--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I know writers who use subtext, and…" description: "\"“I know writers who use subtext, and they're all cowards.”\" — Garth Marenghi" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b87/garth-marenghi-95832_cowards_i-know-writers-who-use-subtext-and-they_649471.jpg" --- # I know writers who use subtext, and they're all cowards. ![“I know writers who use subtext, and they're all cowards.” quote by Garth Marenghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b87/garth-marenghi-95832_cowards_i-know-writers-who-use-subtext-and-they_649471.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b87/garth-marenghi-95832_cowards_i-know-writers-who-use-subtext-and-they_649471.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b87/garth-marenghi-95832_cowards_i-know-writers-who-use-subtext-and-they_649471.jpg) > ““I know writers who use subtext, and they're all cowards.”” Garth Marenghi ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker dismisses subtext as a sign of cowardice, implying honesty requires direct expression. **In simple terms:** Subtext is seen as cowardly. Key Takeaway Be brave, be explicit. Themes courage writing humor literature subtext Mood playful ironic critical Type Cowards:1 Humor:1 Writers:1 Writing:1 Know Writers:0 Writers Use:0 Subtext Cowards:1 When to use this quote - author workshops - literary criticism - scriptwriting - personal honesty Key Concepts self‑expression authenticity creative risk Questions to Reflect On - What does subtext add to a story? - Is honesty always better? A Different Perspective Some readers find subtext enriching. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cowards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cowards/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [You know how writers are... they create themselves as they create their work. 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Writing allows us to harness the whimsy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/writers-use-both-their-blood-and-their-brains-to-explore-the-darkest/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“to permit writers to use forms which violate convention just might permit writers to develop forms which would teach people to think differently: not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/to-permit-writers-to-use-forms-which-violate-convention-just-might/) [Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/) > [Some scientists use TeX or LatEX but for most people Word is the thing that writers use these days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-icaza/some-scientists-use-tex-or-latex-but-for-most-people-word-is-the/) [Miguel de Icaza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-icaza/) > [They were a very good form for me - the way a short story has to be designed in order to function, to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/they-were-a-very-good-form-for-me-the-way-a-short-story-has-to-be/) [Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/) > [How do you write? You write, man, you write, that's how, and you do it the way the old English walnut tree puts forth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/how-do-you-write-you-write-man-you-write-that-s-how-and-you-do-it-the/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [“Characters are limbs that writers use to kill with.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-eastwood/characters-are-limbs-that-writers-use-to-kill-with/) [Joseph Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-eastwood/) > [“Writers use narratives to select from everything there is, and make contexts by putting the pieces into relation; that’s what writers do, they make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-shepheard/writers-use-narratives-to-select-from-everything-there-is-and-make/) [Paul Shepheard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-shepheard/) > [I think the best writers use the language they use every day when they talk to friends. When we talk to each other, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-gleitzman/i-think-the-best-writers-use-the-language-they-use-every-day-when/) [Morris Gleitzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-gleitzman/) > [I think what happens to young writers is that they use up every life experience that they have had up to that point for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smith/i-think-what-happens-to-young-writers-is-that-they-use-up-every-life/) [Lee Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smith/) > [“How do you write? You write, man, you write, that’s how…If you practice an art faithfully it will make you wise, and most writers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/how-do-you-write-you-write-man-you-write-that-s-how-if-you-practice/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [A typical wine writer was once described as someone with a typewriter who was looking for his name in print, a free lunch, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-j-prial/a-typical-wine-writer-was-once-described-as-someone-with-a-typewriter/) Frank J. Prial > [“language – particularly the language writers use – cannot be set in stone. It is a living, organic, ever-changing thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sutherland/language-particularly-the-language-writers-use-cannot-be-set-in-stone/) [John Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sutherland/) ## More by Garth Marenghi > [“He whisked off her shoes and panties in one movement, wild like an enraged shark. His bulky totem beating a seductive rhythm. Mary's body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-marenghi/he-whisked-off-her-shoes-and-panties-in-one-movement-wild-like-an/) Garth Marenghi Explore all 2 Garth Marenghi quotes ## More Cowards quotes > [There will always be people who will first wait for somebody's comment and then attack them. I'll say they are just cowards. They have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soni-razdan/there-will-always-be-people-who-will-first-wait-for-somebody-s/) [Soni Razdan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soni-razdan/) > [“The world is not fair, and often fools, cowards, liars and the selfish hide in high places. (p 57)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/the-world-is-not-fair-and-often-fools-cowards-liars-and-the-selfish/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [Artists who say they do not want to mix up in politics are cowards who are not willing to come to terms with their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/artists-who-say-they-do-not-want-to-mix-up-in-politics-are-cowards/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People who keep dogs are cowards who haven't got the guts to bite people themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-strindberg/people-who-keep-dogs-are-cowards-who-haven-t-got-the-guts-to-bite/) [August Strindberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-strindberg/) > [It is the disease of cowards, who do not have the courage to speak upfront and so talk behind one's back... Watch out against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/it-is-the-disease-of-cowards-who-do-not-have-the-courage-to-speak/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [If our principles are right, why should we be cowards?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretia-mott/if-our-principles-are-right-why-should-we-be-cowards/) [Lucretia Mott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretia-mott/) > [Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and I believe continue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-holder/though-this-nation-has-proudly-thought-of-itself-as-an-ethnic-melting/) [Eric Holder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-holder/) > [“Richard had noticed that events were cowards: they didn't occur singly, but instead they would run in packs and leap out at him all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/richard-had-noticed-that-events-were-cowards-they-didn-t-occur-singly/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [No police or military in the world can protect people who are cowards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/no-police-or-military-in-the-world-can-protect-people-who-are-cowards/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“I can only miss the true and I can only mourn the brave. 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We must resist haters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-reno/haters-are-cowards-when-confronted-they-often-back-down-we-must/) [Janet Reno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-reno/) > [“Men are such cowards. They outrage every law of the world, and are afraid of the world’s tongue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/men-are-such-cowards-they-outrage-every-law-of-the-world-and-are/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Newspapers are a great place for cowards and malcontents to have their say.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-shaara/newspapers-are-a-great-place-for-cowards-and-malcontents-to-have/) [Jeff Shaara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-shaara/) [Browse all 417 Cowards quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cowards/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I know writers who use subtext, and they're all cowards.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Garth Marenghi" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-marenghi/i-know-writers-who-use-subtext-and-they-re-all-cowards/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cowards" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-marenghi/i-know-writers-who-use-subtext-and-they-re-all-cowards/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b87/garth-marenghi-95832_cowards_i-know-writers-who-use-subtext-and-they_649471.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b87/garth-marenghi-95832_cowards_i-know-writers-who-use-subtext-and-they_649471.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b87/garth-marenghi-95832_cowards_i-know-writers-who-use-subtext-and-they_649471.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I know writers who use subtext, and they're all cowards.” — Garth Marenghi", "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": "Garth Marenghi", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-marenghi/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I know writers who use subtext,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-marenghi/i-know-writers-who-use-subtext-and-they-re-all-cowards/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-marenghi/i-know-writers-who-use-subtext-and-they-re-all-cowards/#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 } } ] } ```