---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wrote because I needed to and wanted…"
description: "\"I wrote because I needed to and wanted to. It never occurred to me that I'd become famous.\" — Danielle Steel"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e06/danielle-steel-1674_fame_i-wrote-because-i-needed-to-and-wanted-t_2777003.jpg"
---

#  I wrote because I needed to and wanted to. It never…

![“I wrote because I needed to and wanted to. It never occurred to me that I'd become famous.” quote by Danielle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e06/danielle-steel-1674_fame_i-wrote-because-i-needed-to-and-wanted-t_2777003.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e06/danielle-steel-1674_fame_i-wrote-because-i-needed-to-and-wanted-t_2777003.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e06/danielle-steel-1674_fame_i-wrote-because-i-needed-to-and-wanted-t_2777003.jpg)

> “I wrote because I needed to and wanted to. It never occurred to me that I'd become famous.”

[Danielle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-steel/)

## About This Quote

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

Writing was driven by personal need and desire, not ambition; fame was an unexpected outcome.

**In simple terms:** She wrote for personal reasons, not fame.

Key Takeaway

Write for passion, not fame.

Themes

creativity motivation unexpected fame authorship

Mood

introspective motivational

Type

literary inspirational

When to use this quote

- writing projects
- career decisions
- personal expression
- public attention

Key Concepts

intrinsic motivation creative impulse

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do you write?
- How would fame change your work?

A Different Perspective

Fame can shift focus from original purpose, causing pressure.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Fame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fame/)

## Related quotes

> [I'm astonished by my success. I wrote because I needed to and wanted to. It never occurred to me that I'd become famous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/i-m-astonished-by-my-success-i-wrote-because-i-needed-to-and-wanted/)

[Danielle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-steel/)

> [I just wanted to be an actress. It never occurred to me that I could become famous, because I'm not one of those people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-jensen/i-just-wanted-to-be-an-actress-it-never-occurred-to-me-that-i-could/)

[Ashley Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-jensen/)

> [“He wrote how he "needed to be by himself, so he could miss her, to get some perspective”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvie-simmons/he-wrote-how-he-needed-to-be-by-himself-so-he-could-miss-her-to-get/)

[Sylvie Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvie-simmons/)

> [I've got way more attention than I ever needed or wanted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-nurse/i-ve-got-way-more-attention-than-i-ever-needed-or-wanted/)

[Nick Nurse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-nurse/)

> [“Words have never belonged to those who wrote them. Always to those who needed then.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darnell-lamont-walker/words-have-never-belonged-to-those-who-wrote-them-always-to-those-who/)

[Darnell Lamont Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darnell-lamont-walker/)

> [I was always writing for myself. I wrote what I needed to write and hear - that's what makes it powerful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupi-kaur/i-was-always-writing-for-myself-i-wrote-what-i-needed-to-write-and/)

[Rupi Kaur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupi-kaur/)

> [So it is that we can seldom help anybody. Either we don't know what part to give or maybe we don't like to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/so-it-is-that-we-can-seldom-help-anybody-either-we-don-t-know-what/)

[Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/)

> [“He had come to Austin because he needed something, and she wanted him as uncomfortable as possible while he asked for whatever it was.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-griffin/he-had-come-to-austin-because-he-needed-something-and-she-wanted-him/)

[Laura Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-griffin/)

> [“You were sent here to die. You were the one that was not needed, was not wanted, and they sent you here because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosamund-hodge/you-were-sent-here-to-die-you-were-the-one-that-was-not-needed-was/)

[Rosamund Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosamund-hodge/)

> [“I was rich, for there was nothing else that I needed or wanted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-warren/i-was-rich-for-there-was-nothing-else-that-i-needed-or-wanted/)

Mark Warren

> [How much does one person need to live? I've never needed or wanted that much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pernell-roberts/how-much-does-one-person-need-to-live-i-ve-never-needed-or-wanted/)

[Pernell Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pernell-roberts/)

> [“I've never before understood that I too can be needed and wanted. I've been the youngest child for so long that I never seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-morrall/i-ve-never-before-understood-that-i-too-can-be-needed-and-wanted-i-ve/)

