--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes the better the writing, the…" description: "\"Sometimes the better the writing, the harder it is to play because you really want to service it. It's hard to be that quick and articulate in life. Yo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/724/david-duchovny-1754_articulate_sometimes-the-better-the-writing-the-har_1821521.jpg" --- # Sometimes the better the writing, the harder it is to play… ![“Sometimes the better the writing, the harder it is to play because you really want to service it. It's hard to be that quick and articulate in life. You've got to try to make it seem discovered, you know, not rehearsed.” quote by David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/724/david-duchovny-1754_articulate_sometimes-the-better-the-writing-the-har_1821521.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/724/david-duchovny-1754_articulate_sometimes-the-better-the-writing-the-har_1821521.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/724/david-duchovny-1754_articulate_sometimes-the-better-the-writing-the-har_1821521.jpg) > “Sometimes the better the writing, the harder it is to play because you really want to service it. It's hard to be that quick and articulate in life. You've got to try to make it seem discovered, you know, not rehearsed.” [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The tension between polished skill and authentic spontaneity challenges artistic expression. **In simple terms:** Balancing skill and naturalness is hard. Key Takeaway Embrace practice but keep authenticity. Themes craft authenticity performance Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - theatre rehearsal - public speaking - creative writing Key Concepts skill spontaneity artistic integrity Questions to Reflect On - How do you stay fresh under pressure? - When does preparation become a hindrance? A Different Perspective Over‑rehearsal can stifle originality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Service](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/service/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Sometimes the better the writing, the harder it is to play because you really want to service it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/sometimes-the-better-the-writing-the-harder-it-is-to-play-because-you/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [Poetry is often the art of overhearing yourself say things you didn't know you knew. It is a learned skill to force yourself to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/poetry-is-often-the-art-of-overhearing-yourself-say-things-you-didn-t/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [You can go through life and actually speak your mind and do it in an articulate fashion and with a really intelligent point of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/you-can-go-through-life-and-actually-speak-your-mind-and-do-it-in-an/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [I think at the start of writing it was less intense topics, and then once I broke the seal I was more comfortable writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-hemmings/i-think-at-the-start-of-writing-it-was-less-intense-topics-and-then/) [Luke Hemmings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-hemmings/) > [I have a hard time writing. Most writers have a hard time writing. I have a harder time than most because I'm lazier than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-have-a-hard-time-writing-most-writers-have-a-hard-time-writing-i/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [Writing is the hardest work in the world. I have been a bricklayer and a truck driver, and I tell you – as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-ellison/writing-is-the-hardest-work-in-the-world-i-have-been-a-bricklayer-and/) [Harlan Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-ellison/) > [Writing is always harder than talking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/writing-is-always-harder-than-talking/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [The more and more I got into writing, the harder and harder it became for me. I still love it, but it became much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paloma-elsesser/the-more-and-more-i-got-into-writing-the-harder-and-harder-it-became/) [Paloma Elsesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paloma-elsesser/) > [If you think reading a book is hard, you should try writing one. Because it's even harder. It's still not as hard as writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-wolpaw/if-you-think-reading-a-book-is-hard-you-should-try-writing-one/) Erik Wolpaw > [Acting is more fun than writing. Writing is harder, more like having a term paper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-wilson/acting-is-more-fun-than-writing-writing-is-harder-more-like-having-a/) [Owen Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-wilson/) > [I start out to write five days a week, and then it runs to six days and finally seven. 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Probably a reluctance to give away anything you might conceivably use yourself caused a block.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/i-m-not-sure-why-writing-for-others-became-harder-probably-a/) [Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/) > [I used to love reading, but since I've started writing, it's harder for me to immerse, because I spend so much time looking at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/i-used-to-love-reading-but-since-i-ve-started-writing-it-s-harder-for/) [Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/) > [I have a hard time writing. Most writers have a hard time writing. I have a harder time than most because I'm lazier than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-have-a-hard-time-writing-most-writers-have-a-hard-time-writing-i-2/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) ## More by David Duchovny > [My whole life, I've wanted things before I was ready. I was always pushing for the next job, the next success. I was so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/my-whole-life-i-ve-wanted-things-before-i-was-ready-i-was-always/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [ I would say recently I've gotten back to perusing \[Samuel\] Beckett's novels. Listening to the way Donald Trump speaks without saying anything has made… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/i-would-say-recently-i-ve-gotten-back-to-perusing-samuel-beckett-s/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [I got married a bit late, I agree. In any other period of history I'd have been dead at that age and they'd have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/i-got-married-a-bit-late-i-agree-in-any-other-period-of-history-i-d/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [Our country was founded on a distrust of government. Our founding fathers gave power to the people to keep an eye on government. