--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can never go back on what I've written…" description: "\"“I can never go back on what I've written. If it was not good, it was true; if it was not artistic, it was sincere; if it was in bad taste, it was on t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c09/henry-miller-179_bad-taste_i-can-never-go-back-on-what-i-ve-written_1186608.jpg" --- # I can never go back on what I've written. If it was not… ![“I can never go back on what I've written. If it was not good, it was true; if it was not artistic, it was sincere; if it was in bad taste, it was on the side of life.” quote by Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c09/henry-miller-179_bad-taste_i-can-never-go-back-on-what-i-ve-written_1186608.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c09/henry-miller-179_bad-taste_i-can-never-go-back-on-what-i-ve-written_1186608.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c09/henry-miller-179_bad-taste_i-can-never-go-back-on-what-i-ve-written_1186608.jpg) > ““I can never go back on what I've written. If it was not good, it was true; if it was not artistic, it was sincere; if it was in bad taste, it was on the side of life.”” [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing must be honest; even if flawed, truth, sincerity, or life relevance give it value. **In simple terms:** Honesty outweighs perfection in writing. Key Takeaway Write truthfully, accept imperfection. Themes authenticity creativity truth Mood reflective determined Type literary advice When to use this quote - journaling - artistic projects - personal narratives Key Concepts literary theory self-expression Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance truth and art? - When is honesty more important than style? A Different Perspective Perfectionism can hinder authenticity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Anything well written with good language and clarity and honesty is worth doing. It comes out of the same tradition as Shakespeare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moriarty/anything-well-written-with-good-language-and-clarity-and-honesty-is/) [Michael Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moriarty/) > [“Having a ‘taste for life’ is about knowing its various flavours and awaiting the next meal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fennel-hudson/having-a-taste-for-life-is-about-knowing-its-various-flavours-and/) [Fennel Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fennel-hudson/) > [No man enjoys the true taste of life, but he who is ready and willing to quit it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-man-enjoys-the-true-taste-of-life-but-he-who-is-ready-and-willing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“No one wants to think about the very real fact that we could die at any time, that our lives are so fragile as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-gordon/no-one-wants-to-think-about-the-very-real-fact-that-we-could-die-at/) [H.D. Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-d-gordon/) > [Theatre is a bastard form. I'm always proud of that. That's what makes it taste of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-farr/theatre-is-a-bastard-form-i-m-always-proud-of-that-that-s-what-makes/) [David Farr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-farr/) > [“You make me want to taste life the way you do. You live with your heart wide-open, and give of yourself, even when no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggi-myers/you-make-me-want-to-taste-life-the-way-you-do-you-live-with-your/) [Maggi Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggi-myers/) > [“The taste of your life depends on the spices you used to brew it. Add laziness to it and it becomes bitter as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/the-taste-of-your-life-depends-on-the-spices-you-used-to-brew-it-add/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“But everything good in this shit world is either by prescription, sold out, or so expensive you have to sell your soul to taste…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesb/but-everything-good-in-this-shit-world-is-either-by-prescription-sold/) [Jo Nesbø](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesb/) > [“No one other than yourself could have given you a greater taste for life than for death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douard-lev/no-one-other-than-yourself-could-have-given-you-a-greater-taste-for/) [Édouard Levé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douard-lev/) > [We are meant to taste of life ... and drink the cup of it to the dregs, bitter and sweet alike.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/we-are-meant-to-taste-of-life-and-drink-the-cup-of-it-to-the-dregs/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [“He’s like a hero come back from the war, a poor maimed bastard living out the reality of his dreams. Wherever he sits himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/he-s-like-a-hero-come-back-from-the-war-a-poor-maimed-bastard-living/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [Civilization is drugs, alcohol, engines of war, prostitution, machines and machine slaves, low wages, bad food, bad taste, prisons, reformatories, lunatic asylums, divorce, perversion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/civilization-is-drugs-alcohol-engines-of-war-prostitution-machines/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [Catch me on a good day, I think half of my books aren't too bad. Catch me on a bad day, I think I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/catch-me-on-a-good-day-i-think-half-of-my-books-aren-t-too-bad-catch/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [You know, looking at it objectively, I've written one or two good books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/you-know-looking-at-it-objectively-i-ve-written-one-or-two-good-books/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [Right from day one, you know when you've written a good song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-armatrading/right-from-day-one-you-know-when-you-ve-written-a-good-song/) [Joan Armatrading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-armatrading/) ## More by Henry Miller > [“I reached out for something to attach myself to—and I found nothing. But in reaching out, in the effort to grasp, to attach myself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-reached-out-for-something-to-attach-myself-to-and-i-found-nothing/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“I saw the errors I had made and assumed full responsibility for everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-saw-the-errors-i-had-made-and-assumed-full-responsibility-for/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [The monstrous thing is not that men have created roses out of this dung heap, but that, for some reason or other, they should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/the-monstrous-thing-is-not-that-men-have-created-roses-out-of-this/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [They never opened the door which leads to the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/they-never-opened-the-door-which-leads-to-the-soul/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“(...)I decided to let myself drift with the tide, to make not the least resistance to fate, no matter in what form it