--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've been writing as long as I've been…" description: "\"I've been writing as long as I've been able to form words. I never wrote with an idea of publishing anything until I began working on '[To Kill a] Mock..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/harper-lee-451_able_i-ve-been-writing-as-long-as-i-ve-been-a_2774019.png" --- # I've been writing as long as I've been able to form words… ![“I've been writing as long as I've been able to form words. I never wrote with an idea of publishing anything until I began working on '[To Kill a] Mockingbird'. I think that what went before may have been a rather subconscious form of learning how to write, of training myself.” quote by Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/harper-lee-451_able_i-ve-been-writing-as-long-as-i-ve-been-a_2774019.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/harper-lee-451_able_i-ve-been-writing-as-long-as-i-ve-been-a_2774019.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/harper-lee-451_able_i-ve-been-writing-as-long-as-i-ve-been-a_2774019.png) > “I've been writing as long as I've been able to form words. I never wrote with an idea of publishing anything until I began working on '\[To Kill a\] Mockingbird'. I think that what went before may have been a rather subconscious form of learning how to write, of training myself.” [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Lee reflects that her early writing was an unconscious apprenticeship, developing skill before any intention to publish. **In simple terms:** Learning to write happens before aiming to publish. Key Takeaway Embrace practice before perfection. Themes writing learning development creativity self‑discipline Mood inspirational thoughtful encouraging Type literary personal growth When to use this quote - writing workshops - personal journals - early drafts Key Concepts skill acquisition creative process self‑education Questions to Reflect On - What habits helped you improve your writing? - How does early practice shape later success? A Different Perspective It may understate formal education’s role. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Kill a mockingbird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kill-a-mockingbird/) [Learning how to write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning-how-to-write/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Mockingbird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mockingbird/) [Publishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/publishing/) [Subconscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subconscious/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Training](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/training/) [Words Wrote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-wrote-1016790/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-long/) [Wrote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrote/) ## Related quotes > [I remember when my daddy gave me that gun. He told me that I should never point it at anything in the house; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-remember-when-my-daddy-gave-me-that-gun-he-told-me-that-i-should/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“You just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anybody says to you, don't you let 'em get your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/you-just-hold-your-head-high-and-keep-those-fists-down-no-matter-what-2/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/the-one-place-where-a-man-ought-to-get-a-square-deal-is-in-a/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [You rarely win, but sometimes you do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/you-rarely-win-but-sometimes-you-do/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/shoot-all-the-blue-jays-you-want-if-you-can-hit-em-but-remember-it-s/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ’em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” That was the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/shoot-all-the-bluejays-you-want-if-you-can-hit-em-but-remember-it-s-a/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [Hey, Mr. Cunningham. How's your entailment gettin' along?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/hey-mr-cunningham-how-s-your-entailment-gettin-along/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [This time we aren't fighting the Yankees, we're fighting our friends. But remember this, no matter how bitter things get, they're still our friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/this-time-we-aren-t-fighting-the-yankees-we-re-fighting-our-friends/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [...but before I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/but-before-i-can-live-with-other-folks-i-ve-got-to-live-with-myself/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“To kill a mockingbird is a sin”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/to-kill-a-mockingbird-is-a-sin/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [Somewhere, I had received the impression that Fine Folks were people who did the best they could with the sense they had, but Aunt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/somewhere-i-had-received-the-impression-that-fine-folks-were-people/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [Remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/remember-it-s-a-sin-to-kill-a-mockingbird/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“Atticus said to Jem one day, "I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the backyard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/atticus-said-to-jem-one-day-i-d-rather-you-shot-at-tin-cans-in-the/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [When a child asks you something, answer him, for goodness' sake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/when-a-child-asks-you-something-answer-him-for-goodness-sake/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“I'd rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but i know you'll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-d-rather-you-shot-at-tin-cans-in-the-back-yard-but-i-know-you-ll-go-2/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) ## More by Harper Lee > [“No jury in this part of the world's going to say, "We think you're guilty, but not very," on a charge like that. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/no-jury-in-this-part-of-the-world-s-going-to-say-we-think-you-re/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [That proves something- that a gang of wild animals can be stopped, simply because they're still human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/that-proves-something-that-a-gang-of-wild-animals-can-be-stopped/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“I wanted you to see something about her—I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-wanted-you-to-see-something-about-her-i-wanted-you-to-see-what-real/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [Any writer worth his salt writes to please himself...It's a self-exploratory operation that is endless. An exorcism of not necessarily his demon, but of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/any-writer-worth-his-salt-writes-to-please-himself-it-s-a-self/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“folks don’t like to have somebody around knowin’ more than they do. It aggravates ’em. You’re not gonna change any of them by talkin’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/folks-don-t-like-to-have-somebody-around-knowin-more-than-they-do-it/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [ “...\[Summer\] was a thousand colors in a parched landscape...” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/summer-was-a-thousand-colors-in-a-parched-landscape/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [It’s never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name. It just shows you how poor that person is, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/it-s-never-an-insult-to-be-called-what-somebody-thinks-is-a-bad-name/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [I wonder how much of the day I spend just callin' after you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-wonder-how-much-of-the-day-i-spend-just-callin-after-you/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [Writing is something you'll never learn in any university or at any school. It's something that is within you, and if it isn't there,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/writing-is-something-you-ll-never-learn-in-any-university-or-at-any/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“To begin with, this case should never have come to trial. The state has not produced one iota of medical evidence that the crime…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/to-begin-with-this-case-should-never-have-come-to-trial-the-state-has/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“Naw, Jem. I think that there is just one kind of folks. Folks." Jen turned and punched his pillow. WHen he settle back his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/naw-jem-i-think-that-there-is-just-one-kind-of-folks-folks-jen-turned/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“The course of English Literature would have been decidedly different had Mr. Wordsworth owned a power mower.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/the-course-of-english-literature-would-have-been-decidedly-different/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [I would like to be the chronicler of something that I think is going down the drain very swiftly, and that is small-town, middle-class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-would-like-to-be-the-chronicler-of-something-that-i-think-is-going/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“The gum looked fresh. I sniffed it and it smelled all right. I licked it and waited for a while. When I did not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/the-gum-looked-fresh-i-sniffed-it-and-it-smelled-all-right-i-licked/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [I just thought you'd like to know I can read. You got anything needs readin' I can do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-just-thought-you-d-like-to-know-i-can-read-you-got-anything-needs/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) [Explore all 494 Harper Lee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) [Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/) > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) [Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I've been writing as long as I've been able to form words. I never wrote with an idea of publishing anything until I began working on '[To Kill a] Mockingbird'. I think that what went before may have been a rather subconscious form of learning how to write, of training myself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Harper Lee" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-ve-been-writing-as-long-as-i-ve-been-able-to-form-words-i-never/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Able" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-ve-been-writing-as-long-as-i-ve-been-able-to-form-words-i-never/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/harper-lee-451_able_i-ve-been-writing-as-long-as-i-ve-been-a_2774019.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/harper-lee-451_able_i-ve-been-writing-as-long-as-i-ve-been-a_2774019.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/055/harper-lee-451_able_i-ve-been-writing-as-long-as-i-ve-been-a_2774019.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I've been writing as long as I've been able to form words. I never wrote with an idea of publishing anything…” — Harper Lee", "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": "Harper Lee", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I've been writing as long as...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-ve-been-writing-as-long-as-i-ve-been-able-to-form-words-i-never/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-ve-been-writing-as-long-as-i-ve-been-able-to-form-words-i-never/#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 } } ] } ```