--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: From an early age, I had the idea that…" description: "\"From an early age, I had the idea that writing was truth-telling. It's on the record. Everybody can see it. Maybe it goes back to the sacred origins of..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e2/edmund-white-2376_about_from-an-early-age-i-had-the-idea-that-wr_144378.jpg" --- # From an early age, I had the idea that writing was… ![“From an early age, I had the idea that writing was truth-telling. It's on the record. Everybody can see it. Maybe it goes back to the sacred origins of literature - the holy book. There's nothing holy about it for me, but it should be serious, and it should be totally transparent.” quote by Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e2/edmund-white-2376_about_from-an-early-age-i-had-the-idea-that-wr_144378.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e2/edmund-white-2376_about_from-an-early-age-i-had-the-idea-that-wr_144378.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e2/edmund-white-2376_about_from-an-early-age-i-had-the-idea-that-wr_144378.jpg) > “From an early age, I had the idea that writing was truth-telling. It's on the record. Everybody can see it. Maybe it goes back to the sacred origins of literature - the holy book. There's nothing holy about it for me, but it should be serious, and it should be totally transparent.” [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing should be an honest, transparent record, akin to a sacred truth, demanding seriousness and clarity. **In simple terms:** Write truthfully and clearly, like a holy text. Key Takeaway Commit to honesty and transparency in writing. Themes literature truth transparency integrity seriousness Mood thoughtful serious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - authorship - public discourse - academic work Key Concepts journalism philosophy of art Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance truth with privacy? - What practices ensure clear communication? A Different Perspective Transparency can be challenging in sensitive topics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/back/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Early](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/early/) [Early age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/early-age/) [Everybody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everybody/) [Goes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goes/) [Had](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/had/) [Holy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holy/) [Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Literature Holy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature-holy-1622997/) [Maybe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maybe/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothing/) [Origins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/origins/) [Record](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/record/) [Sacred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacred/) [See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/see/) [Serious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serious/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Telling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling/) [Totally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/totally/) [Transparent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transparent/) [Truth Telling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-telling-731035/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-truth-502289/) ## Related quotes > [I've always seen writing as a way of telling the truth. For me, writing is about truth. I have always tried to be faithful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/i-ve-always-seen-writing-as-a-way-of-telling-the-truth-for-me-writing/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Ive always seen writing as a way of telling the truth. For me, writing is about truth. I have always tried to be faithful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/ive-always-seen-writing-as-a-way-of-telling-the-truth-for-me-writing/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [“I shall tell you what I believe. I believe God is a librarian. I believe that literature is holy...it is that best part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-smith/i-shall-tell-you-what-i-believe-i-believe-god-is-a-librarian-i-2/) [Sarah Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-smith/) > [“I shall tell you what I believe. I believe God is a librarian. I believe that literature is holy, Mr. Roper, it is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-smith/i-shall-tell-you-what-i-believe-i-believe-god-is-a-librarian-i/) [Sarah Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-smith/) > [“I would also encourage you to see the text literarily. (Did your brain fill in a different word you were expecting?!) By literarily, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-shroyer/i-would-also-encourage-you-to-see-the-text-literarily-did-your-brain/) [Danielle Shroyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-shroyer/) > [You thought I was writing The Truth? Honey, I don't even know what The Truth means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-elliot/you-thought-i-was-writing-the-truth-honey-i-don-t-even-know-what-the/) [Hugh Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-elliot/) > [I'm nothing. Nothing at all without writing. Without truth, my truth, the only truth I know, it's all a gambol in the pasture without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-ellison/i-m-nothing-nothing-at-all-without-writing-without-truth-my-truth-the/) [Harlan Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-ellison/) > [As a youngster when I started writing and stuff, I did actually write more from other people's perspectives. When I hit 18 and something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-smith/as-a-youngster-when-i-started-writing-and-stuff-i-did-actually-write/) [Sam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-smith/) > [“In writing, Truth is more important than Beauty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-hayes/in-writing-truth-is-more-important-than-beauty/) [G.K. Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-hayes/) > [Writing has to do with truth-telling. When you're writing, let's say, an essay for a magazine, you try to tell the truth at every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholson-baker/writing-has-to-do-with-truth-telling-when-you-re-writing-let-s-say-an/) [Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/) > [Years ago I read an interview with Paula Fox in which she said that in writing, truth is just as important as story. Reading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-antopol/years-ago-i-read-an-interview-with-paula-fox-in-which-she-said-that/) [Molly Antopol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-antopol/) > [The truth is always something that is told, not something that is known. If there were no speaking or writing, there would be no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/the-truth-is-always-something-that-is-told-not-something-that-is/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [I think the key to writing the truth of our existences, so much of this is being incubated online, is examining the conflicts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-zambreno/i-think-the-key-to-writing-the-truth-of-our-existences-so-much-of/) [Kate Zambreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-zambreno/) > [Something I found while writing 'Alice & Oliver' - a book that is unquestionably a work of fiction, but which also borrows details from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bock/something-i-found-while-writing-alice-oliver-a-book-that-is/) [Charles Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bock/) > [Write to exhaustion so that you can no longer manage to avoid writing the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elissa-schappell/write-to-exhaustion-so-that-you-can-no-longer-manage-to-avoid-writing/) [Elissa Schappell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elissa-schappell/) ## More by Edmund White > [The talk shows in the States want celebrities, not authors. 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They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/the-talk-shows-in-the-states-want-celebrities-not-authors-in-france/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Just like Barack Obama, my views on gay marriage have evolved, and now I am a reluctant groom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/just-like-barack-obama-my-views-on-gay-marriage-have-evolved-and-now/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [In 'A Boy's Own Story' and 'Jack Holmes and His Friend,' my idea was to take someone totally different from my real self and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/in-a-boy-s-own-story-and-jack-holmes-and-his-friend-my-idea-was-to/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Everyone seems agreed that writing about sex is perilous, partly because it threatens to swamp highly individualised characters in a generic, featureless activity (much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/everyone-seems-agreed-that-writing-about-sex-is-perilous-partly/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > ['The Sound of Things Falling' may be a page turner, but it's also a deep meditation on fate and death. 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If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I write about presidents. 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