--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The writer can choose what he writes…" description: "\"The writer can choose what he writes about but he cannot choose what he is able to make live.\" — Flannery O'Connor" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/flannery-o-connor-639_able_the-writer-can-choose-what-he-writes-abo_2489042.png" --- # The writer can choose what he writes about but he cannot… ![“The writer can choose what he writes about but he cannot choose what he is able to make live.” quote by Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/flannery-o-connor-639_able_the-writer-can-choose-what-he-writes-abo_2489042.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/flannery-o-connor-639_able_the-writer-can-choose-what-he-writes-abo_2489042.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/flannery-o-connor-639_able_the-writer-can-choose-what-he-writes-abo_2489042.png) > “The writer can choose what he writes about but he cannot choose what he is able to make live.” [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. Writers can choose topics but cannot control how their creations resonate or become alive in readers’ minds. **In simple terms:** Writers pick topics but not their impact. Key Takeaway Accept creative limits. Themes creativity authorial control literary impact Mood reflective thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - publishing - teaching writing - literary criticism Key Concepts narrative theory reader response Questions to Reflect On - How do you handle unintended interpretations? - Can a writer shape meaning? A Different Perspective Audience reception is unpredictable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Choose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choose/) [Choose Writes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choose-writes-619462/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writer Choose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-choose-818301/) [Writes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writes/) [Writes Choose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writes-choose-619463/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [One cannot choose what he writes - one can only choose to face it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luigi-pirandello/one-cannot-choose-what-he-writes-one-can-only-choose-to-face-it/) [Luigi Pirandello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luigi-pirandello/) > [“The writer can choose what he writes about but he cannot choose what he is able to make live, and so far as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/the-writer-can-choose-what-he-writes-about-but-he-cannot-choose-what/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [As Flannery O'Connor says, a person can choose what she writes but she can't choose what she makes live. Some people are really acoustic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/as-flannery-o-connor-says-a-person-can-choose-what-she-writes-but-she/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [The truth about being a writer is you do not choose the stories you tell, but stories choose you. 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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. 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