---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am convinced that anyone can be a great…"
description: "\"I am convinced that anyone can be a great writer . . . if he can only . . . tell the naked truth about himself and other people. That, a little techniq..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/clive-barnes-51837_body_i-am-convinced-that-anyone-can-be-a-grea_3123249.png"
---

#  I am convinced that anyone can be a great writer . . . if…

![“I am convinced that anyone can be a great writer . . . if he can only . . . tell the naked truth about himself and other people. That, a little technique with words and the willingness to bare heart, soul and body are really all it takes.” quote by Clive Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/clive-barnes-51837_body_i-am-convinced-that-anyone-can-be-a-grea_3123249.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/clive-barnes-51837_body_i-am-convinced-that-anyone-can-be-a-grea_3123249.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/clive-barnes-51837_body_i-am-convinced-that-anyone-can-be-a-grea_3123249.png)

> “I am convinced that anyone can be a great writer . . . if he can only . . . tell the naked truth about himself and other people. That, a little technique with words and the willingness to bare heart, soul and body are really all it takes.”

[Clive Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barnes/)

## About This Quote

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

Writing greatness stems from honest self‑examination and candid portrayal of others, combined with skillful word use.

**In simple terms:** Truthful writing and skill make a great writer.

Key Takeaway

Be honest and hone your craft.

Themes

writing authenticity self‑reflection

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

literary motivational

When to use this quote

- memoir writing
- journalism
- creative workshops
- personal coaching

Key Concepts

literary technique psychology communication

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you practice vulnerability in writing?
- What techniques help convey truth without alienating readers?

A Different Perspective

Skill alone isn’t enough without truth.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Body Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body-really-249830/) [Convinced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convinced/) [Great writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-writer/) [Great writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-writers/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Naked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/naked/) [Naked truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/naked-truth/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Soul and body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul-and-body/) [Technique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technique/) [Tell Naked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tell-naked-3233518/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Willingness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/willingness/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writer Tell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-tell-656802/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [No real gentleman will tell the naked truth in the presence of ladies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/no-real-gentleman-will-tell-the-naked-truth-in-the-presence-of-ladies/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [“Well, you want to hear the story behind my name or not?” That’s right. We survived. “Can you tell me naked?” I asked, suddenly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cox/well-you-want-to-hear-the-story-behind-my-name-or-not-that-s-right-we/)

[James Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cox/)

> [“Hi." "Honey!" exclaimed Patsy. "Good to hear your voice! Listen, I oughtta go pull my robe on 'fore we commence. You caught me nekkid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/hi-honey-exclaimed-patsy-good-to-hear-your-voice-listen-i-oughtta-go/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [I called my grandmother yesterday. She picks up the phone, 'Oh hello, dear, hold on a second, I just stepped out of the shower.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-fitzsimmons/i-called-my-grandmother-yesterday-she-picks-up-the-phone-oh-hello/)

[Greg Fitzsimmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-fitzsimmons/)

> [“They tried to explain to the missionaries that it was they who put Adam and Eve out of the village because they was naked.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/they-tried-to-explain-to-the-missionaries-that-it-was-they-who-put/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [“There was a naked jock on my bed and a thing with tentacles coming out of my toilet. One of these things did not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-murdoc/there-was-a-naked-jock-on-my-bed-and-a-thing-with-tentacles-coming/)

[Johnny Murdoc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-murdoc/)

> [You may think of me as an object of desire and I'm going to tell you that I can be in front of you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-beart/you-may-think-of-me-as-an-object-of-desire-and-i-m-going-to-tell-you/)

[Emmanuelle Beart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-beart/)

> [It wasn't until I owned my body and really learned to love it - all of it - that my career just went to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-bidot/it-wasn-t-until-i-owned-my-body-and-really-learned-to-love-it-all-of/)

[Denise Bidot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-bidot/)

> [It's wrong for women to be constantly shy and embarrassed about their bodies. There are so many images of unattainable beauty that are so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-kingston/it-s-wrong-for-women-to-be-constantly-shy-and-embarrassed-about-their/)

[Alex Kingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-kingston/)

