--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I always just wanted to be a writer, not…" description: "\"I always just wanted to be a writer, not necessarily a particular kind of writer.\" — Jill Lepore" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b9/jill-lepore-4886_always_i-always-just-wanted-to-be-a-writer-not_998508.png" --- # I always just wanted to be a writer, not necessarily a… ![“I always just wanted to be a writer, not necessarily a particular kind of writer.” quote by Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b9/jill-lepore-4886_always_i-always-just-wanted-to-be-a-writer-not_998508.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b9/jill-lepore-4886_always_i-always-just-wanted-to-be-a-writer-not_998508.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b9/jill-lepore-4886_always_i-always-just-wanted-to-be-a-writer-not_998508.png) > “I always just wanted to be a writer, not necessarily a particular kind of writer.” [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing is a calling, not limited to a specific genre or style. **In simple terms:** Anyone can write, regardless of type. Key Takeaway Embrace writing without self‑imposed labels. Themes creativity identity career Mood reflective inspirational Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - career decisions - writing practice - genre exploration Key Concepts literature self‑discovery Questions to Reflect On - What defines a writer’s identity? - Can you be a writer without a niche? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Always](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always/) [Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just/) [Just Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-wanted/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Kind Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind-writer-1038060/) [Necessarily](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/necessarily/) [Necessarily Particular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/necessarily-particular-2092264/) [Particular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/particular/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) [Wanted Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted-writer/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writer Necessarily](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-necessarily-2092263/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I looked back at some high school journals and discovered that I definitely wanted to be a writer, but not necessarily comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-silverman/i-looked-back-at-some-high-school-journals-and-discovered-that-i/) [Allison Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-silverman/) > [It would be a fallacy to deduce that the slow writer necessarily comes up with superior work. There seems to be scant relationshipbetween prolificness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-hurst/it-would-be-a-fallacy-to-deduce-that-the-slow-writer-necessarily/) [Fannie Hurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-hurst/) > [“What kind of writer are you?” You can’t think of a single sentence that would satisfy Hyong-chol. Your”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyung-sook-shin/what-kind-of-writer-are-you-you-can-t-think-of-a-single-sentence-that/) [Kyung-Sook Shin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyung-sook-shin/) > [I'm the kind of writer that, once I get into writing mode in my brain, I'm non-stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-prass/i-m-the-kind-of-writer-that-once-i-get-into-writing-mode-in-my-brain/) [Natalie Prass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-prass/) > [I always wanted to be some kind of writer - I wrote plays and songs and "books" before I realized living and breathing people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-duhamel/i-always-wanted-to-be-some-kind-of-writer-i-wrote-plays-and-songs-and/) [Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) > [Falconer's grasp of period and places is almost flawless ... He's my kind of writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-corris/falconer-s-grasp-of-period-and-places-is-almost-flawless-he-s-my-kind/) [Peter Corris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-corris/) > [I'm an escapist kind of writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maeve-binchy/i-m-an-escapist-kind-of-writer/) [Maeve Binchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maeve-binchy/) > [ I heard someone say he \[Carl Sandburg\] was the kind of writer who had everything to gain and nothing to lose by being translated… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/i-heard-someone-say-he-carl-sandburg-was-the-kind-of-writer-who-had/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [I'm a good scholar when it comes to reading but a blotting kind of writer when you give me a pen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-millington-synge/i-m-a-good-scholar-when-it-comes-to-reading-but-a-blotting-kind-of/) [John Millington Synge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-millington-synge/) > [I am the kind of writer that people think other people are reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul/i-am-the-kind-of-writer-that-people-think-other-people-are-reading/) [V. S. Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul/) > [There's one good kind of writer - a dead one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-farrell/there-s-one-good-kind-of-writer-a-dead-one/) [James T. Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-t-farrell/) > [She's a writer. The kind of writer who wouldn't be published outside. She believes that when one deals with words, one deals with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-s-a-writer-the-kind-of-writer-who-wouldn-t-be-published-outside/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Sometimes what I'm looking for is the thing that will help renew people's interest in a writer that they may have written off as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/sometimes-what-i-m-looking-for-is-the-thing-that-will-help-renew/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [When I read 'Greenberg,' I had a really strong sense if I could be any kind of writer I wanted to be, I'd be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/when-i-read-greenberg-i-had-a-really-strong-sense-if-i-could-be-any/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [I think, because of the kind of writer I am, I can't do it halfway. I can't do it without dedicating my entire life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gauthier/i-think-because-of-the-kind-of-writer-i-am-i-can-t-do-it-halfway-i/) [Mary