Chapters Quote by Jane Austen
“I could not sit seriously down to write a serious Romance under any other motive than to save my life, & if it were indispensable for me to keep it up & never relax into laughing at myself or other people, I am sure I should be hung before I had finished the first chapter. No - I must keep my own style & go on in my own way; and though I may never succeed again in that, I am convinced that I should totally fail in any other.”
About This Quote
Source Letter: 1813 personal correspondence, Austen on writing motivation
Writing must be driven by personal necessity; compromising style leads to failure.
In simple terms: Write for personal reasons, not external pressure.
Key Takeaway
Stay true to your voice.
Themes
authenticity
motivation
integrity
Mood
reflective
determined
Type
literary
personal
When to use this quote
- starting a novel
- journal writing
- creative projects
Key Concepts
creative drive
self‑expression
literary purpose
Questions to Reflect On
- What motivates your creative work?
- How can you protect your style from compromise?
A Different Perspective
External expectations can stifle originality.
![“Everybody is taken in at some period or another. [...] In marriage especially. [...] There is not one in a hundred of either sex, who is not taken in when they marry. Look where I will, I see that it is so; and I feel that it must be so, when I consider that it is, of all transactions, the one in…” quote by Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/37a/jane-austen-39_marriage_everybody-is-taken-in-at-some-period-or_7175.jpg)
