---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you are lonely, writing can keep you…"
description: "\"When you are lonely, writing can keep you company. It is also a form of self-compensation, a way of making up for things—as opposed to making things up..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b7/geoff-dyer-8822_business_when-you-are-lonely-writing-can-keep-you_81397.jpg"
---

#  When you are lonely, writing can keep you company. It is…

![“When you are lonely, writing can keep you company. It is also a form of self-compensation, a way of making up for things—as opposed to making things up—that did not quite happen.” quote by Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b7/geoff-dyer-8822_business_when-you-are-lonely-writing-can-keep-you_81397.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b7/geoff-dyer-8822_business_when-you-are-lonely-writing-can-keep-you_81397.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b7/geoff-dyer-8822_business_when-you-are-lonely-writing-can-keep-you_81397.jpg)

> “When you are lonely, writing can keep you company. It is also a form of self-compensation, a way of making up for things—as opposed to making things up—that did not quite happen.”

[Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/)

## About This Quote

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

Writing offers companionship and a means to mentally fill gaps left by unfulfilled experiences, turning solitude into creative self‑support.

**In simple terms:** Writing as a companion and mental filler

Key Takeaway

Creative solitude can be self‑healing

Themes

solitude creativity self‑compensation imagination healing

Mood

contemplative hopeful introspective

Type

advice observation philosophical

When to use this quote

- lonely evenings
- creative block
- personal reflection
- journaling after loss

Key Concepts

writing as therapy narrative self‑construction emotional regulation

Practical Applications

- journaling for emotional balance
- using writing to explore unmet desires

Questions to Reflect On

- How does writing change your perception of loneliness?
- What unmet experiences do you explore through your writing?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Compensation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compensation/) [Lonely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lonely/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [Writing is alone, but I don't think it's lonely. Ask any writer if they feel lonely when they're writing their book, and I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/writing-is-alone-but-i-don-t-think-it-s-lonely-ask-any-writer-if-they/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“You know, they ask me if I were on a desert island and I knew nobody would ever see what I wrote, would I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/you-know-they-ask-me-if-i-were-on-a-desert-island-and-i-knew-nobody-2/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [Writing can be a lonely business. But gradually your characters, or the scenes and peopl from your past, begin to rise up around you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-abercrombie/writing-can-be-a-lonely-business-but-gradually-your-characters-or-the/)

[Barbara Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-abercrombie/)

> [You never feel lonely if you're writing, because you're living with all these characters in your head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-andrews/you-never-feel-lonely-if-you-re-writing-because-you-re-living-with/)

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

> [I'm never lonely when I'm writing, because you live with the characters that are so alive in your mind. And you really see them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-andrews/i-m-never-lonely-when-i-m-writing-because-you-live-with-the/)

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

> [You know, they ask me if I were on a desert island and I knew nobody would ever see what I wrote, would I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/you-know-they-ask-me-if-i-were-on-a-desert-island-and-i-knew-nobody/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [ “One has to understand \[Who am I? and Who is the doer?\] and become one \[with the Self\]. Those who have tried to 'do'… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/one-has-to-understand-who-am-i-and-who-is-the-doer-and-become-one/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

> [Traveling is my form of self-education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/traveling-is-my-form-of-self-education/)

[Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/)

> [For me, coding is a form of self-expression. The company controls the most effective means of self-expression I have. This is unacceptable to me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-frankel/for-me-coding-is-a-form-of-self-expression-the-company-controls-the/)

Justin Frankel

> [Always, a form of self-equilibration, a soul or psyche, is trying to assert itself, to continue the melody of its self-realized life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/always-a-form-of-self-equilibration-a-soul-or-psyche-is-trying-to/)

[Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/)

> [Writing is a form of self-flagellation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-styron/writing-is-a-form-of-self-flagellation/)

[William Styron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-styron/)

> [“If you say, ‘Now I look like an old man’, you will start to look like an old man. If you say, ‘No, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/if-you-say-now-i-look-like-an-old-man-you-will-start-to-look-like-an/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

> [Fashion is ultimately a form of self-expression. That's why I love trying out new things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-madekwe/fashion-is-ultimately-a-form-of-self-expression-that-s-why-i-love/)

[Ashley Madekwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-madekwe/)

> [“Eating well is a form of self respect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sravani-saha-nakhro/eating-well-is-a-form-of-self-respect/)

[Sravani Saha Nakhro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sravani-saha-nakhro/)

