--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A writer must refuse to allow himself to…" description: "\"A writer must refuse to allow himself to be transformed into an institution.\" — Jean-Paul Sartre" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/753/jean-paul-sartre-220_humility_a-writer-must-refuse-to-allow-himself-to_3209992.png" --- # A writer must refuse to allow himself to be transformed… ![“A writer must refuse to allow himself to be transformed into an institution.” quote by Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/753/jean-paul-sartre-220_humility_a-writer-must-refuse-to-allow-himself-to_3209992.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/753/jean-paul-sartre-220_humility_a-writer-must-refuse-to-allow-himself-to_3209992.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/753/jean-paul-sartre-220_humility_a-writer-must-refuse-to-allow-himself-to_3209992.png) > “A writer must refuse to allow himself to be transformed into an institution.” [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. One must resist becoming a rigid institution that stifles individuality. **In simple terms:** Avoid losing self to systems. Key Takeaway Preserve personal freedom. Themes individuality freedom institutionalism Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career - education - political activism Key Concepts existentialism political theory Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance personal autonomy with collective responsibility? - When is conformity necessary? A Different Perspective Institutions can provide stability and support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Humility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humility/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [A writer must refuse to allow himself to be transformed into an institution, even if it takes place in the most honorable form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/a-writer-must-refuse-to-allow-himself-to-be-transformed-into-an/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [It is not the same thing if I sign Jean-Paul Sartre or if I sign Jean-Paul Sartre, Nobel Prize winner. A writer must refuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/it-is-not-the-same-thing-if-i-sign-jean-paul-sartre-or-if-i-sign-jean/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [I am often mad, but I would hate to be nothing but mad: and I think I would lose what little value I may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white/i-am-often-mad-but-i-would-hate-to-be-nothing-but-mad-and-i-think-i/) [E. B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white/) > [By this point, it was clear she wasn't interested in continuing the relationship. What publication on earth would continue a relationship with a writer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-goldberg/by-this-point-it-was-clear-she-wasn-t-interested-in-continuing-the/) [Jonah Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-goldberg/) > [I refuse to allow people to stop me from living and enjoying my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-gettinger/i-refuse-to-allow-people-to-stop-me-from-living-and-enjoying-my-life/) [Ruby Gettinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-gettinger/) > [“I refuse to allow you, Beadle though you are, to turn me off the grass”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/i-refuse-to-allow-you-beadle-though-you-are-to-turn-me-off-the-grass/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [Often we combat our evil thoughts most effectively if we absolutely refuse to allow them to be expressed in words..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/often-we-combat-our-evil-thoughts-most-effectively-if-we-absolutely/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [I refuse to allow prejudice to defeat me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dionne-warwick/i-refuse-to-allow-prejudice-to-defeat-me/) [Dionne Warwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dionne-warwick/) > [“Don't you dare cry. If you do, then I shall, and I refuse to allow it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-ryan/don-t-you-dare-cry-if-you-do-then-i-shall-and-i-refuse-to-allow-it/) [Patricia Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-ryan/) > [I refuse to allow the excuses in my mind to grow into giants that keep me from living up to my full potential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-king/i-refuse-to-allow-the-excuses-in-my-mind-to-grow-into-giants-that/) [Shaun King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-king/) > [“Literature is open to everybody. I refuse to allow you, Beadle though you are, to turn me off the grass. Lock up your libraries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/literature-is-open-to-everybody-i-refuse-to-allow-you-beadle-though/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [I refuse to allow any man-made differences to separate me from any other human beings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-refuse-to-allow-any-man-made-differences-to-separate-me-from-any/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Tell me that you refuse to allow me to be so stupid. Tell me that you will not tolerate this relationship being over just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-north/tell-me-that-you-refuse-to-allow-me-to-be-so-stupid-tell-me-that-you/) [Freya North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-north/) > [“It takes valor to identify your breaking points and refuse to allow people/circumstances use them to force you say/do things you don’t believe .”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assegid-habtewold/it-takes-valor-to-identify-your-breaking-points-and-refuse-to-allow/) [Assegid Habtewold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assegid-habtewold/) > [I refuse to allow President Trump and Republicans to take away our right to quality, affordable healthcare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-northam/i-refuse-to-allow-president-trump-and-republicans-to-take-away-our/) [Ralph Northam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-northam/) ## More by Jean-Paul Sartre > [There is no human nature, since there is no god to conceive it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/there-is-no-human-nature-since-there-is-no-god-to-conceive-it/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“All these creatures spend their time explaining, realizing happily that they agree with each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/all-these-creatures-spend-their-time-explaining-realizing-happily/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“she has suddenly emptied herself of me, and all other consciousness in the world has also emptied itself of me. It seems funny. Yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/she-has-suddenly-emptied-herself-of-me-and-all-other-consciousness-in/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [ \[Stéphane Mallarmé\] theory of the hermetic is a mistake, but he can be only difficult to read when he has difficult things to say. