--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think a writer's job is to provoke…" description: "\"I think a writer's job is to provoke questions. I like to think that if someone's read a book of mine, they've had - I don't know what - the literary e..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1f/doris-lessing-501_book_i-think-a-writer-s-job-is-to-provoke-que_350295.jpg" --- # I think a writer's job is to provoke questions. I like to… ![“I think a writer's job is to provoke questions. I like to think that if someone's read a book of mine, they've had - I don't know what - the literary equivalent of a shower. Something that would start them thinking in a slightly different way perhaps. That's what I think writers are for. This is…” quote by Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1f/doris-lessing-501_book_i-think-a-writer-s-job-is-to-provoke-que_350295.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1f/doris-lessing-501_book_i-think-a-writer-s-job-is-to-provoke-que_350295.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1f/doris-lessing-501_book_i-think-a-writer-s-job-is-to-provoke-que_350295.jpg) > “I think a writer's job is to provoke questions. I like to think that if someone's read a book of mine, they've had - I don't know what - the literary equivalent of a shower. Something that would start them thinking in a slightly different way perhaps. That's what I think writers are for. This is what our function is.” [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writers aim to stimulate curiosity and shift perspectives, like a mental refresh. **In simple terms:** Writers make readers think differently. Key Takeaway Encourage readers to question assumptions. Themes creativity reflection influence Mood thoughtful inspired Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - book clubs - creative writing workshops - personal reading - educational curricula Key Concepts literary purpose cognitive shift Questions to Reflect On - How can a writer balance provocation with clarity? - What topics most need fresh perspectives? A Different Perspective Provoking thought may not always lead to actionable change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I think a writer's job is to provoke questions. I like to think that if someone's read a book of mine, they've had -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/i-think-a-writer-s-job-is-to-provoke-questions-i-like-to-think-that-2/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [I think I'm a writer, and it's my job. People in other professions are expected to do their jobs all the time. Why shouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-greenberg/i-think-i-m-a-writer-and-it-s-my-job-people-in-other-professions-are/) [Richard Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-greenberg/) > [The writer’s job is to write with rigor, with commitment, to defend what they believe with all the talent they have. I think that’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/the-writer-s-job-is-to-write-with-rigor-with-commitment-to-defend/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [I think that, as a writer, while it's your job to construct stories, you have to navigate your way through them with your heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abi-morgan/i-think-that-as-a-writer-while-it-s-your-job-to-construct-stories-you/) [Abi Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abi-morgan/) > [I think the writer's job is to paint the gray because no life is clearly defined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-dubus/i-think-the-writer-s-job-is-to-paint-the-gray-because-no-life-is/) [Andre Dubus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-dubus/) > [I do not think writers or anybody would sit down and think they must write about some cause, or theme, or something. If they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/i-do-not-think-writers-or-anybody-would-sit-down-and-think-they-must/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [I do not think writers ought ever to sit down and think they must write about some cause, or theme, or something. If they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/i-do-not-think-writers-ought-ever-to-sit-down-and-think-they-must/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [Don't read a book out of its right time for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/don-t-read-a-book-out-of-its-right-time-for-you/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“You have to read a book at the right time for you, and I am sure this cannot be insisted on too often, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/you-have-to-read-a-book-at-the-right-time-for-you-and-i-am-sure-this/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [There is only one way to read, which is to browse in libraries and bookshops, picking up books that attract you, reading only those,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/there-is-only-one-way-to-read-which-is-to-browse-in-libraries-and-2/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [The writer's job is the job of a clown …the clown who also talks about sorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenzaburo-oe/the-writer-s-job-is-the-job-of-a-clown-the-clown-who-also-talks-about/) [Kenzaburo Oe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenzaburo-oe/) > [The writer's job is to get naked...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-crews/the-writer-s-job-is-to-get-naked/) [Harry Crews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-crews/) > [“A writer's job is never finished.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sai-marie-johnson/a-writer-s-job-is-never-finished/) [Sai Marie Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sai-marie-johnson/) > [I think a writer's first job is to entertain, even in novels: to tell a compelling story that pulls the reader along toward an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/i-think-a-writer-s-first-job-is-to-entertain-even-in-novels-to-tell-a/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [Grabbing readers by the imagination is a writer's job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/grabbing-readers-by-the-imagination-is-a-writer-s-job/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) ## More by Doris Lessing > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“In the morning, when she wishes me to wake, she crouches on my chest, and pats my face with her paw. Or, if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/in-the-morning-when-she-wishes-me-to-wake-she-crouches-on-my-chest/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [You know, whenever women make imaginary female kingdoms in literature, they are always very permissive, to use the jargon word, and easy and generous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/you-know-whenever-women-make-imaginary-female-kingdoms-in-literature/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [There is only one real sin and that is to persuade oneself that the second best is anything but second best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/there-is-only-one-real-sin-and-that-is-to-persuade-oneself-that-the/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“She was using the water as she had used the fruit earlier—to calm herself, to assure herself of the possibility of normality. 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For me to walk into a shop or look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/i-remember-world-war-ii-when-there-were-very-few-books-very-little/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [They can't give a Nobel to someone who's dead so I think they were probably thinking they had better give it to me now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/they-can-t-give-a-nobel-to-someone-who-s-dead-so-i-think-they-were/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“While she strode rapidly through the ward to the door at the other end, she was able to see that every bed or cot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/while-she-strode-rapidly-through-the-ward-to-the-door-at-the-other/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [I do not think that marriage is one of my talents. I've been much happier unmarried than married.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/i-do-not-think-that-marriage-is-one-of-my-talents-i-ve-been-much/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [I haven't got the energy to write now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/i-haven-t-got-the-energy-to-write-now/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [What really fascinates me is this need that is so strong now that if you read a work of the imagination you instantly have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/what-really-fascinates-me-is-this-need-that-is-so-strong-now-that-if/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“The charge that the United Nations are using bacteriological warfare in Korea cannot be dismissed merely because it would be insane.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/the-charge-that-the-united-nations-are-using-bacteriological-warfare/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [What I did have, which others perhaps didn't, was a capacity for sticking at it, which really is the point, not the talent at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/what-i-did-have-which-others-perhaps-didn-t-was-a-capacity-for/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [The human community is evolving... . We can survive anything you care to mention. We are supremely equipped to survive, to adapt and even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/the-human-community-is-evolving-we-can-survive-anything-you-care-to/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [So love is rest? The cosy corner? The little nook? Sometimes it ought to be. Sometimes it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/so-love-is-rest-the-cosy-corner-the-little-nook-sometimes-it-ought-to/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) [Explore all 508 Doris Lessing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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I like to think that if someone's read a book of mine, they've had - I don't know what - the literary equivalent of a shower. Something that would start them thinking in a slightly different way perhaps. That's what I think writers are for. 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