--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The secret of good writing is telling the…" description: "\"The secret of good writing is telling the truth.\" — Gordon Lish" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/415/gordon-lish-47070_good-writing_the-secret-of-good-writing-is-telling-th_1066667.png" --- # The secret of good writing is telling the truth. ![“The secret of good writing is telling the truth.” quote by Gordon Lish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/415/gordon-lish-47070_good-writing_the-secret-of-good-writing-is-telling-th_1066667.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/415/gordon-lish-47070_good-writing_the-secret-of-good-writing-is-telling-th_1066667.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/415/gordon-lish-47070_good-writing_the-secret-of-good-writing-is-telling-th_1066667.png) > “The secret of good writing is telling the truth.” [Gordon Lish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lish/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Good writing hinges on honesty; truth gives prose depth and resonance. **In simple terms:** Writing well means being truthful. Key Takeaway Write honestly. Themes honesty craft authenticity Mood reflective serious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - journalism - creative writing - teaching - editing Key Concepts literary theory voice Questions to Reflect On - How do you decide what truth to tell? - When does honesty hinder storytelling? A Different Perspective Truth can be subjective, making “the truth” ambiguous. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Good writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-writing/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Telling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling/) [Telling the truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling-the-truth/) [Telling truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling-truth/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Telling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-telling-283153/) ## Related quotes > [The very first thing I tell my new students on the first day of a workshop is that good writing is about telling the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/the-very-first-thing-i-tell-my-new-students-on-the-first-day-of-a/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Good writing is about telling the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/good-writing-is-about-telling-the-truth/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“... writing is about telling the truth. We are a species that needs and wants to understand who we are. Sheep lice do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/writing-is-about-telling-the-truth-we-are-a-species-that-needs-and/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“Sometimes keeping a secret seems like the right thing to do because telling the truth might hurt someone and makes it seem like you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginny-l-yttrup/sometimes-keeping-a-secret-seems-like-the-right-thing-to-do-because/) [Ginny L. Yttrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginny-l-yttrup/) > [Outing is a nasty word for telling the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armistead-maupin/outing-is-a-nasty-word-for-telling-the-truth/) [Armistead Maupin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armistead-maupin/) > [I've always seen writing as a way of telling the truth. For me, writing is about truth. I have always tried to be faithful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/i-ve-always-seen-writing-as-a-way-of-telling-the-truth-for-me-writing/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [But, the relationships that I see work - As long as they're telling the truth, and saying the things that you don't ever want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/but-the-relationships-that-i-see-work-as-long-as-they-re-telling-the/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [“You don’t need creativity when you’re telling the truth,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-e-richards/you-don-t-need-creativity-when-you-re-telling-the-truth/) [Douglas E. Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-e-richards/) > [I feel a responsibility for telling the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/future/i-feel-a-responsibility-for-telling-the-truth/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/future/) > [Until I came out, my acting was all about disguise, and thereafter it became about telling the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/until-i-came-out-my-acting-was-all-about-disguise-and-thereafter-it/) [Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/) > [Some people don't like telling the truth... And some people can't handle hearing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-people-don-t-like-telling-the-truth-and-some-people-can-t-handle/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I know the words that I say are bad and can hurt you but its just me telling the truth if you don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shar-rae/i-know-the-words-that-i-say-are-bad-and-can-hurt-you-but-its-just-me/) [Shar-rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shar-rae/) > [“He wrote: ‘We make ourselves real by telling the truth”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-durham/he-wrote-we-make-ourselves-real-by-telling-the-truth/) [Geoffrey Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-durham/) > [I don't think telling the truth ever gets anyone in trouble in the long run. Maybe the day after, but not in the long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-spurrier/i-don-t-think-telling-the-truth-ever-gets-anyone-in-trouble-in-the/) [Steve Spurrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-spurrier/) > [“Publicly telling the truth on social media can be one of the most effective healing journeys.