--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm the sort of person who doesn't write…" description: "\"I'm the sort of person who doesn't write in ink. I only write in pencil, so it can be rubbed out.\" — Ian Mckellen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d17/ian-mckellen-1396_ink_i-m-the-sort-of-person-who-doesn-t-write_713580.jpg" --- # I'm the sort of person who doesn't write in ink. I only… ![“I'm the sort of person who doesn't write in ink. I only write in pencil, so it can be rubbed out.” quote by Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d17/ian-mckellen-1396_ink_i-m-the-sort-of-person-who-doesn-t-write_713580.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d17/ian-mckellen-1396_ink_i-m-the-sort-of-person-who-doesn-t-write_713580.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d17/ian-mckellen-1396_ink_i-m-the-sort-of-person-who-doesn-t-write_713580.jpg) > “I'm the sort of person who doesn't write in ink. I only write in pencil, so it can be rubbed out.” [Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Prefers impermanent expression, valuing flexibility over permanence. **In simple terms:** Writes in pencil to allow change. Key Takeaway Embrace adaptability. Themes flexibility creativity impermanence Mood thoughtful playful Type creative personal When to use this quote - drafting scripts - sketching ideas - personal journaling - teaching Key Concepts ephemerality self‑editing Questions to Reflect On - When is permanence valuable? - How do you balance flexibility and consistency? A Different Perspective May suggest lack of commitment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Doesn Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doesn-write-801876/) [Ink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ink/) [Ink Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ink-write-2024476/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [Out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/out/) [Pencil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pencil/) [Pencil Rubbed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pencil-rubbed-5622965/) [Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person/) [Sort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sort/) [Who](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Write Ink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-ink-871974/) [Write Pencil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-pencil-519727/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“…and on occasion I like to write in pencil, because I need to know that I can erase the words, even if I never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-black/and-on-occasion-i-like-to-write-in-pencil-because-i-need-to-know-that/) [Bruce Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-black/) > [I write about myself with the same pencil and in the same exercise book as about him. It is no longer I, but another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/i-write-about-myself-with-the-same-pencil-and-in-the-same-exercise/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [I could write about a pencil if I wanted to. You just take it back deep enough, all the way back to the tree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gza/i-could-write-about-a-pencil-if-i-wanted-to-you-just-take-it-back/) [Gza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gza/) > [I often write in pencil on paper and then type up later. It's much quicker than using a keyboard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-fisher/i-often-write-in-pencil-on-paper-and-then-type-up-later-it-s-much/) [Catherine Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-fisher/) > [“If you’re going to write about love, write it in pencil.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/han-yujoo/if-you-re-going-to-write-about-love-write-it-in-pencil/) [Han Yujoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/han-yujoo/) > [Write . . . write . . . pencil . . . paper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/write-write-pencil-paper/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [It's like my whole world is coming undone, but when I write, my pencil is a needle and thread, and I'm stitching the scraps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-alvarez/it-s-like-my-whole-world-is-coming-undone-but-when-i-write-my-pencil/) [Julia Alvarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-alvarez/) > [“marked Never write with pencil, m’ija. It is for those who would erase. Make your mark proud and open, Brave, beauty folded into its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-tafolla/marked-never-write-with-pencil-m-ija-it-is-for-those-who-would-erase/) [Carmen Tafolla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-tafolla/) > [He who has knowledge of the just and the good and beautiful ... will not, when in earnest, write them in ink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/he-who-has-knowledge-of-the-just-and-the-good-and-beautiful-will-not/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [In autumn, when the leaves are brown, Take pen and ink, and write it down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/in-autumn-when-the-leaves-are-brown-take-pen-and-ink-and-write-it-down/) [Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/) > [“You also use ink to write lyrics that are so private that you smear them in all kinds of figurative ways so people can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-homans/you-also-use-ink-to-write-lyrics-that-are-so-private-that-you-smear/) [Charles Homans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-homans/) > [“If I had me a nice goose quill and a pot o’ maester’s ink, I could write down that me member was long and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/if-i-had-me-a-nice-goose-quill-and-a-pot-o-maester-s-ink-i-could/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [“I'll call for pen and ink and write my mind”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-ll-call-for-pen-and-ink-and-write-my-mind/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“In summer, when the days are long, Perhaps you'll understand the song: In Autumn, when the leaves are brown, Take pen and ink, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/in-summer-when-the-days-are-long-perhaps-you-ll-understand-the-song/) [Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/) > [Not a day goes by where someone doesn't write me asking me for more 'Sordid Lives.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/del-shores/not-a-day-goes-by-where-someone-doesn-t-write-me-asking-me-for-more/) [Del Shores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/del-shores/) ## More by Ian Mckellen > [I've always longed for the theatre and acting to be popular. No actor wants to play to an empty house. We only do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/i-ve-always-longed-for-the-theatre-and-acting-to-be-popular-no-actor/) [Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/) > [It's my impression that I've done every job that I've been asked to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/it-s-my-impression-that-i-ve-done-every-job-that-i-ve-been-asked-to-do/) [Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/) > [I'm fortunate to be famous for two rather imposing characters like Magneto and Gandalf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/i-m-fortunate-to-be-famous-for-two-rather-imposing-characters-like/) [Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/) > [Tolkien is as good as Dickens at sketching a scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/tolkien-is-as-good-as-dickens-at-sketching-a-scene/) [Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/) > [If you are playing King Lear you are the centre of attention anyway. You don't need to draw attention to yourself. It's all laid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/if-you-are-playing-king-lear-you-are-the-centre-of-attention-anyway/) [Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/) > [Godot is whatever it is in life that you are waiting for: 'I'm waiting to win the lottery. I'm waiting to fall in love'.