--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Poets and novelists and playwrights make…" description: "\"Poets and novelists and playwrights make themselves, against terrible resistances, give over what the rest of us keep safely locked within our hearts.\"..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dff/janet-malcolm-10933_giving_poets-and-novelists-and-playwrights-make_2522073.png" --- # Poets and novelists and playwrights make themselves… ![“Poets and novelists and playwrights make themselves, against terrible resistances, give over what the rest of us keep safely locked within our hearts.” quote by Janet Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dff/janet-malcolm-10933_giving_poets-and-novelists-and-playwrights-make_2522073.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dff/janet-malcolm-10933_giving_poets-and-novelists-and-playwrights-make_2522073.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dff/janet-malcolm-10933_giving_poets-and-novelists-and-playwrights-make_2522073.png) > “Poets and novelists and playwrights make themselves, against terrible resistances, give over what the rest of us keep safely locked within our hearts.” [Janet Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-malcolm/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artists reveal hidden emotions despite resistance, sharing what most keep private. **In simple terms:** Artists expose private feelings. Key Takeaway Value artistic honesty. Themes art expression vulnerability Mood reflective intimate Type critical observational When to use this quote - reading poetry - attending theater - writing workshops Key Concepts psychology creative process Questions to Reflect On - What inner truths do artists reveal? - How does vulnerability affect art? A Different Perspective Not all creators are willing to share. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Novelists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novelists/) [Playwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playwright/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poets/) [Resistance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resistance/) ## Related quotes > [America may have great poets and novelists, but she never will have more than one necromancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-harding-davis/america-may-have-great-poets-and-novelists-but-she-never-will-have/) [Rebecca Harding Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-harding-davis/) > [Universities are filled with poets and novelists conducting demure and careful lives in imitation of Eliot and Forster and those others who (through what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/universities-are-filled-with-poets-and-novelists-conducting-demure/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Not everyone is capable of madness; and of those lucky enough to be capable, not many have the courage for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-strindberg/not-everyone-is-capable-of-madness-and-of-those-lucky-enough-to-be/) [August Strindberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-strindberg/) > [A playwright must be his own audience. A novelist may lose his readers for a few pages; a playwright never dares lose his audience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-rattigan/a-playwright-must-be-his-own-audience-a-novelist-may-lose-his-readers/) [Terence Rattigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-rattigan/) > [I became fascinated by the fact that people write to give away rather than write to be read. It's the difference between playwrights and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suchet/i-became-fascinated-by-the-fact-that-people-write-to-give-away-rather/) [David Suchet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suchet/) > [Every child has the capacity to be everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/every-child-has-the-capacity-to-be-everything/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [Today we can say that at last the director writes the film. The image--its plastic composition and the way it is set in time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-bazin/today-we-can-say-that-at-last-the-director-writes-the-film-the-image/) [Andre Bazin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-bazin/) > [When men abandon reason, physical force becomes their only means of dealing with one another and of settling disagreements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/when-men-abandon-reason-physical-force-becomes-their-only-means-of/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [I've been many kinds of writers in my career: novelist; tele-playwright; short story writer. As a high-school student, I wrote amateur pieces for fanzines,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-2/i-ve-been-many-kinds-of-writers-in-my-career-novelist-tele-playwright/) [George R. R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-2/) > [But here's the thing: what you do as a screenwriter is you sell your copyright. As a novelist, as a poet, as a playwright,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-henley/but-here-s-the-thing-what-you-do-as-a-screenwriter-is-you-sell-your/) [Beth Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-henley/) > [You simply cannot invent any conspiracy theory so ridiculous and obviously satirical that some people somewhere don't already believe it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/you-simply-cannot-invent-any-conspiracy-theory-so-ridiculous-and/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [Man is not himself only...He is all that he sees; all that flows to him from a thousand sources...He is the land, the lift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-hunter-austin/man-is-not-himself-only-he-is-all-that-he-sees-all-that-flows-to-him/) [Mary Hunter Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-hunter-austin/) > [All the reasons which made the initiation of physical force evil, make the retaliatory use of physical force a moral imperative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/all-the-reasons-which-made-the-initiation-of-physical-force-evil-make/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Life is only limited by our prejudices. Destroy them, and you cease to be at the mercy of yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mina-loy/life-is-only-limited-by-our-prejudices-destroy-them-and-you-cease-to/) [Mina Loy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mina-loy/) > [“The writing talent of Edinburgh is textured - we have poets, novelists, non-fiction writers, dramatists and more.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/the-writing-talent-of-edinburgh-is-textured-we-have-poets-novelists/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) ## More by Janet Malcolm > [The camera is simply not the supple and powerful instrument of description that the pen is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-malcolm/the-camera-is-simply-not-the-supple-and-powerful-instrument-of/) [Janet Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-malcolm/) > [“The writer ultimately tires of the subject's self-serving story, and substitutes a story of his own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-malcolm/the-writer-ultimately-tires-of-the-subject-s-self-serving-story-and/) [Janet Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-malcolm/) > [Society mediates between the extremes of, on the one hand, intolerably strict morality and, on the other, dangerously anarchic permissiveness through an unspoken agreement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-malcolm/society-mediates-between-the-extremes-of-on-the-one-hand-intolerably/) [Janet Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-malcolm/) > [Something seems to happen to people when they meet a journalist, and what happens is exactly the opposite of what one would expect. One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-malcolm/something-seems-to-happen-to-people-when-they-meet-a-journalist-and/) [Janet Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-malcolm/) > [The ‘I’ character in journalism is almost pure invention. Unlike