--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I never went to a writing school, so 'The…" description: "\"I never went to a writing school, so 'The Wire' was my writing school.\" — George Pelecanos" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c34/george-pelecanos-3616_education_i-never-went-to-a-writing-school-so-the_1937738.png" --- # I never went to a writing school, so 'The Wire' was my… ![“I never went to a writing school, so 'The Wire' was my writing school.” quote by George Pelecanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c34/george-pelecanos-3616_education_i-never-went-to-a-writing-school-so-the_1937738.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c34/george-pelecanos-3616_education_i-never-went-to-a-writing-school-so-the_1937738.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c34/george-pelecanos-3616_education_i-never-went-to-a-writing-school-so-the_1937738.png) > “I never went to a writing school, so 'The Wire' was my writing school.” [George Pelecanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pelecanos/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He learned storytelling from observing real life and gritty narratives rather than formal education. **In simple terms:** Learning from experience beats school. Key Takeaway Embrace real‑world observation. Themes writing learning experience Mood reflective gritty Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - Screenwriting - journalism - documentary work Key Concepts Narrative realism street knowledge Questions to Reflect On - How does lived experience shape your voice? - Can informal mentors replace formal training? A Different Perspective Practical knowledge may lack theory. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I just hate sitting and writing - I had to do that in school. 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I was asked to leave the writing program…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/i-went-to-marion-college-for-writing-and-i-was-kicked-out-of-the/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [The only way to raise the quality of writing in school is to create, share, and celebrate the specific criteria for that quality with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-lane/the-only-way-to-raise-the-quality-of-writing-in-school-is-to-create/) [Barry Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-lane/) > [I always had a thing for writing. Even when I was in school, I was always good at writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-idk/i-always-had-a-thing-for-writing-even-when-i-was-in-school-i-was/) Jay IDK > [I actually went into writing first to supplement my income, which was a strange thing to do, and actually failed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-toltz/i-actually-went-into-writing-first-to-supplement-my-income-which-was/) [Steve Toltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-toltz/) > [I think I went more toward writing because that's my talent. I don't think I was a great performer... And I like being behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-mason-jr/i-think-i-went-more-toward-writing-because-that-s-my-talent-i-don-t/) [Harvey Mason, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-mason-jr/) > [After working as a journalist I went to a writing program at Johns Hopkins. 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I'm a bit more confident, and I've been reading more, and I've had a little more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imogen-heap/i-feel-like-i-ve-grown-up-a-bit-i-m-a-bit-more-confident-and-i-ve/) [Imogen Heap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imogen-heap/) > [“I’ve seen you, beauty, and you belong to me now, whoever you are waiting for and if I never see you again, I thought.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/i-ve-seen-you-beauty-and-you-belong-to-me-now-whoever-you-are-waiting-2/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [My brother and I were both teenage writers, and he was, I have to say, better than I was, but he went into science,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/my-brother-and-i-were-both-teenage-writers-and-he-was-i-have-to-say/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [While we were promoting 'Wide Open Spaces,' we set aside time to write. We went on several writing retreats where nobody could get hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martie-maguire/while-we-were-promoting-wide-open-spaces-we-set-aside-time-to-write/) [Martie Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martie-maguire/) > [Through all this other stuff I was doing, I always went back to the writing, and it was writing that made me feel whole,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dannah-gresh/through-all-this-other-stuff-i-was-doing-i-always-went-back-to-the/) [Dannah Gresh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dannah-gresh/) ## More by George Pelecanos > [I want to be read. When you write a TV show like 'The Wire,' you've got three to four million readers watching your work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pelecanos/i-want-to-be-read-when-you-write-a-tv-show-like-the-wire-you-ve-got/) [George Pelecanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pelecanos/) > [I'm more apt to shed a tear than my wife about family matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pelecanos/i-m-more-apt-to-shed-a-tear-than-my-wife-about-family-matters/) [George Pelecanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pelecanos/) > [People like to talk to me. I don't know why.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pelecanos/people-like-to-talk-to-me-i-don-t-know-why/) [George Pelecanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pelecanos/) > [I'm a very sentimental, emotional person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pelecanos/i-m-a-very-sentimental-emotional-person/) [George Pelecanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pelecanos/) > [My goal is to get a real film industry started in Washington. An actual one, not where features come to town and shoot second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pelecanos/my-goal-is-to-get-a-real-film-industry-started-in-washington-an/) [George Pelecanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pelecanos/) > [I do have shout-outs to bands and musicians I like in my books, but the musical references can be misunderstood. Often, I have people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pelecanos/i-do-have-shout-outs-to-bands-and-musicians-i-like-in-my-books-but/) [George Pelecanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pelecanos/) > [“And Constantine thought: So this is how it is, at the end.