--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't think I could, with a straight…" description: "\"I don't think I could, with a straight face, describe myself as a completely positive person, but I'm not overly negative, either. On the whole, most w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a38/james-lasdun-29180_always_i-don-t-think-i-could-with-a-straight-fa_1978902.jpg" --- # I don't think I could, with a straight face, describe… ![“I don't think I could, with a straight face, describe myself as a completely positive person, but I'm not overly negative, either. On the whole, most writers think plots through to their consequences, and it's not always a sunny place. I have an occupational temperament for anxiety.” quote by James Lasdun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a38/james-lasdun-29180_always_i-don-t-think-i-could-with-a-straight-fa_1978902.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a38/james-lasdun-29180_always_i-don-t-think-i-could-with-a-straight-fa_1978902.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a38/james-lasdun-29180_always_i-don-t-think-i-could-with-a-straight-fa_1978902.jpg) > “I don't think I could, with a straight face, describe myself as a completely positive person, but I'm not overly negative, either. On the whole, most writers think plots through to their consequences, and it's not always a sunny place. I have an occupational temperament for anxiety.” [James Lasdun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lasdun/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Acknowledges balanced outlook: not wholly positive nor negative; recognizes anxiety as part of creative temperament. **In simple terms:** Balanced view with creative anxiety. Key Takeaway Accept nuanced emotional states. Themes creativity anxiety balance self‑awareness Mood thoughtful introspective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - writing process - mental health - self‑reflection Key Concepts writer’s mindset emotional health literary analysis Questions to Reflect On - How does anxiety influence your creative work? - Can you cultivate a more positive outlook? A Different Perspective Anxiety can impede productivity if unchecked. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anxiety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety/) [Consequences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consequences/) [Positive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive/) [Positive person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive-person/) [Straight face](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/straight-face/) [Temperament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/temperament/) [Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers/) ## Related quotes > [“Sometimes the writer has to learn the hard way of creating a bad work to become a best-seller yet doesn't surrender to the negative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millicent-ashby/sometimes-the-writer-has-to-learn-the-hard-way-of-creating-a-bad-work/) [Millicent Ashby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millicent-ashby/) > [“It’s true that many overly negative people actually fear letting go of their negativity, and it’s because it has become a part of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alaric-hutchinson/it-s-true-that-many-overly-negative-people-actually-fear-letting-go/) [Alaric Hutchinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alaric-hutchinson/) > [I really don't want to sound like overly negative or critical of the Internet in general because I'm actually really quite pro-technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-brooker/i-really-don-t-want-to-sound-like-overly-negative-or-critical-of-the/) [Charlie Brooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-brooker/) > [Teaching and writing, really, they support and nourish each other, and they foster good thinking. Because when you show up in the classroom, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-barton/teaching-and-writing-really-they-support-and-nourish-each-other-and/) [Emily Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-barton/) > [Of course, the way writers think about those things is almost certain to be affected by their own cultural background, and it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-schmidt/of-course-the-way-writers-think-about-those-things-is-almost-certain/) [Stanley Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-schmidt/) > [I don't think that stuff is gone - I just don't want to dwell on it. There's a difference. As I said, I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-don-t-think-that-stuff-is-gone-i-just-don-t-want-to-dwell-on-it/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [I don't want actors to be writers. I think it's too much responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanne-bier/i-don-t-want-actors-to-be-writers-i-think-it-s-too-much-responsibility/) [Susanne Bier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanne-bier/) > [A lot of writers do think of their characters as living beings. I know that's the way people think. That's why I try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-cooper/a-lot-of-writers-do-think-of-their-characters-as-living-beings-i-know/) [Dennis Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-cooper/) > [Only bad writers think they're good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/only-bad-writers-think-they-re-good/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [But I think writing should be a bit of a struggle. 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Account executives often have big creative ideas, regardless of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-burnett/i-have-learned-to-respect-ideas-wherever-they-come-from-often-they/) [Leo Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-burnett/) > [“This is our goal as writers, I think; to help others have this sense of--please forgive me--wonder, of seeing things anew, things that can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/this-is-our-goal-as-writers-i-think-to-help-others-have-this-sense-of/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Well, the world has a million writers. One would think, then, that good thought would be as familiar as air and water, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/well-the-world-has-a-million-writers-one-would-think-then-that-good/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [All writers, I think, are to one extent or another, damaged people. Writing is our way of repairing ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-writers-i-think-are-to-one-extent-or-another-damaged-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by James Lasdun > [I am not a supporter of Israel's military policy, let alone any kind of Zionist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lasdun/i-am-not-a-supporter-of-israel-s-military-policy-let-alone-any-kind/) [James Lasdun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lasdun/) > [“She waded into the water, splashing it on her waist and shoulders before kicking herself free of the ground and plunging in. She swam…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lasdun/she-waded-into-the-water-splashing-it-on-her-waist-and-shoulders/) [James Lasdun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lasdun/) > [I consider myself a writer. I don't favour any type of writing. I sometimes wish short stories came more easily to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lasdun/i-consider-myself-a-writer-i-don-t-favour-any-type-of-writing-i/) [James Lasdun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lasdun/) > [The short story seems like the best of all possible worlds. I do feel it is closer to writing poetry than to writing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lasdun/the-short-story-seems-like-the-best-of-all-possible-worlds-i-do-feel/) [James Lasdun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lasdun/) > [“People are always in various stages of different dramas when you encounter them: freshly embarked on some, halfway or more through others. One is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lasdun/people-are-always-in-various-stages-of-different-dramas-when-you/) [James Lasdun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lasdun/) > [To me sympathy for a character has little to do with how morally upstanding or wicked they are. 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It was alarmingly easy to do. I went through the whole cycle of emotions, from supreme self-confidence to total…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lasdun/i-got-into-online-trading-it-was-alarmingly-easy-to-do-i-went-through/) [James Lasdun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lasdun/) > [The nature of fiction is to make one distrustful of any character who lectures and castigates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lasdun/the-nature-of-fiction-is-to-make-one-distrustful-of-any-character-who/) [James Lasdun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lasdun/) > [America as a setting seems inexhaustibly fascinating to me, and I think there's something about the outsider viewpoint that works for me. Being of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lasdun/america-as-a-setting-seems-inexhaustibly-fascinating-to-me-and-i/) [James Lasdun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lasdun/) > [There is something uncannily adaptive about anti-Semitism: the way it can hide, unsuspected, in the most progressive minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lasdun/there-is-something-uncannily-adaptive-about-anti-semitism-the-way-it/) [James Lasdun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lasdun/) > [“And then finally there was that sense of almost supernatural kinship that exists often between people who seem on the surface quite unalike but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lasdun/and-then-finally-there-was-that-sense-of-almost-supernatural-kinship/) [James Lasdun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lasdun/) > [Maybe I'm perverse, but the question of "rooting" for a character, or setting out to write a character for whom other people will root,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lasdun/maybe-i-m-perverse-but-the-question-of-rooting-for-a-character-or/) [James Lasdun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lasdun/) [Explore all 18 James Lasdun quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lasdun/) ## More Always quotes > [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/) [Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I have really good lateral movement. I've always had quick lateral movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/i-have-really-good-lateral-movement-i-ve-always-had-quick-lateral/) [Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [Bayern is always a team that can win the Champions League title in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lothar-matthaus/bayern-is-always-a-team-that-can-win-the-champions-league-title-in/) [Lothar Matthaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lothar-matthaus/) Browse all 36,048 Always quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't think I could, with a straight face, describe myself as a completely positive person, but I'm not overly negative, either. 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