---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's even easier to write about the past…"
description: "\"It's even easier to write about the past now that I'm happy and have better stuff to write about. That's why someone like Bob Dylan can make so many re..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ade/frankie-cosmos-9857_better_it-s-even-easier-to-write-about-the-past_599956.jpg"
---

#  It's even easier to write about the past now that I'm…

![“It's even easier to write about the past now that I'm happy and have better stuff to write about. That's why someone like Bob Dylan can make so many records over so long a time; it's not like he's been sad all this time. He's really successful!” quote by Frankie Cosmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ade/frankie-cosmos-9857_better_it-s-even-easier-to-write-about-the-past_599956.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ade/frankie-cosmos-9857_better_it-s-even-easier-to-write-about-the-past_599956.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ade/frankie-cosmos-9857_better_it-s-even-easier-to-write-about-the-past_599956.jpg)

> “It's even easier to write about the past now that I'm happy and have better stuff to write about. That's why someone like Bob Dylan can make so many records over so long a time; it's not like he's been sad all this time. He's really successful!”

[Frankie Cosmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-cosmos/)

## About This Quote

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

Happiness fuels creative output, making past experiences easier to write about, unlike artists who seem perpetually sad.

**In simple terms:** Being happy makes writing about the past easier.

Key Takeaway

Leverage joy to inspire work.

Themes

creativity happiness artistic inspiration productivity self-perception

Mood

reflective optimistic

Type

inspirational observational

When to use this quote

- writing
- music composition
- personal journaling
- content creation
- mental health improvement

Key Concepts

psychology creative process emotional state

Questions to Reflect On

- How does your mood affect your creative output?
- Can you write about past hardships while feeling content?

A Different Perspective

If happiness wanes, inspiration may decline.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Sad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sad/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [“Afterwards, he just sat, happy to live in the past. The drink made past happy things contemporary with the present, as if they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/afterwards-he-just-sat-happy-to-live-in-the-past-the-drink-made-past/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [Everyone has a story...a sad past, a happy memory...they shape us into who we are today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-has-a-story-a-sad-past-a-happy-memory-they-shape-us-into-who/)

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

> [Most people are nostalgic in a way that they're fond of the past, but they still are happy that they are where they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-reitman/most-people-are-nostalgic-in-a-way-that-they-re-fond-of-the-past-but/)

[Jason Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-reitman/)

> [I'm trying to do what Frank O'Hara did and remind myself there there's a lot of good stuff. I write about New York for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-cosmos/i-m-trying-to-do-what-frank-o-hara-did-and-remind-myself-there-there/)

[Frankie Cosmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-cosmos/)

> [“Not afraid to write about my past to inspire your future”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordone-branch/not-afraid-to-write-about-my-past-to-inspire-your-future/)

Jordone Branch

> [Why write about the past? Well, there's more of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/why-write-about-the-past-well-there-s-more-of-it/)

[John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/)

> [In my case, I write in the past because I'm not really part of the present. I have nothing valid to say about anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-o-brian/in-my-case-i-write-in-the-past-because-i-m-not-really-part-of-the/)

[Patrick O'Brian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-o-brian/)

> [“We all write fiction when we write about the past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/we-all-write-fiction-when-we-write-about-the-past/)

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

> [I write with my past, about the future, for the present](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eyedea/i-write-with-my-past-about-the-future-for-the-present/)

[Eyedea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eyedea/)

> [I cannot write about the past unless I go where history happened. Some make very good armchair historians, I'm not one of them. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/i-cannot-write-about-the-past-unless-i-go-where-history-happened-some/)

[Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/)

> [“To write past events in the present tense adds immediacy to your prose. ~Yvonne Blackwood”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvonne-blackwood/to-write-past-events-in-the-present-tense-adds-immediacy-to-your/)

Yvonne Blackwood

> [I think we're on a journey…It was very easy to write about my past in my book, but writing about the present is all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-karan/i-think-we-re-on-a-journey-it-was-very-easy-to-write-about-my-past-in/)

[Donna Karan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-karan/)

> [You can't re-write your past, but you can grab a clean sheet of paper and write your future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-t-re-write-your-past-but-you-can-grab-a-clean-sheet-of-paper/)