presented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-decided-to-let-myself-drift-with-the-tide-to-make-not-the-least/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“If it be knowledge or wisdom one is seeking, then one had better go direct to the source. And the source is not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/if-it-be-knowledge-or-wisdom-one-is-seeking-then-one-had-better-go/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“In the egocentric prism the helpless victim is walled in by the very light which he refracts. The ego dies in its own glass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/in-the-egocentric-prism-the-helpless-victim-is-walled-in-by-the-very/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“When one spends what he has on himself, when one has a thoroughly good time with his own money, people are apt to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/when-one-spends-what-he-has-on-himself-when-one-has-a-thoroughly-good/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [Paint what you like and die happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/paint-what-you-like-and-die-happy/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [She may be lying in bed reading a book, she may be making love with a prize fighter, or she may be running like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/she-may-be-lying-in-bed-reading-a-book-she-may-be-making-love-with-a/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“And no one sets about saving the world unless he has first experienced the miracle of personal salvation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/and-no-one-sets-about-saving-the-world-unless-he-has-first/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“He looks about the room at the few sticks of furniture, at the dirty bed sheets and the wash basin with the dirty water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/he-looks-about-the-room-at-the-few-sticks-of-furniture-at-the-dirty/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“Since then, of course, I have discovered what every madman in Paris discovers sooner of later; that there are no ready made infernos for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/since-then-of-course-i-have-discovered-what-every-madman-in-paris/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“Looking back upon my career, I see myself as a person capable of undertaking almost any task, any vocation. It was the monotony and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/looking-back-upon-my-career-i-see-myself-as-a-person-capable-of/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“The word in your mouth is anarchy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/the-word-in-your-mouth-is-anarchy/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) [Explore all 894 Henry Miller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) ## More Bad taste quotes > [When I passed the Chancellor he arose, waved his hand at me, and I waved back at him. I think the writers showed bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/when-i-passed-the-chancellor-he-arose-waved-his-hand-at-me-and-i/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [The Derby experience had not been good for me and the way it finished left a very bad taste in my mouth so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-pearson/the-derby-experience-had-not-been-good-for-me-and-the-way-it-finished/) [Nigel Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-pearson/) > [Good taste is better than bad taste, but bad taste is better than no taste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/good-taste-is-better-than-bad-taste-but-bad-taste-is-better-than-no/) [Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/) > [“Others praise ceremonial Magic, and are supposed to suffer much Ecstasy! Our asylums are crowded, the stage is over-run! Is it by symbolizing we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-osman-spare-2/others-praise-ceremonial-magic-and-are-supposed-to-suffer-much/) [Austin Osman, Spare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-osman-spare-2/) > [Salvador Dali has been called kitsch, but, although some of this work may be grotesque, its brazenly self-conscious bad taste saves it from being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-dutton/salvador-dali-has-been-called-kitsch-but-although-some-of-this-work/) [Denis Dutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-dutton/) > [“Bryan gaped, as though that was more than he'd been expecting. "Oh. Okay. Well, um, there's a silent film festival downtown next week. Do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/bryan-gaped-as-though-that-was-more-than-he-d-been-expecting-oh-okay/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [“lack, or loutish and crass kollective is a program dedicated to the proposition that vulgarity and bad taste are an inalienable right. the lackies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/lack-or-loutish-and-crass-kollective-is-a-program-dedicated-to-the/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [It's not about doing over the living room of someone who has bad taste in color. This is about restoring historic buildings and instilling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/genevieve-gorder/it-s-not-about-doing-over-the-living-room-of-someone-who-has-bad/) [Genevieve Gorder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/genevieve-gorder/) > [The kind of people who always go on about whether a thing is in good taste invariably have very bad taste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-orton/the-kind-of-people-who-always-go-on-about-whether-a-thing-is-in-good/) [Joe Orton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-orton/) > [“Life is too short for bad taste.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-russell/life-is-too-short-for-bad-taste/) Glenn Russell > [If you give a little credit to the concept of the artist, I think you ought to indulge excesses a bit, because that reflects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/if-you-give-a-little-credit-to-the-concept-of-the-artist-i-think-you/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [The line between humor and bad taste is your audience, in which some people will find everything offensive, and some people will find nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mankoff/the-line-between-humor-and-bad-taste-is-your-audience-in-which-some/) [Robert Mankoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mankoff/) > [This is going to leave a bad taste in a lot of people's eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-day-hicks/this-is-going-to-leave-a-bad-taste-in-a-lot-of-people-s-eyes/) Louise Day Hicks > [To use bad taste, you have to know the rules of good taste. I've always thanked my mother for that. She taught how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waters/to-use-bad-taste-you-have-to-know-the-rules-of-good-taste-i-ve-always/) [John Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waters/) > ['Bad Taste' was - it was, in many respects, my sort of, my, I guess, my single-minded desire to want to break into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jackson/bad-taste-was-it-was-in-many-respects-my-sort-of-my-i-guess-my-single/) [Peter Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jackson/) Browse all 230 Bad taste quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I can never go back on what I've written. 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