--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: the only people worth writing about are…" description: "\"the only people worth writing about are those about whom the last word cannot be said.\" — Erica Jong" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18a/erica-jong-445_last-words_the-only-people-worth-writing-about-are_1135623.jpg" --- # the only people worth writing about are those about whom… ![“the only people worth writing about are those about whom the last word cannot be said.” quote by Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18a/erica-jong-445_last-words_the-only-people-worth-writing-about-are_1135623.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18a/erica-jong-445_last-words_the-only-people-worth-writing-about-are_1135623.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18a/erica-jong-445_last-words_the-only-people-worth-writing-about-are_1135623.jpg) > “the only people worth writing about are those about whom the last word cannot be said.” [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writers focus on subjects whose stories cannot be easily concluded, preserving mystery and depth. **In simple terms:** Writers choose subjects with unresolved endings. Key Takeaway Explore topics that resist simple conclusions. Themes mystery storytelling depth Mood intriguing thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - novel writing - screenwriting - journalism - creative workshops Key Concepts open-ended narratives complex characters literary intrigue Questions to Reflect On - Why do you value unresolved narratives? - How can mystery enhance engagement? A Different Perspective Unresolved stories may frustrate audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Last Word](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/last-word/) [Last words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/last-words/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Worth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-worth/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Worth Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worth-writing/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Word](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-word-1591930/) ## Related quotes > [Sometimes you start flowing and shits starts adding on to whatever cipher you're dealing with. Meanwhile you got all of these thoughts in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakim/sometimes-you-start-flowing-and-shits-starts-adding-on-to-whatever/) [Rakim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakim/) > [“Writing word after word represents a type of power, the sort of command that a person amasses slowly with thoughtful inquiry.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/writing-word-after-word-represents-a-type-of-power-the-sort-of/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [I don't answer the phone or do my email; I don't do anything until I've got the day's writing done. I have a word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lanchester/i-don-t-answer-the-phone-or-do-my-email-i-don-t-do-anything-until-i/) [John Lanchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lanchester/) > [Society takes what it wants. The artist himself does not count, because there is no actual existence for the work of art. The work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/society-takes-what-it-wants-the-artist-himself-does-not-count-because/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [The last word of our Lord to the church was not the Great Commission. The last thing He said to the church was 'Repent.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vance-havner/the-last-word-of-our-lord-to-the-church-was-not-the-great-commission/) [Vance Havner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vance-havner/) > [Socialism, when the last word is said, is merely a new economic and political system whereby more men can get food to eat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/socialism-when-the-last-word-is-said-is-merely-a-new-economic-and/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [Numb and broken, here I stand alone. Wondering what were the last words I said to you. Hoping, praying that I'll find a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/killswitch-engage/numb-and-broken-here-i-stand-alone-wondering-what-were-the-last-words/) [Killswitch Engage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/killswitch-engage/) > [“A fourth son, thought Damen, waiting for someone to notice him. When he wasn’t trying to please, he was baiting authority, as though negative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-pacat/a-fourth-son-thought-damen-waiting-for-someone-to-notice-him-when-he/) [C.S. Pacat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-pacat/) > [“As he drove away, he recalled Jack’s last words to him. The dark, dusty well was just a hazy memory now, but he could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-warren/as-he-drove-away-he-recalled-jack-s-last-words-to-him-the-dark-dusty/) [Andrew Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-warren/) > [“All my possessions for a moment of time. This was Queen Elizabeth I’s last words. Rest assured that he who has the longest time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/all-my-possessions-for-a-moment-of-time-this-was-queen-elizabeth-i-s/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“Go on, get out! Last words are for fools who haven't said enough!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/go-on-get-out-last-words-are-for-fools-who-haven-t-said-enough/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [“And then, the last words Raspail ever said: 'I wonder why my parents didn't kill me before I was old enough to fool them.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/and-then-the-last-words-raspail-ever-said-i-wonder-why-my-parents/) [Thomas Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harris/) > [“Dear Beloved woman, Time… so much time has passed since my love wrote his last words for me. And yet I remember it as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talon-p-s/dear-beloved-woman-time-so-much-time-has-passed-since-my-love-wrote/) [Talon P.S](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talon-p-s/) > [“Watch a man in times of adversity to discover what kind of man he is; for then at last words of truth are drawn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/watch-a-man-in-times-of-adversity-to-discover-what-kind-of-man-he-is/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [“He put his forehead against hers. “Alannah, my heart is yours.” He said softly. “And yet, I must hand it over to someone else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-morin/he-put-his-forehead-against-hers-alannah-my-heart-is-yours-he-said/) [B.C. Morin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-morin/) ## More by Erica Jong > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [Will you ever? I dont think you will ever fully understand how you've touched my life and made me who I am.I don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/will-you-ever-i-dont-think-you-will-ever-fully-understand-how-you-ve/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [Give advice to your children while they're young enough to believe you know what you're talking about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/give-advice-to-your-children-while-they-re-young-enough-to-believe/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [Perhaps all artists were, in a sense, housewives: tenders of the earth household.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/perhaps-all-artists-were-in-a-sense-housewives-tenders-of-the-earth/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [I have lived my life according to this principle: If I'm afraid of it, then I must do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/i-have-lived-my-life-according-to-this-principle-if-i-m-afraid-of-it/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [I thought to spend my declining years writing poetry and teaching - but that won't pay the Bergdorf's bill. I think I'll move to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/i-thought-to-spend-my-declining-years-writing-poetry-and-teaching-but/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [“Naomi Wolf dares to explode the myth of 'victim feminism' and pleads for allowing women to be as full of good and bad desires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/naomi-wolf-dares-to-explode-the-myth-of-victim-feminism-and-pleads/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [I knew I was in England by the smell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/i-knew-i-was-in-england-by-the-smell/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [The Lives of Great Men are more oft' at variance with their profess'd Phillosophies than consistent with 'em.