--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had no idea how complicated and…" description: "\"I had no idea how complicated and solitary it could be to write a simple book.\" — Jenny Lawson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/jenny-lawson-3391_book_i-had-no-idea-how-complicated-and-solita_2186034.png" --- # I had no idea how complicated and solitary it could be to… ![“I had no idea how complicated and solitary it could be to write a simple book.” quote by Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/jenny-lawson-3391_book_i-had-no-idea-how-complicated-and-solita_2186034.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/jenny-lawson-3391_book_i-had-no-idea-how-complicated-and-solita_2186034.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/jenny-lawson-3391_book_i-had-no-idea-how-complicated-and-solita_2186034.png) > “I had no idea how complicated and solitary it could be to write a simple book.” [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing a book can be deceptively complex and isolating despite its seemingly simple premise. **In simple terms:** Creating a book is harder and lonelier than it appears. Key Takeaway Prepare for unexpected challenges in writing. Themes creativity solitude process complexity Mood thoughtful determined Type advice reflective When to use this quote - author’s workflow - first‑time novelist - creative block Key Concepts writing discipline mental endurance Questions to Reflect On - What obstacles did the author face? - How can writers mitigate isolation? A Different Perspective Even simple projects can become overwhelming without support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Solitary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solitary/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Normally, with stand-up, it's quite solitary, you write the material on your own, you perform it on your own, it's all very much on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/normally-with-stand-up-it-s-quite-solitary-you-write-the-material-on/) [Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/) > [I guarantee there's people who watch television who have no idea how complicated it is to make a television show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-white/i-guarantee-there-s-people-who-watch-television-who-have-no-idea-how/) [Ron White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-white/) > [I am teaching you to live simply. To live with an idea is a very complicated living, it is cunning. To live simply, just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/i-am-teaching-you-to-live-simply-to-live-with-an-idea-is-a-very/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Mathematics is like love; a simple idea, but it can get complicated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/mathematics-is-like-love-a-simple-idea-but-it-can-get-complicated/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [At Wal-Mart, if you couldn't explain an idea or a concept in simple terms on one page of paper Sam Walton considered the new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bergdahl/at-wal-mart-if-you-couldn-t-explain-an-idea-or-a-concept-in-simple/) [Michael Bergdahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bergdahl/) > [Math is like love - a simple idea but it can get complicated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/math-is-like-love-a-simple-idea-but-it-can-get-complicated/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Genius writers write simple, Garbage writers write fancy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/genius-writers-write-simple-garbage-writers-write-fancy/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [Arriving at a simple piece of music is a very difficult balance because, in being simple, you could easily be banal, so maybe it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludovico-einaudi/arriving-at-a-simple-piece-of-music-is-a-very-difficult-balance/) [Ludovico Einaudi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludovico-einaudi/) > [I have always tried to write in a simple way, using down-to-earth and not abstract words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-simenon/i-have-always-tried-to-write-in-a-simple-way-using-down-to-earth-and/) [Georges Simenon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-simenon/) > [“Can I be blunt on this subject? 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You've got to catch it through details, like the early morning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-wilder/love-is-the-hardest-thing-in-the-world-to-write-about-so-simple-you/) [Billy Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-wilder/) > [I think people who create and write, it actually does flow-just flows from into their head, into their hand, and they write it down.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mccartney/i-think-people-who-create-and-write-it-actually-does-flow-just-flows/) [Paul McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mccartney/) > [You don't have to know anything about music to understand what I write. Mine are simple melodies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-warren/you-don-t-have-to-know-anything-about-music-to-understand-what-i/) Harry Warren ## More by Jenny Lawson > [the most terribly human moments - the ones we want to pretend never happened - are the very moments that make us who we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/the-most-terribly-human-moments-the-ones-we-want-to-pretend-never/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) > [“I MADE MY CATS A WATER BED OUT OF A ZIPLOC BAG AND A SHOEBOX. THEY POPPED IT WITH THEIR CLAWS AND THEY ALMOST…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/i-made-my-cats-a-water-bed-out-of-a-ziploc-bag-and-a-shoebox-they/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) > [“Everything in this book is mostly true but some details have been changed to protect the guilty. I know it’s usually about “protecting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/everything-in-this-book-is-mostly-true-but-some-details-have-been/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) > [Have you ever been homesick for someplace that doesn't actually exist anymore? Someplace that exists only in your mind?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/have-you-ever-been-homesick-for-someplace-that-doesn-t-actually-exist/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) > [“As far as I'm concerned, a house should look lived-in, and I consider it clean as long as I don't stick to it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/as-far-as-i-m-concerned-a-house-should-look-lived-in-and-i-consider/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) > [“Something wonderful about experiencing life with friendly strangers and stranger-friends who all fit in your pocket.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/something-wonderful-about-experiencing-life-with-friendly-strangers/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) > [“And while our families made their way to the church doorsteps to prepare to throw birdseed at us, we hid in the empty church…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/and-while-our-families-made-their-way-to-the-church-doorsteps-to/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) > [“There's a very mean girl down the hall who's trying to get me fired. I'm no good with confrontation, so whenever I say, "Have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/there-s-a-very-mean-girl-down-the-hall-who-s-trying-to-get-me-fired-i/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) > [“Then a man onstage quoted Sam Houston, saying, “Texas can make it without the United States, BUT THE UNITED STATES CANNOT MAKE IT WITHOUT…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/then-a-man-onstage-quoted-sam-houston-saying-texas-can-make-it/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) > [Some people we define as trolls are just critics. Sometimes they have a point. And I hear them. But for the ones who comment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/some-people-we-define-as-trolls-are-just-critics-sometimes-they-have/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) > [“By my tenth glass of wine I started to wonder whether there was something wrong with my palate. 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Because they're the ones who helped you put them there." And sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/a-friend-is-someone-who-knows-where-all-your-bodies-are-buried/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) [Explore all 132 Jenny Lawson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I had no idea how complicated and solitary it could be to write a simple book.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jenny Lawson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/i-had-no-idea-how-complicated-and-solitary-it-could-be-to-write-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/i-had-no-idea-how-complicated-and-solitary-it-could-be-to-write-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/jenny-lawson-3391_book_i-had-no-idea-how-complicated-and-solita_2186034.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/jenny-lawson-3391_book_i-had-no-idea-how-complicated-and-solita_2186034.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/jenny-lawson-3391_book_i-had-no-idea-how-complicated-and-solita_2186034.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I had no idea how complicated and solitary it could be to write a simple book.” — Jenny Lawson", "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": "Jenny Lawson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I had no idea how complicated...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/i-had-no-idea-how-complicated-and-solitary-it-could-be-to-write-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/i-had-no-idea-how-complicated-and-solitary-it-could-be-to-write-a/#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 } } ] } ```