--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can't write about things without…" description: "\"You can't write about things without doing them. You just have to live that same way.\" — Dorothy Day" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e8/dorothy-day-1629_doing_you-can-t-write-about-things-without-doi_1215071.png" --- # You can't write about things without doing them. You just… ![“You can't write about things without doing them. You just have to live that same way.” quote by Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e8/dorothy-day-1629_doing_you-can-t-write-about-things-without-doi_1215071.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e8/dorothy-day-1629_doing_you-can-t-write-about-things-without-doi_1215071.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e8/dorothy-day-1629_doing_you-can-t-write-about-things-without-doi_1215071.png) > “You can't write about things without doing them. You just have to live that same way.” [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Authentic writing requires lived experience; one must embody the subject to convey truth. **In simple terms:** You must live what you write. Key Takeaway Live fully before you write. Themes authenticity experience writing Mood thoughtful inspirational Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - journalism - creative nonfiction - personal memoir Key Concepts embodiment integrity Questions to Reflect On - Can you write truthfully without direct experience? - What risks arise from living your subject? A Different Perspective Pure observation may miss depth without personal involvement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing/) [Doing Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-just/) [Live Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-way/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Write Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-things/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [When I was doing it, I just thought, 'I'm going to do this because it's fun.' I wasn't writing for a publisher or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-todd/when-i-was-doing-it-i-just-thought-i-m-going-to-do-this-because-it-s/) [Anna Todd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-todd/) > [If you have not done things worthy of being written about, at least write things worthy of being read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giacomo-casanova/if-you-have-not-done-things-worthy-of-being-written-about-at-least/) [Giacomo Casanova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giacomo-casanova/) > [We just try to write about things that are close to our hearts. We don't sit around trying to write another 'Free Bird' or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rickey-medlocke/we-just-try-to-write-about-things-that-are-close-to-our-hearts-we-don/) [Rickey Medlocke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rickey-medlocke/) > [I have a blog where I keep in touch with my fans. I write about things that are important to me. Sometimes on there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/i-have-a-blog-where-i-keep-in-touch-with-my-fans-i-write-about-things/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“I must write about the things of the world with no glazing.” She fought doggedly against the great suction into her own subjectivity: “I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/i-must-write-about-the-things-of-the-world-with-no-glazing-she-fought/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [“Why did I write it down? In order to remember, of course, but exactly what was it I wanted to remember? How much of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/why-did-i-write-it-down-in-order-to-remember-of-course-but-exactly/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [Not doing things you can do is the whole point of laziness. Not doing something you can't do is just sensible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/not-doing-things-you-can-do-is-the-whole-point-of-laziness-not-doing/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [I'm not saying you did the wrong thing. I'm not even saying it wasn't something I'd thought of doing, myself. But even if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-m-not-saying-you-did-the-wrong-thing-i-m-not-even-saying-it-wasn-t/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [You don't always have to be doing something. You can just be, and that's plenty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/you-don-t-always-have-to-be-doing-something-you-can-just-be-and-that/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [“Men get out of countenance with themselves and others because they treat the means as the end, and so, from sheer doing, do nothing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/men-get-out-of-countenance-with-themselves-and-others-because-they/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [If you're putting somebody down, you're doing it because you're just seeing a part of yourself that you don't like. That's all that is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/if-you-re-putting-somebody-down-you-re-doing-it-because-you-re-just/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) > [I felt that there were so many people doing it that I would just be like one of the others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-white/i-felt-that-there-were-so-many-people-doing-it-that-i-would-just-be/) [Kelli White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-white/) > [What I live and do is music. When I'm not doing that, I'm just kicking back, watching my stocks and bonds and checks coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juicy-j/what-i-live-and-do-is-music-when-i-m-not-doing-that-i-m-just-kicking/) [Juicy J](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juicy-j/) > [I don't want to be doing anything else, I just want to be with my family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudia-winkleman/i-don-t-want-to-be-doing-anything-else-i-just-want-to-be-with-my/) [Claudia Winkleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudia-winkleman/) > [I would have had fun doing just about anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clancy-brown/i-would-have-had-fun-doing-just-about-anything/) [Clancy Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clancy-brown/) ## More by Dorothy Day > [“There was no attack on religion because people were generally indifferent to religion. They were neither hot nor cold. They were the tepid, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/there-was-no-attack-on-religion-because-people-were-generally/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [We must recognize the fact that many Nazis, Marxists and Fascists believe passionately in their fundamental rightness, and allow nothing to hinder them from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/we-must-recognize-the-fact-that-many-nazis-marxists-and-fascists/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [“Now don't think I've lost my mind - but I'll tell