---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why do I write? From selfishness. Because…"
description: "\"Why do I write? From selfishness. Because this state of liquefied, complex concentration, however faintly and dimly I'm able to perceive it, is the gre..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a2/francis-spufford-12650_able_why-do-i-write-from-selfishness-because_2602381.png"
---

#  Why do I write? From selfishness. Because this state of…

![“Why do I write? From selfishness. Because this state of liquefied, complex concentration, however faintly and dimly I'm able to perceive it, is the greatest pleasure I know.” quote by Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a2/francis-spufford-12650_able_why-do-i-write-from-selfishness-because_2602381.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a2/francis-spufford-12650_able_why-do-i-write-from-selfishness-because_2602381.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a2/francis-spufford-12650_able_why-do-i-write-from-selfishness-because_2602381.png)

> “Why do I write? From selfishness. Because this state of liquefied, complex concentration, however faintly and dimly I'm able to perceive it, is the greatest pleasure I know.”

[Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/)

## About This Quote

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

Writing fulfills a deep, selfish desire for focused, immersive pleasure that feels rare and rewarding.

**In simple terms:** Writing satisfies a personal, intense focus that feels good.

Key Takeaway

Embrace the joy of deep concentration.

Themes

creativity self‑expression pleasure

Mood

introspective passionate

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- writing sessions
- creative blocks
- personal journaling
- artistic projects

Key Concepts

flow state ego artistic fulfillment

Questions to Reflect On

- What does deep focus reveal about your true motivations?
- How can you channel selfish pleasure into shared value?

A Different Perspective

The pleasure may be fleeting and can become self‑indulgent if not balanced.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Because](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/because/) [Complex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complex/) [Concentration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration/) [Concentration Faintly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration-faintly-1956350/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Greatest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatest/) [Greatest pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatest-pleasure/) [However](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/however/) [I write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-write/) [Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know/) [Perceive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perceive/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Pleasure Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure-know-1362697/) [Selfishness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/selfishness/) [Selfishness State](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/selfishness-state-1956352/) [State](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/state/) [Why](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/why/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Write Selfishness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-selfishness-1956349/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [The greatest pleasure I know is to do a good action by stealth, and to have it found out by accident](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/the-greatest-pleasure-i-know-is-to-do-a-good-action-by-stealth-and-to/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [The secret of the enjoyment of pleasure is to know when to stop. Man doesn't learn this secret easily, but to shun pleasure altogether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-secret-of-the-enjoyment-of-pleasure-is-to-know-when-to-stop-man/)

[Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/)

> [Self-education is a continuing source of pleasure to me, for the more I know, the fuller my life is and the better I appreciate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/self-education-is-a-continuing-source-of-pleasure-to-me-for-the-more/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [I do not knock 'Poppins' or 'The Sound of Music.' They gave me pleasure, and I know they've given a lot of people enormous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-andrews/i-do-not-knock-poppins-or-the-sound-of-music-they-gave-me-pleasure/)

[Julie Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-andrews/)

> [I know my corn plants intimately, and I find it a great pleasure to know them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mcclintock/i-know-my-corn-plants-intimately-and-i-find-it-a-great-pleasure-to/)

[Barbara McClintock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mcclintock/)

> [“Moaning, delirious with my own pleasure. I know that I'm selling my soul to him at this very moment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-frank/moaning-delirious-with-my-own-pleasure-i-know-that-i-m-selling-my/)

[Ella Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-frank/)

> [“Even pleasure, you know, is fatiguing…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/even-pleasure-you-know-is-fatiguing/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [Missing someone can turn the pain into pleasure, if we know they're missing us too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/missing-someone-can-turn-the-pain-into-pleasure-if-we-know-they-re/)

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

> [“It was a profound pleasure to her not to know what was coming next, provided some one whom she loved did.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/it-was-a-profound-pleasure-to-her-not-to-know-what-was-coming-next/)

[George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/)

> [I've always been a giving man; it doesn't cost me anything and it's a pleasure to give what I know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/i-ve-always-been-a-giving-man-it-doesn-t-cost-me-anything-and-it-s-a/)

[Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/)

> [My greatest pleasure is still flying private. I spend between $300,000 to $500,000, depending on my year, on flying private.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suze-orman/my-greatest-pleasure-is-still-flying-private-i-spend-between-300-000/)

[Suze Orman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suze-orman/)

> [The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do, and seeing that look on their face when you prove them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-greatest-pleasure-in-life-is-doing-what-people-say-you-cannot-do/)

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

> [The greatest pleasure in life is doing, what others say you cannot do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enggalikhan/the-greatest-pleasure-in-life-is-doing-what-others-say-you-cannot-do/)

[Enggalikhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enggalikhan/)