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/st-phane-mallarm-theory-of-the-hermetic-is-a-mistake-but-he-can-be/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [I can always choose, but I ought to know that if I do not choose, I am still choosing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/i-can-always-choose-but-i-ought-to-know-that-if-i-do-not-choose-i-am/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [When the rich wage war, it's the poor who die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/when-the-rich-wage-war-it-s-the-poor-who-die/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“She smiled. First I lost the memory of her eyes, then the memory of her long body. I kept her smile as long as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/she-smiled-first-i-lost-the-memory-of-her-eyes-then-the-memory-of-her/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [Life is a useless passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/life-is-a-useless-passion/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [The more one is absorbed in fighting evil, the less one is tempted to place the good in question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/the-more-one-is-absorbed-in-fighting-evil-the-less-one-is-tempted-to/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [This is what I thought: for the most banal even to become an adventure, you must (and this is enough) begin to recount it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/this-is-what-i-thought-for-the-most-banal-even-to-become-an-adventure/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“I am free: there is absolutely no more reason for living, all the ones I have tried have given way and I can’t imagine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/i-am-free-there-is-absolutely-no-more-reason-for-living-all-the-ones/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“If I am not mistaken, if all the signs which have been amassed are precursors of a new overthrow in my life, well then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/if-i-am-not-mistaken-if-all-the-signs-which-have-been-amassed-are/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“I want to leave, go to some place where I will be really in my own niche, where I will fit in. . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/i-want-to-leave-go-to-some-place-where-i-will-be-really-in-my-own/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [...Uncalled-for aggression arouses the hatred of the civilian population...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/uncalled-for-aggression-arouses-the-hatred-of-the-civilian-population/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [The best work is not what is most difficult for you; it is what you do best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/the-best-work-is-not-what-is-most-difficult-for-you-it-is-what-you-do/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) [Explore all 728 Jean-Paul Sartre quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) ## More Humility quotes > [You just have to stay humble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-jackson/you-just-have-to-stay-humble/) [Lamar Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-jackson/) > [Everyone will admire you when you do well. What a horrible thing to do to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everyone-will-admire-you-when-you-do-well-what-a-horrible-thing-to-do/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [It's a great lesson in modesty that you realize you're illiterate in a field that you think you're an expert in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-wenders/it-s-a-great-lesson-in-modesty-that-you-realize-you-re-illiterate-in/) [Wim Wenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wim-wenders/) > [The more holy, the more humble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/the-more-holy-the-more-humble/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [“Prayer of an Anonymous Abbess: Lord, thou knowest better than myself that I am growing older and will soon be old. Keep me from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/prayer-of-an-anonymous-abbess-lord-thou-knowest-better-than-myself/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“But, like all indulgences that are valued not just for their product but for their process, the sento will never entirely disappear. For in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/but-like-all-indulgences-that-are-valued-not-just-for-their-product/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [“Humility and Trustworthiness are not rooted only in Presentation, Voice modulation or Nice Jorgan but in Actions and Intentions that speak louder than you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/venkat-gandhi/humility-and-trustworthiness-are-not-rooted-only-in-presentation/) [Venkat Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/venkat-gandhi/) > [I think being vulnerable paves the way for humility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sadowski/i-think-being-vulnerable-paves-the-way-for-humility/) [Jonathan Sadowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sadowski/) > [I need to look like an idiot at least twice a day to keep myself humble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/i-need-to-look-like-an-idiot-at-least-twice-a-day-to-keep-myself/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [“I am waiting for the meek to be blessed and inherit the earth... without taxes”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-ferlinghetti/i-am-waiting-for-the-meek-to-be-blessed-and-inherit-the-earth-without/) [Lawrence Ferlinghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-ferlinghetti/) > [Rukmini Devi was an icon for all the Bharat Natyam students at Kalakshetra. I grew up watching her at dance school and I associate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/rukmini-devi-was-an-icon-for-all-the-bharat-natyam-students-at/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [“Oh where is the noble face of modesty, or the strength of virtue, now that blasphemy is in power and men have put justice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/oh-where-is-the-noble-face-of-modesty-or-the-strength-of-virtue-now/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [Modesty is the gentle art of enhancing your charm by pretending not to be aware of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-herford/modesty-is-the-gentle-art-of-enhancing-your-charm-by-pretending-not/) [Oliver Herford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-herford/) > [How arrogant - how very far from humility - would be the self-satisfied, smug assurance that God, a tidy-up-after-us God will come and clean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/how-arrogant-how-very-far-from-humility-would-be-the-self-satisfied/) [Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/) > [To be part of the creation, I must act humbly. I'll take that over a goddess any day!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-o-hara/to-be-part-of-the-creation-i-must-act-humbly-i-ll-take-that-over-a/) [Maureen O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-o-hara/) [Browse all 4,759 Humility quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humility/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A writer must refuse to allow himself to be transformed into an institution.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jean-Paul Sartre" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/a-writer-must-refuse-to-allow-himself-to-be-transformed-into-an-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Humility" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/a-writer-must-refuse-to-allow-himself-to-be-transformed-into-an-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/753/jean-paul-sartre-220_humility_a-writer-must-refuse-to-allow-himself-to_3209992.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/753/jean-paul-sartre-220_humility_a-writer-must-refuse-to-allow-himself-to_3209992.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/753/jean-paul-sartre-220_humility_a-writer-must-refuse-to-allow-himself-to_3209992.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A writer must refuse to allow himself to be transformed into an institution.” — Jean-Paul Sartre", "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-Paul Sartre", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A writer must refuse to allow...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/a-writer-must-refuse-to-allow-himself-to-be-transformed-into-an-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/a-writer-must-refuse-to-allow-himself-to-be-transformed-into-an-2/#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 } } ] } ```