--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have not written a perfect sentence, in…" description: "\"I have not written a perfect sentence, in the literary sense. It's a lot easier to throw a perfect pass than to write a perfect sentence, if that sente..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/979/greg-iles-4609_easier_i-have-not-written-a-perfect-sentence-in_1238411.png" --- # I have not written a perfect sentence, in the literary… ![“I have not written a perfect sentence, in the literary sense. It's a lot easier to throw a perfect pass than to write a perfect sentence, if that sentence is meant to perform more than a mechanical function.” quote by Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/979/greg-iles-4609_easier_i-have-not-written-a-perfect-sentence-in_1238411.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/979/greg-iles-4609_easier_i-have-not-written-a-perfect-sentence-in_1238411.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/979/greg-iles-4609_easier_i-have-not-written-a-perfect-sentence-in_1238411.png) > “I have not written a perfect sentence, in the literary sense. It's a lot easier to throw a perfect pass than to write a perfect sentence, if that sentence is meant to perform more than a mechanical function.” [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Crafting prose is harder than executing a perfect sports play; language demands nuance beyond mechanics. **In simple terms:** Writing is more complex than a simple perfect pass. Key Takeaway Focus on clarity and purpose in writing. Themes writing craft communication skill creativity Mood analytical inspirational Type advice literary When to use this quote - academic essays - marketing copy - novel drafting - public speaking Key Concepts Narrative theory linguistics Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance precision with emotion? - When does simplicity serve a story? A Different Perspective Technical precision may lack emotional depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [See Spot run!' is a perfect sentence in some ways. But I doubt the critics would say it was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/see-spot-run-is-a-perfect-sentence-in-some-ways-but-i-doubt-the/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [I can tell you that in my modern life I enjoy language. I enjoy words, their meaning, what they sound like to the ear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-can-tell-you-that-in-my-modern-life-i-enjoy-language-i-enjoy-words/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [I'd given up Catholicism in my teens but something of it stays with me. I try to create the perfect sentence - that's as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/i-d-given-up-catholicism-in-my-teens-but-something-of-it-stays-with/) [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) > [“What is a sentence. A sentence is left to be alright and therefor (sic) they are barely here. A day is additional with there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/what-is-a-sentence-a-sentence-is-left-to-be-alright-and-therefor-sic/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [Being in the dark from sentence to sentence is what convinces me to go on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/being-in-the-dark-from-sentence-to-sentence-is-what-convinces-me-to/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [I'm a language-oriented writer who proceeds sentence by sentence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayne-anne-phillips/i-m-a-language-oriented-writer-who-proceeds-sentence-by-sentence/) [Jayne Anne Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayne-anne-phillips/) > [“Panic strikes me when I think about a sentence that isn’t given the chance to live because I don’t have a pen in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adi-alsaid/panic-strikes-me-when-i-think-about-a-sentence-that-isn-t-given-the/) [Adi Alsaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adi-alsaid/) > [I have a hard time revising sentences, because I spend an inordinate amount of time on each sentence, and the sentence before it, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-have-a-hard-time-revising-sentences-because-i-spend-an-inordinate/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [No one can write perfect English and keep it up through a stretch of ten chapters. It has never been done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/no-one-can-write-perfect-english-and-keep-it-up-through-a-stretch-of/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“I choose to write because it's perfect for me. It's an escape, a place I can go to hide. It's a friend, when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alysha-speer/i-choose-to-write-because-it-s-perfect-for-me-it-s-an-escape-a-place/) [Alysha Speer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alysha-speer/) > [“I’ve been trying to write the perfect book since high school. e results are in a large Rubbermaid tub in my closet. I don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-w-freeman/i-ve-been-trying-to-write-the-perfect-book-since-high-school-e/) Jason W. Freeman > [You always want to write the perfect song. But no one will ever write the perfect song, I guess. I would just like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mose-allison/you-always-want-to-write-the-perfect-song-but-no-one-will-ever-write/) [Mose Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mose-allison/) > [I'm totally convinced I can write the perfect pop song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moon-unit-zappa/i-m-totally-convinced-i-can-write-the-perfect-pop-song/) [Moon Unit Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moon-unit-zappa/) > [“You Can't Write Perfect Software. Did that hurt? It shouldn't. Accept it as an axiom of life. Embrace it. Celebrate it. Because perfect software…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-hunt/you-can-t-write-perfect-software-did-that-hurt-it-shouldn-t-accept-it/) [Andrew Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-hunt/) > [“If what I write is perfect, I'd rob myself the thrill of improvement.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-adrian-rhodes/if-what-i-write-is-perfect-i-d-rob-myself-the-thrill-of-improvement/) Dustin Adrian Rhodes ## More by Greg Iles > [“path of least resistance, or the walk over hot coals.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/path-of-least-resistance-or-the-walk-over-hot-coals/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [Like my best friend, I asked for drums for Christmas, and got them. But when he moved on to guitar, I realized two things:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/like-my-best-friend-i-asked-for-drums-for-christmas-and-got-them-but/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [“We do not just belong to this universe, we are it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/we-do-not-just-belong-to-this-universe-we-are-it/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [“The mills of the gods grind slowly…but they grind to dust. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/the-mills-of-the-gods-grind-slowly-but-they-grind-to-dust/) [greg iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [...the larger world lay not across oceans but within the human mind and heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/the-larger-world-lay-not-across-oceans-but-within-the-human-mind-and/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [Experiences are like hoarded gold. Whenever I dole out a piece of my private suffering, that is when I get letters from all over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/experiences-are-like-hoarded-gold-whenever-i-dole-out-a-piece-of-my/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [“Because death is the end, and if a man doesn’t speak before it silences him, then the things he holds closest die with him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/because-death-is-the-end-and-if-a-man-doesn-t-speak-before-it/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [I deal with the human psychology and evil. They are my twin issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/i-deal-with-the-human-psychology-and-evil-they-are-my-twin-issues/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [“When we reach the intersection with Homochitto Street, I turn right, into town, and soon we’re passing Dunleith, the antebellum mansion that I always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/when-we-reach-the-intersection-with-homochitto-street-i-turn-right/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [The South is the home of 'an eye for an eye.' 'Turning the other cheek'? The South can't see that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/the-south-is-the-home-of-an-eye-for-an-eye-turning-the-other-cheek/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [Some things we must pass over in silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/some-things-we-must-pass-over-in-silence/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [“Let me tell you a secret, Caitlin. We’re still in the cave. It’s just bigger, and we wear nicer clothes. We make alliances and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/let-me-tell-you-a-secret-caitlin-we-re-still-in-the-cave-it-s-just/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [I'll read anything that's good. I have no artificial barriers based on genre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/i-ll-read-anything-that-s-good-i-have-no-artificial-barriers-based-on/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [My father has always been the heart of my Penn Cage novels,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/my-father-has-always-been-the-heart-of-my-penn-cage-novels/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [I've learned as much about writing from songwriters as I have from other writers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/i-ve-learned-as-much-about-writing-from-songwriters-as-i-have-from/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) [Explore all 106 Greg Iles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) ## More Easier quotes > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [I think hair gel was invented to make it easier to identify assholes from a distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-think-hair-gel-was-invented-to-make-it-easier-to-identify-assholes/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [It is easier to say you're mad, rather than admitting you're hurt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-easier-to-say-you-re-mad-rather-than-admitting-you-re-hurt/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Nothing is easier than yesterday's solutions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-sperry/nothing-is-easier-than-yesterday-s-solutions/) Roger Sperry > [When you have a cavity in your tooth and you let it get worse, eventually you have to get a root canal. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-newton-john/when-you-have-a-cavity-in-your-tooth-and-you-let-it-get-worse/) [Olivia Newton-John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-newton-john/) > [Generally, I like all islands. There, it is easier to rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/generally-i-like-all-islands-there-it-is-easier-to-rule/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [It's funny, everything is so much easier when you do it yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carine-roitfeld/it-s-funny-everything-is-so-much-easier-when-you-do-it-yourself/) [Carine Roitfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carine-roitfeld/) > [It is easier to perceive error than to find truth, for the former lies on the surface and is easily seen, while the latter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/it-is-easier-to-perceive-error-than-to-find-truth-for-the-former-lies/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I'm truly, 100% guided by the characters and my Muse. If one of the characters suddenly decided to do something very different, I'd just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-foster/i-m-truly-100-guided-by-the-characters-and-my-muse-if-one-of-the/) [Lori Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-foster/) > [The easier it is to quantify, the less it's worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-easier-it-is-to-quantify-the-less-it-s-worth/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [“it is easier to do a job right than to explain why you didnt”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-van-buren/it-is-easier-to-do-a-job-right-than-to-explain-why-you-didnt/) [Martin Van Buren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-van-buren/) > [“Often we find it easier to think our way around things rather than to feel our way through them:”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/often-we-find-it-easier-to-think-our-way-around-things-rather-than-to/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [I know it is easier said than done, but you have to find a way to surround yourself with positivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/i-know-it-is-easier-said-than-done-but-you-have-to-find-a-way-to/) [Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/) > [God puts you where God needs you. You are where you are supposed to be. The job you are doing may not be any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/god-puts-you-where-god-needs-you-you-are-where-you-are-supposed-to-be/) [Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/) Browse all 5,480 Easier quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have not written a perfect sentence, in the literary sense. 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