--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When it comes to the personal essays I…" description: "\"When it comes to the personal essays I write, I just convince myself that no one will ever read them.\" — Dani Shapiro" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca6/dani-shapiro-2273_convince_when-it-comes-to-the-personal-essays-i-w_1248170.png" --- # When it comes to the personal essays I write, I just… ![“When it comes to the personal essays I write, I just convince myself that no one will ever read them.” quote by Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca6/dani-shapiro-2273_convince_when-it-comes-to-the-personal-essays-i-w_1248170.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca6/dani-shapiro-2273_convince_when-it-comes-to-the-personal-essays-i-w_1248170.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca6/dani-shapiro-2273_convince_when-it-comes-to-the-personal-essays-i-w_1248170.png) > “When it comes to the personal essays I write, I just convince myself that no one will ever read them.” [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author doubts anyone will read their personal essays, so they write for themselves. **In simple terms:** Writing is for personal fulfillment, not audience. Key Takeaway Write for yourself first. Themes writing self‑expression confidence Mood introspective encouraging Type reflective motivational When to use this quote - journaling - blogging - creative workshops Key Concepts creative process self‑validation Questions to Reflect On - How does audience expectation affect your writing? - Can private writing improve public work? A Different Perspective Audience validation can be motivating. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Personal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [How do our philosophers act? Do they not inscribe their signatures to the very essays they write on the propriety of despising glory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/how-do-our-philosophers-act-do-they-not-inscribe-their-signatures-to/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [Novels are my favorite to write and read. I do like writing personal essays, too. I'm not really a short story writer, nor do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/novels-are-my-favorite-to-write-and-read-i-do-like-writing-personal/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [You must read a lot of personal essays - you needn't reinvent the wheel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-lopate/you-must-read-a-lot-of-personal-essays-you-needn-t-reinvent-the-wheel/) [Phillip Lopate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-lopate/) > [I could write another collection of personal essays from what has happened to me in the last year alone. I don't seek out my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/i-could-write-another-collection-of-personal-essays-from-what-has/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [I enjoy writing personal essays in the way of Charles Lamb because it goes back to the school days when I was good in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruskin-bond/i-enjoy-writing-personal-essays-in-the-way-of-charles-lamb-because-it/) [Ruskin Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruskin-bond/) > [While I had cancer, I wrote these twenty-two personal essays about how I lived my life backed by Zen and writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/while-i-had-cancer-i-wrote-these-twenty-two-personal-essays-about-how/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [Now the truth is, writing is a great way to deal with a lot of difficult emotional issues. It can be very therapeutic, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/now-the-truth-is-writing-is-a-great-way-to-deal-with-a-lot-of/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I'd written personal essays before, but never on this scale -- never so often and with such, er, honesty. (If by honesty I mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayelet-waldman/i-d-written-personal-essays-before-but-never-on-this-scale-never-so/) [Ayelet Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayelet-waldman/) > [I believe the personal essay is underrated for both writer and reader. It affords the writer great freedom: to speak personally yet invoke others'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-nemko/i-believe-the-personal-essay-is-underrated-for-both-writer-and-reader/) [Marty Nemko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-nemko/) > [When I was in graduate school, my thesis included both poetry and essays. Influenced by the personal essays of James Baldwin and Norman Mailer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/when-i-was-in-graduate-school-my-thesis-included-both-poetry-and/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [I wanted to create an environment in which more than just personal essays could be represented, and in which stranger approaches to making essays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/i-wanted-to-create-an-environment-in-which-more-than-just-personal/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [“Personal essay writing is analogous to undertaking a vision quest, a potential turning point in life taken to discover intimate personal truths, form complex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/personal-essay-writing-is-analogous-to-undertaking-a-vision-quest-a/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [Nowadays I imagine people find freer and more accepting venues in blogs, on Tumblr and Instagram and Facebook, in the riot of shouting that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-d-ambrosio/nowadays-i-imagine-people-find-freer-and-more-accepting-venues-in/) [Charles D'Ambrosio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-d-ambrosio/) > [A personal essay often includes some or a lot of personal confession. That makes the reader feel less lonely in their confusion and darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-lopate/a-personal-essay-often-includes-some-or-a-lot-of-personal-confession/) [Phillip Lopate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-lopate/) > [Another benefit is that the more I blog, the more I maintain and develop a first-person voice, which translates into a much greater ease…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-christensen/another-benefit-is-that-the-more-i-blog-the-more-i-maintain-and/) [Kate Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-christensen/) ## More by Dani Shapiro > [“The writer’s life requires courage, patience, empathy, openness. It requires the ability to be alone with oneself. Gentle with oneself. To be disciplined, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/the-writer-s-life-requires-courage-patience-empathy-openness-it/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [I never troll for material. It simply presents itself, and is always unmistakable. This is why I want to roll my eyes when people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-never-troll-for-material-it-simply-presents-itself-and-is-always/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [I had never really felt settled in Brooklyn. I think it had to do with growing up in New Jersey and being someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-had-never-really-felt-settled-in-brooklyn-i-think-it-had-to-do-with/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [When I near the end of a book, it feels as if the entire universe meets me more than halfway and supports me. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/when-i-near-the-end-of-a-book-it-feels-as-if-the-entire-universe/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [Everything you need to know about life can be learned from a genuine and ongoing attempt to write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/everything-you-need-to-know-about-life-can-be-learned-from-a-genuine/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [We don't choose what's going to wake us up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/we-don-t-choose-what-s-going-to-wake-us-up/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [Everything changes. The more I try to hold on to the moment, the more it slips through my fingers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/everything-changes-the-more-i-try-to-hold-on-to-the-moment-the-more/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [There is no end to the promotion. There is no end to the possibilities. You can continue to promote a book for years, literally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/there-is-no-end-to-the-promotion-there-is-no-end-to-the-possibilities/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [We can't protect ourselves from pain and heartache.