--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I never was a big believer that you can…" description: "\"I never was a big believer that you can teach writing per se.\" — Elizabeth Berg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a9/elizabeth-berg-853_big_i-never-was-a-big-believer-that-you-can_1839972.jpg" --- # I never was a big believer that you can teach writing per… ![“I never was a big believer that you can teach writing per se.” quote by Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a9/elizabeth-berg-853_big_i-never-was-a-big-believer-that-you-can_1839972.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a9/elizabeth-berg-853_big_i-never-was-a-big-believer-that-you-can_1839972.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a9/elizabeth-berg-853_big_i-never-was-a-big-believer-that-you-can_1839972.jpg) > “I never was a big believer that you can teach writing per se.” [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Teaching writing is seen as impossible because skill is innate rather than taught. **In simple terms:** Writing skill is viewed as innate. Key Takeaway Focus on nurturing talent rather than formal instruction. Themes education writing talent Mood reflective thoughtful Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - classroom teaching - workshop facilitation - personal mentorship Key Concepts innate ability skill development Questions to Reflect On - Can structured practice enhance innate talent? - What methods best support natural writers? A Different Perspective Some argue structured practice can improve writing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believer Teach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believer-teach-2342732/) [Big](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big/) [Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never/) [Per](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/per/) [Teach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teach/) [Teach Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teach-writing-934606/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Se](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-se-2342733/) ## Related quotes > [I don't teach writing. I teach patience. Toughness. Stubbornness. The willingness to fail. I teach the life. The odd thing is most of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bausch/i-don-t-teach-writing-i-teach-patience-toughness-stubbornness-the/) [Richard Bausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bausch/) > [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/) > [“But you can't teach writing, people tell me. And I say, 'Who the hell are you, God's dean of admissions?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/but-you-can-t-teach-writing-people-tell-me-and-i-say-who-the-hell-are/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [When I teach writing, I have a mantra: 'Be a first-rate version of yourself, and not a second-rate version of another writer.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-morrell/when-i-teach-writing-i-have-a-mantra-be-a-first-rate-version-of/) [David Morrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-morrell/) > [I've been trying to write. I also spent a lot of time on different campuses, in conversation, helping other writers. That's what I do:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-ve-been-trying-to-write-i-also-spent-a-lot-of-time-on-different/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [People say you can't teach writing, but I think that's nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/people-say-you-can-t-teach-writing-but-i-think-that-s-nonsense/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [No one can teach writing, but classes may stimulate the urge to write. If you are born a writer, you will inevitably and helplessly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-ozick/no-one-can-teach-writing-but-classes-may-stimulate-the-urge-to-write/) [Cynthia Ozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-ozick/) > [It's much easier to teach writing, because people are less shy about writing. If they're in a group, nobody can see what they're writing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/it-s-much-easier-to-teach-writing-because-people-are-less-shy-about/) [Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/) > [I don't know much about creative writing programs. But they're not telling the truth if they don't teach, one, that writing is hard work,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/i-don-t-know-much-about-creative-writing-programs-but-they-re-not/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [People say you cant teach writing, but I think thats nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/people-say-you-cant-teach-writing-but-i-think-thats-nonsense/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [When I teach writing, I always tell my students you should assume that the audience you're writing for is smarter than you. You can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/when-i-teach-writing-i-always-tell-my-students-you-should-assume-that/) [Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/) > [I would love to see writing taught online because at university like Yale, there are not enough teachers who are able to teach writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gelernter/i-would-love-to-see-writing-taught-online-because-at-university-like/) [David Gelernter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gelernter/) > [I teach writing courses and first of all, I teach my students what prosody is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/i-teach-writing-courses-and-first-of-all-i-teach-my-students-what/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [I don't teach writing classes anymore, and I'm really glad I don't, because I would feel very strange about telling people, 'Go out there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-don-t-teach-writing-classes-anymore-and-i-m-really-glad-i-don-t/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [As a professor I can't teach writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-orner/as-a-professor-i-can-t-teach-writing/) [Peter Orner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-orner/) ## More by Elizabeth Berg > [Never be afraid of doing the thing you know in your heart is right, even if others don't agree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/never-be-afraid-of-doing-the-thing-you-know-in-your-heart-is-right/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“I think the reason we're cruel sometimes is that we're afraid we're going to like something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-think-the-reason-we-re-cruel-sometimes-is-that-we-re-afraid-we-re/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [If there were a category in the Olympics for laundry, my mother would have been a gold-medal winner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/if-there-were-a-category-in-the-olympics-for-laundry-my-mother-would/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“If you say something over and over again, it begins to lose it's meaning... Say anything enough times and it becomes gibberish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/if-you-say-something-over-and-over-again-it-begins-to-lose-it-s/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“You know, sometimes marriage is iron. Sometimes it’s tissue paper. And I think the times it’s tissue paper are when you need to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/you-know-sometimes-marriage-is-iron-sometimes-it-s-tissue-paper-and-i/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“It's not that he doesn't smile; it's that if his smile were something you drew, you'd erase it, thinking, Wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/it-s-not-that-he-doesn-t-smile-it-s-that-if-his-smile-were-something/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [People say you should give until it hurts. I say you should give until it stops hurting. Know what I mean?