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/our-country-was-founded-on-a-distrust-of-government-our-founding/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [I still feel like I haven't grown up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/i-still-feel-like-i-haven-t-grown-up/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [It's not someone else's responsibility to honor my marriage. It's my responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/it-s-not-someone-else-s-responsibility-to-honor-my-marriage-it-s-my/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [Fame does lead to money, which I don't have a close relationship with. I'm the kind of guy who never sees the money -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/fame-does-lead-to-money-which-i-don-t-have-a-close-relationship-with/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [I like my computer. But I don't know how to use it as well as the 10-year-old daughter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/i-like-my-computer-but-i-don-t-know-how-to-use-it-as-well-as-the-10/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [Maybe the best things about celebrity are the things like being able to get that seat on the plane that you wouldn't normally get,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/maybe-the-best-things-about-celebrity-are-the-things-like-being-able/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [“Of course I’m biased, what else could I be? Bias makes the world go round, sometimes a little too fast.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/of-course-i-m-biased-what-else-could-i-be-bias-makes-the-world-go/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > ['The X-Files,' as I recall, we didn't know really what we were until the middle of the first year. You know, so if we'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/the-x-files-as-i-recall-we-didn-t-know-really-what-we-were-until-the/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [I always dreamt of being a basketball player. A dream that only I believed in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/i-always-dreamt-of-being-a-basketball-player-a-dream-that-only-i/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [Well, I still write poetry, but I wouldn't call myself a poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/well-i-still-write-poetry-but-i-wouldn-t-call-myself-a-poet/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [I'm not reading currently because I'm getting revisions of a novel. If I read while I'm writing I will unconsciously plagiarize and go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/i-m-not-reading-currently-because-i-m-getting-revisions-of-a-novel-if/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [Anxiety is part of creativity, the need to get something out, the need to be rid of something or to get in touch with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/anxiety-is-part-of-creativity-the-need-to-get-something-out-the-need/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) [Explore all 211 David Duchovny quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) ## More Articulate quotes > [I used to be really insular, really introverted. 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But I know, as a person, in other ways, I'm not always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-swift/as-a-novelist-i-suppose-i-can-say-that-i-m-highly-articulate-but-i/) [Graham Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-swift/) > [We live at the level of our language. Whatever we can articulate we can imagine or understand or explore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-gilchrist/we-live-at-the-level-of-our-language-whatever-we-can-articulate-we/) [Ellen Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-gilchrist/) > [Every now and then, I feel terribly uncomfortable with what I'm working on, and then I think maybe I am an artist. I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hollander/every-now-and-then-i-feel-terribly-uncomfortable-with-what-i-m/) [Tom Hollander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hollander/) > [Jim Rohn is one of the most articulate, powerful, thought-provoking speakers I've seen. His unique delivery and style puts him head and shoulders above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-mackay/jim-rohn-is-one-of-the-most-articulate-powerful-thought-provoking/) [Harvey Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-mackay/) > [My father, Eric Trethewey, is a poet, so I had one right inside the house. 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More than what we say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polly-berrien-berends/the-parent-is-the-strongest-statement-that-the-child-hears-regarding/) [Polly Berrien Berends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-berrien-berends/) > [“Define Your Why Next, you need to articulate your why.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gottfried/define-your-why-next-you-need-to-articulate-your-why/) [Sara Gottfried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gottfried/) Browse all 129 Articulate quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sometimes the better the writing, the harder it is to play because you really want to service it. It's hard to be that quick and articulate in life. 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