--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A good author, and one who writes…" description: "\"A good author, and one who writes carefully, often discovers that the expression of which he has been in search without being able to discover it, and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f54/jean-de-la-bruyere-575_able_a-good-author-and-one-who-writes-careful_1720420.png" --- # A good author, and one who writes carefully, often… ![“A good author, and one who writes carefully, often discovers that the expression of which he has been in search without being able to discover it, and which he has at last found, is that which was the most simple, the most natural, and which seems as if it ought to have presented itself at once…” quote by Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f54/jean-de-la-bruyere-575_able_a-good-author-and-one-who-writes-careful_1720420.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f54/jean-de-la-bruyere-575_able_a-good-author-and-one-who-writes-careful_1720420.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f54/jean-de-la-bruyere-575_able_a-good-author-and-one-who-writes-careful_1720420.png) > “A good author, and one who writes carefully, often discovers that the expression of which he has been in search without being able to discover it, and which he has at last found, is that which was the most simple, the most natural, and which seems as if it ought to have presented itself at once, without effort, to the mind.” [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A careful writer eventually discovers that the simplest, most natural expression of an idea appears effortlessly to the mind. **In simple terms:** Simplicity emerges from deep understanding. Key Takeaway Seek natural, effortless expression. Themes writing creativity clarity Mood inspirational thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - novel writing - poetry - teaching writing - self‑reflection Key Concepts philosophy of language artistic intuition Questions to Reflect On - How do you know when an idea is fully formed? - What practices foster effortless insight? A Different Perspective Simplicity may be elusive without patience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Carefully Discovers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carefully-discovers-1332919/) [Discovers Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovers-expression-1332920/) [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Effort Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort-mind-1332921/) [Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [Good Author](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-author-378565/) [Good authors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-authors/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural/) [Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Simple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writes Carefully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writes-carefully-1332918/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [The good author is he who contemplates without marked joy or excessive sorrow the adventures of his soul amongst criticisms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-good-author-is-he-who-contemplates-without-marked-joy-or/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [You don't expect me to know what to say about a play when I don't know who the author is, do you? . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/you-don-t-expect-me-to-know-what-to-say-about-a-play-when-i-don-t/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [What I like in a good author is not what he says but what he whispers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/logan-pearsall-smith/what-i-like-in-a-good-author-is-not-what-he-says-but-what-he-whispers/) [Logan Pearsall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/logan-pearsall-smith/) > [I think it's always good for the author to stay a good cattle prod's distance from the actual moviemaking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hiaasen/i-think-it-s-always-good-for-the-author-to-stay-a-good-cattle-prod-s/) [Carl Hiaasen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hiaasen/) > [People know that I am a very good author. 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Yoga is about learning to pay attention. That's what drives transformation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-bender-birch/practice-means-making-an-effort-to-keep-your-mind-steady-yoga-is/) [Beryl Bender Birch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-bender-birch/) > [The balance and peace we seek for ourselves and our society won't be achieved through mental effort alone. Mind and spirit are meant to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-l-taylor/the-balance-and-peace-we-seek-for-ourselves-and-our-society-won-t-be/) [Susan L. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-l-taylor/) > [It takes a constant effort of mind to avoid the abundance that life offers naturally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-wilde/it-takes-a-constant-effort-of-mind-to-avoid-the-abundance-that-life/) [Stuart Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-wilde/) > [“Don't give in to doubt. Never be discouraged if your first draft isn't what you thought it would be. 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In many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/all-attempts-at-gaining-literary-polish-must-begin-with-judicious/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) ## More by Jean de la Bruyere > [I cannot forbid a person to marry several wives, for it does not contradict Scripture. MARTIN LUTHER, letter to Chancellor Gregory Brück, January 13,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/i-cannot-forbid-a-person-to-marry-several-wives-for-it-does-not/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [The unfaithful woman, if she is known for such by the person concerned, is only unfaithful. If she is thought faithful, she is perfidious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/the-unfaithful-woman-if-she-is-known-for-such-by-the-person-concerned/) [Jean De La Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [What greater weakness can there be than not to know what is the source of one's being, of one's life, of one's senses, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/what-greater-weakness-can-there-be-than-not-to-know-what-is-the/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [Some people pretend they never were in love and never wrote poetry; two weaknesses which they dare not own -- one of the heart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/some-people-pretend-they-never-were-in-love-and-never-wrote-poetry/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [How much wit, good-nature, indulgences, how many good offices and civilities, are required among friends to accomplish in some years what a lovely face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/how-much-wit-good-nature-indulgences-how-many-good-offices-and/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [A man starts upon a sudden, takes Pen, Ink, and Paper, and without ever having had a thought of it before, resolves within himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/a-man-starts-upon-a-sudden-takes-pen-ink-and-paper-and-without-ever/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [Born merely for the purpose of digestion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/born-merely-for-the-purpose-of-digestion/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [A man of variable mind is not one man, but several men in one; he multiplies himself as often as he changes his taste…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/a-man-of-variable-mind-is-not-one-man-but-several-men-in-one-he/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [He who knows how to wait for what he desires does not feel very desperate if he fails in obtaining it; and he, on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/he-who-knows-how-to-wait-for-what-he-desires-does-not-feel-very/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [The court is like a palace built of marble; I mean that it is made up of very hard but very polished people. \[Fr.,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/the-court-is-like-a-palace-built-of-marble-i-mean-that-it-is-made-up/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [Grief that is dazed and speechless is out of fashion: the modern woman mourns her husband loudly and tells you the whole story of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/grief-that-is-dazed-and-speechless-is-out-of-fashion-the-modern-woman/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [Every hour in itself, as it respects us in particular, is the only one we can call our own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/every-hour-in-itself-as-it-respects-us-in-particular-is-the-only-one/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [To express truth is to write naturally, forcibly, and delicately.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/to-express-truth-is-to-write-naturally-forcibly-and-delicately/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [We perceive wen love begins and wen it declines by our embarrassment when alone together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/we-perceive-wen-love-begins-and-wen-it-declines-by-our-embarrassment/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [I call those men worldly, earthly, or coarse, whose hearts and minds are wholly fixed on this earth, that small part of the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/i-call-those-men-worldly-earthly-or-coarse-whose-hearts-and-minds-are/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) [Explore all 464 Jean de la Bruyere quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) [Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/) > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) [Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A good author, and one who writes carefully, often discovers that the expression of which he has been in search without being able to discover it, and which he has at last found, is that which was the most simple, the most natural, and which seems as if it ought to have presented itself at once, without effort, to the mind.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jean de la Bruyere" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/a-good-author-and-one-who-writes-carefully-often-discovers-that-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Able" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/a-good-author-and-one-who-writes-carefully-often-discovers-that-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f54/jean-de-la-bruyere-575_able_a-good-author-and-one-who-writes-careful_1720420.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f54/jean-de-la-bruyere-575_able_a-good-author-and-one-who-writes-careful_1720420.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f54/jean-de-la-bruyere-575_able_a-good-author-and-one-who-writes-careful_1720420.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A good author, and one who writes carefully, often discovers that the expression of which he has been in…” — Jean de la Bruyere", "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": "Jean de la Bruyere", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A good author, and one who...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/a-good-author-and-one-who-writes-carefully-often-discovers-that-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/a-good-author-and-one-who-writes-carefully-often-discovers-that-the/#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 } } ] } ```