--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you write, it’s like braiding your…" description: "\"When you write, it’s like braiding your hair. Taking a handful of coarse unruly strands and attempting to bring them unity. Your fingers have still not..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d8/edwidge-danticat-2559_attempting_when-you-write-it-s-like-braiding-your-h_1625955.jpg" --- # When you write, it’s like braiding your hair. Taking a… ![“When you write, it’s like braiding your hair. Taking a handful of coarse unruly strands and attempting to bring them unity. Your fingers have still not perfected the task. Some of the braids are long, others are short. Some are thick, others are thin. Some are heavy. Others are light. Like the…” quote by Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d8/edwidge-danticat-2559_attempting_when-you-write-it-s-like-braiding-your-h_1625955.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d8/edwidge-danticat-2559_attempting_when-you-write-it-s-like-braiding-your-h_1625955.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d8/edwidge-danticat-2559_attempting_when-you-write-it-s-like-braiding-your-h_1625955.jpg) > “When you write, it’s like braiding your hair. Taking a handful of coarse unruly strands and attempting to bring them unity. Your fingers have still not perfected the task. Some of the braids are long, others are short. Some are thick, others are thin. Some are heavy. Others are light. Like the diverse women of your family. Those whose fables and metaphors, whose similes and soliloquies, whose diction and je ne sais quoi daily slip into your survival soup, by way of their fingers.” [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing is a complex, imperfect process of weaving varied strands into a cohesive whole, reflecting diverse influences. **In simple terms:** Writing is weaving ideas. Key Takeaway Embrace imperfection. Themes creativity diversity process Mood introspective inspirational Type philosophical creative When to use this quote - author workshops - personal journaling - story development Key Concepts metaphor narrative craft Questions to Reflect On - How do you handle uneven parts of your work? - What diverse voices shape your writing? A Different Perspective Perfection is unattainable, and may hinder progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Diction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diction/) [Fables](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fables/) [Hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hair/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Metaphor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor/) [Simile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simile/) [Survival](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survival/) [Unity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unity/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [When you write ,it's like braiding your hair. Taking a handful of coarse unruly strands and attempting to bring then unity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/when-you-write-it-s-like-braiding-your-hair-taking-a-handful-of/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [I've been braiding my hair every time I've gone on vacation since I can remember.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larsa-pippen/i-ve-been-braiding-my-hair-every-time-i-ve-gone-on-vacation-since-i/) [Larsa Pippen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larsa-pippen/) > [My hair story has been unique because my mom's a German Jew, so her hair is way different than my hair. She was always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goapele/my-hair-story-has-been-unique-because-my-mom-s-a-german-jew-so-her/) [Goapele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goapele/) > [No, women like you don't write. They carve onion sculptures and potato statues. They sit in dark corners and braid their hair in new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/no-women-like-you-don-t-write-they-carve-onion-sculptures-and-potato/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [When we are understood, we always speak well, and then all your fine diction serves no purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/when-we-are-understood-we-always-speak-well-and-then-all-your-fine/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [Apostolic preaching is not marked by its beautiful diction, or literary polish, or Cleverness of expression, but Operates “in demonstration of the Spirit and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-wallis/apostolic-preaching-is-not-marked-by-its-beautiful-diction-or/) [Arthur Wallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-wallis/) > [Many of the finest and most interesting emotions perish forever, because too complex and fugitive for expression. Of all things relating to man, his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-benton-clulow/many-of-the-finest-and-most-interesting-emotions-perish-forever/) [William Benton Clulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-benton-clulow/) > [I think your conversations are indicative of your tastes - even your diction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel/i-think-your-conversations-are-indicative-of-your-tastes-even-your/) [Miguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel/) > [How can one talk in a classical language about a child who's torn apart in an explosion in the market near his school? People…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hassan-blasim/how-can-one-talk-in-a-classical-language-about-a-child-who-s-torn/) [Hassan Blasim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hassan-blasim/) > [Jen and I were accustomed to our father's last-will-and-testament diction, and were at times free to interrupt Atticus for a translation when it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/jen-and-i-were-accustomed-to-our-father-s-last-will-and-testament/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [But wise men pierce this rotten diction and fasten words again to visible things; so that picturesque language is at once a commanding certificate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/but-wise-men-pierce-this-rotten-diction-and-fasten-words-again-to/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [When I was writing 'You Suck,' in 2006, I constructed the diction of the book's narrator, perky Goth girl Abby Normal, from what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/when-i-was-writing-you-suck-in-2006-i-constructed-the-diction-of-the/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“Then let us have a language worthy of our world, a democratic style where rich and well-born nouns can roister with some sluttish verb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-gass/then-let-us-have-a-language-worthy-of-our-world-a-democratic-style/) [William H. Gass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-gass/) > [I still have perfect diction!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aretha-franklin/i-still-have-perfect-diction/) [Aretha Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aretha-franklin/) > [Enunciation, diction, all that stuff. None of that is in my personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/enunciation-diction-all-that-stuff-none-of-that-is-in-my-personality/) [Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/) ## More by Edwidge Danticat > [“Medicare rewards doctors far better for doing procedures than for assessing whether they should be done at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/medicare-rewards-doctors-far-better-for-doing-procedures-than-for/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [I love the process of cracking the spine for the first time and slowly sinking into a book. That will soon seem old-fashioned, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/i-love-the-process-of-cracking-the-spine-for-the-first-time-and/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [I remember reading an interview with a writer who said that in nonfiction if you have one lie it sort of messes it up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/i-remember-reading-an-interview-with-a-writer-who-said-that-in/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [“Instead I dreamt of walking out of the world, of spending all my time inside with no one to talk to, and no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/instead-i-dreamt-of-walking-out-of-the-world-of-spending-all-my-time/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [“Then what do you want with me?'