than the beginning. 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I haven't had to suffer for my art but I've suffered enough inside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-plummer/i-ve-been-very-fortunateit-s-just-been-an-amazing-piece-of-luck-i/) [Christopher Plummer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-plummer/) > [I was always a happy kid. I'd play the piano fairly well. I did all sorts of things fairly well. But who the hell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-plummer/i-was-always-a-happy-kid-i-d-play-the-piano-fairly-well-i-did-all/) [Christopher Plummer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-plummer/) > [I think a lot of directors over the years have cast me because they see something of another generation in me: you know, certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-plummer/i-think-a-lot-of-directors-over-the-years-have-cast-me-because-they/) [Christopher Plummer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-plummer/) > [Here is Mike Wallace, who is visible to the public, and I have been watching him since the early '50s. Smoking up a storm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-plummer/here-is-mike-wallace-who-is-visible-to-the-public-and-i-have-been/) [Christopher Plummer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-plummer/) > [In Montreal, when I grew up, I'd go to the Notre-Dame Basilica, a gorgeous cathedral in town. I'd listen to huge symphony orchestras, Pavarotti…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-plummer/in-montreal-when-i-grew-up-i-d-go-to-the-notre-dame-basilica-a/) [Christopher Plummer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-plummer/) > [The devil is more interesting than God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-plummer/the-devil-is-more-interesting-than-god/) [Christopher Plummer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-plummer/) > [I don't want death to suddenly interrupt what I'm doing. I don't like the idea of death at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-plummer/i-don-t-want-death-to-suddenly-interrupt-what-i-m-doing-i-don-t-like/) [Christopher Plummer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-plummer/) [Explore all 56 Christopher Plummer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-plummer/) ## More Hate quotes > [If you hate yourself... 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