---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is always difficult to get across to…"
description: "\"It is always difficult to get across to people who are not professional writers that a talent to write does not mean a talent to write anything at all...."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7b/flannery-o-connor-639_difficult_it-is-always-difficult-to-get-across-to_2110163.png"
---

#  It is always difficult to get across to people who are not…

![“It is always difficult to get across to people who are not professional writers that a talent to write does not mean a talent to write anything at all.” quote by Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7b/flannery-o-connor-639_difficult_it-is-always-difficult-to-get-across-to_2110163.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7b/flannery-o-connor-639_difficult_it-is-always-difficult-to-get-across-to_2110163.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7b/flannery-o-connor-639_difficult_it-is-always-difficult-to-get-across-to_2110163.png)

> “It is always difficult to get across to people who are not professional writers that a talent to write does not mean a talent to write anything at all.”

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Writing talent doesn’t guarantee ability to write well across all subjects; skill is domain‑specific.

**In simple terms:** Being good at writing in one area doesn’t mean you can write anything.

Key Takeaway

Focus on your strengths, develop new skills.

Themes

writing talent skill specialization creativity literary craft expertise domain knowledge learning practice growth

Mood

reflective curious

Type

educational inspirational

When to use this quote

- academic writing
- fiction
- technical manuals
- blogging
- marketing copy

Key Concepts

cognitive psychology expertise development creative writing

Questions to Reflect On

- Which writing style suits you best?
- How can you expand your writing repertoire?

A Different Perspective

Assuming talent transfers universally can lead to poor outcomes.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) [Difficult people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult-people/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Professional Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/professional-writers-2867166/) [Talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talent/) [Talent Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talent-write-470971/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers/) [Writers Talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers-talent-470969/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [Sometimes writers of no talent at all can write great acting scenes. Sometimes the very best writers can't write scenes that come to life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-loos/sometimes-writers-of-no-talent-at-all-can-write-great-acting-scenes/)

[Anita Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-loos/)

> [“Writing is an effort at truth telling, but each person’s version of truth and his or her means of conveying it are unique. Writers’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/writing-is-an-effort-at-truth-telling-but-each-person-s-version-of/)

[Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/)

> [I have spent a good many years since―too many, I think―being ashamed about what I write. I think I was forty before I realized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/i-have-spent-a-good-many-years-since-too-many-i-think-being-ashamed/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [Several factors besides skill are more significant in professional writers than in most amateurs. One is love of the surface level of language: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/several-factors-besides-skill-are-more-significant-in-professional/)

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

> [I detest professional anythings but particularly professional writers. Most of them today are just garbage collectors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cleveland-amory/i-detest-professional-anythings-but-particularly-professional-writers/)

[Cleveland Amory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cleveland-amory/)

> [Some professional writers write everyday no matter what and perhaps that's the way it should be done, but it's not the way I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/some-professional-writers-write-everyday-no-matter-what-and-perhaps/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [As the 19th century teetered into the 20th, the clank of typewriter keys went from solo to symphony. They were the weapon of choice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-pilon/as-the-19th-century-teetered-into-the-20th-the-clank-of-typewriter/)

[Mary Pilon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-pilon/)

> [“Another difference between amateur and professional writers, almost by definition, is that the latter more successfully engage their audience. It is partly a question…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-w-flaherty/another-difference-between-amateur-and-professional-writers-almost-by/)

[Alice W. Flaherty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-w-flaherty/)

> [“Professional writers write to fit”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-glass-kelly/professional-writers-write-to-fit/)

[Pamela Glass Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-glass-kelly/)

> [Traditionally games never used professional writers to create their narrative, so there's definitely a residual feeling that hiring a proper writer is somewhat of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhianna-pratchett/traditionally-games-never-used-professional-writers-to-create-their/)

[Rhianna Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhianna-pratchett/)

> [My only problem with fans is when they turn pro. For example, when all the professional writers were fired by DC in the '60s,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/my-only-problem-with-fans-is-when-they-turn-pro-for-example-when-all/)

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

> [“Images are taking over, and writers are a dying breed. The Norman Mailers of today are reduced to writing pun-filled captions for paparazzi photos.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-jacobs/images-are-taking-over-and-writers-are-a-dying-breed-the-norman/)

[A.J. Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-jacobs/)

> [We read often with as much talent as we write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/we-read-often-with-as-much-talent-as-we-write/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Everyone should read, we say, but we act as if only those with special talent should write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-peter-clark/everyone-should-read-we-say-but-we-act-as-if-only-those-with-special/)

[Roy Peter Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-peter-clark/)

> [I'm not really a writer, so my main problem always is finding the writing talent to write something of the caliber that you would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/i-m-not-really-a-writer-so-my-main-problem-always-is-finding-the/)

[Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/)

