--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: if I'd thought that nobody would like it…" description: "\"if I'd thought that nobody would like it as I was writing it, I would have written it even more. But I never think of the audience. I never think of pe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecd/jamaica-kincaid-1540_audience_if-i-d-thought-that-nobody-would-like-it_2812678.png" --- # if I'd thought that nobody would like it as I was writing… ![“if I'd thought that nobody would like it as I was writing it, I would have written it even more. But I never think of the audience. I never think of people reading. I never think of people, period.” quote by Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecd/jamaica-kincaid-1540_audience_if-i-d-thought-that-nobody-would-like-it_2812678.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecd/jamaica-kincaid-1540_audience_if-i-d-thought-that-nobody-would-like-it_2812678.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecd/jamaica-kincaid-1540_audience_if-i-d-thought-that-nobody-would-like-it_2812678.png) > “if I'd thought that nobody would like it as I was writing it, I would have written it even more. But I never think of the audience. I never think of people reading. I never think of people, period.” [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing without concern for audience approval fuels creative freedom. **In simple terms:** Write for yourself, not readers. Key Takeaway Create authentically. Themes creativity authenticity audience selfexpression Mood reflective determined Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - novel writing - personal essays - creative process - self‑critique Key Concepts artistic integrity writer's block Questions to Reflect On - How does audience awareness shape your work? - Can self‑focused writing still resonate? A Different Perspective Risk of alienating readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [For the kind of places I've written for and the kind of writing that I've done, the general way to think about your audience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-menand/for-the-kind-of-places-i-ve-written-for-and-the-kind-of-writing-that/) [Louis Menand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-menand/) > [There's actually a disdain for the conversation about audience in the art world. Artist to artist, if you say, "What do you think about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-fischl/there-s-actually-a-disdain-for-the-conversation-about-audience-in-the/) [Eric Fischl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-fischl/) > [When I make movies, I have a lot of respect for my audience. I think my audience is smart. If there's a way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pitt/when-i-make-movies-i-have-a-lot-of-respect-for-my-audience-i-think-my/) [Michael Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pitt/) > [I don't really think about the audience much. I think of myself. Let me dig myself out of that one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-don-t-really-think-about-the-audience-much-i-think-of-myself-let-me/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [You know that something is really well written when you have to think so little about the words that are coming out of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-weston-jones/you-know-that-something-is-really-well-written-when-you-have-to-think-2/) [Tom Weston-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-weston-jones/) > [When anything important has to be written ... I think your hand concentrates for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/when-anything-important-has-to-be-written-i-think-your-hand/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [“I've written of you so often I think I've made you immortal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nichole-mcelhaney/i-ve-written-of-you-so-often-i-think-i-ve-made-you-immortal/) [Nichole McElhaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nichole-mcelhaney/) > [I always have a story in my head that needs to be written, or at least I think I do. But I usually can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/i-always-have-a-story-in-my-head-that-needs-to-be-written-or-at-least/) [Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/) > [You know that something is really well written when you have to think so little about the words that are coming out of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-weston-jones/you-know-that-something-is-really-well-written-when-you-have-to-think/) [Tom Weston-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-weston-jones/) > [A lot of the time, I read something I've written, and I think, 'Well, that's competent. It's not exactly breaking any boundaries. It's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/a-lot-of-the-time-i-read-something-i-ve-written-and-i-think-well-that/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [I don't want to make 'Chandni Bar 2.' I didn't think 'Fashion 2' will happen. If a film ends on a high note... makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madhur-bhandarkar/i-don-t-want-to-make-chandni-bar-2-i-didn-t-think-fashion-2-will/) [Madhur Bhandarkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madhur-bhandarkar/) > [I think about all these influences and musical cultures, then the opinion of the audience is of course important, but when I'm working on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rokia-traore/i-think-about-all-these-influences-and-musical-cultures-then-the/) [Rokia Traore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rokia-traore/) > [That's the thing that we said about the horn before: it's a focus issue. It's like a singer versus a drummer. If a drummer's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-hunter/that-s-the-thing-that-we-said-about-the-horn-before-it-s-a-focus/) [Charlie Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-hunter/) > [Personally when I listen to a script, I think from the audience's point of view. I would ask myself whether they would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uday-chopra/personally-when-i-listen-to-a-script-i-think-from-the-audience-s/) [Uday Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uday-chopra/) > [I don't think about who the audience is for my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-don-t-think-about-who-the-audience-is-for-my-books/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) ## More by Jamaica Kincaid > [I'm always telling my students go to law school or become a doctor, do something, and then write. First of all you should have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/i-m-always-telling-my-students-go-to-law-school-or-become-a-doctor-do/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) > [The slave trade was globalism. Why people insist that globalism, after its hideous history, is a good thing, I do not know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/the-slave-trade-was-globalism-why-people-insist-that-globalism-after/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) > [I have no credentials. I have no money. I literally come from a poor place. I was a servant. I dropped out of college.