--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: THE WRITER can get free of his writing…" description: "\"THE WRITER can get free of his writing only by using it, that is, by reading oneself. As if the aim of writing were to use what is already written as a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/207/edmond-jab-s-18829_aim_the-writer-can-get-free-of-his-writing-o_1543669.png" --- # THE WRITER can get free of his writing only by using it… ![“THE WRITER can get free of his writing only by using it, that is, by reading oneself. As if the aim of writing were to use what is already written as a launching pad for reading the writing to come. Moreover, what he has written is read in the process, hence constantly modified by his reading. The…” quote by Edmond Jabes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/207/edmond-jab-s-18829_aim_the-writer-can-get-free-of-his-writing-o_1543669.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/207/edmond-jab-s-18829_aim_the-writer-can-get-free-of-his-writing-o_1543669.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/207/edmond-jab-s-18829_aim_the-writer-can-get-free-of-his-writing-o_1543669.png) > “THE WRITER can get free of his writing only by using it, that is, by reading oneself. As if the aim of writing were to use what is already written as a launching pad for reading the writing to come. Moreover, what he has written is read in the process, hence constantly modified by his reading. The book is an unbearable totality. I write against a background of facets.” [Edmond Jabes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing becomes a dialogue with oneself, where reading one’s own work reshapes it, turning the text into a living, evolving process. **In simple terms:** Writing and reading your own work changes it constantly. Key Takeaway Use writing as a tool for self‑reflection. Themes creativity self‑reflection process iteration Mood introspective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - author workshops - personal journaling - creative writing classes - self‑editing practice Key Concepts dialogue self‑analysis evolution Questions to Reflect On - How does reading your own drafts alter your intent? - Can self‑dialogue become self‑criticism? A Different Perspective It can lead to over‑analysis, stalling progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I'm writing, I'm using language, I'm using that language to tell stories and even more so to get ideas across. And I just love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-mosley/i-m-writing-i-m-using-language-i-m-using-that-language-to-tell/) [Walter Mosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-mosley/) > [To be successful in writing, use short sentences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/to-be-successful-in-writing-use-short-sentences/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [G.K. Chesterton once said: If something is worth doing, it is worth doing badly. I live by this philosophy when I teach writing. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-fletcher/g-k-chesterton-once-said-if-something-is-worth-doing-it-is-worth/) [Ralph Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-fletcher/) > [When talking about writing, I often use the analogy of archaeology. There are these great tunes all around. Your skill as a musician allows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/when-talking-about-writing-i-often-use-the-analogy-of-archaeology/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [“The writer, a free man adressing free men, has only one subject - freedom”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/the-writer-a-free-man-adressing-free-men-has-only-one-subject-freedom/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [See, the thing is, as a writer you are free. You are about the freest person that ever was. Your freedom is what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/see-the-thing-is-as-a-writer-you-are-free-you-are-about-the-freest/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [If you exile a writer, however free the country he is sent to, there will always be a sense of internal constraint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-jian/if-you-exile-a-writer-however-free-the-country-he-is-sent-to-there/) [Ma Jian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ma-jian/) > [as a writer you are free. You are about the freest person that ever was. Your freedom is what you have bought with your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/as-a-writer-you-are-free-you-are-about-the-freest-person-that-ever/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [Every single day, authors read at bookstores and libraries - and coffeeshops and bars - all over the country. 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A writer should be free to write about anything he or she wants to, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-connelly/i-think-the-only-boundaries-are-individual-and-personal-a-writer/) [Michael Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-connelly/) > [When another writer in another house is not free, no writer is free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/when-another-writer-in-another-house-is-not-free-no-writer-is-free/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [“Like reading, writing takes me to places I would otherwise never be able to go.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bea-cannon/like-reading-writing-takes-me-to-places-i-would-otherwise-never-be/) [Bea Cannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bea-cannon/) > [“once computers gain good language understanding and we can speak to them, then reading and writing are going to seem cumbersome’.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-humphrys/once-computers-gain-good-language-understanding-and-we-can-speak-to/) [John Humphrys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-humphrys/) > [Try keeping yourself busy. Whether that is reading, writing, creating, or watching a movie.. Keep your mind off of your worry and on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/try-keeping-yourself-busy-whether-that-is-reading-writing-creating-or/) [DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/) ## More by Edmond Jabes > [It is very hard to live with silence. The real silence is death and this is terrible. To approach this silence, it is necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-jab-s/it-is-very-hard-to-live-with-silence-the-real-silence-is-death-and/) [Edmond Jabes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) > [For the writer, discovering the work he will write is both like a miracle and a wound, like the miracle of the wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-jab-s/for-the-writer-discovering-the-work-he-will-write-is-both-like-a/) [Edmond Jabes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) > [By the light of our insistent truths we wander into death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-jab-s/by-the-light-of-our-insistent-truths-we-wander-into-death/) [Edmond Jabes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) > [What is not grasped has all the chances to become real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-jab-s/what-is-not-grasped-has-all-the-chances-to-become-real/) [Edmond Jabes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) > [My hands are full when you give me your hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-jab-s/my-hands-are-full-when-you-give-me-your-hand/) [Edmond