the ‘I’ of autobiography, who is meant to be seen as a representation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-malcolm/the-i-character-in-journalism-is-almost-pure-invention-unlike-the-i/) [Janet Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-malcolm/) > [I don't want to manipulate actuality; I want to record it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-malcolm/i-don-t-want-to-manipulate-actuality-i-want-to-record-it/) [Janet Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-malcolm/) > [The journalistic 'I' is an overreliable narrator, a functionary to whom crucial tasks of narration and argument and tone have been entrusted, an ad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-malcolm/the-journalistic-i-is-an-overreliable-narrator-a-functionary-to-whom/) [Janet Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-malcolm/) > [“The subject of a piece of writing has not suffered the tension and anxiety endured by the subject of the "Eichmann experiment" (as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-malcolm/the-subject-of-a-piece-of-writing-has-not-suffered-the-tension-and/) [Janet Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-malcolm/) > [People talk in ungrammatical, unwriterly ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-malcolm/people-talk-in-ungrammatical-unwriterly-ways/) [Janet Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-malcolm/) > [This is what it is the business of the artist to do. Art is theft, art is armed robbery, art is not pleasing your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-malcolm/this-is-what-it-is-the-business-of-the-artist-to-do-art-is-theft-art/) [Janet Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-malcolm/) > [The journalist confines himself to the clean, gentlemanly work of exposing the griefs and shames of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-malcolm/the-journalist-confines-himself-to-the-clean-gentlemanly-work-of/) [Janet Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-malcolm/) > [The dominant and most deep-dyed trait of the journalist is his timorousness. Where the novelist fearlessly plunges into the water of self-exposure, the journalist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-malcolm/the-dominant-and-most-deep-dyed-trait-of-the-journalist-is-his/) [Janet Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-malcolm/) > [If I write a page a day, I feel very good about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-malcolm/if-i-write-a-page-a-day-i-feel-very-good-about-it/) [Janet Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-malcolm/) > [“Something seems to happen to people when they meet a journalist, and what happens is exactly the opposite of what one would expect. One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-malcolm/something-seems-to-happen-to-people-when-they-meet-a-journalist-and-2/) [Janet Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-malcolm/) > [You could say that any book that takes a position is not fair, unless you keep saying, 'On the one hand, on the other...'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-malcolm/you-could-say-that-any-book-that-takes-a-position-is-not-fair-unless/) [Janet Malcolm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-malcolm/) [Explore all 62 Janet Malcolm quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-malcolm/) ## More Giving quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Crony capitalism is essentially a condition in which... public officials are giving favours to people in the private sector in payment of political favours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/crony-capitalism-is-essentially-a-condition-in-which-public-officials/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [Some people give you that motivation to work harder simply to get the hell away from wherever they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/some-people-give-you-that-motivation-to-work-harder-simply-to-get-the/) [Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/) > [You've touched people and known it. You've touched people and never may know it. Either way, you have something to give. It is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-schlessinger/you-ve-touched-people-and-known-it-you-ve-touched-people-and-never/) [Laura Schlessinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-schlessinger/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I received a beautiful welcome to the world of music. I want to give something back to the younger generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luciano-pavarotti/i-received-a-beautiful-welcome-to-the-world-of-music-i-want-to-give/) [Luciano Pavarotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luciano-pavarotti/) > [Eternal Trinity... mystery deep as the sea, You could give me no greater gift than the gift of Yourself. For You are a fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/eternal-trinity-mystery-deep-as-the-sea-you-could-give-me-no-greater/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [Faith gives you a certain structure and meaning to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riffat-hassan/faith-gives-you-a-certain-structure-and-meaning-to-your-life/) Riffat Hassan > [Grandma, please. It’s okay. Dad’s doing a great job. I give him kudos for at least being calm and rational, and not losing his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/grandma-please-it-s-okay-dad-s-doing-a-great-job-i-give-him-kudos-for/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [Most paper money initially existed as a substitute for gold. That's what gave it value. But right now what gives a currency value is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/most-paper-money-initially-existed-as-a-substitute-for-gold-that-s/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [Give me strength to walk the soft earth, a relative to all that is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/black-elk/give-me-strength-to-walk-the-soft-earth-a-relative-to-all-that-is/) [Black Elk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/black-elk/) > [I don't think my relationship with the idea of womanhood is that attached to giving birth... like, I'm fully aware that I'll never give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-harrison/i-don-t-think-my-relationship-with-the-idea-of-womanhood-is-that/) [Patti Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-harrison/) [Browse all 39,303 Giving quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Poets and novelists and playwrights make themselves, against terrible resistances, give over what the rest of us keep safely locked within our hearts.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Janet Malcolm" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-malcolm/poets-and-novelists-and-playwrights-make-themselves-against-terrible/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Giving" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-malcolm/poets-and-novelists-and-playwrights-make-themselves-against-terrible/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dff/janet-malcolm-10933_giving_poets-and-novelists-and-playwrights-make_2522073.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dff/janet-malcolm-10933_giving_poets-and-novelists-and-playwrights-make_2522073.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dff/janet-malcolm-10933_giving_poets-and-novelists-and-playwrights-make_2522073.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Poets and novelists and playwrights make themselves, against terrible resistances, give over what the rest…” — Janet Malcolm", "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": "Janet Malcolm", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-malcolm/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Poets and novelists and playwrights make...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-malcolm/poets-and-novelists-and-playwrights-make-themselves-against-terrible/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-malcolm/poets-and-novelists-and-playwrights-make-themselves-against-terrible/#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 } } ] } ```