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

> [“When you write about the past, you lie with each letter, with every grapheme, including the goddamn comma.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabih-alameddine/when-you-write-about-the-past-you-lie-with-each-letter-with-every/)

[Rabih Alameddine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabih-alameddine/)

> [All writers write about the past, and I try to make it come alive so you can see what happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-gaines/all-writers-write-about-the-past-and-i-try-to-make-it-come-alive-so/)

[Ernest Gaines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-gaines/)

## More by Frankie Cosmos

> [When I was 18, I borrowed my parents' car, and they are super supportive. They might give us snacks for the road, but it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-cosmos/when-i-was-18-i-borrowed-my-parents-car-and-they-are-super-supportive/)

[Frankie Cosmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-cosmos/)

> [I definitely think that touring is a really crazy lifestyle and makes it hard to live a normal life and have relationships and friendships.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-cosmos/i-definitely-think-that-touring-is-a-really-crazy-lifestyle-and-makes/)

[Frankie Cosmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-cosmos/)

> [I realized I was trained my whole life to be an accommodating person, to make sure that everybody is comfortable before I'm comfortable. After…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-cosmos/i-realized-i-was-trained-my-whole-life-to-be-an-accommodating-person/)

[Frankie Cosmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-cosmos/)

> [My brother was 13 when people started telling me that he was a 'hipster.' I was 11 and thought it was so stressful, like,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-cosmos/my-brother-was-13-when-people-started-telling-me-that-he-was-a/)

[Frankie Cosmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-cosmos/)

> [Whenever I'm really excited about a song, I want to learn it, and it becomes the first thing I play every time I pick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-cosmos/whenever-i-m-really-excited-about-a-song-i-want-to-learn-it-and-it/)

[Frankie Cosmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-cosmos/)

> [If I ever go back to college, I'd study art education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-cosmos/if-i-ever-go-back-to-college-i-d-study-art-education/)

[Frankie Cosmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-cosmos/)

> [I was seeing kids my age playing shows at their parents' houses or the couple of all-ages venues that existed. I feel like I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-cosmos/i-was-seeing-kids-my-age-playing-shows-at-their-parents-houses-or-the/)

[Frankie Cosmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-cosmos/)

> [Sometimes I'll write something that's purely autobiographical, and sometimes pure fiction, and sometimes a mix.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-cosmos/sometimes-i-ll-write-something-that-s-purely-autobiographical-and/)

[Frankie Cosmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-cosmos/)

> [Sometimes I'm really mean to someone who just hugged me. I never thought that I would be like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-cosmos/sometimes-i-m-really-mean-to-someone-who-just-hugged-me-i-never/)

[Frankie Cosmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-cosmos/)

> [Those emotions that are really strong, the ones that inspire a song, you can hold onto that. You can let it marinate for years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-cosmos/those-emotions-that-are-really-strong-the-ones-that-inspire-a-song/)

[Frankie Cosmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-cosmos/)

> [Around seventh grade, I got a guitar and forgot everything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-cosmos/around-seventh-grade-i-got-a-guitar-and-forgot-everything-else/)

[Frankie Cosmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-cosmos/)

> [I'm not just going to hug every person that asks to hug me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-cosmos/i-m-not-just-going-to-hug-every-person-that-asks-to-hug-me/)

[Frankie Cosmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-cosmos/)

> [My parents have both done some music stuff. My family was very artist-friendly, so that was encouraging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-cosmos/my-parents-have-both-done-some-music-stuff-my-family-was-very-artist/)

[Frankie Cosmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-cosmos/)

> [My music doesn't sound punk, but I see it as a punk action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-cosmos/my-music-doesn-t-sound-punk-but-i-see-it-as-a-punk-action/)

[Frankie Cosmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-cosmos/)

> [Performing is something that has really grown on me and become an important part of my life, which I didn't used to feel. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-cosmos/performing-is-something-that-has-really-grown-on-me-and-become-an/)

[Frankie Cosmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-cosmos/)

[Explore all 69 Frankie Cosmos quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-cosmos/)

## More Better quotes

> [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/)

[Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/)