[Clare Morrall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-morrall/)

> [I think I needed rather than wanted to be an actor. There is not another way to put it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosamund-pike/i-think-i-needed-rather-than-wanted-to-be-an-actor-there-is-not/)

[Rosamund Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosamund-pike/)

> [I really wasn't about to get a Ph.D. in art history, you know, which you'd absolutely needed. And that was not something I wanted.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barry/i-really-wasn-t-about-to-get-a-ph-d-in-art-history-you-know-which-you/)

[Robert Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barry/)

> [People are much more inclined to believe and say bad things about you if you're famous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/people-are-much-more-inclined-to-believe-and-say-bad-things-about-you/)

[Danielle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-steel/)

## More by Danielle Steel

> [“Yesterday's happenings are the reasons of Today's situation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/yesterday-s-happenings-are-the-reasons-of-today-s-situation/)

[Danielle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-steel/)

> [...there were no guarantees in life, only promises and whispers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/there-were-no-guarantees-in-life-only-promises-and-whispers/)

[Danielle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-steel/)

> [People are much more inclined to believe and say bad things about you if you're famous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/people-are-much-more-inclined-to-believe-and-say-bad-things-about-you/)

[Danielle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-steel/)

> [In my late teenage years, I developed a real passion for it, and wrote a lot of poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/in-my-late-teenage-years-i-developed-a-real-passion-for-it-and-wrote/)

[Danielle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-steel/)

> [The usual way - through a long series of rejections, revising my manuscripts, and kept trying again and again. Finally I was fortunate enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/the-usual-way-through-a-long-series-of-rejections-revising-my/)

[Danielle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-steel/)

> [I try to write about the stuff that torments us all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/i-try-to-write-about-the-stuff-that-torments-us-all/)

[Danielle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-steel/)

> [Maybe some people just aren't meant to be in our lives forever. Maybe some people are just passing through. It's like some people just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/maybe-some-people-just-aren-t-meant-to-be-in-our-lives-forever-maybe/)

[Danielle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-steel/)

> [Sometimes life will make you give up what you love most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/sometimes-life-will-make-you-give-up-what-you-love-most/)

[Danielle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-steel/)

> [Motherhood is not for the faint-hearted. Frogs, skinned knees, and the insults of teenage girls are not meant for the wimpy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/motherhood-is-not-for-the-faint-hearted-frogs-skinned-knees-and-the/)

[Danielle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-steel/)

> [I'm surprisingly practical in much of my life, but not when it comes to my shoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/i-m-surprisingly-practical-in-much-of-my-life-but-not-when-it-comes/)

[Danielle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-steel/)

> [Maybe some people just aren't meant to be in our lives forever. Maybe some people are just passing through. It's like some people just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/maybe-some-people-just-aren-t-meant-to-be-in-our-lives-forever-maybe-2/)

[Danielle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-steel/)

> [No man can take your freedom from you. They can limit your mobility, but that's about all they can do](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/no-man-can-take-your-freedom-from-you-they-can-limit-your-mobility/)

[Danielle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-steel/)

> [I publish six books a year now, which is very exciting. But it keeps me into my typewriter at all times! Now that my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/i-publish-six-books-a-year-now-which-is-very-exciting-but-it-keeps-me/)

[Danielle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-steel/)

> [I don't buy trends, because the pieces don't last and I wind up never wearing them. That's why I like to shop with my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/i-don-t-buy-trends-because-the-pieces-don-t-last-and-i-wind-up-never/)

[Danielle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-steel/)

> [Love meant something to her, she dreamt of it, thought of it, wrote of it. It was the one thing in life that had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/love-meant-something-to-her-she-dreamt-of-it-thought-of-it-wrote-of/)

[Danielle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-steel/)

[Explore all 206 Danielle Steel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-steel/)

## More Fame quotes

> [Most celebrated men live in a condition of prostitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-augustin-sainte-beuve/most-celebrated-men-live-in-a-condition-of-prostitution/)

[Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-augustin-sainte-beuve/)

> [I don't want to be famous famous. I'm happy on the second tier, where I have autonomy on a professional level but I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-reece/i-don-t-want-to-be-famous-famous-i-m-happy-on-the-second-tier-where-i/)