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/i-have-no-credentials-i-have-no-money-i-literally-come-from-a-poor/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) > [In my writing I'm trying to explore the violations people commit upon each other. And the important thing isn't whether I'm angry. The more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/in-my-writing-i-m-trying-to-explore-the-violations-people-commit-upon/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) > ["Race." I really can't understand it as anything other than something people say. The people who have said that you and I are both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/race-i-really-can-t-understand-it-as-anything-other-than-something/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) > [Race as a subject only comes about because of what I look like. If I say something truthfully, people say "Oh, she's so angry."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/race-as-a-subject-only-comes-about-because-of-what-i-look-like-if-i/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) > [in the place I am from ... a grave is topped off with a huge mound of loose earth - carelessly, as if piled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/in-the-place-i-am-from-a-grave-is-topped-off-with-a-huge-mound-of/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) > [I like melancholy. I like to pretend that I'm alone in the world and I'm just sort of abandoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/i-like-melancholy-i-like-to-pretend-that-i-m-alone-in-the-world-and-i/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) > [I come from the small island of Antigua and I always wanted to write; I just didn't know that it was possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/i-come-from-the-small-island-of-antigua-and-i-always-wanted-to-write/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) > [“Have you ever wondered to yourself why it is that all people like me seem to have learned from you is how to imprison…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/have-you-ever-wondered-to-yourself-why-it-is-that-all-people-like-me/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) > [Love and hatred don't take turns; they exist side by side at the same time. And one's duty, one's obligation every day, is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/love-and-hatred-don-t-take-turns-they-exist-side-by-side-at-the-same/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) > [“Do you see the queer thing about people like me? Sometimes we hold your retribution.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/do-you-see-the-queer-thing-about-people-like-me-sometimes-we-hold/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) > [I didn't really understand racism because I grew up in an all-black society, so I didn't see how it was possible not to like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/i-didn-t-really-understand-racism-because-i-grew-up-in-an-all-black/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) > [A great piece of literature encompasses all that is and all that will be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/a-great-piece-of-literature-encompasses-all-that-is-and-all-that-will/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) > [The people who invented race, who grouped us together as "black," were inventing and categorizing their ability to do something vicious and wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/the-people-who-invented-race-who-grouped-us-together-as-black-were/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) [Explore all 228 Jamaica Kincaid quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) ## More Audience quotes > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [It's the adrenaline rush you only get from being in front of an audience. It's addictive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-saadiq/it-s-the-adrenaline-rush-you-only-get-from-being-in-front-of-an/) [Raphael Saadiq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-saadiq/) > [If I had to speak in front of a Korean audience, I would be hard pressed to sound other than a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/if-i-had-to-speak-in-front-of-a-korean-audience-i-would-be-hard/) [An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/) > [The liveness of theater, and the excitement of experiencing it alongside an audience, is something you can't get at home. That makes the theater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-blaemire/the-liveness-of-theater-and-the-excitement-of-experiencing-it/) [Nick Blaemire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-blaemire/) > [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [When you lived it for years and years and years and seen different characters just get pummeled and squashed because 'I said so,' it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arn-anderson/when-you-lived-it-for-years-and-years-and-years-and-seen-different/) [Arn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arn-anderson/) > [“During the first few minutes of your presentation, your job is to assure the audience members that you are not going to waste their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/during-the-first-few-minutes-of-your-presentation-your-job-is-to/) [Dale Ludwig and Greg Owen-Boger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. 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