--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I find it both fascinating and…" description: "\"I find it both fascinating and disconcerting when I discover yet another person who believes that writing can't be taught. Frankly, I don't understand ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd7/elizabeth-george-1393_disconcerting_i-find-it-both-fascinating-and-disconcer_484957.jpg" --- # I find it both fascinating and disconcerting when I… ![“I find it both fascinating and disconcerting when I discover yet another person who believes that writing can't be taught. Frankly, I don't understand this point of view.” quote by Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd7/elizabeth-george-1393_disconcerting_i-find-it-both-fascinating-and-disconcer_484957.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd7/elizabeth-george-1393_disconcerting_i-find-it-both-fascinating-and-disconcer_484957.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd7/elizabeth-george-1393_disconcerting_i-find-it-both-fascinating-and-disconcer_484957.jpg) > “I find it both fascinating and disconcerting when I discover yet another person who believes that writing can't be taught. Frankly, I don't understand this point of view.” [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing can be taught; believing otherwise is puzzling. **In simple terms:** Writing is teachable. Key Takeaway Embrace teachable writing. Themes education writing beliefs Mood thoughtful critical Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - classrooms - workshops - self‑study - publishing Key Concepts pedagogy skill acquisition Questions to Reflect On - What makes writing teachable? - How to balance talent and instruction? A Different Perspective Some argue innate talent matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Disconcerting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disconcerting/) [Point of view](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/point-of-view/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“A really well-done first draft of a book bares your soul. The purpose of revision is so that everyone who reads the published version…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-owen/a-really-well-done-first-draft-of-a-book-bares-your-soul-the-purpose/) [James A. Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-owen/) > [The art of drawing which is of more real importance to the human race than that of writing...should be taught to every child just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/the-art-of-drawing-which-is-of-more-real-importance-to-the-human-race/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [Maybe writing can't be taught, but editing can be taught—prayer, fasting and self-mutilation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/maybe-writing-can-t-be-taught-but-editing-can-be-taught-prayer/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [People always say, "Can writing be taught?" I always think, I can teach you how to write a better sentence, how to do dialogue,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/people-always-say-can-writing-be-taught-i-always-think-i-can-teach/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [“Writing can be taught or learned in the vacuum. We must say to students in every area of knowledge: "This is a how other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/writing-can-be-taught-or-learned-in-the-vacuum-we-must-say-to/) [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) > [I think a lot of what goes into writing can be taught - not mixing metaphors, etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/i-think-a-lot-of-what-goes-into-writing-can-be-taught-not-mixing/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [I think some aspects of writing can be taught. Obviously, you can't teach vision or talent. But you can help with comfort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/i-think-some-aspects-of-writing-can-be-taught-obviously-you-can-t/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [In a lot of ways, TV writing taught me how to be a good storyteller. I learned about dialogue, scenes, moving the plot forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-semple/in-a-lot-of-ways-tv-writing-taught-me-how-to-be-a-good-storyteller-i/) [Maria Semple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-semple/) > [Poets are immersed in process, and I mean process not as an amorphous blur but as a discipline. The hard work of writing has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-norris/poets-are-immersed-in-process-and-i-mean-process-not-as-an-amorphous/) [Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-norris/) > [“Writing has taught me that the frontier isn’t always a place. Sometimes it’s a season of your life. The space between who you were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-lee/writing-has-taught-me-that-the-frontier-isn-t-always-a-place/) Dustin Lee > [“It is my personal belief that writing cannot be taught.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parnell-hall/it-is-my-personal-belief-that-writing-cannot-be-taught/) Parnell Hall > [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/) > [If writing has taught me anything, it's that you don't actually understand anything until you can express it in words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bleyer/if-writing-has-taught-me-anything-it-s-that-you-don-t-actually/) [Kevin Bleyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bleyer/) > [In high school, in 1956, at the age of sixteen, we were not taught "creative writing." We were taught literature and grammar. So no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/in-high-school-in-1956-at-the-age-of-sixteen-we-were-not-taught/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Can writing ever be taught? The best answer to that was given obliquely by the rock musician David Lee Roth. When asked if money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-carlson/can-writing-ever-be-taught-the-best-answer-to-that-was-given/) [Ron Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-carlson/) ## More by Elizabeth George > [I wish that I had known back then that a mastery of process would lead to a product. Then I probably wouldn't have found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/i-wish-that-i-had-known-back-then-that-a-mastery-of-process-would/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [“Wisdom is the God-given ability to see life with rare objectivity and to handle life with rare stability.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/wisdom-is-the-god-given-ability-to-see-life-with-rare-objectivity-and/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [“Home is the best place to teach young men and women about God’s kind of love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/home-is-the-best-place-to-teach-young-men-and-women-about-god-s-kind/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [“God’s Word changes the way you think, feel, and live.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/god-s-word-changes-the-way-you-think-feel-and-live/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [“The more time you spend with God, the more you will resemble Him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/the-more-time-you-spend-with-god-the-more-you-will-resemble-him/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [“At the end of the day, no one gets away with anything, I've found.