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/publicly-telling-the-truth-on-social-media-can-be-one-of-the-most/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) ## More by Gordon Lish > [“He came to chat with me the day of my being discharged, advising that I not stay at the dog fight until the last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lish/he-came-to-chat-with-me-the-day-of-my-being-discharged-advising-that/) [Gordon Lish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lish/) > [Writing is not about self-expression; it is about putting words on paper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lish/writing-is-not-about-self-expression-it-is-about-putting-words-on/) [Gordon Lish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lish/) > [“...I have come to be convinced that it is only the unbending observance of custom that sustains life in an urban circumstance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lish/i-have-come-to-be-convinced-that-it-is-only-the-unbending-observance/) [Gordon Lish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lish/) > [Never be sincere - sincerity is the death of writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lish/never-be-sincere-sincerity-is-the-death-of-writing/) [Gordon Lish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lish/) > [I see the notion of talent as quite irrelevant. I see instead perseverance, application, industry, assiduity, will, will, will, desire, desire, desire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lish/i-see-the-notion-of-talent-as-quite-irrelevant-i-see-instead/) [Gordon Lish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lish/) > [“It’s not what happens to people on the page; it’s about what happens to a reader in his heart and mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lish/it-s-not-what-happens-to-people-on-the-page-it-s-about-what-happens/) [Gordon Lish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lish/) > [Don't have stories; have sentences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lish/don-t-have-stories-have-sentences/) [Gordon Lish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lish/) [Explore all 8 Gordon Lish quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lish/) ## More Good writing quotes > [My only close-to-game-plan is to follow good writing. 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Every words that serves no function, every long word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/but-the-secret-of-good-writing-is-to-strip-every-sentence-to-its/) [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) > [There is sometimes a feeling in crime fiction that good writing gets in the way of story. I have never felt that way. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-connolly/there-is-sometimes-a-feeling-in-crime-fiction-that-good-writing-gets/) [John Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-connolly/) > [There is no royal path to good writing; and such paths as exist do not lead through neat critical gardens, various as they are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessamyn-west/there-is-no-royal-path-to-good-writing-and-such-paths-as-exist-do-not/) [Jessamyn West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessamyn-west/) > [ David Mamet, Tim Kazurinsky, and Denise DeClue, who adapted \[ About Last Night\]. Between the three of them... I mean, it's always down to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/david-mamet-tim-kazurinsky-and-denise-declue-who-adapted-about-last/) [Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/) > [Agents and publishers only want one thing - good writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/agents-and-publishers-only-want-one-thing-good-writing/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [ Hypertext makes a virtue out of lack of organization, allowing ideas and thoughts to be juxtaposed at will. \[...\] The advent of hypertext is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-a-norman/hypertext-makes-a-virtue-out-of-lack-of-organization-allowing-ideas/) [Donald A. 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There are no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/our-tragedy-today-is-a-general-and-universal-physical-fear-so-long/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [We're not just writers; we're readers probably more than anything else. That's how you learn how to write and how you learn to appreciate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/we-re-not-just-writers-we-re-readers-probably-more-than-anything-else/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/almost-all-good-writing-begins-with-terrible-first-efforts-you-need/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) [Browse all 348 Good writing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-writing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The secret of good writing is telling the truth.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gordon Lish" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lish/the-secret-of-good-writing-is-telling-the-truth/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Good writing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lish/the-secret-of-good-writing-is-telling-the-truth/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/415/gordon-lish-47070_good-writing_the-secret-of-good-writing-is-telling-th_1066667.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/415/gordon-lish-47070_good-writing_the-secret-of-good-writing-is-telling-th_1066667.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/415/gordon-lish-47070_good-writing_the-secret-of-good-writing-is-telling-th_1066667.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The secret of good writing is telling the truth.” — Gordon Lish", "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": "Gordon Lish", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lish/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The secret of good writing is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lish/the-secret-of-good-writing-is-telling-the-truth/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lish/the-secret-of-good-writing-is-telling-the-truth/#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 } } ] } ```