Creation Quote by Gertrude Stein
“You will write if you will write without thinking of the result in terms of a result, but think of the writing in terms of discovery, which is to say that creation must take place between the pen and the paper, not before in a thought or afterwards in a recasting... It will come if it is there and if you will let it come.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: "The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas", 1933
Writing should be a process of discovery, not a pre‑planned result; let ideas emerge between pen and paper.
In simple terms: Write to discover, not to predict.
Key Takeaway
Embrace spontaneous creation.
Themes
creativity
process
mindfulness
Mood
reflective
inspirational
Type
philosophical
When to use this quote
- journaling
- creative writing
- artistic practice
Key Concepts
flow
authentic expression
Questions to Reflect On
- What does discovery feel like when you write?
- How can you silence the inner critic?
A Different Perspective
Over‑analysis can stifle the natural flow of ideas.
![“What is the answer?" [ I [Alice B Toklas] was silent ] In that case, what is the question?” quote by Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/eec/gertrude-stein-667_last-words_what-is-the-answer-i-alice-b-toklas-was_43063.jpg)
![“Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this [step by step, from humans to apes to monkeys to lemurs] - leading us insensibly from the crown and summit of the animal creation down to creatures, from which there is but a step, as it seems, to the…” quote by Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f0b/thomas-huxley-1183_animal_perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us_3051.jpg)
