--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have written books and I cannot unwrite…" description: "\"“I have written books and I cannot unwrite them. I cannot unbelieve what I believe. I cannot unlive my life.”\" — Hilary Mantel" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04d/hilary-mantel-440_books_i-have-written-books-and-i-cannot-unwrit_2630356.jpg" --- # I have written books and I cannot unwrite them. I cannot… ![“I have written books and I cannot unwrite them. I cannot unbelieve what I believe. I cannot unlive my life.” quote by Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04d/hilary-mantel-440_books_i-have-written-books-and-i-cannot-unwrit_2630356.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04d/hilary-mantel-440_books_i-have-written-books-and-i-cannot-unwrit_2630356.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04d/hilary-mantel-440_books_i-have-written-books-and-i-cannot-unwrit_2630356.jpg) > ““I have written books and I cannot unwrite them. I cannot unbelieve what I believe. I cannot unlive my life.”” [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She admits that once ideas are written, they cannot be undone; beliefs and life become inseparable from the text. **In simple terms:** Written words are irreversible, shaping belief and life. Key Takeaway Own your written commitments. Themes writing identity responsibility Mood reflective cautious Type literary personal When to use this quote - authorial ethics - personal branding - historical narrative Key Concepts literature philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How do you handle past writings? - When should you revise beliefs? A Different Perspective Irreversibility may cause regret. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [I've really written my books for my husband and our family. They've brought us closer together by allowing us to discuss things that were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-stephenson/i-ve-really-written-my-books-for-my-husband-and-our-family-they-ve/) [Pamela Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-stephenson/) > [“Many people can and have written books, but many have nothing to say.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-rogers/many-people-can-and-have-written-books-but-many-have-nothing-to-say/) Amy Rogers > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [Do you think that civilization advances because of things written in books? Not a bit of what is written in books ever got there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-russell/do-you-think-that-civilization-advances-because-of-things-written-in/) [Walter Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-russell/) > [“Maybe you have already been writing, but never considered a book before. What you have contributed to websites, discussion groups, blogs and membership communities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kytka-hilmar-jezek/maybe-you-have-already-been-writing-but-never-considered-a-book/) [Kytka Hilmar-Jezek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kytka-hilmar-jezek/) > [They haven't written the books to teach us all we want to know about our existence and us. And a large number of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-fulger/they-haven-t-written-the-books-to-teach-us-all-we-want-to-know-about/) [Mariana Fulger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-fulger/) > [I think one of the mistakes typically with authors is they have written more books than they've read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-winget/i-think-one-of-the-mistakes-typically-with-authors-is-they-have/) [Larry Winget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-winget/) > [I've probably written some books - I know I've written some books that were more interesting to me than to a large audience, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-ve-probably-written-some-books-i-know-i-ve-written-some-books-that/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [I write everywhere. I've written books while I was on planes, at Disney World, and in multiple countries of which I am not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seanan-mcguire/i-write-everywhere-i-ve-written-books-while-i-was-on-planes-at-disney/) [Seanan McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seanan-mcguire/) > [“Each book is a new book. I’ve never written it before and I have to teach myself how to write it as I go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/each-book-is-a-new-book-i-ve-never-written-it-before-and-i-have-to/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [What I wish is that people would look beyond the tribbles and see I've written some other books that I really would like people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gerrold/what-i-wish-is-that-people-would-look-beyond-the-tribbles-and-see-i/) [David Gerrold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gerrold/) > [ I had written three books \[Games of Throne\], at that point, and each one of them was better than the other. At a certain… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-2/i-had-written-three-books-games-of-throne-at-that-point-and-each-one/) [George R. R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-2/) > [I should have written books instead of reading them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/i-should-have-written-books-instead-of-reading-them/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [Sparky's the only guy I know who's written more books than he's read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-harwell/sparky-s-the-only-guy-i-know-who-s-written-more-books-than-he-s-read/) [Ernie Harwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-harwell/) ## More by Hilary Mantel > [People will identify with a persecuted minority without asking themselves what they are identifying with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/people-will-identify-with-a-persecuted-minority-without-asking/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“The hunter is among the most innocent of men; living in the moment makes him feel pure. When he returns in the evening, his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/the-hunter-is-among-the-most-innocent-of-men-living-in-the-moment/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“But what would happen … I mean, what would be so awful … if they did meet up?” “Why, it would be like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/but-what-would-happen-i-mean-what-would-be-so-awful-if-they-did-meet/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [When you have committed enough words to paper, you feel you have a spine stiff enough to stand up in the wind. But when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/when-you-have-committed-enough-words-to-paper-you-feel-you-have-a/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [At New Year's he had given Anne a present of silver forks with handles of rock crystal. He hopes she will use them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/at-new-year-s-he-had-given-anne-a-present-of-silver-forks-with/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“The story of my own childhood is a complicated sentence that I am always trying to finish, to finish and put behind me. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/the-story-of-my-own-childhood-is-a-complicated-sentence-that-i-am/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“He wants to say, because Anne is not a carnal being, she is a calculating being, with a cold slick brain at work behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/he-wants-to-say-because-anne-is-not-a-carnal-being-she-is-a/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“Come to that, don't pay out good money for horoscopes. If things are going to go badly for you, is that what you need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/come-to-that-don-t-pay-out-good-money-for-horoscopes-if-things-are/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“But my sins are my strength, he thinks; the sins I have done, that others have not even found the opportunity of committing. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/but-my-sins-are-my-strength-he-thinks-the-sins-i-have-done-that/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [Feminism hasn't failed, it's just never been tried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/feminism-hasn-t-failed-it-s-just-never-been-tried/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“Mirabeau: “If you have been told to clear us from this hall, you must ask for orders to use force. We shall leave our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/mirabeau-if-you-have-been-told-to-clear-us-from-this-hall-you-must/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“Cardinal Campeggio has implored Katherine to bow to the king's will, accept that her marriage is invalid and retire to a convent. Certainly, she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/cardinal-campeggio-has-implored-katherine-to-bow-to-the-king-s-will/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“Sion calls Anne an eel, he calls her a slippery dipper from the slime, and he remembers what the cardinal had called her: my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/sion-calls-anne-an-eel-he-calls-her-a-slippery-dipper-from-the-slime/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [I spend a great deal of time on research, on finding all the available accounts of a scene or incident, finding out all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/i-spend-a-great-deal-of-time-on-research-on-finding-all-the-available/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“At the front, people die for their mistakes. Why should politicians be more gently treated? They made the war. They deserve a dozen deaths,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/at-the-front-people-die-for-their-mistakes-why-should-politicians-be/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) [Explore all 559 Hilary Mantel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I have written books and I cannot unwrite them. I cannot unbelieve what I believe. 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