--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's not for the writer to say whether…" description: "\"It's not for the writer to say whether the thing is successful or not.\" — David Bezmozgis" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc7/david-bezmozgis-20993_success_it-s-not-for-the-writer-to-say-whether-t_2796836.jpg" --- # It's not for the writer to say whether the thing is… ![“It's not for the writer to say whether the thing is successful or not.” quote by David Bezmozgis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc7/david-bezmozgis-20993_success_it-s-not-for-the-writer-to-say-whether-t_2796836.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc7/david-bezmozgis-20993_success_it-s-not-for-the-writer-to-say-whether-t_2796836.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc7/david-bezmozgis-20993_success_it-s-not-for-the-writer-to-say-whether-t_2796836.jpg) > “It's not for the writer to say whether the thing is successful or not.” [David Bezmozgis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bezmozgis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The creator should not judge the success of their work; audience determines value. **In simple terms:** Creators shouldn't decide success; others do. Key Takeaway Let audiences judge your work. Themes creativity humility evaluation Mood reflective neutral Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - publishing - film - music - product launch - public reception Key Concepts subjectivity artistic merit Questions to Reflect On - How do you measure success? - Who decides value? A Different Perspective Success perception varies across cultures and markets. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [The only thing all successful people have in common is that they're successful, so don't waste your time copying "the successful strategies" of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-only-thing-all-successful-people-have-in-common-is-that-they-re/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [I've never believed in competition. Everyone's here to do their own thing and become successful in that respect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armaan-malik/i-ve-never-believed-in-competition-everyone-s-here-to-do-their-own/) [Armaan Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armaan-malik/) > [“The one thing that all successful people have in common is persistence,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garr-reynolds/the-one-thing-that-all-successful-people-have-in-common-is-persistence/) Garr Reynolds > [One thing about being successful is that I stopped being afraid of dying. Once you're a star you're dead already. You're embalmed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-hoffman/one-thing-about-being-successful-is-that-i-stopped-being-afraid-of/) [Dustin Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-hoffman/) > [There is no such thing as a successful defense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-s-patton/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-successful-defense/) [George S. Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-s-patton/) > [The first thing successful people do is view failure as a positive signal to success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendon-burchard/the-first-thing-successful-people-do-is-view-failure-as-a-positive/) [Brendon Burchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendon-burchard/) > [If one person did one thing to be successful, that doesn't necessarily mean that's your story, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karrueche-tran/if-one-person-did-one-thing-to-be-successful-that-doesn-t-necessarily/) [Karrueche Tran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karrueche-tran/) > [Having a successful first album is one thing, but a successful third is another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/having-a-successful-first-album-is-one-thing-but-a-successful-third/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I find people to be people everywhere. Everyone wants the same thing - be successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-whitacre-jr/i-find-people-to-be-people-everywhere-everyone-wants-the-same-thing/) [Edward Whitacre, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-whitacre-jr/) > [Sometimes people think success comes over night. There is no such thing, anyone you ever see that is successful has worked at it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-shields/sometimes-people-think-success-comes-over-night-there-is-no-such/) [Tyler Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-shields/) > [There's only one thing that all the successful companies in the world have in common: None was started by one person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-only-one-thing-that-all-the-successful-companies-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The best thing about becoming successful is that you get flowers all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-best-thing-about-becoming-successful-is-that-you-get-flowers-all/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [That's a beautiful thing. The more successful you are, the more people are going to come and be a part of music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zara-larsson/that-s-a-beautiful-thing-the-more-successful-you-are-the-more-people/) [Zara Larsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zara-larsson/) > [Oh, I'm a great believer in the power of the pause. Radio is a bit brasher now. My style was slower. I just used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-wogan/oh-i-m-a-great-believer-in-the-power-of-the-pause-radio-is-a-bit/) [Terry Wogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-wogan/) > [The role of the writer is not to say what we can all say, but what we are unable to say. Most of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/the-role-of-the-writer-is-not-to-say-what-we-can-all-say-but-what-we/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) ## More by David Bezmozgis > [I believe I'm very conscious of exactly what I'm doing. I'm auditioning lines of dialogue, and I'm interrogating whether the lines would translate from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bezmozgis/i-believe-i-m-very-conscious-of-exactly-what-i-m-doing-i-m/) [David Bezmozgis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bezmozgis/) > [Some is, I think, the personal in any act of writing. You find yourself caught up: you start a sentence, and it becomes revelatory,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bezmozgis/some-is-i-think-the-personal-in-any-act-of-writing-you-find-yourself/) [David Bezmozgis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bezmozgis/) > [Here I am: a Russian-speaking Jew living in Canada, and you, an Indian ex-patriot living in San Francisco. All of a sudden we commune…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bezmozgis/here-i-am-a-russian-speaking-jew-living-in-canada-and-you-an-indian/) [David Bezmozgis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bezmozgis/) > [Maybe the most provocative thing one can do - and I'm not the first one to do it - is to ask the moral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bezmozgis/maybe-the-most-provocative-thing-one-can-do-and-i-m-not-the-first-one/) [David Bezmozgis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bezmozgis/) > [Most people will reach a point where, whatever their ideology, they will relent, or conform, and that keeps them kind of in the general…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bezmozgis/most-people-will-reach-a-point-where-whatever-their-ideology-they/) [David Bezmozgis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bezmozgis/) > [I think even with women who come across with a tough exterior, the interior is the same. I think you'll find this with women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bezmozgis/i-think-even-with-women-who-come-across-with-a-tough-exterior-the/) [David Bezmozgis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bezmozgis/) > [Language