---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I find so much writing colourless, small…"
description: "\"I find so much writing colourless, small in its means, unwilling to take stylistic risks. Often it goes wrong; I am not the one to judge. Sometimes, I ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e5/george-steiner-4683_find_i-find-so-much-writing-colourless-small_1366807.png"
---

#  I find so much writing colourless, small in its means…

![“I find so much writing colourless, small in its means, unwilling to take stylistic risks. Often it goes wrong; I am not the one to judge. Sometimes, I hope, it goes right.” quote by George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e5/george-steiner-4683_find_i-find-so-much-writing-colourless-small_1366807.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e5/george-steiner-4683_find_i-find-so-much-writing-colourless-small_1366807.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e5/george-steiner-4683_find_i-find-so-much-writing-colourless-small_1366807.png)

> “I find so much writing colourless, small in its means, unwilling to take stylistic risks. Often it goes wrong; I am not the one to judge. Sometimes, I hope, it goes right.”

[George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/)

## About This Quote

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

The author feels contemporary writing lacks vividness and daring, leading to frequent failures, yet hopes for occasional success.

**In simple terms:** Writing often feels dull and safe, but sometimes works.

Key Takeaway

Embrace bold style despite risks.

Themes

creativity risk literary criticism

Mood

frustrated hopeful

Type

analytical reflective

When to use this quote

- writing workshops
- editing
- personal essays
- literary criticism

Key Concepts

aesthetic expression authenticity

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you balance originality with readability?
- What risks are worth taking in your writing?

A Different Perspective

Boldness may alienate readers or clash with market expectations.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Risks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risks/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ellery-channing/to-live-content-with-small-means-to-seek-elegance-rather-than-luxury-4/)

[William Ellery Channing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ellery-channing/)

> [With small means the Lord accomplishes His marvelous work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/with-small-means-the-lord-accomplishes-his-marvelous-work/)

[Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/)

> [You come from the city and think small means simple when all it realy means is complicated in a smaller place. Which sometimes adds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-anshaw/you-come-from-the-city-and-think-small-means-simple-when-all-it-realy/)

[Carol Anshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-anshaw/)

> [To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-live-content-with-small-means-to-seek-elegance-rather-than-luxury-3/)

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

> [When my girls do something very small, it means something big to me. Just watching them accomplish things from the time they're infants in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-jackson/when-my-girls-do-something-very-small-it-means-something-big-to-me/)

[Alan Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-jackson/)

> [And thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things" - 1 Nephi 16:29](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-smith-jr/and-thus-we-see-that-by-small-means-the-lord-can-bring-about-great/)

[Joseph Smith, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-smith-jr/)

> [“To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/to-live-content-with-small-means-to-seek-elegance-rather-than-luxury-2/)

[Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/)

> [There are multi-scatterings of various and associated issues and concerns, but it all boils down to accountable people versus those unwilling to be accountable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/there-are-multi-scatterings-of-various-and-associated-issues-and/)

[Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/)

> [We always hear from newspapers that while people understand the environmental challenge, they are unwilling to stomach the solutions. The trouble is, we only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zac-goldsmith/we-always-hear-from-newspapers-that-while-people-understand-the/)

[Zac Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zac-goldsmith/)

> [Excessive distrust is not less hurtfJul than its opposite. Most men become useless to him who is unwilling to risk being deceived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/excessive-distrust-is-not-less-hurtfjul-than-its-opposite-most-men/)

[Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/)

> [Fate leads the willing and drags along the unwilling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca/fate-leads-the-willing-and-drags-along-the-unwilling/)

[Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca/)

> [Student loans have been helpful to many. But they offer neither incentive nor assistance to those students who, by reason of family or other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/student-loans-have-been-helpful-to-many-but-they-offer-neither/)

[John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/)

> [A love to Christ which is so cowardly and selfish that it is unwilling to proclaim by a public confession its faith in Him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbott-eliot-kittredge/a-love-to-christ-which-is-so-cowardly-and-selfish-that-it-is/)

[Abbott Eliot Kittredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbott-eliot-kittredge/)

> [“What you seem so unwilling to accept, even now, is this: that the ideals which supported the old Republic had no correspondence to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/what-you-seem-so-unwilling-to-accept-even-now-is-this-that-the-ideals/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

## More by George Steiner

> [“But there is a third mode of trancendence: in it language simply ceases, and the motion of spirit gives no further outward manifestation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/but-there-is-a-third-mode-of-trancendence-in-it-language-simply/)

[George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/)

> [Words that are saturated with lies or atrocity, do not easily resume life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/words-that-are-saturated-with-lies-or-atrocity-do-not-easily-resume/)

[George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/)

> [Every one of my opponents, every one of my critics, will tell you that I am a generalist spread far too thin in an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/every-one-of-my-opponents-every-one-of-my-critics-will-tell-you-that/)

[George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/)

> [The very opposite of freedom is cliche, and nothing is less free, more inert with convention and hollow brutality, than a row of four-letter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/the-very-opposite-of-freedom-is-cliche-and-nothing-is-less-free-more/)

[George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/)

> [Books are in no hurry. An act of creation is in no hurry; it reads us, it privileges us infinitely. The notion that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/books-are-in-no-hurry-an-act-of-creation-is-in-no-hurry-it-reads-us/)

[George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/)

> [To starve a child of the spell of the story, of the canter of the poem, oral or written, is a kind of living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/to-starve-a-child-of-the-spell-of-the-story-of-the-canter-of-the-poem/)

[George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/)

> [I have every reason to believe that an individual man or woman fluent in several tongues seduces, possesses, remembers differently according to his or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/i-have-every-reason-to-believe-that-an-individual-man-or-woman-fluent/)

[George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/)