## More by Flannery O'Connor

> [“Wait here, wait here!" he cried and jumped up and began to run for help toward a cluster of lights he saw in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/wait-here-wait-here-he-cried-and-jumped-up-and-began-to-run-for-help/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [... the man in the violent situation reveals those qualities least dispensable in his personality, those qualities which are all he will have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/the-man-in-the-violent-situation-reveals-those-qualities-least/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [“I don’t know how to cure the source-itis except to tell you that I can discover a good many possible sources myself for Wise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/i-don-t-know-how-to-cure-the-source-itis-except-to-tell-you-that-i/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [“For the fiction writer himself the whole story is the meaning, because it is an experience, not an abstraction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/for-the-fiction-writer-himself-the-whole-story-is-the-meaning-because/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [Everything that gave her pleasure was small and depressed him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/everything-that-gave-her-pleasure-was-small-and-depressed-him/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [To the hard of hearing you shout, and for the almost blind you draw large and startling figures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/to-the-hard-of-hearing-you-shout-and-for-the-almost-blind-you-draw/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [“He felt his hunger no longer as a pain but as a tide. He felt it rising in himself through time and darkness, rising…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/he-felt-his-hunger-no-longer-as-a-pain-but-as-a-tide-he-felt-it/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [“Where you come from is gone, where you thought you were going to never was there, and where you are is no good unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/where-you-come-from-is-gone-where-you-thought-you-were-going-to-never/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [Technique in the minds of many is something rigid, something like a formula that you impose on the material; but in the best stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/technique-in-the-minds-of-many-is-something-rigid-something-like-a/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [“There are all kinds of truth ... but behind all of them there is only one truth and that is that there's no truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/there-are-all-kinds-of-truth-but-behind-all-of-them-there-is-only-one/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [“Mrs. May winced. She thought the word Jesus should be kept inside the church building like other words inside the bedroom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/mrs-may-winced-she-thought-the-word-jesus-should-be-kept-inside-the/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [I feel that discussing story-writing in terms of plot, character, and theme is like trying to describe the expression on a face by saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/i-feel-that-discussing-story-writing-in-terms-of-plot-character-and/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [She had observed that the more education they got, the less they could do. Their father had gone to a one-room schoolhouse through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/she-had-observed-that-the-more-education-they-got-the-less-they-could/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [One of the awful things about writing when you are a Christian is that for you the ultimate reality is the Incarnation, the present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/one-of-the-awful-things-about-writing-when-you-are-a-christian-is/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [“Hazel Motes sat at a forward angel on the green plush train seat, looking one minute at the window as if he might want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/hazel-motes-sat-at-a-forward-angel-on-the-green-plush-train-seat/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

[Explore all 432 Flannery O'Connor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

## More Difficult quotes

> [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/)

[Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/)

> [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/)

[Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/)

> [Consumers can choose organic cotton grown without pesticides, but it uses more water and requires more land than conventional crops. Organic cotton can also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/consumers-can-choose-organic-cotton-grown-without-pesticides-but-it/)

[Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/)

> [It is extremely difficult to do anything constructive, let alone deep, on daily commercial television, especially on a talk show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/it-is-extremely-difficult-to-do-anything-constructive-let-alone-deep/)

[Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/)

> [Having small children and being an investigative reporter would seem like a difficult mix, but it worked well for me. I was often working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/having-small-children-and-being-an-investigative-reporter-would-seem/)

[Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/)

> [It's only a little difficult to say no. You've got to believe that the work you're doing is ultimately more useful to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-sivers/it-s-only-a-little-difficult-to-say-no-you-ve-got-to-believe-that-the/)

[Derek Sivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-sivers/)

> [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/)

[Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/)

> [It's difficult for people to come to the understanding that only a small minority of the people ever really get the word about life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/it-s-difficult-for-people-to-come-to-the-understanding-that-only-a/)

[Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/)

> [Lutherans, whose arguments and mistakes will not be difficult to contest or discover, do not want to attribute any value to works, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-servetus/lutherans-whose-arguments-and-mistakes-will-not-be-difficult-to/)

[Michael Servetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-servetus/)

> [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

> [I want to make myself and the crowd happy by way of something different, and that makes things difficult. I'm never playing something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiesto/i-want-to-make-myself-and-the-crowd-happy-by-way-of-something/)

[Tiesto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiesto/)

> [The surprise of an army is now next to an impossibility. ... Prearranged surprises are rare and difficult because in order to plan one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-henri-jomini/the-surprise-of-an-army-is-now-next-to-an-impossibility-prearranged/)

[Antoine-Henri Jomini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-henri-jomini/)

> [Politics only makes the difficult challenge of marriage even harder, with the demands of the job and the public spotlight it casts on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/politics-only-makes-the-difficult-challenge-of-marriage-even-harder/)

[Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/)

> [To explicate the uses of the Brain seems as difficult a task as to paint the Soul, of which it is commonly said, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-willis/to-explicate-the-uses-of-the-brain-seems-as-difficult-a-task-as-to/)

[Thomas Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-willis/)

> [Someone else who liked what I did might turn around and say, "She's reworking and rethinking everything. She could just be making blankets now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-emin/someone-else-who-liked-what-i-did-might-turn-around-and-say-she-s/)

[Tracey Emin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-emin/)

[Browse all 13,132 Difficult quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is always difficult to get across to people who are not professional writers that a talent to write does not mean a talent to write anything at all.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Flannery O'Connor"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/it-is-always-difficult-to-get-across-to-people-who-are-not/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Difficult"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/it-is-always-difficult-to-get-across-to-people-who-are-not/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7b/flannery-o-connor-639_difficult_it-is-always-difficult-to-get-across-to_2110163.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7b/flannery-o-connor-639_difficult_it-is-always-difficult-to-get-across-to_2110163.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7b/flannery-o-connor-639_difficult_it-is-always-difficult-to-get-across-to_2110163.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is always difficult to get across to people who are not professional writers that a talent to write does…” — Flannery O'Connor",
                "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": "Flannery O'Connor",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It is always difficult to get...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/it-is-always-difficult-to-get-across-to-people-who-are-not/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/it-is-always-difficult-to-get-across-to-people-who-are-not/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
