Causes Quote by Harry Crews
“Writers spend all their time preoccupied with just the things that their fellow men and women spend their time trying to avoid thinking about. ... It takes great courage to look where you have to look, which is in yourself, in your experience, in your relationship with fellow beings, your relationship to the earth, to the spirit or to the first cause—to look at them and make something of them.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: The House of the Spirits, 1971
Writers must confront uncomfortable truths about themselves and humanity rather than avoid them.
In simple terms: Writers face hard truths about self and world.
Key Takeaway
Embrace difficult topics in your work.
Themes
courage
self‑reflection
humanity
Mood
introspective
serious
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- writing workshops
- personal therapy
- social activism
- environmental advocacy
Key Concepts
existentialism
psychology
artistic honesty
Questions to Reflect On
- What truths are you avoiding?
- How can confronting them deepen your art?
A Different Perspective
Avoiding pain can lead to shallow work.
![“Well the first time I performed, my mom was like how she is now when sees me on stage – all red, smiling from ear to ear. So I don’t want to mess up, [be]cause she’s smiling. Seeing my mom happy is kind of like an overwhelming feeling.” quote by Chris Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/477/chris-brown-1887_causes_well-the-first-time-i-performed-my-mom-w_4699.jpg)