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/the-lives-of-great-men-are-more-oft-at-variance-with-their-profess-d/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [Women's books are kind of discriminated against. If a man writes a book about his family stories, people think of it as literature. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/women-s-books-are-kind-of-discriminated-against-if-a-man-writes-a/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [Many, many people have done a lot more sexual experimentation than I have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/many-many-people-have-done-a-lot-more-sexual-experimentation-than-i/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [“Is life much too long for an immortal?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/is-life-much-too-long-for-an-immortal/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [Don't ye know that ev'ry Soul on Earth feels itself to be an Orphan?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/don-t-ye-know-that-ev-ry-soul-on-earth-feels-itself-to-be-an-orphan/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [Critics write out of intellectual exercise, not poets. Poets write straight from the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/critics-write-out-of-intellectual-exercise-not-poets-poets-write/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [Once I worshipped Keats for dying young. Now I think it's braver to die old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/once-i-worshipped-keats-for-dying-young-now-i-think-it-s-braver-to/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) [Explore all 542 Erica Jong quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) ## More Last words quotes > [“He put his forehead against hers. “Alannah, my heart is yours.” He said softly. “And yet, I must hand it over to someone else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-morin/he-put-his-forehead-against-hers-alannah-my-heart-is-yours-he-said/) [B.C. Morin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-morin/) > [“Watch a man in times of adversity to discover what kind of man he is; for then at last words of truth are drawn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/watch-a-man-in-times-of-adversity-to-discover-what-kind-of-man-he-is/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [“Dear Beloved woman, Time… so much time has passed since my love wrote his last words for me. And yet I remember it as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talon-p-s/dear-beloved-woman-time-so-much-time-has-passed-since-my-love-wrote/) [Talon P.S](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talon-p-s/) > [Society takes what it wants. The artist himself does not count, because there is no actual existence for the work of art. The work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/society-takes-what-it-wants-the-artist-himself-does-not-count-because/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [I'm tired. I'm going back to bed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-tired-i-m-going-back-to-bed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“And then, the last words Raspail ever said: 'I wonder why my parents didn't kill me before I was old enough to fool them.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/and-then-the-last-words-raspail-ever-said-i-wonder-why-my-parents/) [Thomas Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harris/) > [“Go on, get out! Last words are for fools who haven't said enough!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/go-on-get-out-last-words-are-for-fools-who-haven-t-said-enough/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [The last word of our Lord to the church was not the Great Commission. The last thing He said to the church was 'Repent.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vance-havner/the-last-word-of-our-lord-to-the-church-was-not-the-great-commission/) [Vance Havner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vance-havner/) > [ “What is the answer?" \[ I \[Alice B Toklas\] was silent \] In that case, what is the question?” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/what-is-the-answer-i-alice-b-toklas-was-silent-in-that-case-what-is/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [“All my possessions for a moment of time. This was Queen Elizabeth I’s last words. Rest assured that he who has the longest time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/all-my-possessions-for-a-moment-of-time-this-was-queen-elizabeth-i-s/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Socialism, when the last word is said, is merely a new economic and political system whereby more men can get food to eat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/socialism-when-the-last-word-is-said-is-merely-a-new-economic-and/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [“As he drove away, he recalled Jack’s last words to him. The dark, dusty well was just a hazy memory now, but he could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-warren/as-he-drove-away-he-recalled-jack-s-last-words-to-him-the-dark-dusty/) [Andrew Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-warren/) > [“A fourth son, thought Damen, waiting for someone to notice him. When he wasn’t trying to please, he was baiting authority, as though negative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-pacat/a-fourth-son-thought-damen-waiting-for-someone-to-notice-him-when-he/) [C.S. Pacat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-pacat/) > [I did not get my Spaghetti-O's, I got spaghetti. I want the press to know this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-j-grasso/i-did-not-get-my-spaghetti-o-s-i-got-spaghetti-i-want-the-press-to/) [Thomas J. Grasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-j-grasso/) > [Good people are always so sure they're right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-graham/good-people-are-always-so-sure-they-re-right/) [Barbara Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-graham/) [Browse all 721 Last words quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/last-words/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "the only people worth writing about are those about whom the last word cannot be said.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Erica Jong" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/the-only-people-worth-writing-about-are-those-about-whom-the-last/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Last words" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/the-only-people-worth-writing-about-are-those-about-whom-the-last/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18a/erica-jong-445_last-words_the-only-people-worth-writing-about-are_1135623.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18a/erica-jong-445_last-words_the-only-people-worth-writing-about-are_1135623.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18a/erica-jong-445_last-words_the-only-people-worth-writing-about-are_1135623.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“the only people worth writing about are those about whom the last word cannot be said.” — Erica Jong", "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": "Erica Jong", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "the only people worth writing about...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/the-only-people-worth-writing-about-are-those-about-whom-the-last/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/the-only-people-worth-writing-about-are-those-about-whom-the-last/#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 } } ] } ```