--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wrote as a kid, but I never wanted to…" description: "\"I wrote as a kid, but I never wanted to be a writer particularly. I had been drawing and painting for years and loved that. And I meditate, and one tim..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/gail-carson-levine-7322_appreciation_i-wrote-as-a-kid-but-i-never-wanted-to-b_2511711.jpg" --- # I wrote as a kid, but I never wanted to be a writer… ![“I wrote as a kid, but I never wanted to be a writer particularly. I had been drawing and painting for years and loved that. And I meditate, and one time when I was meditating, I started thinking, "Gee Gail, you love stories -- you read all the time. How come you never tell yourself a story?" While…” quote by Gail Carson Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/gail-carson-levine-7322_appreciation_i-wrote-as-a-kid-but-i-never-wanted-to-b_2511711.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/gail-carson-levine-7322_appreciation_i-wrote-as-a-kid-but-i-never-wanted-to-b_2511711.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/gail-carson-levine-7322_appreciation_i-wrote-as-a-kid-but-i-never-wanted-to-b_2511711.jpg) > “I wrote as a kid, but I never wanted to be a writer particularly. I had been drawing and painting for years and loved that. And I meditate, and one time when I was meditating, I started thinking, "Gee Gail, you love stories -- you read all the time. How come you never tell yourself a story?" While I should have been saying my mantra to myself, I started telling myself a story. It turned out to be an art appreciation book for kids with reproductions of famous artworks and pencil drawings that I did. I tried to get it published and was rejected wholesale.” [Gail Carson Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carson-levine/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Childhood creativity can be redirected into unexpected professional paths through self‑reflection. **In simple terms:** Creative kids can become writers. Key Takeaway Explore your inner stories. Themes creativity self‑discovery career Mood inspirational reflective Type motivational personal development When to use this quote - writing - publishing - rejection - personal growth Key Concepts identity narrative artistic expression Questions to Reflect On - What story do you need to tell yourself? - How can you turn rejection into growth? A Different Perspective Self‑reflection may not guarantee success. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Appreciation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appreciation/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art appreciation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-appreciation/) [Artwork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artwork/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books for kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books-for-kids/) [Drawing and painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drawing-and-painting/) [Gail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gail/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Love story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-story/) [Mantras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mantras/) [Meditating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditating/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Reproduction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reproduction/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [The music I wrote as a kid already was always instrumental. It was never based on lyrics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramin-djawadi/the-music-i-wrote-as-a-kid-already-was-always-instrumental-it-was/) [Ramin Djawadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramin-djawadi/) > [In a way, you normalize your own childhood to yourself, so I never thought about how much I wrote as a kid. So I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kazan/in-a-way-you-normalize-your-own-childhood-to-yourself-so-i-never/) [Zoe Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kazan/) > [I didn't like filtering the story through me, saying, 'Reader, you'll be safe with me. While it gets a little dangerous, it'll be okay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-winter/i-didn-t-like-filtering-the-story-through-me-saying-reader-you-ll-be/) [Michael Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-winter/) > [“I met this boy here who I knew as a kid and his mum left him with a pedophile for two weeks when he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-marchetta/i-met-this-boy-here-who-i-knew-as-a-kid-and-his-mum-left-him-with-a/) [Melina Marchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-marchetta/) > [I remember telling my second-graders the basic 'Metamorphosis' story, saying, like, 'What about - what if a guy woke up one morning and he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-scieszka/i-remember-telling-my-second-graders-the-basic-metamorphosis-story/) [Jon Scieszka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-scieszka/) > [I've always been making stuff. I had a very free upbringing, and very encouraging parents. I just found that it was a really cool…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-maria/i-ve-always-been-making-stuff-i-had-a-very-free-upbringing-and-very/) Ida Maria > [As far as the writing goes, I started telling stories as soon as I could talk, and started writing them down as soon as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-zettel/as-far-as-the-writing-goes-i-started-telling-stories-as-soon-as-i/) [Sarah