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/we-can-t-protect-ourselves-from-pain-and-heartache/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [A writer with her work needs to be like a dog with a bone all the time. She needs to know where she's hidden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/a-writer-with-her-work-needs-to-be-like-a-dog-with-a-bone-all-the/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [“Oh, child! Somewhere inside you, your future has already unfurled like one of those coiled-up party streamers, once shiny, shaken loose, floating gracefully for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/oh-child-somewhere-inside-you-your-future-has-already-unfurled-like/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [I never feel so alive as when I'm writing and the work is going well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-never-feel-so-alive-as-when-i-m-writing-and-the-work-is-going-well/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [I do strongly identify with being Jewish. I was raised Orthodox and had a childhood complicated by the fact that my father was deeply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-do-strongly-identify-with-being-jewish-i-was-raised-orthodox-and/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [The fact is that most husbands, regardless of religion - it's an old-fashioned gender divide where the husband wants to stay home and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/the-fact-is-that-most-husbands-regardless-of-religion-it-s-an-old/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [Novels are my favorite to write and read. I do like writing personal essays, too. I'm not really a short story writer, nor do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/novels-are-my-favorite-to-write-and-read-i-do-like-writing-personal/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) [Explore all 175 Dani Shapiro quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) ## More Convince quotes > [“Sometimes we want something to be true so badly that we convince ourselves that it is true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/sometimes-we-want-something-to-be-true-so-badly-that-we-convince/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [The privilege of prayer to me is one of the most cherished possessions, because faith and experience alike convince me that God himself sees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfred-grenfell/the-privilege-of-prayer-to-me-is-one-of-the-most-cherished/) [Wilfred Grenfell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfred-grenfell/) > [Jesus never met a disease he could not cure, a birth defect he could not reverse, a demon he could not exorcise. But he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/jesus-never-met-a-disease-he-could-not-cure-a-birth-defect-he-could/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [The first duty of a wise advocate is to convince his opponents that he understands their arguments, and sympathies with their just feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/the-first-duty-of-a-wise-advocate-is-to-convince-his-opponents-that/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [Once you convince people that they're victims, you really own them because you've just told them that whatever problems they have in life, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/once-you-convince-people-that-they-re-victims-you-really-own-them/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [The people on the QVC shopping channel convince me that life is worth living. They see the good in everything. People who go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-vegas/the-people-on-the-qvc-shopping-channel-convince-me-that-life-is-worth/) [Johnny Vegas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-vegas/) > [“What can I say to convince you the Houses of Parliament dissolve night after night to become the fluid dream of the Thames? I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisel-mueller/what-can-i-say-to-convince-you-the-houses-of-parliament-dissolve/) [Lisel Mueller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisel-mueller/) > [Human beings have the incredible capacity for denial. I think they do. And although it's really hard to believe, I have my doubts. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/human-beings-have-the-incredible-capacity-for-denial-i-think-they-do/) [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) > [“If you can convince yourself, you can convince the other fellow,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-sanders/if-you-can-convince-yourself-you-can-convince-the-other-fellow/) [Tim Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-sanders/) > [Don't lie to yourself about what you can't or can achieve. Convince yourself on a realistic level that you can do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-lie-to-yourself-about-what-you-can-t-or-can-achieve-convince/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Don't ever let anyone convince you that your imagination is wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giuseppe-bianco/don-t-ever-let-anyone-convince-you-that-your-imagination-is-wrong/) [Giuseppe Bianco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giuseppe-bianco/) > [It's hard to convince your agents and managers to do theater, because it's not as financially rewarding and it takes up a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-helberg/it-s-hard-to-convince-your-agents-and-managers-to-do-theater-because/) [Simon Helberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-helberg/) > [I guess that is the strange part of the human brain that people have studied for eons - is hatred and self-hatred. You can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/i-guess-that-is-the-strange-part-of-the-human-brain-that-people-have/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) > [I knew I shouldn't like him cause I know it's not working, and everybody tells me that, and I convince myself I don't... and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernajoy-vaal/i-knew-i-shouldn-t-like-him-cause-i-know-it-s-not-working-and/) [Bernajoy Vaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernajoy-vaal/) > [The statesmen will invent cheap lies, putting the blame upon the nation that is attacked, and every man will be glad of those conscience-soothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-statesmen-will-invent-cheap-lies-putting-the-blame-upon-the/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) Browse all 1,431 Convince quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When it comes to the personal essays I write, I just convince myself that no one will ever read them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dani Shapiro" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/when-it-comes-to-the-personal-essays-i-write-i-just-convince-myself/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Convince" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/when-it-comes-to-the-personal-essays-i-write-i-just-convince-myself/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca6/dani-shapiro-2273_convince_when-it-comes-to-the-personal-essays-i-w_1248170.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca6/dani-shapiro-2273_convince_when-it-comes-to-the-personal-essays-i-w_1248170.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca6/dani-shapiro-2273_convince_when-it-comes-to-the-personal-essays-i-w_1248170.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When it comes to the personal essays I write, I just convince myself that no one will ever read them.” — Dani Shapiro", "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": "Dani Shapiro", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When it comes to the personal...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/when-it-comes-to-the-personal-essays-i-write-i-just-convince-myself/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/when-it-comes-to-the-personal-essays-i-write-i-just-convince-myself/#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 } } ] } ```