--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I may attempt a novel. I think that no…" description: "\"I may attempt a novel. I think that no matter what you write, it requires being honest with oneself, and you have to pull yourself out of the whirlwind..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/iris-chang-17261_being-honest_i-may-attempt-a-novel-i-think-that-no-ma_1417470.png" --- # I may attempt a novel. I think that no matter what you… ![“I may attempt a novel. I think that no matter what you write, it requires being honest with oneself, and you have to pull yourself out of the whirlwind of daily life.” quote by Iris Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/iris-chang-17261_being-honest_i-may-attempt-a-novel-i-think-that-no-ma_1417470.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/iris-chang-17261_being-honest_i-may-attempt-a-novel-i-think-that-no-ma_1417470.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/iris-chang-17261_being-honest_i-may-attempt-a-novel-i-think-that-no-ma_1417470.png) > “I may attempt a novel. I think that no matter what you write, it requires being honest with oneself, and you have to pull yourself out of the whirlwind of daily life.” [Iris Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-chang/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Authentic writing demands honesty and stepping away from routine distractions. **In simple terms:** Write honestly by pulling yourself from daily chaos. Key Takeaway Pause daily life to write truthfully. Themes authenticity self‑reflection creativity discipline Mood thoughtful inspirational Type creative motivational When to use this quote - journaling - creative retreat - writing workshop Key Concepts mindfulness creative process self‑knowledge Questions to Reflect On - How can you create space for honesty in your writing? - What daily habits hinder authentic expression? A Different Perspective Honesty can be compromised by external pressures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-honest/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Daily life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daily-life/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [How desperately difficult it is to be honest with oneself. It is much easier to be honest with other people.What is true is invisible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/how-desperately-difficult-it-is-to-be-honest-with-oneself-it-is-much/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [How desperately difficult it is to be honest with oneself. It is much easier to be honest with other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-desperately-difficult-it-is-to-be-honest-with-oneself-it-is-much-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No writer, I believe, should attempt a novel before he is thirty, and not then unless he has been hopelessly and helplessly involved in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/no-writer-i-believe-should-attempt-a-novel-before-he-is-thirty-and/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [I was heavily influenced by my first attempt at a novel. I started a fantasy novel back in high school, and... well... it really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/i-was-heavily-influenced-by-my-first-attempt-at-a-novel-i-started-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“One should try to be honest with oneself almost as a daily devotion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-brady/one-should-try-to-be-honest-with-oneself-almost-as-a-daily-devotion/) [Ian Brady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-brady/) > [Being extremely honest with oneself is a good exercise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/being-extremely-honest-with-oneself-is-a-good-exercise/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [Being entirely honest with oneself is a good excuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/being-entirely-honest-with-oneself-is-a-good-excuse/) [Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/) > [Being frank and honest with oneself should be of highest priority. ~V](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-meetze/being-frank-and-honest-with-oneself-should-be-of-highest-priority-v/) Victoria Meetze > [To be honest to oneself, and that is very hard to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/to-be-honest-to-oneself-and-that-is-very-hard-to-do/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [One is honest about oneself either with a sense of shame or with vanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/one-is-honest-about-oneself-either-with-a-sense-of-shame-or-with/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I believe that being honest to oneself and one's work is all that matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barun-sobti/i-believe-that-being-honest-to-oneself-and-one-s-work-is-all-that/) [Barun Sobti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barun-sobti/) > [To be completely honest with oneself is the very best effort a human being can make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/to-be-completely-honest-with-oneself-is-the-very-best-effort-a-human/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [Being entirely honest with oneself is a good exercise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/being-entirely-honest-with-oneself-is-a-good-exercise/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [I'll never forget reading Chekhov's "A Doctor's Visit" on a train to Hawthorne, New York, and I got to the end - the scene…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ross/i-ll-never-forget-reading-chekhov-s-a-doctor-s-visit-on-a-train-to/) [Adam Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ross/) > [One easy mistake to make with the first novel is to expand the short story. Some things are better as a story; you cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/one-easy-mistake-to-make-with-the-first-novel-is-to-expand-the-short/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) ## More by Iris Chang > [Whatever is not commonly seen is condemned as alien.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-chang/whatever-is-not-commonly-seen-is-condemned-as-alien/) [Iris Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-chang/) > [The spoken word vanished with the wind. Likewise, the unrecorded life disappears as if it never existed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-chang/the-spoken-word-vanished-with-the-wind-likewise-the-unrecorded-life/) [Iris Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-chang/) > [There isn't much in the way of pure communist spirit, because the whole nation seems to be engaged in capitalistic enterprises. Much of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-chang/there-isn-t-much-in-the-way-of-pure-communist-spirit-because-the/) [Iris Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-chang/) > [For some reason, I seem to be bothered whenever I see acts of injustice and assaults on people's civil liberties. I imagine what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-chang/for-some-reason-i-seem-to-be-bothered-whenever-i-see-acts-of/) [Iris Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-chang/) > [I have to finish this book tour of almost 30 cities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-chang/i-have-to-finish-this-book-tour-of-almost-30-cities/) [Iris Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-chang/) > [Almost all people have this potential for evil, which would be unleashed only under certain dangerous social circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-chang/almost-all-people-have-this-potential-for-evil-which-would-be/) [Iris Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-chang/) > [“Looking back upon millennia of history, it appears clear that no race or culture has monopoly on wartime cruelty. The veneer of civilization seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-chang/looking-back-upon-millennia-of-history-it-appears-clear-that-no-race/) [Iris Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-chang/) > [There isn't much discussion of ruling class in America even in Boston, probably one of the most class-conscious cities in the country?