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pelecanos/and-constantine-thought-so-this-is-how-it-is-at-the-end/) [George Pelecanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pelecanos/) > [I never took a writing class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pelecanos/i-never-took-a-writing-class/) [George Pelecanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pelecanos/) > [I've just been very interested in the living side of Washington, rather than the federal side, since I was a kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pelecanos/i-ve-just-been-very-interested-in-the-living-side-of-washington/) [George Pelecanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pelecanos/) > [I can't relax. I don't have any hobbies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pelecanos/i-can-t-relax-i-don-t-have-any-hobbies/) [George Pelecanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pelecanos/) > [I've seen firsthand how books can change people's lives. It happened to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pelecanos/i-ve-seen-firsthand-how-books-can-change-people-s-lives-it-happened/) [George Pelecanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pelecanos/) > [I was a movie freak before I was a book lover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pelecanos/i-was-a-movie-freak-before-i-was-a-book-lover/) [George Pelecanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pelecanos/) > [Is there a more violent book than the Bible?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pelecanos/is-there-a-more-violent-book-than-the-bible/) [George Pelecanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pelecanos/) > [My father was a Marine who fought in the Pacific in WW II. He was a very tough guy, but after the war, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pelecanos/my-father-was-a-marine-who-fought-in-the-pacific-in-ww-ii-he-was-a/) [George Pelecanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pelecanos/) > [But when I do book signings and personal appearances, the audiences are mostly white. Growing up here, I expected that and understand it. Black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pelecanos/but-when-i-do-book-signings-and-personal-appearances-the-audiences/) [George Pelecanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pelecanos/) [Explore all 126 George Pelecanos quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pelecanos/) ## More Education quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) Ted Martinez > [“In school you are taught to obey and not to think straight for your own good. 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But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [There's no authoritarian structure at Reed College, but the education is conservative. So what you have is a lot of students who are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/there-s-no-authoritarian-structure-at-reed-college-but-the-education/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [“What's the best thing about being in college? Good teachers. They inspire you, they entertain you, and you end up learning a ton even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/what-s-the-best-thing-about-being-in-college-good-teachers-they/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [“If one has not a head of steel it will burst; if he has not within it a brain of liquid quicksilver, he will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ioannes-amos-commenius/if-one-has-not-a-head-of-steel-it-will-burst-if-he-has-not-within-it/) Ioannes Amos Commenius > [“let us not teach / what we have learned badly / and not profited by”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-hilda-doolittle/let-us-not-teach-what-we-have-learned-badly-and-not-profited-by/) H.D. (Hilda Doolittle > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [According to Plato, we don't learn anything. Our soul has lived so many lives that we know everything. Teachers and education can only remind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/according-to-plato-we-don-t-learn-anything-our-soul-has-lived-so-many/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“I only began to enjoy studying after I got through the educational system and became a so-called member of society. If something interested me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-only-began-to-enjoy-studying-after-i-got-through-the-educational/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/) [Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/) > [English teachers tend to put more thought in the books than the author did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/english-teachers-tend-to-put-more-thought-in-the-books-than-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) [Browse all 37,666 Education quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I never went to a writing school, so 'The Wire' was my writing school.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Pelecanos" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pelecanos/i-never-went-to-a-writing-school-so-the-wire-was-my-writing-school/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Education" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pelecanos/i-never-went-to-a-writing-school-so-the-wire-was-my-writing-school/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c34/george-pelecanos-3616_education_i-never-went-to-a-writing-school-so-the_1937738.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c34/george-pelecanos-3616_education_i-never-went-to-a-writing-school-so-the_1937738.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c34/george-pelecanos-3616_education_i-never-went-to-a-writing-school-so-the_1937738.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I never went to a writing school, so 'The Wire' was my writing school.” — George Pelecanos", "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": "George Pelecanos", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pelecanos/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I never went to a writing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pelecanos/i-never-went-to-a-writing-school-so-the-wire-was-my-writing-school/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pelecanos/i-never-went-to-a-writing-school-so-the-wire-was-my-writing-school/#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 } } ] } ```