--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To write is to forget. Literature is the…" description: "\"“To write is to forget. Literature is the most agreeable way of ignoring life. Music soothes, the visual arts exhilarates, the performing arts (such as..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/678/fernando-pessoa-177_art_to-write-is-to-forget-literature-is-the_653245.jpg" --- # To write is to forget. Literature is the most agreeable… ![“To write is to forget. Literature is the most agreeable way of ignoring life. Music soothes, the visual arts exhilarates, the performing arts (such as acting and dance) entertain. Literature, however, retreats from life by turning in into slumber. The other arts make no such retreat— some because…” quote by Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/678/fernando-pessoa-177_art_to-write-is-to-forget-literature-is-the_653245.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/678/fernando-pessoa-177_art_to-write-is-to-forget-literature-is-the_653245.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/678/fernando-pessoa-177_art_to-write-is-to-forget-literature-is-the_653245.jpg) > ““To write is to forget. Literature is the most agreeable way of ignoring life. Music soothes, the visual arts exhilarates, the performing arts (such as acting and dance) entertain. Literature, however, retreats from life by turning in into slumber. The other arts make no such retreat— some because they use visible and hence vital formulas, others because they live from human life itself. This isn't the case with literature. Literature simulates life. A novel is a story of what never was, a play is a novel without narration. A poem is the expression of ideas or feelings a language no one uses, because no one talks in verse.”” [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Literature retreats into abstraction, unlike other arts that engage directly with life, making it a simulation rather than a lived experience. **In simple terms:** Literature abstracts life; other arts stay grounded. Key Takeaway Recognize the limits of literature. Themes art literature simulation reality creativity Mood reflective analytical Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - writing workshops - literary criticism - art education Key Concepts abstraction representation human experience Questions to Reflect On - Can literature ever capture lived experience fully? - How do other arts influence your perception of life? A Different Perspective Literature can also reflect life deeply despite abstraction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Human life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life itself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-itself/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Performing arts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performing-arts/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“To write is to forget. Literature is the most agreeable way of ignoring life. Music soothes, the visual arts exhilarate, and the performing arts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/to-write-is-to-forget-literature-is-the-most-agreeable-way-of-3/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“To write is to forget. Literature is the most agreeable way of ignoring life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/to-write-is-to-forget-literature-is-the-most-agreeable-way-of-2/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [Literature is the most agreeable way of ignoring life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/literature-is-the-most-agreeable-way-of-ignoring-life/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“To write is to forget. Literature is the pleasantest way of ignoring life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/to-write-is-to-forget-literature-is-the-pleasantest-way-of-ignoring/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“This isn’t the case with literature. Literature simulates life. A novel is a story of what never was, and a play is a novel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/this-isn-t-the-case-with-literature-literature-simulates-life-a-novel/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“Literature simulates life. A novel is a story of what never was, and a play is a novel without narration. A poem is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/literature-simulates-life-a-novel-is-a-story-of-what-never-was-and-a/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [My family pleaded with me to forget literature and do something sensible, such as find some sort of useful work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/my-family-pleaded-with-me-to-forget-literature-and-do-something/) [Lloyd Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-alexander/) > [I don't think any novelist should be concerned with literature…literature should be left to essayists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-susann/i-don-t-think-any-novelist-should-be-concerned-with-literature/) [Jacqueline Susann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-susann/) > [“Literature is literature. 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Sionil José](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-sionil-jos/) > [I think technical people now should learn literature, because literature teaches you a great deal about how - the depths and variety of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-ullman/i-think-technical-people-now-should-learn-literature-because/) [Ellen Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-ullman/) > [As long as the state permits itself to interfere in the affairs of literature, literature has the right to interfere with the affairs of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/as-long-as-the-state-permits-itself-to-interfere-in-the-affairs-of/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) ## More by Fernando Pessoa > [Everything interests me, but nothing holds me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/everything-interests-me-but-nothing-holds-me/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“If only, I feel now, if only I could be someone able to see all this as if he had no other relation with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/if-only-i-feel-now-if-only-i-could-be-someone-able-to-see-all-this-as/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [What's given, in fact, always depends on the person or thing it's given to. 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