> [Everybody has their cliques, and I was very shy. I'm still very shy. Music opened up doors. I would get to my choir class,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-fonsi/everybody-has-their-cliques-and-i-was-very-shy-i-m-still-very-shy/)

[Luis Fonsi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-fonsi/)

> [You can't force people to feel in a certain way, and the sooner you understand that,the better. I feel everything has its way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidharth-malhotra/you-can-t-force-people-to-feel-in-a-certain-way-and-the-sooner-you/)

[Sidharth Malhotra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidharth-malhotra/)

> [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/)

[Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/)

> [The bigger the canvas, the better I do. I'm not so good at understated, kitchen-sink kinds of parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/the-bigger-the-canvas-the-better-i-do-i-m-not-so-good-at-understated/)

[Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/)

> [The Little you Give !! The Better it Gets !!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-stanyer/the-little-you-give-the-better-it-gets/)

[Mario Stanyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-stanyer/)

> [A strong, durable Puerto Rican economy will leave the island better prepared to handle future natural disasters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-campos-duffy/a-strong-durable-puerto-rican-economy-will-leave-the-island-better/)

[Rachel Campos-Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-campos-duffy/)

> [In my first 100 days as Ontario's Minister of Transportation, I found a willing municipal partner in the City of Toronto that shares our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-mulroney/in-my-first-100-days-as-ontario-s-minister-of-transportation-i-found/)

[Caroline Mulroney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-mulroney/)

> [It hasn't been a conscious thing, like, 'I don't want to listen to a bunch of dudes,' but I genuinely like music by women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soccer-mommy/it-hasn-t-been-a-conscious-thing-like-i-don-t-want-to-listen-to-a/)

[Soccer Mommy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soccer-mommy/)

> [Life is going to hit you some line drives, and sometimes you'll have to think fast. However, it's better to think first than to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bytheway/life-is-going-to-hit-you-some-line-drives-and-sometimes-you-ll-have/)

[John Bytheway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bytheway/)

> [I like to collaborate with other people for studio recordings because I believe collaboration, in any form, makes music better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-barlow/i-like-to-collaborate-with-other-people-for-studio-recordings-because/)

[Lou Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-barlow/)

> [Absolutely, you can improve and become better at toughness. It's a talent, but it can be acquired, too. I think of it like building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harbaugh/absolutely-you-can-improve-and-become-better-at-toughness-it-s-a/)

[Jim Harbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harbaugh/)

> [Not having drops and not taking plays off, if I do that it will make everyone around me better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demaryius-thomas/not-having-drops-and-not-taking-plays-off-if-i-do-that-it-will-make/)

[Demaryius Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demaryius-thomas/)

> [Cara Delevingne and I took an eyebrow selfie. We both have prominent eyebrows, but hers are much better than mine. Maybe we should do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-poulter/cara-delevingne-and-i-took-an-eyebrow-selfie-we-both-have-prominent/)

[Will Poulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-poulter/)

> [I never really look at it past one year. I look at last year and my whole goal is to be a better player…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-williams/i-never-really-look-at-it-past-one-year-i-look-at-last-year-and-my/)

[Trent Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-williams/)

Browse all 17,085 Better quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It's even easier to write about the past now that I'm happy and have better stuff to write about. That's why someone like Bob Dylan can make so many records over so long a time; it's not like he's been sad all this time. He's really successful!",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Frankie Cosmos"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-cosmos/it-s-even-easier-to-write-about-the-past-now-that-i-m-happy-and-have/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Better"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-cosmos/it-s-even-easier-to-write-about-the-past-now-that-i-m-happy-and-have/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ade/frankie-cosmos-9857_better_it-s-even-easier-to-write-about-the-past_599956.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ade/frankie-cosmos-9857_better_it-s-even-easier-to-write-about-the-past_599956.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ade/frankie-cosmos-9857_better_it-s-even-easier-to-write-about-the-past_599956.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It's even easier to write about the past now that I'm happy and have better stuff to write about. That's why…” — Frankie Cosmos",
                "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": "Frankie Cosmos",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-cosmos/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It's even easier to write about...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-cosmos/it-s-even-easier-to-write-about-the-past-now-that-i-m-happy-and-have/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-cosmos/it-s-even-easier-to-write-about-the-past-now-that-i-m-happy-and-have/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