> [Copying is a form of self-validation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-cox/copying-is-a-form-of-self-validation/)

[Patrick Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-cox/)

## More by Geoff Dyer

> [I think I can recognize when a piece is at a state of completion. I always say to my wife, "Oh yeah, it's roughly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/i-think-i-can-recognize-when-a-piece-is-at-a-state-of-completion-i/)

[Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/)

> [“I've always liked things I can just trance out to. Because what that means is that you've escaped the chafe of time. Often when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/i-ve-always-liked-things-i-can-just-trance-out-to-because-what-that/)

[Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/)

> [One of the reasons so many nonfiction books are so boring is because what they've done, very diligently, is fulfill the terms of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/one-of-the-reasons-so-many-nonfiction-books-are-so-boring-is-because/)

[Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/)

> [I really like the George Clooney of Solaris also filmed by Andrei Tarkovsky, before Steven Soderbergh: that's very obviously sci-fi, and it seems to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/i-really-like-the-george-clooney-of-solaris-also-filmed-by-andrei/)

[Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/)

> [Nine times out of 10, the most charming thing to say in any given situation will be the exact opposite of what one really feels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/nine-times-out-of-10-the-most-charming-thing-to-say-in-any-given/)

[Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/)

> [In foreign countries, when people see what Donald Trump is saying on Twitter since the election and seeing what he's saying in these calls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/in-foreign-countries-when-people-see-what-donald-trump-is-saying-on/)

[Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/)

> [I would agree on the aging thing. Because, at a certain point, once you start noticing it, it is your subject. And I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/i-would-agree-on-the-aging-thing-because-at-a-certain-point-once-you/)

[Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/)

> [If you help them (the crew) create good memories, they'll forget all the bad stuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/if-you-help-them-the-crew-create-good-memories-they-ll-forget-all-the/)

[Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/)

> [“Photographers sometimes take pictures of each other; occasionally they take pictures of each other at work; more usually they take photographs - or versions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/photographers-sometimes-take-pictures-of-each-other-occasionally-they/)

[Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/)

> [Have more than one idea on the go at any one time. If it's a choice between writing a book and doing nothing I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/have-more-than-one-idea-on-the-go-at-any-one-time-if-it-s-a-choice/)

[Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/)

> [“We'd never seen anything as green as these rice paddies. It was not just the paddies themselves: the surrounding vegetation - foliage so dense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/we-d-never-seen-anything-as-green-as-these-rice-paddies-it-was-not/)

[Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/)

> [I always like to be in the presence of people who are good at and love their jobs, Irrespective of their jobs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/i-always-like-to-be-in-the-presence-of-people-who-are-good-at-and/)

[Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/)

> [“The paradox is that some of the most artistically valuable contemporary photographs are content with being photographs, are not under the same compulsion to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/the-paradox-is-that-some-of-the-most-artistically-valuable/)

[Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/)

> [“So far I’ve only read a page but I like that page a lot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/so-far-i-ve-only-read-a-page-but-i-like-that-page-a-lot/)

[Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/)

> [What I'm really interested in, as a reader and as a writer, is the idea of the nonfiction book that is not defined by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/what-i-m-really-interested-in-as-a-reader-and-as-a-writer-is-the-idea/)

[Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/)

[Explore all 76 Geoff Dyer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/)

## More Business quotes

> [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/)

[Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/)

> [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/)

[Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/)

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

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

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/)

[Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/)

> [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/)

[Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/)

> [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/)

[Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/)

[Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/)

> [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/)

[Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/)

> [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/)

[Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/)

> [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

[Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When you are lonely, writing can keep you company. It is also a form of self-compensation, a way of making up for things—as opposed to making things up—that did not quite happen.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Geoff Dyer"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/when-you-are-lonely-writing-can-keep-you-company-it-is-also-a-form-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Business"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/when-you-are-lonely-writing-can-keep-you-company-it-is-also-a-form-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b7/geoff-dyer-8822_business_when-you-are-lonely-writing-can-keep-you_81397.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b7/geoff-dyer-8822_business_when-you-are-lonely-writing-can-keep-you_81397.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b7/geoff-dyer-8822_business_when-you-are-lonely-writing-can-keep-you_81397.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When you are lonely, writing can keep you company. It is also a form of self-compensation, a way of making…” — Geoff Dyer",
                "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": "Geoff Dyer",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When you are lonely, writing can...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/when-you-are-lonely-writing-can-keep-you-company-it-is-also-a-form-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/when-you-are-lonely-writing-can-keep-you-company-it-is-also-a-form-of/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
