--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't think that writers have any…" description: "\"I don't think that writers have any responsibility to be good neighbors to the audience.\" — Jez Butterworth" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/029/jez-butterworth-32626_any_i-don-t-think-that-writers-have-any-resp_768736.jpg" --- # I don't think that writers have any responsibility to be… ![“I don't think that writers have any responsibility to be good neighbors to the audience.” quote by Jez Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/029/jez-butterworth-32626_any_i-don-t-think-that-writers-have-any-resp_768736.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/029/jez-butterworth-32626_any_i-don-t-think-that-writers-have-any-resp_768736.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/029/jez-butterworth-32626_any_i-don-t-think-that-writers-have-any-resp_768736.jpg) > “I don't think that writers have any responsibility to be good neighbors to the audience.” [Jez Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jez-butterworth/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writers are not obligated to be morally exemplary to their audience; their primary duty is to create art, not to serve as role models. **In simple terms:** Writers need not be good neighbors to readers. Key Takeaway Focus on artistic integrity over moral expectations. Themes art responsibility audience Mood critical thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - creative writing - publishing - public criticism Key Concepts aesthetics ethical debate Questions to Reflect On - Should artists consider the social effects of their work? - How does audience expectation shape creative freedom? A Different Perspective Audiences may feel abandoned if writers ignore social impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Any](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/any/) [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Good Neighbors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-neighbors/) [Neighbors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighbors/) [Neighbors Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighbors-audience-5946250/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Think Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-writers/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers/) [Writers Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers-responsibility-2189806/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Placing on writers the responsibility to represent a culture is an onerous burden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/placing-on-writers-the-responsibility-to-represent-a-culture-is-an/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [I think, as writers, our first responsibility is to writing an honest story. Tell the story you want to tell, without pulling your punches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-coady/i-think-as-writers-our-first-responsibility-is-to-writing-an-honest/) [Lynn Coady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-coady/) > [All will concede that in order to have good neighbors, we must also be good neighbors. That applies in every field of human endeavor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/all-will-concede-that-in-order-to-have-good-neighbors-we-must-also-be/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [“He will not go behind his father's saying, And he likes having thought of it so well He says again, "Good fences make good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/he-will-not-go-behind-his-father-s-saying-and-he-likes-having-thought/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [Good fences make good neighbors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/good-fences-make-good-neighbors/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [If nowhere else, in the relation between Church and State, "good fences make good neighbors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-frankfurter/if-nowhere-else-in-the-relation-between-church-and-state-good-fences/) [Felix Frankfurter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-frankfurter/) > [Life in the mid-21st century is going to be about living locally. Be prepared to be good neighbors. Be prepared to find vocations that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howard-kunstler/life-in-the-mid-21st-century-is-going-to-be-about-living-locally-be/) [James Howard Kunstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howard-kunstler/) > [And good neighbors make a huge difference in the quality of life. I agree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fulghum/and-good-neighbors-make-a-huge-difference-in-the-quality-of-life-i/) [Robert Fulghum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fulghum/) > [There are some issues where we have common interests with Germany, there are some others that we don't... The diplomacy between good neighbors doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-duda/there-are-some-issues-where-we-have-common-interests-with-germany/) [Andrzej Duda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-duda/) > [I think some writers should wait for something to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-orner/i-think-some-writers-should-wait-for-something-to-say/) [Peter Orner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-orner/) > [I don’t think writers compete, I think they’re all doing separate things in their own style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/i-don-t-think-writers-compete-i-think-they-re-all-doing-separate/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [I think writers are the most narcissistic people. Well, I musn't say this, I like many of them, a great many of my friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/i-think-writers-are-the-most-narcissistic-people-well-i-musn-t-say/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [“You're lucky to have within your grasp something that everyone envies. You can't act as though that didn't exist, as though it wasn't part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delphine-de-vigan/you-re-lucky-to-have-within-your-grasp-something-that-everyone-envies/) [Delphine de Vigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delphine-de-vigan/) > [We aren't suggesting that mental instability or unhappiness makes one a better poet, or a poet at all; and contrary to the romantic notion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorianne-laux/we-aren-t-suggesting-that-mental-instability-or-unhappiness-makes-one/) [Dorianne Laux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorianne-laux/) > [I think that if writers don't speak about real life, it's because they don't know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/i-think-that-if-writers-don-t-speak-about-real-life-it-s-because-they/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) ## More by Jez Butterworth > [Writing for 