you, I'll look at some of the cards I have, some of Van…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/now-don-t-think-i-ve-lost-my-mind-but-i-ll-tell-you-i-ll-look-at-some/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [The Sexual Revolution is a complete rebellion against authority, natural and supernatural, even against the body and its needs, its natural functions of child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/the-sexual-revolution-is-a-complete-rebellion-against-authority/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [Idealism in the young, I guess I'm saying, is curiosity as well as goodness trying to express itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/idealism-in-the-young-i-guess-i-m-saying-is-curiosity-as-well-as/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [Voluntary poverty isn't going around with some burlap bag around you and imitating the poor. It means being indifferent to the material, doing as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/voluntary-poverty-isn-t-going-around-with-some-burlap-bag-around-you/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [Women think with their whole bodies and they see things as a whole more than men do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/women-think-with-their-whole-bodies-and-they-see-things-as-a-whole/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [My whole life so far, my whole experience has been that our failure has been not to love enough. This conviction brought me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/my-whole-life-so-far-my-whole-experience-has-been-that-our-failure/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [I think one of the things we must constantly keep in mind is, 'If anybody hits you on one cheek, turn the other.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/i-think-one-of-the-things-we-must-constantly-keep-in-mind-is-if/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [It is only through religion that communism can be achieved, and has been achieved over and over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/it-is-only-through-religion-that-communism-can-be-achieved-and-has/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [The Communists in Cuba didn't assist Castro in his revolution. They weren't on the side of the students. They didn't do anything to help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/the-communists-in-cuba-didn-t-assist-castro-in-his-revolution-they/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [Dear God, please enlarge our hearts to love each other, to love our neighbor, to love our enemy as well as our friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/dear-god-please-enlarge-our-hearts-to-love-each-other-to-love-our/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [A conversion is a lonely experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/a-conversion-is-a-lonely-experience/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [The sense is always that community is natural to people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/the-sense-is-always-that-community-is-natural-to-people/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [“We must practice the presence of God. He said that when two or three are gathered together, there he is in the midst of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/we-must-practice-the-presence-of-god-he-said-that-when-two-or-three/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) [Explore all 220 Dorothy Day quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) ## More Doing quotes > [I don't know what I'm doing, but I'm damn well gonna do it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geri-halliwell/i-don-t-know-what-i-m-doing-but-i-m-damn-well-gonna-do-it/) [Geri Halliwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geri-halliwell/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [If you think you're doing everything right, then you have a tendency to stand pat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stockton/if-you-think-you-re-doing-everything-right-then-you-have-a-tendency/) [John Stockton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stockton/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [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/) > [Doing the right things is more important than doing things right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ko-wen-je/doing-the-right-things-is-more-important-than-doing-things-right/) [Ko Wen-je](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ko-wen-je/) > [I was in high school and I had an independent album out, and we kept sending that out, and I was doing shows. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-hilton/i-was-in-high-school-and-i-had-an-independent-album-out-and-we-kept/) [Tyler Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-hilton/) > [If I'm not thinking about you then I am texting you , if I am not texting you then I am on the phone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-m-not-thinking-about-you-then-i-am-texting-you-if-i-am-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [.\*. why u hate me..Bitches be doing the most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitty/why-u-hate-me-bitches-be-doing-the-most/) [Kitty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kitty/) > [“dances with mine as if we’ve been doing this our whole”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corinne-michaels/dances-with-mine-as-if-we-ve-been-doing-this-our-whole/) [Corinne Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corinne-michaels/) > [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [When the dollar collapses, it's not doing it in a vacuum. If the dollar loses value, it's doing so relative to some other currency.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/when-the-dollar-collapses-it-s-not-doing-it-in-a-vacuum-if-the-dollar/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [When I made it, I still didn't wave the flag and say, Yeah go Asian people. I do want people to know that about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-hugo/when-i-made-it-i-still-didn-t-wave-the-flag-and-say-yeah-go-asian/) [Chad Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-hugo/) > [I really can't live without my In-N-Out burgers. Honestly, I can't. Even when I'm doing the whole no-carb thing occasionally, I make an exception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-berkus/i-really-can-t-live-without-my-in-n-out-burgers-honestly-i-can-t-even/) [Nate Berkus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-berkus/) > [You can't drain the swamp, as President Trump has touted doing, without getting rid of Mitch McConnell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-mcgrath/you-can-t-drain-the-swamp-as-president-trump-has-touted-doing-without/) [Amy McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-mcgrath/) [Browse all 10,133 Doing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can't write about things without doing them. 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