Zettel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-zettel/) > [When I first started playing international cricket, people around me started telling me what was being said. And you're never as good as anybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-morgan/when-i-first-started-playing-international-cricket-people-around-me/) [Eoin Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-morgan/) > [It was when I got to NXT with Dusty Rhodes, being the creative force he was, and told us to bring our most creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias/it-was-when-i-got-to-nxt-with-dusty-rhodes-being-the-creative-force/) [Elias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias/) > [“Then he started telling me exactly what he was going to do to me. In detail. By the time, he was finished I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cox/then-he-started-telling-me-exactly-what-he-was-going-to-do-to-me-in/) [James Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cox/) > [Here's the weird thing about me. I was never one to tell you stories about me. I was always the guy who others told…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bert-kreischer/here-s-the-weird-thing-about-me-i-was-never-one-to-tell-you-stories/) [Bert Kreischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bert-kreischer/) > [Once the travel guide came out and won an award, once I got an MFA in creative writing, once I sold my next novel,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bernard-frost/once-the-travel-guide-came-out-and-won-an-award-once-i-got-an-mfa-in/) [James Bernard Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bernard-frost/) > [“I started telling people about my dream a couple of days ago and then it seemed like everything and everyone kind of led me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-ebben/i-started-telling-people-about-my-dream-a-couple-of-days-ago-and-then/) [Jay Ebben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-ebben/) > [I began observing, making paintings of my surroundings, taking a vow of silence, listening, composing music, writing, and making time for formal education. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-francis/i-began-observing-making-paintings-of-my-surroundings-taking-a-vow-of/) John Francis > [I was born. When I was 23 I started telling jokes. Then I started going on television and doing films. That's still what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/i-was-born-when-i-was-23-i-started-telling-jokes-then-i-started-going/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) ## More by Gail Carson Levine > [My favorite of my books is DAVE AT NIGHT, because it's loosely based on my father's childhood in an orphanage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carson-levine/my-favorite-of-my-books-is-dave-at-night-because-it-s-loosely-based/) [Gail Carson Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carson-levine/) > [I was no hero. The dearest wishes of my heart were for safety and tranquility. The world was a perilous place, wrong for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carson-levine/i-was-no-hero-the-dearest-wishes-of-my-heart-were-for-safety-and/) [Gail Carson Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carson-levine/) > [I shan't marry a prince!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carson-levine/i-shan-t-marry-a-prince/) [Gail Carson Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carson-levine/) > [But what I really long to know you do not tell either: what you feel, although I've given you hints by the score of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carson-levine/but-what-i-really-long-to-know-you-do-not-tell-either-what-you-feel/) [Gail Carson Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carson-levine/) > [“If I couldn't sleep, I could read.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carson-levine/if-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-read/) [Gail Carson Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carson-levine/) > [No music. No rituals. At home I write in my office or on the laptop in the kitchen where our puppy likes to sleep,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carson-levine/no-music-no-rituals-at-home-i-write-in-my-office-or-on-the-laptop-in/) [Gail Carson Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carson-levine/) > [I think kids abandon stories all the time. They start stories and get frustrated or get a different, better idea. I think that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carson-levine/i-think-kids-abandon-stories-all-the-time-they-start-stories-and-get/) [Gail Carson Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carson-levine/) > [Oak, granite, Lilies by the road, Remember me? I remember you. Clouds brushing Clover hills, Remember me? Sister, child, Grown tall, Remember me? I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carson-levine/oak-granite-lilies-by-the-road-remember-me-i-remember-you-clouds/) [Gail Carson Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carson-levine/) > [He is flawless, without a blemish. Majesic . . . muscular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carson-levine/he-is-flawless-without-a-blemish-majesic-muscular/) [Gail Carson Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carson-levine/) > [You see, writing down your meanderings gets something started deep in the recesses of your brain. That distant part of your mind knows that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carson-levine/you-see-writing-down-your-meanderings-gets-something-started-deep-in/) [Gail Carson Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carson-levine/) > [I wonder how Admat can be everywhere. Is he in my sandal? Or is he my sandal itself? Why would a god bother to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carson-levine/i-wonder-how-admat-can-be-everywhere-is-he-in-my-sandal-or-is-he-my/) [Gail Carson Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carson-levine/) > [In books and in life, you need to read several pages before someone's true character is revealed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carson-levine/in-books-and-in-life-you-need-to-read-several-pages-before-someone-s/) [Gail Carson Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carson-levine/) > [And so, with laughter and love, we lived happily ever after.