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/people-say-you-should-give-until-it-hurts-i-say-you-should-give-until/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“I should have said “powder room.” That would evoke the image of me sitting before a beautiful gold mirror, a vase of fresh flowers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-should-have-said-powder-room-that-would-evoke-the-image-of-me/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [Sometimes the best reading comes just by accident. Someone talks about a book, or you're just wandering the stacks in the library, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/sometimes-the-best-reading-comes-just-by-accident-someone-talks-about/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“I don’t think Martha’s so bad. I think I want her for a friend instead of you. When I look at her magazine, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-don-t-think-martha-s-so-bad-i-think-i-want-her-for-a-friend-instead/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [\*We give so little when it's in us always to give so much more. It's bothering to listen with an open heart to someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/we-give-so-little-when-it-s-in-us-always-to-give-so-much-more-it-s/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [We're not just writers; we're readers probably more than anything else. That's how you learn how to write and how you learn to appreciate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/we-re-not-just-writers-we-re-readers-probably-more-than-anything-else/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [I thought of the priest who'd told me that many religions hold that it is easier to be closely connected to people we love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-thought-of-the-priest-who-d-told-me-that-many-religions-hold-that/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“How is it that we dare to honk at others in traffic, when we know nothing about where they have just come from or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/how-is-it-that-we-dare-to-honk-at-others-in-traffic-when-we-know/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [The truth is, we usually only show our unhappiness to another woman. I suppose this is one of our problems. And yet it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/the-truth-is-we-usually-only-show-our-unhappiness-to-another-woman-i/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) [Explore all 350 Elizabeth Berg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) ## More Big quotes > [I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-m-a-true-believer-in-prayer-a-big-believer-in-prayer/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [My mom had very low expectations for me, and she really had a point. I was a big problem at seventeen. If I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/my-mom-had-very-low-expectations-for-me-and-she-really-had-a-point-i/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [It's going to be used in the last days to get people to come against Christ, and that's the issue: they come against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lahaye/it-s-going-to-be-used-in-the-last-days-to-get-people-to-come-against/) [Tim LaHaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lahaye/) > [My parents are divorced, and seeing that was really painful for me. Really painful for me. But that's also a big part of why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/my-parents-are-divorced-and-seeing-that-was-really-painful-for-me/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [I always want to do a big finale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-yuh-nelson/i-always-want-to-do-a-big-finale/) [Jennifer Yuh Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-yuh-nelson/) > [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/) [Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/) > [So I concentrated on the rhythmic side of things, and therefore left a lot of holes. I didn't want to use big pad chords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/midge-ure/so-i-concentrated-on-the-rhythmic-side-of-things-and-therefore-left-a/) [Midge Ure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/midge-ure/) > [I think a big part of success in football is mental, not physical. How you are inside your head matters more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iker-casillas/i-think-a-big-part-of-success-in-football-is-mental-not-physical-how/) [Iker Casillas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iker-casillas/) > [I was always attracted most to joining City, and I am pleased to be at such a good club with such a big ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edin-dzeko/i-was-always-attracted-most-to-joining-city-and-i-am-pleased-to-be-at/) [Edin Dzeko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edin-dzeko/) > [Making sure that people have access to preventive medicine for the first time ever as a nation? That's a big deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/making-sure-that-people-have-access-to-preventive-medicine-for-the/) [Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/) > [If you read 'Lord of the Rings' and dismiss it as a lie because it has orcs and elves, you're missing the whole point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-tennapel/if-you-read-lord-of-the-rings-and-dismiss-it-as-a-lie-because-it-has/) [Doug TenNapel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-tennapel/) > [What I know about Ali Krieger is no moment is ever going to be too big for her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-ellis/what-i-know-about-ali-krieger-is-no-moment-is-ever-going-to-be-too/) [Jill Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-ellis/) [Browse all 12,477 Big quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I never was a big believer that you can teach writing per se.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elizabeth Berg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-never-was-a-big-believer-that-you-can-teach-writing-per-se/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Big" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-never-was-a-big-believer-that-you-can-teach-writing-per-se/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a9/elizabeth-berg-853_big_i-never-was-a-big-believer-that-you-can_1839972.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a9/elizabeth-berg-853_big_i-never-was-a-big-believer-that-you-can_1839972.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a9/elizabeth-berg-853_big_i-never-was-a-big-believer-that-you-can_1839972.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I never was a big believer that you can teach writing per se.” — Elizabeth Berg", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Elizabeth Berg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I never was a big believer...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-never-was-a-big-believer-that-you-can-teach-writing-per-se/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-never-was-a-big-believer-that-you-can-teach-writing-per-se/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```