... 'The pursuit of happiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/then-what-do-you-want-with-me-the-pursuit-of-happiness/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [I wanted to raise the voice of a lot of the people that I knew growing up, and this was, for the most part,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/i-wanted-to-raise-the-voice-of-a-lot-of-the-people-that-i-knew/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [Creating these messes that go from administration to administration and then you swoop in and clean them up - with that heroic Delta force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/creating-these-messes-that-go-from-administration-to-administration/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [“Nineteen Thirty-Seven”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/nineteen-thirty-seven/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [“From her experience working with the weak and the sick, she'd learned that the disease you ignore is the one that kills you, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/from-her-experience-working-with-the-weak-and-the-sick-she-d-learned/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [I'm not saying Cubans don't deserve asylum, but if it is a national security issue, there are people who are coming from Cuba on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/i-m-not-saying-cubans-don-t-deserve-asylum-but-if-it-is-a-national/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [“I owe Oprah and that show a tremendous debt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/i-owe-oprah-and-that-show-a-tremendous-debt/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [The greatest gift anyone can give to a writer is time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/the-greatest-gift-anyone-can-give-to-a-writer-is-time/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [I think it is important to reach people through arts and literature, because then you establish a connection that's not an instant crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/i-think-it-is-important-to-reach-people-through-arts-and-literature/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [All anyone can hope for is just a tiny bit of love, like a drop in a cup if you can get it, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/all-anyone-can-hope-for-is-just-a-tiny-bit-of-love-like-a-drop-in-a/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) > [I very much love a physical book myself. I think people who have had this experience of also seeing a book come together, from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwidge-danticat/i-very-much-love-a-physical-book-myself-i-think-people-who-have-had/) [Edwidge Danticat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) [Explore all 161 Edwidge Danticat quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwidge-danticat/) ## More Attempting quotes > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [In terms of style, too, I think I've been working with a somewhat limited -- although intentionally limited -- set of tools. So I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-link/in-terms-of-style-too-i-think-i-ve-been-working-with-a-somewhat/) [Kelly Link](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-link/) > [Lobbying' is the activity of attempting to influence legislation by privately influencing the legislators. It is the result and creation of a mixed economy-of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/lobbying-is-the-activity-of-attempting-to-influence-legislation-by/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [To attempt to be religious without practicing a specific religion is as possible as attempting to speak without a specific language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/to-attempt-to-be-religious-without-practicing-a-specific-religion-is/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [Ewan McGregor stars as Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi, again doing a fine Alec Guinness impersonation but otherwise seeming lost and alone in the galaxy as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-zacharek/ewan-mcgregor-stars-as-jedi-obi-wan-kenobi-again-doing-a-fine-alec/) [Stephanie Zacharek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-zacharek/) > [Daphne," he said with controlled gentleness, "what is wrong?" She sat down opposite him and placed a hand on his cheek. "I'm so insensitive,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/daphne-he-said-with-controlled-gentleness-what-is-wrong-she-sat-down/) [Julia Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-quinn/) > [I'm a dreamer and continue to dream of what can and will be, "Expecting great things from God, Attempting great things for God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carey/i-m-a-dreamer-and-continue-to-dream-of-what-can-and-will-be-expecting/) [William Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carey/) > [I swear you’re a woman. (Devyn) I would respond to that, but I don’t want to distract you while you’re attempting to drive and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/i-swear-you-re-a-woman-devyn-i-would-respond-to-that-but-i-don-t-want/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [To approach a city, or even a city neighborhood, as if it were a larger architectural problem, capable of being given order by converting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-jacobs/to-approach-a-city-or-even-a-city-neighborhood-as-if-it-were-a-larger/) [Jane Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-jacobs/) > [I have told you of the Spaniard who always put on his spectacles when about to eat cherries, that they might look bigger and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/i-have-told-you-of-the-spaniard-who-always-put-on-his-spectacles-when/) [Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/) > [The danger to which the success of revolutions is most exposed, is that of attempting them before the principles on which they proceed, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-danger-to-which-the-success-of-revolutions-is-most-exposed-is/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Politics resemble religion; attempting to divest either of ceremony is the most certain mode of bringing either into contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/politics-resemble-religion-attempting-to-divest-either-of-ceremony-is/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [“failure is not an outcome, but involves a lack of trying—not stretching yourself far enough out of your comfort zone and attempting to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-wiseman/failure-is-not-an-outcome-but-involves-a-lack-of-trying-not/) [Liz Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-wiseman/) > [It is strange to reflect how much energy is thrown away in attempting to know the unknowable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-barber-lightfoot/it-is-strange-to-reflect-how-much-energy-is-thrown-away-in-attempting/) [Joseph Barber Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-barber-lightfoot/) > [I am not attempting to preserve culture, or record actual events or stories. Instead I bow my head in gratitude to those storytellers who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/i-am-not-attempting-to-preserve-culture-or-record-actual-events-or/) [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) Browse all 513 Attempting quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you write, it’s like braiding your hair. Taking a handful of coarse unruly strands and attempting to bring them unity. Your fingers have still not perfected the task. Some of the braids are long, others are short. Some are thick, others are thin. Some are heavy. Others are light. Like the diverse women of your family. 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