[Gabrielle Reece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-reece/)

> [Some people say that 'Drag Race' is about glory and immortalizing yourself in the Hall of Fame. For me, it's about shaking RuPaul down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trixie-mattel/some-people-say-that-drag-race-is-about-glory-and-immortalizing/)

[Trixie Mattel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trixie-mattel/)

> [The News of the World made me more famous than being in Atomic Kitten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-katona/the-news-of-the-world-made-me-more-famous-than-being-in-atomic-kitten/)

[Kerry Katona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-katona/)

> [Becoming famous is a really shocking thing, especially when you don't have aspirations to it. It got to the point where I would try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/becoming-famous-is-a-really-shocking-thing-especially-when-you-don-t/)

[Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/)

> [Five World Series rings, 3000-plus hits, the fame, the fortune and playing for the second most historic franchise in baseball... These are just some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mookie-betts/five-world-series-rings-3000-plus-hits-the-fame-the-fortune-and/)

[Mookie Betts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mookie-betts/)

> [There's nothing like getting feedback that's positive and supportive. That's what I'm all about. I'm really just genuinely doing good music. I'm not looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-villarreal/there-s-nothing-like-getting-feedback-that-s-positive-and-supportive/)

[Tiffany Villarreal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-villarreal/)

> [Don't crave fame, do what you do and just apply. I don't think many of them here today are that interested in fashion. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-wilson/don-t-crave-fame-do-what-you-do-and-just-apply-i-don-t-think-many-of/)

[Louise Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-wilson/)

> [If I had never gotten famous or rich, I think I'd be equally neurotic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-romano/if-i-had-never-gotten-famous-or-rich-i-think-i-d-be-equally-neurotic/)

[Ray Romano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-romano/)

> [Unfortunately, celebrity is a powerful thing. It can influence people, but if it can influence people in a good way, then that's a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-furnish/unfortunately-celebrity-is-a-powerful-thing-it-can-influence-people/)

[David Furnish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-furnish/)

> [I think you either live a real life or you live a weird celebrity pseudolife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-michelle-gellar/i-think-you-either-live-a-real-life-or-you-live-a-weird-celebrity/)

[Sarah Michelle Gellar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-michelle-gellar/)

> [I am uninterested in Jennifer Aniston's take on anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-dillon/i-am-uninterested-in-jennifer-aniston-s-take-on-anything/)

[Tim Dillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-dillon/)

> [The Baseball Hall of Fame is something every player dreams about, but being a member of God's Hall of Fame is the greatest achievement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-carter/the-baseball-hall-of-fame-is-something-every-player-dreams-about-but/)

[Gary Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-carter/)

> [I don't want to have anything to do with that: just the fame without personal respect for your privacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-till/i-don-t-want-to-have-anything-to-do-with-that-just-the-fame-without/)

[Lucas Till](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-till/)

> [I wanted to have money; I wanted to be special; I wanted people to like me; I wanted to be famous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/i-wanted-to-have-money-i-wanted-to-be-special-i-wanted-people-to-like/)

[Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/)

[Browse all 6,971 Fame quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fame/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I wrote because I needed to and wanted to. It never occurred to me that I'd become famous.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Danielle Steel"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/i-wrote-because-i-needed-to-and-wanted-to-it-never-occurred-to-me/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Fame"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/i-wrote-because-i-needed-to-and-wanted-to-it-never-occurred-to-me/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e06/danielle-steel-1674_fame_i-wrote-because-i-needed-to-and-wanted-t_2777003.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e06/danielle-steel-1674_fame_i-wrote-because-i-needed-to-and-wanted-t_2777003.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e06/danielle-steel-1674_fame_i-wrote-because-i-needed-to-and-wanted-t_2777003.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I wrote because I needed to and wanted to. It never occurred to me that I'd become famous.” — Danielle Steel",
                "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": "Danielle Steel",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-steel/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I wrote because I needed to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/i-wrote-because-i-needed-to-and-wanted-to-it-never-occurred-to-me/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/i-wrote-because-i-needed-to-and-wanted-to-it-never-occurred-to-me/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
