--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was really rudderless at one point my…" description: "\"I was really rudderless at one point my life. And once I started reading books, then I got the idea that maybe I could become a writer. I had a goal. A..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19d/george-pelecanos-3616_books_i-was-really-rudderless-at-one-point-my_3168560.png" --- # I was really rudderless at one point my life. And once I… ![“I was really rudderless at one point my life. And once I started reading books, then I got the idea that maybe I could become a writer. I had a goal. And every day when I got up, there was a reason.” quote by George Pelecanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19d/george-pelecanos-3616_books_i-was-really-rudderless-at-one-point-my_3168560.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19d/george-pelecanos-3616_books_i-was-really-rudderless-at-one-point-my_3168560.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19d/george-pelecanos-3616_books_i-was-really-rudderless-at-one-point-my_3168560.png) > “I was really rudderless at one point my life. And once I started reading books, then I got the idea that maybe I could become a writer. I had a goal. And every day when I got up, there was a reason.” [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. Feeling directionless, the person found purpose through reading and aspiring to write, establishing daily motivation. **In simple terms:** Reading sparked a goal and daily reason to act. Key Takeaway Read to discover purpose. Themes purpose writing self‑discovery Mood thoughtful determined Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - career change - personal growth - daily journaling Key Concepts goal setting habit formation creative inspiration Questions to Reflect On - What habit can sustain your writing goal? - How does reading shape your aspirations? A Different Perspective Motivation may wane without tangible progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day/) [Every day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-day/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-started/) [Maybe Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maybe-writer-503145/) [My life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-life/) [Reading books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-books/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Rudderless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rudderless-386363/) [Started reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started-reading/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writer Goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-goal-1741890/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I realized that I got problems bigger than anything that can happen in prison. 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My goal is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-gagnon/i-don-t-have-many-hours-in-a-day-as-i-m-essentially-a-single-parent/) [Michelle Gagnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-gagnon/) > [I knew the alphabet. Maybe I could be a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/i-knew-the-alphabet-maybe-i-could-be-a-writer/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [I was getting rewarded for writing well, from about the age of five or six. A teacher would say, "Look what Andrew has written,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-davies/i-was-getting-rewarded-for-writing-well-from-about-the-age-of-five-or/) [Andrew Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-davies/) > [I was 12. Our ,teacher made us write an autobiography and I realised that I wasn't very interesting. I began to make things up,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burnham-schwartz/i-was-12-our-teacher-made-us-write-an-autobiography-and-i-realised/) [John Burnham Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burnham-schwartz/) > [If I have any advantage, maybe, as a writer, it is that I don't think I'm very interesting. I mean, beginning a novel with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/if-i-have-any-advantage-maybe-as-a-writer-it-is-that-i-don-t-think-i/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“I still believe in you, as a writer, but the only stuff we ever had in common doesn't travel very far." "What stuff is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving-author/i-still-believe-in-you-as-a-writer-but-the-only-stuff-we-ever-had-in/) [John Irving (Author](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving-author/) > [“When my head is in the typewriter the last thing on my mind is some imaginary reader. 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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. 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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 Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [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/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. 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There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was really rudderless at one point my life. And once I started reading books, then I got the idea that maybe I could become a writer. I had a goal. 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