--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I used to love to write. As a child I…" description: "\"I used to love to write. As a child I used to write all the time. I loved to write up until the second I got my first professional writing job. It turn..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57e/fran-lebowitz-690_children_i-used-to-love-to-write-as-a-child-i-use_500714.jpg" --- # I used to love to write. As a child I used to write all… ![“I used to love to write. As a child I used to write all the time. I loved to write up until the second I got my first professional writing job. It turns out it's not that I hate to write. I hate, simply, to work.” quote by Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57e/fran-lebowitz-690_children_i-used-to-love-to-write-as-a-child-i-use_500714.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57e/fran-lebowitz-690_children_i-used-to-love-to-write-as-a-child-i-use_500714.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57e/fran-lebowitz-690_children_i-used-to-love-to-write-as-a-child-i-use_500714.jpg) > “I used to love to write. As a child I used to write all the time. I loved to write up until the second I got my first professional writing job. It turns out it's not that I hate to write. I hate, simply, to work.” [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing was once a joy, but professional demands turned it into labor, revealing a dislike for work rather than writing. **In simple terms:** Work can ruin the pleasure of a beloved activity. Key Takeaway Separate passion from obligatory work. Themes creative writing career motivation burnout Mood cynical reflective Type personal observational When to use this quote - career transition - freelance writing - creative hobbies Key Concepts psychology work‑life balance intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation Questions to Reflect On - Can you revive joy in your craft? - What aspects of work feel burdensome? A Different Perspective Passion may still be compromised by external pressures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Professional writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/professional-writing/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [My very first professional writing credit was on a movie called The Dunwich Horror, and Roger Corman was the executive producer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-hanson/my-very-first-professional-writing-credit-was-on-a-movie-called-the/) [Curtis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-hanson/) > [One paradox of professional writing is that books written solely for money and/or acclaim will almost never be good enough to garner either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/one-paradox-of-professional-writing-is-that-books-written-solely-for/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [The biggest obstacle to professional writing is the necessity for changing a typewriter ribbon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-benchley/the-biggest-obstacle-to-professional-writing-is-the-necessity-for/) [Robert Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-benchley/) > [“Another difference between amateur and professional writers, almost by definition, is that the latter more successfully engage their audience. 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Flaherty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-w-flaherty/) > [Three words that still have meaning, that I think we can apply to all professional writing, are discovery, originality, invention.The professional writer discovers some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dos-passos/three-words-that-still-have-meaning-that-i-think-we-can-apply-to-all/) [John Dos Passos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dos-passos/) > [I am in the Master of Professional Writing program teaching Humor Writing, Literary and Dramatic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-berman/i-am-in-the-master-of-professional-writing-program-teaching-humor/) [Shelley Berman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-berman/) > [It's common procedure in the industry for people with little or no professional writing experience to get a book deal because of their profile,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-radziwill/it-s-common-procedure-in-the-industry-for-people-with-little-or-no/) [Carole Radziwill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-radziwill/) > [A lot of people, myself included, are excited about blogging and stuff like that, citizen journalism, but I do remind people that no matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-newmark/a-lot-of-people-myself-included-are-excited-about-blogging-and-stuff/) [Craig Newmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-newmark/) > [I suppose we think euphemistically that all writers write because they have something to say that is truthful and honest and pointed and important.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/i-suppose-we-think-euphemistically-that-all-writers-write-because/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [I hate to write, but I love to have written.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/i-hate-to-write-but-i-love-to-have-written/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [I really hate to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-really-hate-to-write/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [I hate to write! 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