--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I write to please myself—of course, that…" description: "\"I write to please myself—of course, that is a given. But beyond this reach for pleasure, I know that I write for my countrymen, that they may be lifted..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5da/f-sionil-jos-2399_apathy_i-write-to-please-myself-of-course-that_1623615.jpg" --- # I write to please myself—of course, that is a given. But… ![“I write to please myself—of course, that is a given. But beyond this reach for pleasure, I know that I write for my countrymen, that they may be lifted from apathy and ignorance. I write because of a compulsion to make something out of the nothing that is my own life.” quote by F. Sionil José](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5da/f-sionil-jos-2399_apathy_i-write-to-please-myself-of-course-that_1623615.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5da/f-sionil-jos-2399_apathy_i-write-to-please-myself-of-course-that_1623615.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5da/f-sionil-jos-2399_apathy_i-write-to-please-myself-of-course-that_1623615.jpg) > “I write to please myself—of course, that is a given. But beyond this reach for pleasure, I know that I write for my countrymen, that they may be lifted from apathy and ignorance. I write because of a compulsion to make something out of the nothing that is my own life.” [F. Sionil José](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing serves personal fulfillment and a civic duty to awaken readers from apathy and ignorance. **In simple terms:** Writing satisfies self and helps society. Key Takeaway Write to inspire and enlighten others. Themes writing civic duty self‑expression Mood inspirational thoughtful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - blogging - journalism - novel writing - public speaking Key Concepts literature social responsibility motivation Questions to Reflect On - What motivates you to write beyond personal joy? - How can your writing address apathy? A Different Perspective Balancing personal pleasure with societal impact can be challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apathy/) [Compulsion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compulsion/) [Countrymen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/countrymen/) [Courses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courses/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) [Ignorance Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance-write-306741/) [Know Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-write/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [My own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-own/) [My own life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-own-life/) [Please](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/please/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Write Compulsion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-compulsion-306738/) [Write Countrymen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-countrymen-306739/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I had a lot of great lakes of ignorance that I was up against, I would write what I knew in almost like islands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-miller/i-had-a-lot-of-great-lakes-of-ignorance-that-i-was-up-against-i-would/) [Rebecca Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-miller/) > [the compulsion to read and write - and it seems to me it should be, even must be, a compulsion - is a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/the-compulsion-to-read-and-write-and-it-seems-to-me-it-should-be-even/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [My identity is based around being a writer. I can't not write. It's a compulsion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-cernovich/my-identity-is-based-around-being-a-writer-i-can-t-not-write-it-s-a/) [Mike Cernovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-cernovich/) > [Sophisticated ignorance, write my curses in cursive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/sophisticated-ignorance-write-my-curses-in-cursive/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [“I'd like to know how anyone can write the truth about us if we've never met.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-miller/i-d-like-to-know-how-anyone-can-write-the-truth-about-us-if-we-ve/) [Sarah Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-miller/) > [Everyone thinks writers must know more about the inside of the human head, but that's wrong. They know less, that's why they write. Trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/everyone-thinks-writers-must-know-more-about-the-inside-of-the-human/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Until you know who you are you can’t write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/until-you-know-who-you-are-you-can-t-write/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“I know that I can write, a couple of my stories are good, my descriptions of the 'Secret Annex' are humorous, there's a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-frank/i-know-that-i-can-write-a-couple-of-my-stories-are-good-my/) [Anne Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-frank/) > [I think the complaint that I hear most often from kids, even kids who like to write is that don't know what to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-m-martin/i-think-the-complaint-that-i-hear-most-often-from-kids-even-kids-who/) [Ann M. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-m-martin/) > [“In the same way there is much, much in all of us, but we do not know it. No one ever calls it out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-ueland/in-the-same-way-there-is-much-much-in-all-of-us-but-we-do-not-know-it/) [Brenda Ueland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-ueland/) > [“To be a great Writer, Write what you know & Write what other writers wouldn't write about.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryann-gestwicki/to-be-a-great-writer-write-what-you-know-write-what-other-writers/) [Maryann Gestwicki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryann-gestwicki/) > [“It’s easier to start writing if you have something to write about, rather than staring at a blank screen thinking about nothing because you’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/it-s-easier-to-start-writing-if-you-have-something-to-write-about/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [It's a gift that I have and I became good at it. When I heard my first song I didn't even know that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rico-love/it-s-a-gift-that-i-have-and-i-became-good-at-it-when-i-heard-my-first/) [Rico Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rico-love/) > [I'm not so sure that I can teach people how to, you know, write dialogue or create plot or anything like that. But if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/i-m-not-so-sure-that-i-can-teach-people-how-to-you-know-write/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [“Advice? I don’t have advice. Stop aspiring and start writing. If you’re writing, you’re a writer. Write like you’re a goddamn death row inmate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-wilson-watts/advice-i-don-t-have-advice-stop-aspiring-and-start-writing-if-you-re/) [Alan Wilson Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-wilson-watts/) ## More by F. Sionil José > [“There is nothing like the land you belong to claiming you back. But everywhere the earth is the same. -Old David”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/there-is-nothing-like-the-land-you-belong-to-claiming-you-back-but/) [F. Sionil José](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [“Indeed time has that ultimate capacity to render the passions of the past when recalled in the present as no more than grandiloquent gestures.