--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I feel sorry for people who have to edit…" description: "\"I feel sorry for people who have to edit me. Which is why book writing is by far the most enjoyable. Really the only thing it's based on is whether it'..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/330/chuck-klosterman-804_book_i-feel-sorry-for-people-who-have-to-edit_998527.png" --- # I feel sorry for people who have to edit me. Which is why… ![“I feel sorry for people who have to edit me. Which is why book writing is by far the most enjoyable. Really the only thing it's based on is whether it's good or not. No book editor, in my experience, is getting a manuscript and trying to rewrite it.” quote by Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/330/chuck-klosterman-804_book_i-feel-sorry-for-people-who-have-to-edit_998527.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/330/chuck-klosterman-804_book_i-feel-sorry-for-people-who-have-to-edit_998527.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/330/chuck-klosterman-804_book_i-feel-sorry-for-people-who-have-to-edit_998527.png) > “I feel sorry for people who have to edit me. Which is why book writing is by far the most enjoyable. Really the only thing it's based on is whether it's good or not. No book editor, in my experience, is getting a manuscript and trying to rewrite it.” [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing is enjoyable when the work stands on its own merit, not because editors reshape it. **In simple terms:** Good writing is judged by its quality, not editing. Key Takeaway Value intrinsic quality over external validation. Themes creativity authenticity self‑assessment Mood analytical thoughtful Type literary motivational When to use this quote - novel drafting - blog posting - self‑editing - peer review Key Concepts writing process editorial influence creative satisfaction Questions to Reflect On - What criteria define a 'good' manuscript for you? - How do you balance personal standards with audience expectations? A Different Perspective May underestimate the benefits of constructive feedback. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Book Editor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-editor-835268/) [Book writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-writing/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Edit Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edit-book-2004161/) [Editor Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/editor-experience-2092305/) [Editors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/editors/) [Enjoyable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoyable/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Sorry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorry/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I was a book editor for nine years. I'm familiar with the opposite experience, bracing myself for the likelihood that no one would want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/i-was-a-book-editor-for-nine-years-i-m-familiar-with-the-opposite/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Book writing is a little different because, in my case, my editor is a year younger than me and basically has the same sensibility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/book-writing-is-a-little-different-because-in-my-case-my-editor-is-a/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [When we think too much about the opinions of others, we are letting them edit a book God has written.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/when-we-think-too-much-about-the-opinions-of-others-we-are-letting/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [“I’m working hard to edit my book, so I can get it up for sale so that nobody can rush out and buy it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-m-working-hard-to-edit-my-book-so-i-can-get-it-up-for-sale-so-that/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Now, almost twenty years since my last job in book publishing, I know that there are far more socially inept people in book than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/now-almost-twenty-years-since-my-last-job-in-book-publishing-i-know/) [Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/) > [I'm so used to being separate from the publication process. I turn in the book to the editor and then I'm done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-liftin/i-m-so-used-to-being-separate-from-the-publication-process-i-turn-in/) [Hilary Liftin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-liftin/) > [When I was a book editor, I got used to being told that my tastes were dark or edgy. These are not words that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorin-stein/when-i-was-a-book-editor-i-got-used-to-being-told-that-my-tastes-were/) [Lorin Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorin-stein/) > [“I'd known since girlhood that I wanted to be a book editor. By high school, I'd pore over the acknowledgments section of novels I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bridie-clark/i-d-known-since-girlhood-that-i-wanted-to-be-a-book-editor-by-high/) [Bridie Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bridie-clark/) > [As a book editor, you need to pitch every one of your books again and again, dozens of times, for months on end. From…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pavone/as-a-book-editor-you-need-to-pitch-every-one-of-your-books-again-and/) [Chris Pavone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pavone/) > [The essays are very solipsistic and self-absorbed, I'm totally conscious of that. To me, book writing is fun, and I basically just write about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-essays-are-very-solipsistic-and-self-absorbed-i-m-totally/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [“In general, poor is polite and rich is rude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/in-general-poor-is-polite-and-rich-is-rude/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [“One expert may be as good as another until one writes a book”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-kelvin-clive/one-expert-may-be-as-good-as-another-until-one-writes-a-book/) [Bernard Kelvin Clive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-kelvin-clive/) > [“The smell of the sweat is not sweet, but the fruit of the sweat is very sweet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/the-smell-of-the-sweat-is-not-sweet-but-the-fruit-of-the-sweat-is/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [I believe Jack Smith might have written THE BOOK on writing and revising for publication. Clean, direct, succinct--a book that is full of pure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil-suarez/i-believe-jack-smith-might-have-written-the-book-on-writing-and/) [Virgil Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil-suarez/) > [“Take care of your costume and your confidence will take care of itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/take-care-of-your-costume-and-your-confidence-will-take-care-of-itself/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) ## More by Chuck Klosterman > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [“I suppose we'll never know what really happened in that room, though he did tell police, "I did it because I'm a dirty dog."