Jabes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) > [We do not truly speak except at a distance. There is no word not severed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-jab-s/we-do-not-truly-speak-except-at-a-distance-there-is-no-word-not/) [Edmond Jabes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) > [Only what touches us closely preoccupies us. We prepare in solitude to face it. (The Little Book of Unsuspected Subversion)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-jab-s/only-what-touches-us-closely-preoccupies-us-we-prepare-in-solitude-to/) [Edmond Jabes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) > [Silence is no weakness of language. It is, on the contrary, its strength. It is the weakness of words not to know this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-jab-s/silence-is-no-weakness-of-language-it-is-on-the-contrary-its-strength/) [Edmond Jabes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) > [The book is an unbearable totality. I write against a background of facets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-jab-s/the-book-is-an-unbearable-totality-i-write-against-a-background-of/) [Edmond Jabes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) > [“In your loneliness, you hear the word from far away and then, in gratitude, look at it so closely that you cannot but drown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-jab-s/in-your-loneliness-you-hear-the-word-from-far-away-and-then-in/) [Edmond Jabès](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) > [One wound is enough to feed the open wounds of the sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-jab-s/one-wound-is-enough-to-feed-the-open-wounds-of-the-sky/) [Edmond Jabes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) > [It is not certainty which is creative, but the uncertainty we are pledged to in our works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-jab-s/it-is-not-certainty-which-is-creative-but-the-uncertainty-we-are/) [Edmond Jabes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) > [In the morning, you tear up the pages of your fever, but every word naturally leads you back to its color, its night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-jab-s/in-the-morning-you-tear-up-the-pages-of-your-fever-but-every-word/) [Edmond Jabes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) > [“At an early age I found myself facing the incomprehensible, the unthinkable, death. Ever since, I have known nothing on this earth can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-jab-s/at-an-early-age-i-found-myself-facing-the-incomprehensible-the/) [Edmond Jabès](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) > [As long as we are not chased from our words we have nothing to fear. As long as our utterances keep their sound we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-jab-s/as-long-as-we-are-not-chased-from-our-words-we-have-nothing-to-fear/) [Edmond Jabes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) [Explore all 29 Edmond Jabes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-jab-s/) ## More Aim quotes > [If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/if-you-aim-at-nothing-you-will-hit-it-every-time/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [A good aim surveys the present state of experience of pupils, and forming a tentative plan of treatment, keeps the plan constantly in view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/a-good-aim-surveys-the-present-state-of-experience-of-pupils-and/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [The Christian man must aim at that complete obedience to God in which life finds its highest happiness, its greatest good, its perfect consummation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barclay/the-christian-man-must-aim-at-that-complete-obedience-to-god-in-which/) [William Barclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barclay/) > [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [In Bosnia, little children shot in the head by a guy who thinks it's okay to aim his gun at a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/in-bosnia-little-children-shot-in-the-head-by-a-guy-who-thinks-it-s/) [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) > [Design certainly has a cosmetic, aesthetic aim. It always aims at making things beautiful. But relevance is just as important. I often say, 'If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yves-behar/design-certainly-has-a-cosmetic-aesthetic-aim-it-always-aims-at/) [Yves Behar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yves-behar/) > [My aim was to make money for the bank. You lose track of the amounts involved when you are engaged in this kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-kerviel/my-aim-was-to-make-money-for-the-bank-you-lose-track-of-the-amounts/) [Jerome Kerviel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-kerviel/) > [My only aim is to clock a time that everyone remembers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hima-das/my-only-aim-is-to-clock-a-time-that-everyone-remembers/) [Hima Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hima-das/) > [My main aim has always been to do good quality films with roles that have some substance. With Power and Beauty there were loads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-henstridge/my-main-aim-has-always-been-to-do-good-quality-films-with-roles-that/) [Natasha Henstridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-henstridge/) > [ I really enjoyed it - being involved in watching rushes and playback \[in "The Invisible Woman"\]. Ralph \[Fiennes\] was very open to my input,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-really-enjoyed-it-being-involved-in-watching-rushes-and-playback-in/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [My aim is to be counted among the top players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babar-azam/my-aim-is-to-be-counted-among-the-top-players/) [Babar Azam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babar-azam/) > [The single aim of my life is that every child is: free to be a child, free to grow and develop, free to eat,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailash-satyarthi/the-single-aim-of-my-life-is-that-every-child-is-free-to-be-a-child/) [Kailash Satyarthi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailash-satyarthi/) > [The aim of good prose words is to mean what they say. The aim of good poetical words is to mean what they do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-aim-of-good-prose-words-is-to-mean-what-they-say-the-aim-of-good/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Prescribing hard work for the soft, or easy work for the hardy, is generally nonsense. What is always needed in any aim is right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/prescribing-hard-work-for-the-soft-or-easy-work-for-the-hardy-is/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [To be normal is the ultimate aim of the unsuccessful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/to-be-normal-is-the-ultimate-aim-of-the-unsuccessful/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) Browse all 3,047 Aim quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "THE WRITER can get free of his writing only by using it, that is, by reading oneself. As if the aim of writing were to use what is already written as a launching pad for reading the writing to come. 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