is a personality as well. People are different when they speak different languages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bezmozgis/language-is-a-personality-as-well-people-are-different-when-they/) [David Bezmozgis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bezmozgis/) > [Writing a novel, in an unplanned and unpredictable way, makes you engaged; it takes you into yourself, and it becomes something between you and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bezmozgis/writing-a-novel-in-an-unplanned-and-unpredictable-way-makes-you/) [David Bezmozgis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bezmozgis/) > [I think having an uncompromising ideology eventually forces you out of the norm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bezmozgis/i-think-having-an-uncompromising-ideology-eventually-forces-you-out/) [David Bezmozgis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bezmozgis/) > [We all have some ideological quotient in ourselves. And I think it does guide who we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bezmozgis/we-all-have-some-ideological-quotient-in-ourselves-and-i-think-it/) [David Bezmozgis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bezmozgis/) > [There are different types of readers. People draw lines at which three things intersect: the character, the author, and the reader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bezmozgis/there-are-different-types-of-readers-people-draw-lines-at-which-three/) [David Bezmozgis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bezmozgis/) > [There are books where you can really see the moral question, which I think we answer every day for ourselves, in every interaction we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bezmozgis/there-are-books-where-you-can-really-see-the-moral-question-which-i/) [David Bezmozgis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bezmozgis/) > [I think every book is a reaction to everything you're written before, and most immediately to the book you wrote just before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bezmozgis/i-think-every-book-is-a-reaction-to-everything-you-re-written-before/) [David Bezmozgis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bezmozgis/) > [Nothing is easy in writing. I don't think for anyone. But dialogue is probably what comes most naturally to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bezmozgis/nothing-is-easy-in-writing-i-don-t-think-for-anyone-but-dialogue-is/) [David Bezmozgis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bezmozgis/) > [In my experience of women, women have a greater capacity. Maybe women, even very pragmatic ones, are less guarded about showing emotions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bezmozgis/in-my-experience-of-women-women-have-a-greater-capacity-maybe-women/) [David Bezmozgis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bezmozgis/) [Explore all 30 David Bezmozgis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bezmozgis/) ## More Success quotes > [I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is decide exactly what you want - set your goals - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-always-say-there-are-two-things-to-be-successful-the-first-is/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [It's sort of the American way to go up and down the ladder, maybe several times in a lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stewart/it-s-sort-of-the-american-way-to-go-up-and-down-the-ladder-maybe/) [Martha Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stewart/) > [You cant be controlling in improv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/you-cant-be-controlling-in-improv/) [Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/) > [Before I debuted, it was my goal to make my debut, and afterwards, I aimed at winning champion titles on television music shows, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyuna/before-i-debuted-it-was-my-goal-to-make-my-debut-and-afterwards-i/) [Hyuna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyuna/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [“am not suggesting that successes in academics, athletics, or vocation somehow stand outside God’s good plan. Learning and play are joys that God himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-paul-jones/am-not-suggesting-that-successes-in-academics-athletics-or-vocation/) [Timothy Paul Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-paul-jones/) > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [“Success is for a man whose stories of sruggles and chalenges are inspirations to and up coming generation..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelly-sanaba-c/success-is-for-a-man-whose-stories-of-sruggles-and-chalenges-are/) Nelly sanaba .c > [If you hate yourself... The world will hate you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cv-pillay/if-you-hate-yourself-the-world-will-hate-you/) [Cv Pillay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cv-pillay/) > [At the very beginning, I was a page at Letterman, and I freelanced for any place that would let me write any word. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-schwartz/at-the-very-beginning-i-was-a-page-at-letterman-and-i-freelanced-for/) [Ben Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-schwartz/) > [I just enjoy winning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xander-bogaerts/i-just-enjoy-winning/) [Xander Bogaerts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xander-bogaerts/) > [Since I worked with Danny Boyle before on Slumdog Millionaire, we have great success and everything. So, when I first got the script and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-r-rahman/since-i-worked-with-danny-boyle-before-on-slumdog-millionaire-we-have/) [A. R. Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-r-rahman/) > [Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-lombardi/winning-is-a-habit-unfortunately-so-is-losing/) [Vince Lombardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-lombardi/) > [I don't want easy success. It's boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sudeep/i-don-t-want-easy-success-it-s-boring/) [Sudeep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sudeep/) > [Focus on becoming more to achieve more while doing less](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-elrod/focus-on-becoming-more-to-achieve-more-while-doing-less/) [Hal Elrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-elrod/) [Browse all 41,540 Success quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's not for the writer to say whether the thing is successful or not.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Bezmozgis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bezmozgis/it-s-not-for-the-writer-to-say-whether-the-thing-is-successful-or-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Success" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bezmozgis/it-s-not-for-the-writer-to-say-whether-the-thing-is-successful-or-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc7/david-bezmozgis-20993_success_it-s-not-for-the-writer-to-say-whether-t_2796836.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc7/david-bezmozgis-20993_success_it-s-not-for-the-writer-to-say-whether-t_2796836.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc7/david-bezmozgis-20993_success_it-s-not-for-the-writer-to-say-whether-t_2796836.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's not for the writer to say whether the thing is successful or not.” — David Bezmozgis", "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": "David Bezmozgis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bezmozgis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's not for the writer to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bezmozgis/it-s-not-for-the-writer-to-say-whether-the-thing-is-successful-or-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bezmozgis/it-s-not-for-the-writer-to-say-whether-the-thing-is-successful-or-not/#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 } } ] } ```