> [I believe that a work of art, like metaphors in language, can ask the most serious, difficult questions in a way which really makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/i-believe-that-a-work-of-art-like-metaphors-in-language-can-ask-the/)

[George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/)

> [To a degree which is difficult to determine, the esoteric impulse in twentieth-century music, literature and the arts reflects calculation. It looks to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/to-a-degree-which-is-difficult-to-determine-the-esoteric-impulse-in/)

[George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/)

> [Books are in no hurry. An act of creation is in no hurry; it reads us, it privileges us infinitely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/books-are-in-no-hurry-an-act-of-creation-is-in-no-hurry-it-reads-us-2/)

[George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/)

> [“The inception of human consciousness, the genesis of awareness, must have entailed prolonged 'condensations' around intractable nodes of wonder and terror, at the discriminations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/the-inception-of-human-consciousness-the-genesis-of-awareness-must/)

[George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/)

> [The immense majority of human biographies are a gray transit between domestic spasm and oblivion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/the-immense-majority-of-human-biographies-are-a-gray-transit-between/)

[George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/)

> [The new sound-sphere is global. It ripples at great speed across languages, ideologies, frontiers and races. The economics of this musical Esperanto is staggering.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/the-new-sound-sphere-is-global-it-ripples-at-great-speed-across/)

[George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/)

> [My father loved poetry and music. But deep in himself he thought teaching the finest thing a person could do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/my-father-loved-poetry-and-music-but-deep-in-himself-he-thought/)

[George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/)

> [Every language is a world. Without translation, we would inhabit parishes bordering on silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/every-language-is-a-world-without-translation-we-would-inhabit/)

[George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/)

[Explore all 104 George Steiner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/)

## More Find quotes

> [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/)

[Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/)

> [I ask for tips, for advice. What I have also learnt is that I need to do things that are good for me. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthijs-de-ligt/i-ask-for-tips-for-advice-what-i-have-also-learnt-is-that-i-need-to/)

[Matthijs de Ligt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthijs-de-ligt/)

> [Consumers can choose organic cotton grown without pesticides, but it uses more water and requires more land than conventional crops. Organic cotton can also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/consumers-can-choose-organic-cotton-grown-without-pesticides-but-it/)

[Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/)

> [You will find that the more successful the individual, the less inclined he is to make excuses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-joseph-schwartz/you-will-find-that-the-more-successful-the-individual-the-less/)

[David Joseph Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-joseph-schwartz/)

> [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/)

[Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/)

> [They will find somebody younger, somebody funnier, somebody more engaged. As long as the court genre is viable, people are going to be looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-sheindlin/they-will-find-somebody-younger-somebody-funnier-somebody-more/)

[Judy Sheindlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-sheindlin/)

> [I think I need the demons in order to write, but the demons have gone. It bothers me a lot. I've tried and tried,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-wilson/i-think-i-need-the-demons-in-order-to-write-but-the-demons-have-gone/)

[Brian Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-wilson/)

> [I'm very fond of classical music, especially Mozart. I find it relaxes me and helps me concentrate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guler-sabanci/i-m-very-fond-of-classical-music-especially-mozart-i-find-it-relaxes/)

[Guler Sabanci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guler-sabanci/)

> [Failure to find a way to incorporate political Islam in democracy, however uncomfortable its ideology is for secular liberals, will mean we have given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crispin-blunt/failure-to-find-a-way-to-incorporate-political-islam-in-democracy/)

[Crispin Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crispin-blunt/)

> [Reading counts as partying, even if you're not enjoying it! Even if someone's forcing you to read, you can find a way to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-w-k/reading-counts-as-partying-even-if-you-re-not-enjoying-it-even-if/)

[Andrew W.K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-w-k/)

> [George Roy Hill, Redford, and I have been looking for a script to do together for 13 years. We haven't been able to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-newman/george-roy-hill-redford-and-i-have-been-looking-for-a-script-to-do/)

[Paul Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-newman/)

> [People from all walks of life that you might find as a King Diamond fan - you don't look a certain way; you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-diamond/people-from-all-walks-of-life-that-you-might-find-as-a-king-diamond/)

[King Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-diamond/)

> [My mom and my aunties are really devout Christians. My mom married a Muslim when I was 12, so I got teachings from both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tech-n9ne/my-mom-and-my-aunties-are-really-devout-christians-my-mom-married-a/)

[Tech N9ne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tech-n9ne/)

> [For me, I like to be different. I didn't want to imitate another wrestler. I always try to find something from other genres, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shinsuke-nakamura/for-me-i-like-to-be-different-i-didn-t-want-to-imitate-another/)

[Shinsuke Nakamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shinsuke-nakamura/)

> [For young people in the U.K. who find themselves without anywhere to live - perhaps they have left the family home after a relationship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-viner/for-young-people-in-the-u-k-who-find-themselves-without-anywhere-to/)

[Katharine Viner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-viner/)

Browse all 11,342 Find quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I find so much writing colourless, small in its means, unwilling to take stylistic risks. Often it goes wrong; I am not the one to judge. Sometimes, I hope, it goes right.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "George Steiner"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/i-find-so-much-writing-colourless-small-in-its-means-unwilling-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Find"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/i-find-so-much-writing-colourless-small-in-its-means-unwilling-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e5/george-steiner-4683_find_i-find-so-much-writing-colourless-small_1366807.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e5/george-steiner-4683_find_i-find-so-much-writing-colourless-small_1366807.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e5/george-steiner-4683_find_i-find-so-much-writing-colourless-small_1366807.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I find so much writing colourless, small in its means, unwilling to take stylistic risks. Often it goes…” — George Steiner",
                "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 Steiner",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I find so much writing colourless,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/i-find-so-much-writing-colourless-small-in-its-means-unwilling-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/i-find-so-much-writing-colourless-small-in-its-means-unwilling-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