'Rooster' was a strange experience. It's funny, once you tap into a voice, words just start to flow. You know when you've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jez-butterworth/writing-for-rooster-was-a-strange-experience-it-s-funny-once-you-tap/) [Jez Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jez-butterworth/) > [When you have kids, you can choose to make them like you, or become like them, and if you've got something that's going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jez-butterworth/when-you-have-kids-you-can-choose-to-make-them-like-you-or-become/) [Jez Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jez-butterworth/) > [Looking back, I spent a lot of time sitting in pubs when I should have been perfecting my playwriting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jez-butterworth/looking-back-i-spent-a-lot-of-time-sitting-in-pubs-when-i-should-have/) [Jez Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jez-butterworth/) > [“I, Rooster John Byron, hereby place a curse Upon the Kennet and Avon Council, May they wander the land for ever, Never sleep twice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jez-butterworth/i-rooster-john-byron-hereby-place-a-curse-upon-the-kennet-and-avon/) [Jez Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jez-butterworth/) > [I grew up in a household that was very left wing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jez-butterworth/i-grew-up-in-a-household-that-was-very-left-wing/) [Jez Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jez-butterworth/) > [A lifetime’s work, to try and say one thing that’s true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jez-butterworth/a-lifetime-s-work-to-try-and-say-one-thing-that-s-true/) [Jez Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jez-butterworth/) > [If you can write a character who is attractive but morally reprehensible, then you've got a character. It's got to feel like people I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jez-butterworth/if-you-can-write-a-character-who-is-attractive-but-morally/) [Jez Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jez-butterworth/) > [I'm English and love England. Whenever I'm there, I'm always seeing the present but feeling its past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jez-butterworth/i-m-english-and-love-england-whenever-i-m-there-i-m-always-seeing-the/) [Jez Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jez-butterworth/) > [I do notice that I spend a lot of all my time steeped in different forms of myth, such as English folk music, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jez-butterworth/i-do-notice-that-i-spend-a-lot-of-all-my-time-steeped-in-different/) [Jez Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jez-butterworth/) > [My father got a trade union scholarship to Oxford; he lived and breathed politics; he was always watching current-affairs programmes. But I have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jez-butterworth/my-father-got-a-trade-union-scholarship-to-oxford-he-lived-and/) [Jez Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jez-butterworth/) > [I love Stewart Lee's 'Comedy Vehicle' on BBC2. The guy is a genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jez-butterworth/i-love-stewart-lee-s-comedy-vehicle-on-bbc2-the-guy-is-a-genius/) [Jez Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jez-butterworth/) > [I actually have blissfully romantic views of marriage, because that has been my experience of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jez-butterworth/i-actually-have-blissfully-romantic-views-of-marriage-because-that/) [Jez Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jez-butterworth/) > [“I may bring other women here, to this place, and I may tell them I love them, and make love to them. But they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jez-butterworth/i-may-bring-other-women-here-to-this-place-and-i-may-tell-them-i-love/) [Jez Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jez-butterworth/) > [I understood very little about the significance of the Tony before, but I've learned that it makes a huge significance to whether or not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jez-butterworth/i-understood-very-little-about-the-significance-of-the-tony-before/) [Jez Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jez-butterworth/) [Explore all 15 Jez Butterworth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jez-butterworth/) ## More Any quotes > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. 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And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [A lot of people have been saying 'The 100' reminds them of 'Lord Of The Flies,' 'Lost' and 'Battlestar Galactica,' and all of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-avgeropoulos/a-lot-of-people-have-been-saying-the-100-reminds-them-of-lord-of-the/) [Marie Avgeropoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-avgeropoulos/) > [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [We were so poor as kids. I didn't even see a bathtub, running water, hot water, commode - we didn't have any of that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/we-were-so-poor-as-kids-i-didn-t-even-see-a-bathtub-running-water-hot/) [Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/) > [We earned any fans with the way we play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-white/we-earned-any-fans-with-the-way-we-play/) [Jimmy White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-white/) > [Hard work and a good education will take you further than any government program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-schock/hard-work-and-a-good-education-will-take-you-further-than-any/) [Aaron Schock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-schock/) > [Anyone who's read my 'Terror in the Skies' series knows that I have not been writing with an eye toward approval from any government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/anyone-who-s-read-my-terror-in-the-skies-series-knows-that-i-have-not/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [The system in Germany is different, as you sign up with a company for two or three years, and you work exclusively with them;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wlaschiha/the-system-in-germany-is-different-as-you-sign-up-with-a-company-for/) [Tom Wlaschiha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wlaschiha/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [I haven't shut any doors, and I'm really open to anything, so I think it's just about the material and what is going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-panabaker/i-haven-t-shut-any-doors-and-i-m-really-open-to-anything-so-i-think/) [Danielle Panabaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-panabaker/) > [I never want to look back on any moment and say I could have done more. 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