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-chang/there-isn-t-much-discussion-of-ruling-class-in-america-even-in-boston/) [Iris Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-chang/) > [Your first duty as a writer is to write to please yourself. And you have no duty towards anyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-chang/your-first-duty-as-a-writer-is-to-write-to-please-yourself-and-you/) [Iris Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-chang/) > [They probably do have an Asian Barbie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-chang/they-probably-do-have-an-asian-barbie/) [Iris Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-chang/) > [Its a wonderful thing to see a segment of our population that is open and eager to learn more about Chinese culture. It has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-chang/its-a-wonderful-thing-to-see-a-segment-of-our-population-that-is-open/) [Iris Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-chang/) > [I don't mind solitude. I love talking to other people, but I do need my space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-chang/i-don-t-mind-solitude-i-love-talking-to-other-people-but-i-do-need-my/) [Iris Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-chang/) > [Somebody who was born in this country who visited China would later face difficulty getting back in to the USA. We have to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-chang/somebody-who-was-born-in-this-country-who-visited-china-would-later/) [Iris Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-chang/) > [Now, most of the new immigrants coming to this country are from Asia as opposed to Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-chang/now-most-of-the-new-immigrants-coming-to-this-country-are-from-asia/) [Iris Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-chang/) > [Please believe in THE POWER OF ONE. One person can make an enormous difference in the world. One person - actually, one idea -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-chang/please-believe-in-the-power-of-one-one-person-can-make-an-enormous/) [Iris Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-chang/) [Explore all 37 Iris Chang quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-chang/) ## More Being honest quotes > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [I have often spoken of integrity as the most important of these values, realizing that integrity – and personal integrity, at that – is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/verghese-kurien/i-have-often-spoken-of-integrity-as-the-most-important-of-these/) [Verghese Kurien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/verghese-kurien/) > [I had never done anything with blue screen before, or prosthetics, or anything like that. Lord of the Rings was like stepping into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-had-never-done-anything-with-blue-screen-before-or-prosthetics-or/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [Let's be honest, if the Democrats didn't support ignoring our nation's immigration laws, there is no way they could win the presidency or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/let-s-be-honest-if-the-democrats-didn-t-support-ignoring-our-nation-s/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [I think what saved me is me being honest. I think I somewhow had the courage to do something and say something that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/i-think-what-saved-me-is-me-being-honest-i-think-i-somewhow-had-the/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [An actor has to evaluate his own abilities and be honest with himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-newman/an-actor-has-to-evaluate-his-own-abilities-and-be-honest-with-himself/) [Paul Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-newman/) > [The cultural integration of psychedelics won't happen overnight, and the question of young people is perhaps the most difficult involved. The first step is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-doblin/the-cultural-integration-of-psychedelics-won-t-happen-overnight-and/) [Rick Doblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-doblin/) > [I'm a person of change and I must be honest to my artistry and my creativity. That's part of the word 'jazz'... it's an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-ferguson/i-m-a-person-of-change-and-i-must-be-honest-to-my-artistry-and-my/) Maynard Ferguson > [I'm going to be honest, I would love for Flava Flav to be president. It would bring a lot of excitement to the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-khaled/i-m-going-to-be-honest-i-would-love-for-flava-flav-to-be-president-it/) [DJ Khaled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dj-khaled/) > [The buildings that were in question, they said in the same report, which was - actually, it wasn't even a bad story, to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/the-buildings-that-were-in-question-they-said-in-the-same-report/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I guess it has to be healthy, you have to be honest with yourself and I think that's when ego is okay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-amoruso/i-guess-it-has-to-be-healthy-you-have-to-be-honest-with-yourself-and/) [Sophia Amoruso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-amoruso/) > [ The opening for solid waste is very small \[in the space ship\]. It's not toilet-bowl size. And aim is critical. To be honest with… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mullane/the-opening-for-solid-waste-is-very-small-in-the-space-ship-it-s-not/) [Mike Mullane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mullane/) > [We had 90 percent rates, but nobody paid them. And so you had all these exemptions, exclusions, shelters, all this kind of stuff. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/we-had-90-percent-rates-but-nobody-paid-them-and-so-you-had-all-these/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) > [I think, as a filmmaker, it's important to be honest with yourself at all times in terms of what's working and what's not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-wingard/i-think-as-a-filmmaker-it-s-important-to-be-honest-with-yourself-at/) [Adam Wingard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-wingard/) > [We live in a world in which the only utopian visions arrive in commercial breaks: magical visions of an impossibly hospitable world, peopled by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/we-live-in-a-world-in-which-the-only-utopian-visions-arrive-in/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) [Browse all 1,333 Being honest quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-honest/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I may attempt a novel. 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