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carson-levine/and-so-with-laughter-and-love-we-lived-happily-ever-after/) [Gail Carson Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carson-levine/) > [I'm solitary as a pulled tooth, Lonely as an unwelcome truth, Lost as a minnow out of school, A genius in a crop of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carson-levine/i-m-solitary-as-a-pulled-tooth-lonely-as-an-unwelcome-truth-lost-as-a/) [Gail Carson Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carson-levine/) > [I loved fairy tales as a kid. I've always been drawn to fantasy. They're always exciting. There's never a dull moment. I just love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carson-levine/i-loved-fairy-tales-as-a-kid-i-ve-always-been-drawn-to-fantasy-they/) [Gail Carson Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carson-levine/) [Explore all 91 Gail Carson Levine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carson-levine/) ## More Appreciation quotes > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [Time can but make her beauty over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/time-can-but-make-her-beauty-over-again/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [The writings of latter-day prophets clearly teach that the sorrows and sufferings endured by Adam and Eve upon their leaving the Garden of Eden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-k-judd/the-writings-of-latter-day-prophets-clearly-teach-that-the-sorrows/) Daniel K Judd > [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [A very small percentage of the people in this world will actually experience and live today. So many people will be stuck on another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/a-very-small-percentage-of-the-people-in-this-world-will-actually/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [Stop chasing the things you want and embrace all that you already have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stop-chasing-the-things-you-want-and-embrace-all-that-you-already-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Appreciation is the purest vibration that exists on the planet today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/appreciation-is-the-purest-vibration-that-exists-on-the-planet-today/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [“My thank-yous always come out rather labored. I often don't give them at all. People do what they're supposed to do and then wait…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/my-thank-yous-always-come-out-rather-labored-i-often-don-t-give-them/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“Like gratitude, authentic appreciation in the workplace is a realisation that can be nurtured and accessed with daily mindful practice. By and large, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dines/like-gratitude-authentic-appreciation-in-the-workplace-is-a/) [Christopher Dines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dines/) > [Think of your mind, your emotions, and your spirit as the ultimate garden. The way to ensure a bountiful, nourishing harvest is to plant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/think-of-your-mind-your-emotions-and-your-spirit-as-the-ultimate/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [“Recognize and appreciate little things, and enjoy what Life has to offer”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-nikko-caharian-iii/recognize-and-appreciate-little-things-and-enjoy-what-life-has-to/) Cesar Nikko Caharian III > [Men, when it comes to women, value diamonds and put no stock into copper. Diamonds are rare. You can find copper anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enhance-dreams/men-when-it-comes-to-women-value-diamonds-and-put-no-stock-into/) Enhance Dreams > [“Everything we perceive to be solid and static is made up of almost entirely empty space.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-p-kauffman/everything-we-perceive-to-be-solid-and-static-is-made-up-of-almost/) [Joseph P. Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-p-kauffman/) > [Be very slow to believe that you are wiser than all others; it is a fatal but common error. Where one has been saved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/be-very-slow-to-believe-that-you-are-wiser-than-all-others-it-is-a/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) [Browse all 2,528 Appreciation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appreciation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I wrote as a kid, but I never wanted to be a writer particularly. I had been drawing and painting for years and loved that. And I meditate, and one time when I was meditating, I started thinking, \"Gee Gail, you love stories -- you read all the time. How come you never tell yourself a story?\" While I should have been saying my mantra to myself, I started telling myself a story. 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