--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Anybody can write, but not everybody…" description: "\"Anybody can write, but not everybody invents new forms of writing. Gertrude Stein invented a new form of writing and her imitators are just 'talents.' ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ee/jack-kerouac-182_criteria_anybody-can-write-but-not-everybody-inve_3085675.jpg" --- # Anybody can write, but not everybody invents new forms of… ![“Anybody can write, but not everybody invents new forms of writing. Gertrude Stein invented a new form of writing and her imitators are just 'talents.' Hemingway later invented his own form also. The criterion for judging talent or genius is ephemeral, speaking rationally in this world of graphs…” quote by Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ee/jack-kerouac-182_criteria_anybody-can-write-but-not-everybody-inve_3085675.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ee/jack-kerouac-182_criteria_anybody-can-write-but-not-everybody-inve_3085675.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ee/jack-kerouac-182_criteria_anybody-can-write-but-not-everybody-inve_3085675.jpg) > “Anybody can write, but not everybody invents new forms of writing. Gertrude Stein invented a new form of writing and her imitators are just 'talents.' Hemingway later invented his own form also. The criterion for judging talent or genius is ephemeral, speaking rationally in this world of graphs, but one gets the feeling definitely when a writer of genius amazes him by strokes of force never seen before and yet hauntingly familiar.” [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative innovation distinguishes true genius from mere skill; true originality feels both shocking and familiar. **In simple terms:** Originality sets geniuses apart. Key Takeaway Seek to innovate, not just imitate. Themes creativity genius originality Mood inspired thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - writing workshops - literary criticism - creative brainstorming - teaching writing Key Concepts literary innovation artistic expression Questions to Reflect On - How can you cultivate truly original ideas? - What risks come with breaking conventions? A Different Perspective True originality is rare and may be misunderstood. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anybody Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anybody-write-358410/) [Criteria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criteria/) [Ephemeral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ephemeral/) [Familiar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/familiar/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/force/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Gertrude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gertrude/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gertrude-stein/) [Graphs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graphs/) [Imitator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imitator/) [Judging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judging/) [Strokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strokes/) [Talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talent/) [Talents Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talents-hemingway-5283156/) [This world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/this-world/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Writer Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-genius-1798173/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Gertrude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-gertrude-5283157/) ## Related quotes > [Because anybody can write, but not everybody invents new forms of writing. Gertrude Stein invented a new form of writing and her imitators are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/because-anybody-can-write-but-not-everybody-invents-new-forms-of/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [He came after Homer and before Gertrude Stein, a difficult interval for a poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/he-came-after-homer-and-before-gertrude-stein-a-difficult-interval/) [Anne Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-carson/) > [I had learned of Gertrude Steins bon mot that medicine opened all doors. This prompted me, in different moods, to view my future life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-e-varmus/i-had-learned-of-gertrude-steins-bon-mot-that-medicine-opened-all/) [Harold E. Varmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-e-varmus/) > [When students are first at the Kerouac School we harp on Gertrude Stein's very basic poetic insistence that words are things . Not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-waldman/when-students-are-first-at-the-kerouac-school-we-harp-on-gertrude/) [Anne Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-waldman/) > [Gertrude Stein's prose-song is a cold, black suet-pudding… Cut it at any point, it is the same thing ... all fat, without nerve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wyndham-lewis/gertrude-stein-s-prose-song-is-a-cold-black-suet-pudding-cut-it-at/) [Wyndham Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wyndham-lewis/) > [ON HER DEATHBED, Gertrude Stein is said to have asked, 'What is the answer?' Then, after a long silence, 'What is the question?' Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/on-her-deathbed-gertrude-stein-is-said-to-have-asked-what-is-the/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [ You are all a lost generation. \[with credit to Gertrude Stein\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/you-are-all-a-lost-generation-with-credit-to-gertrude-stein/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Going to bed with Gertrude Stein, Jeane Kirkpatrick, Susan Sontag, or Margaret Thatcher: There are some things one prefers neither to do nor to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/going-to-bed-with-gertrude-stein-jeane-kirkpatrick-susan-sontag-or/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [Is the professor who insists we read Ernest Hemingway again instead of Gertrude Stein "obsessing"? Because although I did a BA in English, an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mullen/is-the-professor-who-insists-we-read-ernest-hemingway-again-instead/) [Laura Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mullen/) > [The two greatest mannequins of the century were Gertrude Stein and Edith Sitwell - unquestionably. You just couldn't take a bad picture of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-vreeland/the-two-greatest-mannequins-of-the-century-were-gertrude-stein-and/) [Diana Vreeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-vreeland/) > [I murmured to Picasso that I liked his portrait of Gertrude Stein. Yes, he said, everybody said that she does not look like it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/i-murmured-to-picasso-that-i-liked-his-portrait-of-gertrude-stein-yes/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [Gertrude Stein, all courage and will, is a soldier of minimalism. Her work, unlike the resonating silences in the art of Samuel Beckett, embodies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hardwick/gertrude-stein-all-courage-and-will-is-a-soldier-of-minimalism-her/) [Elizabeth Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hardwick/) > [It seems all "protection" has to be monitored, considered, weighed and justified - I am suggesting we do that (but it's something Mary Shelley…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mullen/it-seems-all-protection-has-to-be-monitored-considered-weighed-and/) [Laura Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mullen/) > [Gertrude Stein said, "I write for myself and strangers." I would say I write for myself, strangers and the great dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/gertrude-stein-said-i-write-for-myself-and-strangers-i-would-say-i/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [Gertrude Stein did us the most harm when she said, 'You're all a lost generation.' That got around to certain people and we all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/gertrude-stein-did-us-the-most-harm-when-she-said-you-re-all-a-lost/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) ## More by Jack Kerouac > [Bein Crazy is the least of my worries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/bein-crazy-is-the-least-of-my-worries/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [I'm Catholic and I can't commit suicide, but I plan to drink myself to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-m-catholic-and-i-can-t-commit-suicide-but-i-plan-to-drink-myself-to/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [The Beat Generation, that was a vision that we had, John Clellon Holmes and I, and Allen Ginsberg in an even wilder way, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/the-beat-generation-that-was-a-vision-that-we-had-john-clellon-holmes/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [But, outside of being a sweet little girl, she was awfully dumb and capable of doing horrible things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/but-outside-of-being-a-sweet-little-girl-she-was-awfully-dumb-and/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“For when you realized that God is Everything you know that you've got to love everything no matter how bad it is, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/for-when-you-realized-that-god-is-everything-you-know-that-you-ve-got/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“I'm an idealist who has outgrown my idealism I have nothing to do the rest of my life but do it and the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-m-an-idealist-who-has-outgrown-my-idealism-i-have-nothing-to-do-the/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“Most of them were running away from something―usually the law.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/most-of-them-were-running-away-from-something-usually-the-law/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“Non lo so, non importa e non fa nessuna differenza.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/non-lo-so-non-importa-e-non-fa-nessuna-differenza/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“And in the flush of the first few days of joy I confidently tell myself (not expecting what I'll do in three weeks only)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/and-in-the-flush-of-the-first-few-days-of-joy-i-confidently-tell/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [I want a blaze of light to flame in me forever in a timeless, dear love of everything. And why should I pretend to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-want-a-blaze-of-light-to-flame-in-me-forever-in-a-timeless-dear/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“For the next week that was all I heard - manana, a lovely word and one that probably means heaven.