Gauthier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gauthier/) ## More by Jill Lepore > [Weirdly, there have been a lot of critics of conservatism, but very few critics of innovation. As a culture, we are deeply paranoid about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/weirdly-there-have-been-a-lot-of-critics-of-conservatism-but-very-few/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [History is only written from what remains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/history-is-only-written-from-what-remains/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [The study of history requires investigation, imagination, empathy, and respect. Reverence just doesn't enter into it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/the-study-of-history-requires-investigation-imagination-empathy-and/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [Well-reported news is a public good; bad news is bad for everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/well-reported-news-is-a-public-good-bad-news-is-bad-for-everyone/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [The very first television ad targeted to women was produced by the Eisenhower-Nixon campaign in 1956. It includes footage of a woman supervising her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/the-very-first-television-ad-targeted-to-women-was-produced-by-the/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [Republicans were more pro-choice than Democrats up until the late 1980s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/republicans-were-more-pro-choice-than-democrats-up-until-the-late/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [It feels silly to watch endless hours of winter sports every four years, when we never watch them any other time, and we don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/it-feels-silly-to-watch-endless-hours-of-winter-sports-every-four/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [Historians once assumed that when childhood mortality was high, people must not have loved their children very much; it would have been too painful.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/historians-once-assumed-that-when-childhood-mortality-was-high-people/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [When carrying a concealed weapon for self-defense is understood NOT as a failure of civil society, to be mourned, but as an act of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/when-carrying-a-concealed-weapon-for-self-defense-is-understood-not/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > ['Doctor Who' is, unavoidably, a product of mid-twentieth-century debates about Britain's role in the world as its empire unravelled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/doctor-who-is-unavoidably-a-product-of-mid-twentieth-century-debates/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [“Still, it strikes me that, taken together, they do make an argument, and it is this: the rise of American democracy is bound up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/still-it-strikes-me-that-taken-together-they-do-make-an-argument-and/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [One day, I was playing 'The Game of Life,' the board game, with a mess of kids, and I wasn't quite sure how, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/one-day-i-was-playing-the-game-of-life-the-board-game-with-a-mess-of/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [Mainly, the more faddish and newer stages of life are really just marketing schemes. Tweenhood. The young old. The quarter-life crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/mainly-the-more-faddish-and-newer-stages-of-life-are-really-just/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [“Politics is a story about the relationship between the past and the future; history is a story about the relationship between the past and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/politics-is-a-story-about-the-relationship-between-the-past-and-the/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [Not long before my mother died, I found a long-lost portrait of Jane Franklin's granddaughter, Jane Flagg, aged nine - oil on canvas -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/not-long-before-my-mother-died-i-found-a-long-lost-portrait-of-jane/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) [Explore all 105 Jill Lepore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) ## More Always quotes > [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/) [Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I have really good lateral movement. I've always had quick lateral movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/i-have-really-good-lateral-movement-i-ve-always-had-quick-lateral/) [Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [Bayern is always a team that can win the Champions League title in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lothar-matthaus/bayern-is-always-a-team-that-can-win-the-champions-league-title-in/) [Lothar Matthaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lothar-matthaus/) [Browse all 36,048 Always quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I always just wanted to be a writer, not necessarily a particular kind of writer.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jill Lepore" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/i-always-just-wanted-to-be-a-writer-not-necessarily-a-particular-kind/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Always" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/i-always-just-wanted-to-be-a-writer-not-necessarily-a-particular-kind/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b9/jill-lepore-4886_always_i-always-just-wanted-to-be-a-writer-not_998508.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b9/jill-lepore-4886_always_i-always-just-wanted-to-be-a-writer-not_998508.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b9/jill-lepore-4886_always_i-always-just-wanted-to-be-a-writer-not_998508.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I always just wanted to be a writer, not necessarily a particular kind of writer.” — Jill Lepore", "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": "Jill Lepore", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I always just wanted to be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/i-always-just-wanted-to-be-a-writer-not-necessarily-a-particular-kind/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/i-always-just-wanted-to-be-a-writer-not-necessarily-a-particular-kind/#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 } } ] } ```