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/godot-is-whatever-it-is-in-life-that-you-are-waiting-for-i-m-waiting/) [Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/) > [I'm only an actor. I'm not a writer. I'm not going to leave any legacy. All I've ever done is learn the lines and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/i-m-only-an-actor-i-m-not-a-writer-i-m-not-going-to-leave-any-legacy/) [Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/) > [I'd never read 'Lord of the Rings' until I was asked to play Gandalf, so I didn't really know it was a frightfully famous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/i-d-never-read-lord-of-the-rings-until-i-was-asked-to-play-gandalf-so/) [Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/) > [You might be surprised by how interested young people are in older people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/you-might-be-surprised-by-how-interested-young-people-are-in-older/) [Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/) > [The strength of British theatre should be that these actors in their middle years know what they're doing and are good at it. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/the-strength-of-british-theatre-should-be-that-these-actors-in-their/) [Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/) > [Until I came out, my acting was all about disguise, and thereafter it became about telling the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/until-i-came-out-my-acting-was-all-about-disguise-and-thereafter-it/) [Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/) > [Elijah looks angelic but his beauty of spirit is what makes his Frodo leap out of the screen. Unalloyed goodness is one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/elijah-looks-angelic-but-his-beauty-of-spirit-is-what-makes-his-frodo/) [Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/) > ['The Lego Movie?' I've never heard of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/the-lego-movie-i-ve-never-heard-of-it/) [Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/) > [When I appeared in 'Coronation Street,' I lived in Manchester and enjoyed it very much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/when-i-appeared-in-coronation-street-i-lived-in-manchester-and/) [Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/) > [Before acting, I wanted to become a journalist. I also toyed with the idea of being a chef - but that's only when people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mckellen/before-acting-i-wanted-to-become-a-journalist-i-also-toyed-with-the/) [Ian Mckellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/) [Explore all 247 Ian Mckellen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mckellen/) ## More Ink quotes > [Whole scenes of your life slip away forever if you don't put them down in ink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silas-house/whole-scenes-of-your-life-slip-away-forever-if-you-don-t-put-them/) [Silas House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silas-house/) > [In a recent decision of the Supreme Court, not made, however, by the full court, and concurred in by only four justices, it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bates-clark/in-a-recent-decision-of-the-supreme-court-not-made-however-by-the/) [John Bates Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bates-clark/) > [Summer explodes into Portland. In early June the heat was there but not the color--the green were still pale and tentative, the morning had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/summer-explodes-into-portland-in-early-june-the-heat-was-there-but/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [Martha Stewart showed up at Manhattan FBI Headquarters to have her finger prints taken and pose for a mug shot. Then Martha explained how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/martha-stewart-showed-up-at-manhattan-fbi-headquarters-to-have-her/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [It's a long, slow sunset for ink-on-paper magazines, but sunsets can produce vast sums of money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/it-s-a-long-slow-sunset-for-ink-on-paper-magazines-but-sunsets-can/) [Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/) > [And then another letter had come from Christopher, so devastating that Amelia wondered how mere scratches of ink on paper could rip someone's soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/and-then-another-letter-had-come-from-christopher-so-devastating-that/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [If I lose the light of the sun, I will write by candlelight, moonlight, no light. If I lose paper and ink, I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/if-i-lose-the-light-of-the-sun-i-will-write-by-candlelight-moonlight/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [“To say she is only a woman is to say a violin is a piece of wood with strings, and Dante is mere ink…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-crown/to-say-she-is-only-a-woman-is-to-say-a-violin-is-a-piece-of-wood-with/) [Bruce Crown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-crown/) > [My friends are coming up - they run this tattoo parlour out there and they're gonna ink me up with the tattoo I've been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-benante/my-friends-are-coming-up-they-run-this-tattoo-parlour-out-there-and/) [Charlie Benante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-benante/) > [I am a galley slave to pen and ink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/i-am-a-galley-slave-to-pen-and-ink/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [Stars ink your fingers with a lexicon of flame blazing rare knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aberjhani/stars-ink-your-fingers-with-a-lexicon-of-flame-blazing-rare-knowledge/) [Aberjhani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aberjhani/) > [The sky is now indelible ink, The branches reft asunder; But you and I we do not shrink; We love the lovely thunder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/the-sky-is-now-indelible-ink-the-branches-reft-asunder-but-you-and-i/) [Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/) > [Gold is not less but more rational than paper money. Money holds value so long as it is in limited supply; gold will always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-e-rees/gold-is-not-less-but-more-rational-than-paper-money-money-holds-value/) [William E. Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-e-rees/) > [With a single drop of ink for a mirror, the Egyptian sorcerer undertakes to reveal to any chance comer far-reaching visions of the past.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/with-a-single-drop-of-ink-for-a-mirror-the-egyptian-sorcerer/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [Ink is the great cure for all human ills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/ink-is-the-great-cure-for-all-human-ills/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) [Browse all 495 Ink quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ink/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm the sort of person who doesn't write in ink. 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