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/indeed-time-has-that-ultimate-capacity-to-render-the-passions-of-the/) [F. Sionil José](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [Class - or the economic status of individuals - is evident in all societies, some very well stratified by a rigid caste system determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/class-or-the-economic-status-of-individuals-is-evident-in-all/) [F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [We write from life and call it literature, and literature lives because we are in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/we-write-from-life-and-call-it-literature-and-literature-lives/) [F. Sionil José](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [I can imagine the writers of China, England and France, crippled and unsure of themselves when they feel that the ghosts of Confucius, Mencius,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/i-can-imagine-the-writers-of-china-england-and-france-crippled-and/) [F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [Always remember: the alleviation of poverty is never a political or economic issue - it is moral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/always-remember-the-alleviation-of-poverty-is-never-a-political-or/) [F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [In the end, religion teaches us to value truth, justice and freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/in-the-end-religion-teaches-us-to-value-truth-justice-and-freedom/) [F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [My reading of philosophy and history is desultory; I know so much and yet so little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/my-reading-of-philosophy-and-history-is-desultory-i-know-so-much-and/) [F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [Life is always sad. That's what makes suicide so tempting because life is all that we really have and haven't. Death makes us equals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/life-is-always-sad-that-s-what-makes-suicide-so-tempting-because-life/) [F. Sionil José](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [We recognize the distinctness of Asian art when we turn to its traditional forms, recognize it as Japanese, Chinese and Indian, even Balinese or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/we-recognize-the-distinctness-of-asian-art-when-we-turn-to-its/) [F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [“There is nothing in the world which an artist cannot recreate into something poetic, ennobling. And why do we read these things? They are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/there-is-nothing-in-the-world-which-an-artist-cannot-recreate-into/) [F. Sionil José](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [All through history, a nation or a civilization's enduring glory is articulated by its mega constructions - the pyramids, the lofty cathedrals of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/all-through-history-a-nation-or-a-civilization-s-enduring-glory-is/) [F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [Colonialism subdues in many dulcet guises. It conquered under the pretext of spreading Christianity, civilization, law and order, to make the world safe for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/colonialism-subdues-in-many-dulcet-guises-it-conquered-under-the/) [F. Sionil Jose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [November is auspicious in so many parts of the country: the rice harvest is already in, the weather starts to cool, and the festive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/november-is-auspicious-in-so-many-parts-of-the-country-the-rice/) [F. Sionil José](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [“No stranger can come battering down my door and say he brings me light. This I have within me. -Istak”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/no-stranger-can-come-battering-down-my-door-and-say-he-brings-me/) [F. Sionil José](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) [Explore all 168 F. Sionil José quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) ## More Apathy quotes > [If possible, I want to hear POLITICS defined without either sympathy or apathy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/if-possible-i-want-to-hear-politics-defined-without-either-sympathy/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [One response was given by the innkeeper when Mary and Joseph wanted to find a room where the Child could be born. The innkeeper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/one-response-was-given-by-the-innkeeper-when-mary-and-joseph-wanted/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [Try to greet troubles with apathy. Hello's are never what they used to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-swellers/try-to-greet-troubles-with-apathy-hello-s-are-never-what-they-used-to/) [The Swellers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-swellers/) > [Apathy can be overcome by enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/apathy-can-be-overcome-by-enthusiasm/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [Indifference must be a crime in us, to be ranked but one degree below treachery; for deserting the commonwealth is next to betraying it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-st-john-1st-viscount-bolingbroke/indifference-must-be-a-crime-in-us-to-be-ranked-but-one-degree-below/) [Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-st-john-1st-viscount-bolingbroke/) > [Insect politics, indifferent universe. Bang your head against the wall, but apathy is worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-henley/insect-politics-indifferent-universe-bang-your-head-against-the-wall/) [Don Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-henley/) > [“And there's a freedom in apathy, a wild, dizzying liberation on which you can almost get drunk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/and-there-s-a-freedom-in-apathy-a-wild-dizzying-liberation-on-which/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [For he who is not deaf, half a silence is enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-malfatti/for-he-who-is-not-deaf-half-a-silence-is-enough/) [Jean-Paul Malfatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-malfatti/) > [“Just because a person is silent doesn’t mean there’s no message.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/just-because-a-person-is-silent-doesn-t-mean-there-s-no-message/) [Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/) > [“If someone with a high level of authority were to ask me, "Suzy, how can we make people so incredibly stupid and apathetic, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/if-someone-with-a-high-level-of-authority-were-to-ask-me-suzy-how-can/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [“It takes more than one kick in the pants to reverse a lifetime of unplanned apathy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-neilan/it-takes-more-than-one-kick-in-the-pants-to-reverse-a-lifetime-of/) [Paul Neilan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-neilan/) > [“Use the apathy of your logic to solve your problems and then the passion of your soul to enjoy life after that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelos-michalopoulos/use-the-apathy-of-your-logic-to-solve-your-problems-and-then-the/) [Angelos Michalopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelos-michalopoulos/) > [“The fundamental basis by which the court’s decision might be made is, in itself, imperfect and subject to contradictions. There is very little consideration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashim-shanker/the-fundamental-basis-by-which-the-court-s-decision-might-be-made-is/) [Ashim Shanker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashim-shanker/) > [“The young woman had read a good many novels, and she had seen a good many films; this education by newspaper, serial and film…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-renard/the-young-woman-had-read-a-good-many-novels-and-she-had-seen-a-good/) [Maurice Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-renard/) > [Mourn not the dead that in the cool earth lie... But rather mourn the apathetic throng - The cowed and the meek - Who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-chaplin/mourn-not-the-dead-that-in-the-cool-earth-lie-but-rather-mourn-the/) [Ralph Chaplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-chaplin/) [Browse all 619 Apathy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apathy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I write to please myself—of course, that is a given. But beyond this reach for pleasure, I know that I write for my countrymen, that they may be lifted from apathy and ignorance. I write because of a compulsion to make something out of the nothing that is my own life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "F. 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