--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writing is not a profession but a…" description: "\"Writing is not a profession but a vocation of unhappiness.\" — Georges Simenon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed9/georges-simenon-12260_career_writing-is-not-a-profession-but-a-vocati_2385678.jpg" --- # Writing is not a profession but a vocation of unhappiness. ![“Writing is not a profession but a vocation of unhappiness.” quote by Georges Simenon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed9/georges-simenon-12260_career_writing-is-not-a-profession-but-a-vocati_2385678.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed9/georges-simenon-12260_career_writing-is-not-a-profession-but-a-vocati_2385678.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed9/georges-simenon-12260_career_writing-is-not-a-profession-but-a-vocati_2385678.jpg) > “Writing is not a profession but a vocation of unhappiness.” [Georges Simenon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-simenon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing is portrayed as a burdensome calling rather than a joyful career, suggesting creative work often brings inner conflict. **In simple terms:** Writing feels like a painful duty. Key Takeaway Accept the pain, seek purpose. Themes creative work vocation unhappiness Mood melancholic reflective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - journalism - novel writing - freelance art - teaching creative writing Key Concepts existentialism artistic sacrifice Questions to Reflect On - Do you find meaning in your work despite discomfort? - How can you transform unhappiness into motivation? A Different Perspective Creative fulfillment may outweigh suffering for some. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness/) [Unhappiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unhappiness/) [Vocation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vocation/) [Vocation Unhappiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vocation-unhappiness-3697557/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Profession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-profession-309553/) ## Related quotes > [Writing is not a profession but a vocation of unhappiness. I don't think an artist can ever be happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-simenon/writing-is-not-a-profession-but-a-vocation-of-unhappiness-i-don-t/) [Georges Simenon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-simenon/) > [“Writing- the profession in which you stare at a computer screen, stare out the window, type a few words, then curse repeatedly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-goodman/writing-the-profession-in-which-you-stare-at-a-computer-screen-stare/) [Drew Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-goodman/) > [“Writing is something you do alone. Its a profession for introverts who want to tell you a story but don't want to make eye…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/writing-is-something-you-do-alone-its-a-profession-for-introverts-who/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Writing is the only profession where nobody considers you ridiculous if you earn no money. Money is like an arm or a leg; use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/writing-is-the-only-profession-where-nobody-considers-you-ridiculous/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [“I have never thought of writing as a profession. It is a solitary independent activity in which practice can never bestow seniority.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/i-have-never-thought-of-writing-as-a-profession-it-is-a-solitary/) [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) > [“And though creative writing as an intellectual exercise may be pursued with profit by anyone, writing as a profession is not a job for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/and-though-creative-writing-as-an-intellectual-exercise-may-be/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [“Writing is a profession that has no real career structure and your best advice when you hit a difficulty is probably going to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/writing-is-a-profession-that-has-no-real-career-structure-and-your/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [Writing is my profession. Photography is my hobby.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avi/writing-is-my-profession-photography-is-my-hobby/) [Avi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avi/) > [Writing seems to be the only profession people imagine you can do by thinking about doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/writing-seems-to-be-the-only-profession-people-imagine-you-can-do-by/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Writing ... is a profession that can only be learned by writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/writing-is-a-profession-that-can-only-be-learned-by-writing/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [Writers were never meant to be professionals. Writing is not a profession, it is an activity, an essentially amateur occupation. It is what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/writers-were-never-meant-to-be-professionals-writing-is-not-a/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [Writing is not a profession, occupation or job; it is not a way of life: it is a comprehensive response to life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-mcdonald/writing-is-not-a-profession-occupation-or-job-it-is-not-a-way-of-life/) [Gregory Mcdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-mcdonald/) > [The mystique and the false glamour of the writing profession grow partly out of a mistaken belief that people who can express profound ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-burroway/the-mystique-and-the-false-glamour-of-the-writing-profession-grow/) [Janet Burroway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-burroway/) > [To me, writing is not a profession. You might as well call living a profession. Or having children. Anything you can't help doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-baum/to-me-writing-is-not-a-profession-you-might-as-well-call-living-a/) [Vicki Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-baum/) > [Beware of self-indulgence. The romance surrounding the writing profession carries several myths: that one must suffer in order to be creative; that one must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/beware-of-self-indulgence-the-romance-surrounding-the-writing/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) ## More by Georges Simenon > [“His mouth open, he fell asleep, because a man always falls asleep in the end. One weeps, one shrieks, one rages, one despairs, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-simenon/his-mouth-open-he-fell-asleep-because-a-man-always-falls-asleep-in/) [Georges Simenon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-simenon/) > [If each one of us could make just one other happy, the whole world would know happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-simenon/if-each-one-of-us-could-make-just-one-other-happy-the-whole-world/) [Georges Simenon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-simenon/) > [I adore life but I dont fear death. I just prefer to die as late as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-simenon/i-adore-life-but-i-dont-fear-death-i-just-prefer-to-die-as-late-as/) [Georges Simenon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-simenon/) > [I have made love to ten thousand women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-simenon/i-have-made-love-to-ten-thousand-women/) [Georges Simenon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-simenon/) > [“The poor are used to stifling any expression of their despair, because they must get on with life, with work, with the demands made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-simenon/the-poor-are-used-to-stifling-any-expression-of-their-despair-because/) [Georges Simenon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-simenon/) > [It just happened. As though a moment comes when it's both necessary and natural to make a decision that has long since been made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-simenon/it-just-happened-as-though-a-moment-comes-when-it-s-both-necessary/) [Georges Simenon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-simenon/) > [“The change in the girl's face was more subtle, almost invisible; it was not joy, there was no sparkle, but something like a serene…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-simenon/the-change-in-the-girl-s-face-was-more-subtle-almost-invisible-it-was/) [Georges Simenon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-simenon/) > [Of course, I also gave him the ineffable pleasures of pipe smoking. 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When I'm not writing I absorb life like water. When I write I squeeze the sponge a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-simenon/i-m-a-bit-like-a-sponge-when-i-m-not-writing-i-absorb-life-like-water/) [Georges Simenon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-simenon/) > [“They never addressed each other by name, nor were they in the habit of exchanging endearments. What was the point, since both felt that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-simenon/they-never-addressed-each-other-by-name-nor-were-they-in-the-habit-of/) [Georges Simenon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-simenon/) [Explore all 43 Georges Simenon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-simenon/) ## More Career quotes > [“Don’t allow anyone to pressure you into taking a job in a field that doesn’t feel right in your gut. 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There must be love and a vocation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessye-norman/one-needs-more-than-ambition-and-talent-to-make-a-success-of-anything/) [Jessye Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessye-norman/) > [There are so many things you can do with your life, you can go to school and study toward your career, you can become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simphiwe-scientist-dumi/there-are-so-many-things-you-can-do-with-your-life-you-can-go-to/) [Simphiwe Scientist Dumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simphiwe-scientist-dumi/) > [I always knew I wanted to have a good career, so I made it happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chord-overstreet/i-always-knew-i-wanted-to-have-a-good-career-so-i-made-it-happen/) [Chord Overstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chord-overstreet/) > [I am a very big fan of Brian Eno, of his work as an artist and making his music, and as a producer. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rostam-batmanglij/i-am-a-very-big-fan-of-brian-eno-of-his-work-as-an-artist-and-making/) [Rostam Batmanglij](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rostam-batmanglij/) > [If I can beat a proven champion like Canelo, that will take my career to a different level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennady-golovkin/if-i-can-beat-a-proven-champion-like-canelo-that-will-take-my-career/) [Gennady Golovkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennady-golovkin/) > [My non-career. My excuse for a career? Honestly, I never think about the word 'career.' I've had managers, the minute they say it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-verlaine/my-non-career-my-excuse-for-a-career-honestly-i-never-think-about-the/) [Tom Verlaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-verlaine/) > [“The vocation of a man lies in his vision.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-vocation-of-a-man-lies-in-his-vision/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I started off as a model maker, so the first part of my career was a model maker and then a motion control camera…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/i-started-off-as-a-model-maker-so-the-first-part-of-my-career-was-a/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > [Growing up I did commercials and things like that, but nothing serious. As I got older, my family is really hardcore into academics. 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