> [The greatest pleasure in my life is doing something people say I can't do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-greatest-pleasure-in-my-life-is-doing-something-people-say-i-can/)

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

> [After 30 years I have realized the greatest pleasure I can get is to have learnt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esa-pekka-salonen/after-30-years-i-have-realized-the-greatest-pleasure-i-can-get-is-to/)

[Esa-Pekka Salonen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esa-pekka-salonen/)

## More by Francis Spufford

> [If your memory was OK you could descend upon on a bookshop – a big enough one so that the staff wouldn’t hassle a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/if-your-memory-was-ok-you-could-descend-upon-on-a-bookshop-a-big/)

[Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/)

> [There have been low moments before, but Christianity is an incredibly adaptable organism, using different parts of its repertoire to mutate into new ecological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/there-have-been-low-moments-before-but-christianity-is-an-incredibly/)

[Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/)

> [“Beyond the breakwater you can no longer touch bottom, but you are not afraid, for in this sea the harder you swim the stronger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/beyond-the-breakwater-you-can-no-longer-touch-bottom-but-you-are-not/)

[Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/)

> [Self-awareness is not the same thing as self-approval, any more than imagination is the same thing as day-dreaming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/self-awareness-is-not-the-same-thing-as-self-approval-any-more-than/)

[Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/)

> [What follows is more about books than it is about me, but nonetheless it is my inward autobiography, for the words we take into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/what-follows-is-more-about-books-than-it-is-about-me-but-nonetheless/)

[Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/)

> [Despite the best efforts of apologists like William Lane Craig, the 'evidence' for Christianity's truth is, in truth, not the kind that science will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/despite-the-best-efforts-of-apologists-like-william-lane-craig-the/)

[Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/)

> [“You do not chuse where You bestow your Heart. Your Heart bestows Itself, will-you-nill-you, in the Midst of other Business. —”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/you-do-not-chuse-where-you-bestow-your-heart-your-heart-bestows/)

[Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/)

> [Anyone can be self-educated if they find the loose end of something to care about passionately.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/anyone-can-be-self-educated-if-they-find-the-loose-end-of-something/)

[Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/)

> [You never came out the way you came in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/you-never-came-out-the-way-you-came-in/)

[Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/)

> [For a believer, Christian faith is true to the human heart, not in the sense that any old thing we fancy believing in will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/for-a-believer-christian-faith-is-true-to-the-human-heart-not-in-the/)

[Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/)

> [When I'm tired and therefore indecisive, it can take half an hour to choose the book I am going to have with me while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/when-i-m-tired-and-therefore-indecisive-it-can-take-half-an-hour-to/)

[Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/)

> [“...what goes on inside believers is mysterious. So far as it can be guessed at - if for some reason you wanted to guess…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/what-goes-on-inside-believers-is-mysterious-so-far-as-it-can-be/)

[Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/)

> [I can always tell when you're reading somewhere in the house,' my mother used to say. 'There's a special silence, a reading silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/i-can-always-tell-when-you-re-reading-somewhere-in-the-house-my/)

[Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/)

> [I think I have made allowances for the kind of despair which would test my faith, but you cannot know in advance what disaster…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/i-think-i-have-made-allowances-for-the-kind-of-despair-which-would/)

[Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/)

> [You don't have to become an investment banker as a way of demonstrating that education has worked for you. But librarians have to believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/you-don-t-have-to-become-an-investment-banker-as-a-way-of/)

[Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/)

[Explore all 54 Francis Spufford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/)

## More Able quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/)

[Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/)

> [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/)

[Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/)

> [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/)

[Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/)

> [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/)

[Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/)

> [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/)

[Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/)

> [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/)

[Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/)

> [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/)

[Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/)

> [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/)

[Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/)

> [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/)

[Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/)

> [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/)

[Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/)

[Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Why do I write? From selfishness. Because this state of liquefied, complex concentration, however faintly and dimly I'm able to perceive it, is the greatest pleasure I know.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Francis Spufford"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/why-do-i-write-from-selfishness-because-this-state-of-liquefied/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Able"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/why-do-i-write-from-selfishness-because-this-state-of-liquefied/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a2/francis-spufford-12650_able_why-do-i-write-from-selfishness-because_2602381.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a2/francis-spufford-12650_able_why-do-i-write-from-selfishness-because_2602381.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a2/francis-spufford-12650_able_why-do-i-write-from-selfishness-because_2602381.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Why do I write? From selfishness. Because this state of liquefied, complex concentration, however faintly…” — Francis Spufford",
                "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": "Francis Spufford",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Why do I write? From selfishness....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/why-do-i-write-from-selfishness-because-this-state-of-liquefied/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/why-do-i-write-from-selfishness-because-this-state-of-liquefied/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