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/for-the-next-week-that-was-all-i-heard-manana-a-lovely-word-and-one/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“O how wonderful life is, how miraculous, God made this and God made that", "how do you know he doesn't hate what He did:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/o-how-wonderful-life-is-how-miraculous-god-made-this-and-god-made/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [Notoriety and public confession in the literary form is a frazzler of the heart you were born with, believe me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/notoriety-and-public-confession-in-the-literary-form-is-a-frazzler-of/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [I promise I shall never give up, and that I'll die yelling & laughing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-promise-i-shall-never-give-up-and-that-i-ll-die-yelling-laughing/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“The hot water pools are steaming, Fagan and Monsanto and the others are all sitting peacefully up to their necks, they're all naked, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/the-hot-water-pools-are-steaming-fagan-and-monsanto-and-the-others/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) [Explore all 936 Jack Kerouac quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) ## More Criteria quotes > [The major caveat in all of comedy is that it's all instinctive. There's no true criteria. There is no right or wrong. Ultimately, often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-charles/the-major-caveat-in-all-of-comedy-is-that-it-s-all-instinctive-there/) [Larry Charles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-charles/) > [Every man will have his own criterion in forming his judgment of others. I depend very much on the effect of affliction. I consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cecil/every-man-will-have-his-own-criterion-in-forming-his-judgment-of/) [Richard Cecil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cecil/) > [First of all the criteria that I have that goes into any career decision is whether or not I have the life experience, emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/first-of-all-the-criteria-that-i-have-that-goes-into-any-career/) [Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/) > [The criterion of true beauty is, that it increases in examination; of false, that it lessens. There is something, therefore, in true beauty that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-grenville/the-criterion-of-true-beauty-is-that-it-increases-in-examination-of/) [George Grenville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-grenville/) > [ “\[ When a religious couple wrote to Sagan about fulfilled prophecies, he wrote back in May 1996 :\] If ‘fulfilled prophecy’ is your criterion,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/when-a-religious-couple-wrote-to-sagan-about-fulfilled-prophecies-he/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [As for the (Ballon d'Or) criteria, I'm not really sure how it works. Sometimes it's a World Cup year, sometimes it isn't. Let them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-villa/as-for-the-ballon-d-or-criteria-i-m-not-really-sure-how-it-works/) [David Villa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-villa/) > [As the number of unexplained, irreducibly complex biological systems increases, our confidence that Darwin's criterion of failure has been met skyrockets toward the maximum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-behe/as-the-number-of-unexplained-irreducibly-complex-biological-systems/) [Michael Behe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-behe/) > [“We need to give an informative set of criteria for the best explanation. It is very difficult to do so. Here are some factors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-e-emmering/we-need-to-give-an-informative-set-of-criteria-for-the-best/) [Michael E Emmering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-e-emmering/) > [It may be an extreme example brought about by abnormal circumstances - but the criteria of human rights kick in, surely, precisely when the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/breyten-breytenbach/it-may-be-an-extreme-example-brought-about-by-abnormal-circumstances/) [Breyten Breytenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/breyten-breytenbach/) > [My inspiration comes from everywhere, just walking down the street and I never know where it's going to come from, so I keep a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/my-inspiration-comes-from-everywhere-just-walking-down-the-street-and/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [A system is empirical or scientific only if it is capable of being tested by experience. These considerations suggest that not the verifiability but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/a-system-is-empirical-or-scientific-only-if-it-is-capable-of-being/) [Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/) > [A work of art is itself an object, first of all, and so manipulation is unavoidable: it's a prerequisite. But I needed the greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/a-work-of-art-is-itself-an-object-first-of-all-and-so-manipulation-is/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [The criteria or the paradigm for us is not the West, not the Western paradigm, because the West has its own culture, we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bashar-al-assad/the-criteria-or-the-paradigm-for-us-is-not-the-west-not-the-western/) [Bashar al-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bashar-al-assad/) > [The fact that a theory so vague, so insufficiently verifiable, and so far from the criteria otherwise applied in 'hard' science has become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-bertalanffy/the-fact-that-a-theory-so-vague-so-insufficiently-verifiable-and-so/) [Ludwig von Bertalanffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-bertalanffy/) > [New Orleans invented the brown paper bag party - usually at a gathering in a home - where anyone darker than the bag attached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/new-orleans-invented-the-brown-paper-bag-party-usually-at-a-gathering/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) [Browse all 448 Criteria quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criteria/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Anybody can write, but not everybody invents new forms of writing. 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