> [My face doesn't sweat, and my body never really ever sweats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffree-star/my-face-doesn-t-sweat-and-my-body-never-really-ever-sweats/)

[Jeffree Star](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffree-star/)

> [Society, like nature, is one body, really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-griffin/society-like-nature-is-one-body-really/)

[Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/)

> [To be really mediæval one should have no body. To be really modern one should have no soul. To be really Greek one should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/to-be-really-medi-val-one-should-have-no-body-to-be-really-modern-one/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [Sexuality is so much more complex than our boobs. My sexuality isn't me as an object to be looked at. It's the way I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-maslany/sexuality-is-so-much-more-complex-than-our-boobs-my-sexuality-isn-t/)

[Tatiana Maslany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-maslany/)

> [The soul never dies and the body is never really alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/the-soul-never-dies-and-the-body-is-never-really-alive/)

[Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/)

> [There's a sense of urgency in understanding that your body is not really your own. We can control it to a certain extent through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/there-s-a-sense-of-urgency-in-understanding-that-your-body-is-not/)

[Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/)

## More by Clive Barnes

> [Television is the first truly democratic culture - the first culture available to everybody and entirely governed by what the people want. The most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barnes/television-is-the-first-truly-democratic-culture-the-first-culture/)

[Clive Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barnes/)

> [One of the few things in dance to match the Royal Ballet's curtain calls is the Royal Ballet's dancing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barnes/one-of-the-few-things-in-dance-to-match-the-royal-ballet-s-curtain/)

[Clive Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barnes/)

> [Dance has become an exclusionary enterprise. To participate, one must be thinner than thin, of pleasing form, flexible, athletic and young. If you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barnes/dance-has-become-an-exclusionary-enterprise-to-participate-one-must/)

[Clive Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barnes/)

> [The mother is not dying exactly, but has reached a point in life where death is a familiar on the staircase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barnes/the-mother-is-not-dying-exactly-but-has-reached-a-point-in-life-where/)

[Clive Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barnes/)

> [One of the most beautiful sights in dance is American Ballet Theatre in full flight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barnes/one-of-the-most-beautiful-sights-in-dance-is-american-ballet-theatre/)

[Clive Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barnes/)

> [I don't see why people want new plays all the time. What would happen to concerts if people wanted new music all the time?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barnes/i-don-t-see-why-people-want-new-plays-all-the-time-what-would-happen/)

[Clive Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barnes/)

[Explore all 7 Clive Barnes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barnes/)

## More Body quotes

> [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/)

[Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/)

> [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/)

[Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/)

> [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/)

[Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/)

> [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/)

[Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/)

> [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/)

[Jennifer Siebel Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-siebel-newsom/)

> [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/)

[Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/)

[Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/)

> [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/)

[Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/)

> [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/)

[Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/)

> [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. Modern day diseases are mostly psychosomatic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/if-japa-is-maintained-no-useless-talk-during-work-will-be-possible/)

[Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/)

> [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/)

[Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/)

> [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

[Browse all 20,814 Body quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I am convinced that anyone can be a great writer . . . if he can only . . . tell the naked truth about himself and other people. That, a little technique with words and the willingness to bare heart, soul and body are really all it takes.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Clive Barnes"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barnes/i-am-convinced-that-anyone-can-be-a-great-writer-if-he-can-only-tell/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Body"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barnes/i-am-convinced-that-anyone-can-be-a-great-writer-if-he-can-only-tell/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/clive-barnes-51837_body_i-am-convinced-that-anyone-can-be-a-grea_3123249.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/clive-barnes-51837_body_i-am-convinced-that-anyone-can-be-a-grea_3123249.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/clive-barnes-51837_body_i-am-convinced-that-anyone-can-be-a-grea_3123249.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I am convinced that anyone can be a great writer . . . if he can only . . . tell the naked truth about…” — Clive Barnes",
                "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": "Clive Barnes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barnes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I am convinced that anyone can...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barnes/i-am-convinced-that-anyone-can-be-a-great-writer-if-he-can-only-tell/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barnes/i-am-convinced-that-anyone-can-be-a-great-writer-if-he-can-only-tell/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
