---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why should I care that no one reads what…"
description: "\"“Why should I care that no one reads what I write? I write to forget about life, and I publish because that’s one of the rules of the game.”\" — Fernand..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8d/fernando-pessoa-177_life_why-should-i-care-that-no-one-reads-what_1541400.jpg"
---

#  Why should I care that no one reads what I write? I write…

![“Why should I care that no one reads what I write? I write to forget about life, and I publish because that’s one of the rules of the game.” quote by Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8d/fernando-pessoa-177_life_why-should-i-care-that-no-one-reads-what_1541400.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8d/fernando-pessoa-177_life_why-should-i-care-that-no-one-reads-what_1541400.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8d/fernando-pessoa-177_life_why-should-i-care-that-no-one-reads-what_1541400.jpg)

> ““Why should I care that no one reads what I write? I write to forget about life, and I publish because that’s one of the rules of the game.””

[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.

Writes for personal catharsis, not audience approval; publishing follows personal rules of the creative process.

**In simple terms:** Write for yourself first.

Key Takeaway

Publish when you feel ready.

Themes

creativity selfexpression purpose

Mood

reflective introspective

Type

philosophical literary

When to use this quote

- journaling
- blogging
- novel writing

Key Concepts

literature psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- Why write if no one reads?
- What personal rules guide your work?

A Different Perspective

Neglecting audience may limit impact.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Forget Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forget-life-342448/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Publish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-publish-5741533/) [Reads Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reads-write-2738075/) [Rules of the game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rules-of-the-game/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Write Forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-forget-405519/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/)

## 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 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/)

> [“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/)

> [He is careful of what he reads, for that is what he will write. He is careful of what he learns, for that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/he-is-careful-of-what-he-reads-for-that-is-what-he-will-write-he-is/)

[Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/)

> [Just because somebody hears something you say, or reads something that you write, doesn't mean you've reached them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-zappa/just-because-somebody-hears-something-you-say-or-reads-something-that/)

[Frank Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-zappa/)

> [No one I know actually reads what I write, so thank heavens for you strangers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/no-one-i-know-actually-reads-what-i-write-so-thank-heavens-for-you/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [“He is careful of what he reads, for this is what he will write. He is careful of what he learns, as this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/he-is-careful-of-what-he-reads-for-this-is-what-he-will-write-he-is/)

[Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/)

> [My wife is my in-home editor and reads everything I write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/my-wife-is-my-in-home-editor-and-reads-everything-i-write/)

[Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/)

> [If I don't read, I get lonely. If I don't write, I forget who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-driscoll/if-i-don-t-read-i-get-lonely-if-i-don-t-write-i-forget-who-i-am/)

[Jack Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-driscoll/)

> [Becoming an artist does not merely mean learning something, acquiring professional techniques and methods. Indeed, as someone has said, in order to write well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/becoming-an-artist-does-not-merely-mean-learning-something-acquiring/)

[Andrei Tarkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-tarkovsky/)

> [“Write what you know. Write what you can't forget. Write to give yourself courage and others hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-rosen/write-what-you-know-write-what-you-can-t-forget-write-to-give/)

[Nikki Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-rosen/)

> [Some people write to remember, some people write to forget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/needa-muy/some-people-write-to-remember-some-people-write-to-forget/)

[Needa Muy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/needa-muy/)

> [“To write, I need to remember, but I write to forget. I drink to forget, then get nostalgic when I’m drunk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shoshaku-jushaku/to-write-i-need-to-remember-but-i-write-to-forget-i-drink-to-forget/)

[Shoshaku Jushaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shoshaku-jushaku/)

> [“Write like you can forget, write and forget. Hold an entire world in your palm then puff. Pierluigi Cappello”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudia-serrano/write-like-you-can-forget-write-and-forget-hold-an-entire-world-in/)

[Claudia Serrano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudia-serrano/)

> [Know your literary tradition, savor it, steal from it, but when you sit down to write, forget about worshiping greatness and fetishizing masterpieces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/know-your-literary-tradition-savor-it-steal-from-it-but-when-you-sit/)

[Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/)

## 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. A minor incident in the street brings the cook to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/what-s-given-in-fact-always-depends-on-the-person-or-thing-it-s-given/)

[Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/)

> [Smell is a strange sight. It evokes sentimental landscapes through a sudden sketching of the subconscious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/smell-is-a-strange-sight-it-evokes-sentimental-landscapes-through-a/)

[Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/)

> [“Tudo vale a pena quando a alma não é pequena”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/tudo-vale-a-pena-quando-a-alma-n-o-pequena/)

[Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/)

> [“no nostalgia hurts as much as nostalgia for things that never existed!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/no-nostalgia-hurts-as-much-as-nostalgia-for-things-that-never-existed/)

[Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/)

> [pg.9 "In my heart there's a peaceful anguish, and my calm is made of resignation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/pg-9-in-my-heart-there-s-a-peaceful-anguish-and-my-calm-is-made-of/)

[Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/)

> [“The feelings that hurt most, the motions that sting most, are those that are absurd; the longing for impossible things, precisely because they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/the-feelings-that-hurt-most-the-motions-that-sting-most-are-those/)

[Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/)

> [“I try to say what I feel Without thinking about what I feel. I try to place words right next to my idea So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/i-try-to-say-what-i-feel-without-thinking-about-what-i-feel-i-try-to/)

[Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/)

> [Have you ever considered, beloved other, how invisible we are to each other? We look at each other without seeing. We listen to each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/have-you-ever-considered-beloved-other-how-invisible-we-are-to-each/)

[Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/)

> [“To associate is to die. Only my consciousness of myself is real for me; other people are hazy phenomena in this consciousness, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/to-associate-is-to-die-only-my-consciousness-of-myself-is-real-for-me/)

[Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/)

> [“When it comes to dreams, I’m no different from the errand boy and the seamstress. The only thing that distinguishes me from them is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/when-it-comes-to-dreams-i-m-no-different-from-the-errand-boy-and-the/)

[Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/)

> [“No intelligent idea can gain general acceptance unless some stupidity is mixed in with it. Collective thought is stupid because it’s collective. Nothing passes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/no-intelligent-idea-can-gain-general-acceptance-unless-some-stupidity/)

[Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/)

> [God gave the sea the danger and the abyss, but it was in it that He mirrored the sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/god-gave-the-sea-the-danger-and-the-abyss-but-it-was-in-it-that-he/)

[Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/)

> [“Everything that surrounds us becomes part of us, it seeps into us with every experience of the flesh and of life and, like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/everything-that-surrounds-us-becomes-part-of-us-it-seeps-into-us-with/)

[Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/)

[Explore all 781 Fernando Pessoa quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/)

## More Life quotes

> [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/)

[Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/)

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/)

[Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/)

> [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/)

[Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/)

> [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/)

[Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/)

> [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/)

[Deanna L. Lawlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deanna-l-lawlis/)

> [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/)

[Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/)

> [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/)

[Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/)

> [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/)

[Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/)

> [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/)

[Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/)

> [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

[Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Why should I care that no one reads what I write? I write to forget about life, and I publish because that’s one of the rules of the game.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Fernando Pessoa"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/why-should-i-care-that-no-one-reads-what-i-write-i-write-to-forget/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Life"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/why-should-i-care-that-no-one-reads-what-i-write-i-write-to-forget/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8d/fernando-pessoa-177_life_why-should-i-care-that-no-one-reads-what_1541400.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8d/fernando-pessoa-177_life_why-should-i-care-that-no-one-reads-what_1541400.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8d/fernando-pessoa-177_life_why-should-i-care-that-no-one-reads-what_1541400.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Why should I care that no one reads what I write? I write to forget about life, and I publish because that’s…” — Fernando Pessoa",
                "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": "Fernando Pessoa",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Why should I care that no...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/why-should-i-care-that-no-one-reads-what-i-write-i-write-to-forget/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/why-should-i-care-that-no-one-reads-what-i-write-i-write-to-forget/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