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/at-the-end-of-the-day-no-one-gets-away-with-anything-i-ve-found/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [“For every need and issue and decision that must be made in life, the Bible has the answers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/for-every-need-and-issue-and-decision-that-must-be-made-in-life-the/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [“God-confidence comes as the Holy Spirit works in us. As we pray and when we make choices that honor God, the Holy Spirit fills…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/god-confidence-comes-as-the-holy-spirit-works-in-us-as-we-pray-and/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [“Living in the Spirit changes your attitude, thinking, and ultimately your actions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/living-in-the-spirit-changes-your-attitude-thinking-and-ultimately/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [“Let a clear understanding of your identity In Christ shed light on all the ways you can live out your purpose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/let-a-clear-understanding-of-your-identity-in-christ-shed-light-on/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [“...because God knows everything about us, cares about us, helps us, and listens to us whenever we turn to Him, we are not carrying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/because-god-knows-everything-about-us-cares-about-us-helps-us-and/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [“When you cultivate a godly thought life your soul will shine and you will exhibit the presence of the Lord in you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/when-you-cultivate-a-godly-thought-life-your-soul-will-shine-and-you/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [“Delighting in the Lord, knowing His Word, and committing yourself to Him are ways to ensure that your plans and desires for yourself match…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/delighting-in-the-lord-knowing-his-word-and-committing-yourself-to/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [Just as stars shine brightest in the darkest night, your joy blazes brilliantly through life's problems when you count them as joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/just-as-stars-shine-brightest-in-the-darkest-night-your-joy-blazes/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [“The only wrong way to read the Bible is to not read it at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/the-only-wrong-way-to-read-the-bible-is-to-not-read-it-at-all/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) [Explore all 245 Elizabeth George quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) ## More Disconcerting quotes > [It would have been funny if I had been an observer and not a participant, an idea that gave me a disconcerting insight into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwood-smith/it-would-have-been-funny-if-i-had-been-an-observer-and-not-a/) [Sherwood Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwood-smith/) > [It's always disconcerting when somebody comes over to you on the bus and says, 'I know who you are.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-taylor/it-s-always-disconcerting-when-somebody-comes-over-to-you-on-the-bus/) [Diana Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-taylor/) > [I do find it a bit disconcerting when your name becomes a brand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-do-find-it-a-bit-disconcerting-when-your-name-becomes-a-brand/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The intimacy was disconcerting, right and wrong at the same time, comforting and terrifying, exhilarating and guilt-inducing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasinda-wilder/the-intimacy-was-disconcerting-right-and-wrong-at-the-same-time/) [Jasinda Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasinda-wilder/) > [“During his reading hours, which were between one and five o'clock in the morning, but not every morning, he had come to the disconcerting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julio-cort-zar/during-his-reading-hours-which-were-between-one-and-five-o-clock-in/) [Julio Cortázar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julio-cort-zar/) > [The mystic lives and looks; and speaks the disconcerting language of first-hand experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-underhill/the-mystic-lives-and-looks-and-speaks-the-disconcerting-language-of/) [Evelyn Underhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-underhill/) > [“Truth can well out of a man like blood from a wound, and it can be just as disconcerting to look at.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/truth-can-well-out-of-a-man-like-blood-from-a-wound-and-it-can-be/) [Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/) > [Truth is so often disconcerting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-sabatini/truth-is-so-often-disconcerting/) [Rafael Sabatini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-sabatini/) > [A yawn is more disconcerting than a contradiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/a-yawn-is-more-disconcerting-than-a-contradiction/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [raking a hand through his hair, he forced his attention to the text she'd left on the coffee table, refusing to dwell on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/raking-a-hand-through-his-hair-he-forced-his-attention-to-the-text/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [There are a few things that were disconcerting, the stories about the private security firm not having enough people, supposed strike of the immigration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/there-are-a-few-things-that-were-disconcerting-the-stories-about-the/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [Existence itself is disconcerting and disorienting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/existence-itself-is-disconcerting-and-disorienting/) [Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/) > [“It was always disconcerting to discover that you shared opinions with someone you had no respect for.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-cypess/it-was-always-disconcerting-to-discover-that-you-shared-opinions-with/) [Leah Cypess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-cypess/) > [I just cannot imagine why anyone would want to be really famous. You go to a restaurant and people are pointing at you and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-horner/i-just-cannot-imagine-why-anyone-would-want-to-be-really-famous-you/) [Jack Horner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-horner/) > [“It was always disconcerting to meet those who had become so obsessed with a single topic that they could not see their concerns in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/it-was-always-disconcerting-to-meet-those-who-had-become-so-obsessed/) [Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/) [Browse all 38 Disconcerting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disconcerting/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I find it both fascinating and disconcerting when I discover yet another person who believes that writing can't be taught. 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