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/i-suppose-we-ll-never-know-what-really-happened-in-that-room-though/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [Do you know people who insist they like 'all kinds of music'? That actually means they like no kinds of music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/do-you-know-people-who-insist-they-like-all-kinds-of-music-that/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [Let's say Twitter existed during the Civil War. We would have a better understanding of people in the Confederacy who were against slavery, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/let-s-say-twitter-existed-during-the-civil-war-we-would-have-a-better/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [All my friends are rock critics, so we talk about rock criticism a lot. Because of that, in order to be part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/all-my-friends-are-rock-critics-so-we-talk-about-rock-criticism-a-lot/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [If rain is God crying, I think God is drunk and his girlfriend just slept with Zeus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/if-rain-is-god-crying-i-think-god-is-drunk-and-his-girlfriend-just/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [But no matter how many times we re-rank the presidents, in another 200 years, the top presidents will still be Washington and Lincoln and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/but-no-matter-how-many-times-we-re-rank-the-presidents-in-another-200/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [Different critics go to different lengths to disagree with that sentiment, but ultimately, they're the person experiencing this art, and whatever judgment or taste…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/different-critics-go-to-different-lengths-to-disagree-with-that/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [First, you must love yourself. And if you do that convincingly enough, others will love you too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/first-you-must-love-yourself-and-if-you-do-that-convincingly-enough/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [Anyone who claims to be good at lying is obviously bad at lying. Thus - as a writer myself - I cannot comment on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/anyone-who-claims-to-be-good-at-lying-is-obviously-bad-at-lying-thus/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [“I care about strangers when they're abstractions but feel almost nothing when they are literally in front of me. They seem like unnamed characters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/i-care-about-strangers-when-they-re-abstractions-but-feel-almost/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [“Toby Keith writes songs like 1993's "Should've Been a Cowboy," and what's compelling is that you can't deconstruct its message. "Should've Been a Cowboy"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/toby-keith-writes-songs-like-1993-s-should-ve-been-a-cowboy-and-what/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [Some say that time is like water that flows around us (like a stone in the river) and some say we flow with time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/some-say-that-time-is-like-water-that-flows-around-us-like-a-stone-in/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [ \[On political correctness:\] Any intended message mattered less than the received message, and every received message could be interpreted in whatever way the receiver… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/on-political-correctness-any-intended-message-mattered-less-than-the/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [In baseball and sex, cliches are usually true: pitching beats hitting, and people always want to be loved by anyone who doesn't seem to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/in-baseball-and-sex-cliches-are-usually-true-pitching-beats-hitting/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) [Explore all 364 Chuck Klosterman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I feel sorry for people who have to edit me. Which is why book writing is by far the most enjoyable. Really the only thing it's based on is whether it's good or not. No book editor, in my experience, is getting a manuscript and trying to rewrite it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Chuck Klosterman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/i-feel-sorry-for-people-who-have-to-edit-me-which-is-why-book-writing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/i-feel-sorry-for-people-who-have-to-edit-me-which-is-why-book-writing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/330/chuck-klosterman-804_book_i-feel-sorry-for-people-who-have-to-edit_998527.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/330/chuck-klosterman-804_book_i-feel-sorry-for-people-who-have-to-edit_998527.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/330/chuck-klosterman-804_book_i-feel-sorry-for-people-who-have-to-edit_998527.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I feel sorry for people who have to edit me. Which is why book writing is by far the most enjoyable. Really…” — Chuck Klosterman", "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": "Chuck Klosterman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I feel sorry for people who...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/i-feel-sorry-for-people-who-have-to-edit-me-which-is-why-book-writing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/i-feel-sorry-for-people-who-have-to-edit-me-which-is-why-book-writing/#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 } } ] } ```