---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's this creative thing in me that…"
description: "\"There's this creative thing in me that wants to have my work used - like the author of a book who wants it read.\" — James Goodnight"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/888/james-goodnight-56440_book_there-s-this-creative-thing-in-me-that-w_1465328.jpg"
---

#  There's this creative thing in me that wants to have my…

![“There's this creative thing in me that wants to have my work used - like the author of a book who wants it read.” quote by James Goodnight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/888/james-goodnight-56440_book_there-s-this-creative-thing-in-me-that-w_1465328.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/888/james-goodnight-56440_book_there-s-this-creative-thing-in-me-that-w_1465328.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/888/james-goodnight-56440_book_there-s-this-creative-thing-in-me-that-w_1465328.jpg)

> “There's this creative thing in me that wants to have my work used - like the author of a book who wants it read.”

[James Goodnight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-goodnight/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Creators desire their work to be recognized and utilized, reflecting a need for impact and legacy.

**In simple terms:** Want work used and appreciated.

Key Takeaway

Create with purpose and share widely.

Themes

creativity legacy recognition

Mood

reflective ambitious

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- publishing a book
- launching a product
- sharing research
- art exhibition

Key Concepts

authorial intent impact motivation

Questions to Reflect On

- What motivates you to share your work?
- How do you handle misuse?

A Different Perspective

Desire for use can cause anxiety over control.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Author Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/author-book-1113868/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Book Wants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-wants-387611/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) [Creative Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-thing-658590/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Like Author](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-author-1093036/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Wants Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wants-read-240086/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/)

## Related quotes

> [Cooking is an art form, a creative thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-clemons/cooking-is-an-art-form-a-creative-thing/)

[Clarence Clemons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-clemons/)

> [I never know what something is going to be until it emerges from the womb and you see the crown of its head and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/i-never-know-what-something-is-going-to-be-until-it-emerges-from-the/)

[Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/)

> [You have to write the book that wants to be written,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/you-have-to-write-the-book-that-wants-to-be-written/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [I know that the last thing a book wants is to just sit around unread, serving as an element of interior decorating. So when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/i-know-that-the-last-thing-a-book-wants-is-to-just-sit-around-unread/)

[Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/)

> [“This first book’s for everyone, though almost no one wants it or would know how to read it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/this-first-book-s-for-everyone-though-almost-no-one-wants-it-or-would/)

[China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/)

> [If a book really wants the patronage of a great name, it is a bad book; and if it be a good book, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/if-a-book-really-wants-the-patronage-of-a-great-name-it-is-a-bad-book/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [I might be like a conductor, or I collect the stuff together and I do a lot of my own writing. But what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/i-might-be-like-a-conductor-or-i-collect-the-stuff-together-and-i-do/)

[Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/)

> [“During my 20’s and 30’s at some point I started to think, “I have to give it up and I have to grow up.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-bag/during-my-20-s-and-30-s-at-some-point-i-started-to-think-i-have-to/)

[Alice Bag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-bag/)

> [You can be cautious or you can be creative (but there's no such thing as a cautious creative).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lois/you-can-be-cautious-or-you-can-be-creative-but-there-s-no-such-thing/)

[George Lois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lois/)

> [Coming out of a group, it's always really fun and creative to do your own thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirstin-maldonado/coming-out-of-a-group-it-s-always-really-fun-and-creative-to-do-your/)

[Kirstin Maldonado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirstin-maldonado/)

> [I adore acting; it's in my blood - quite literally - but I can honestly say the most creative thing in the world for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-bond/i-adore-acting-it-s-in-my-blood-quite-literally-but-i-can-honestly/)

[Samantha Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-bond/)

> [I don't use my brain about the creative thing. From a business standpoint, I instinctively do things: when I get something right, it's never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-simmons/i-don-t-use-my-brain-about-the-creative-thing-from-a-business/)

[Russell Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-simmons/)

> [When you're working on a creative thing, everyone has an idea, and they're pushing it. The first time you work with anybody, you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/when-you-re-working-on-a-creative-thing-everyone-has-an-idea-and-they/)

[Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/)

> [Most creative thing I've ever done? Got somebody pregnant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-morgan/most-creative-thing-i-ve-ever-done-got-somebody-pregnant/)

[Tracy Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-morgan/)

> [What's interesting about writing is the invention, the creative thing. Writing about myself is a yawn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/what-s-interesting-about-writing-is-the-invention-the-creative-thing/)

[Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/)

## More by James Goodnight

> [I don't keep up on a lot of the business trends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-goodnight/i-don-t-keep-up-on-a-lot-of-the-business-trends/)

[James Goodnight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-goodnight/)

> [I've never really thought of myself as an entrepreneur. I think of an entrepreneur as someone who wants to make a lot of money.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-goodnight/i-ve-never-really-thought-of-myself-as-an-entrepreneur-i-think-of-an/)

[James Goodnight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-goodnight/)

> [Treat employees like they make a difference and they will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-goodnight/treat-employees-like-they-make-a-difference-and-they-will/)

[James Goodnight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-goodnight/)

> [It turns out that doing the right thing, treating people right, is also the right thing for the company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-goodnight/it-turns-out-that-doing-the-right-thing-treating-people-right-is-also/)

[James Goodnight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-goodnight/)

> [I'm not big on reading business books. I get copies of all of them, because people want me to put a comment on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-goodnight/i-m-not-big-on-reading-business-books-i-get-copies-of-all-of-them/)

[James Goodnight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-goodnight/)

[Explore all 6 James Goodnight quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-goodnight/)

## More Book 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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/)

[Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/)

> [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/)

[Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/)

> [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“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/)

[Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "There's this creative thing in me that wants to have my work used - like the author of a book who wants it read.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "James Goodnight"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-goodnight/there-s-this-creative-thing-in-me-that-wants-to-have-my-work-used/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-goodnight/there-s-this-creative-thing-in-me-that-wants-to-have-my-work-used/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/888/james-goodnight-56440_book_there-s-this-creative-thing-in-me-that-w_1465328.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/888/james-goodnight-56440_book_there-s-this-creative-thing-in-me-that-w_1465328.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/888/james-goodnight-56440_book_there-s-this-creative-thing-in-me-that-w_1465328.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There's this creative thing in me that wants to have my work used - like the author of a book who wants it…” — James Goodnight",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "James Goodnight",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-goodnight/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "There's this creative thing in me...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-goodnight/there-s-this-creative-thing-in-me-that-wants-to-have-my-work-used/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-goodnight/there-s-this-creative-thing-in-me-that-wants-to-have-my-work-used/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
