--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He stares now at the three words he has…" description: "\"“He stares now at the three words he has written.They are ridiculous. Writing is ridiculous. A sentence, any sentence, is absurd. Just the idea of it; ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b7/jo-baker-22747_three-words_he-stares-now-at-the-three-words-he-has_2444100.jpg" --- # He stares now at the three words he has written.They are… ![“He stares now at the three words he has written.They are ridiculous. Writing is ridiculous. A sentence, any sentence, is absurd. Just the idea of it; jam one word up against another, shoulder-to-shoulder, jaw-to-jaw; hem them in with punctuation so they can't move an inch. And then hand that over…” quote by Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b7/jo-baker-22747_three-words_he-stares-now-at-the-three-words-he-has_2444100.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b7/jo-baker-22747_three-words_he-stares-now-at-the-three-words-he-has_2444100.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b7/jo-baker-22747_three-words_he-stares-now-at-the-three-words-he-has_2444100.jpg) > ““He stares now at the three words he has written.They are ridiculous. Writing is ridiculous. A sentence, any sentence, is absurd. Just the idea of it; jam one word up against another, shoulder-to-shoulder, jaw-to-jaw; hem them in with punctuation so they can't move an inch. And then hand that over to someone else to peer at, and expect something to be communicated, something understood. It's not just pointless. It is ethically suspect.”” [Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-baker/) ## 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 inherently absurd, forcing arbitrary symbols together, making communication ethically questionable. **In simple terms:** Writing feels absurd and ethically fraught. Key Takeaway Question the purpose and ethics of your writing. Themes language ethics communication absurdity creativity Mood critical reflective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - academic essays - creative writing - publishing - peer review Key Concepts Poststructuralism semantic theory authorial intent Questions to Reflect On - Is all writing ethically suspect? - Can absurdity be purposeful? A Different Perspective Readers may interpret meaning despite absurdity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ridiculous Sentence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ridiculous-sentence-513217/) [Sentence Absurd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentence-absurd-513216/) [Stares Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stares-words-513219/) [Three Word](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three-word/) [Three words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three-words/) [Words Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-written/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-life/) [Writing process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-process/) [Writing Ridiculous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-ridiculous-513218/) ## Related quotes > [I HATED the Salinger story. It took me days to go through it, gingerly, a page at a time, and blushing with embarrassment for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bishop/i-hated-the-salinger-story-it-took-me-days-to-go-through-it-gingerly/) [Elizabeth Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bishop/) > [Sometimes I see people writing the most ridiculous things about me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-ora/sometimes-i-see-people-writing-the-most-ridiculous-things-about-me/) [Rita Ora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-ora/) > [“Words both written and read are my passion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-austin/words-both-written-and-read-are-my-passion/) [Leslie Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-austin/) > [“I don't know you. I'll give you that very easily. I DON'T know you. I only know things about you, the colour of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-shapiro/i-don-t-know-you-i-ll-give-you-that-very-easily-i-don-t-know-you-i/) [Bill Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-shapiro/) > [“ My most ardent wish is that you, and everyone like you, will look up. That you’ll do so and never be beaten into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-milan/my-most-ardent-wish-is-that-you-and-everyone-like-you-will-look-up/) [Courtney Milan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-milan/) > [“And when I see Ky again, which I know will happen, I will whisper the words I have written in his ear, against his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-condie/and-when-i-see-ky-again-which-i-know-will-happen-i-will-whisper-the/) [Ally Condie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-condie/) > [There are rhythms in the world waiting for words to be written to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-garfield/there-are-rhythms-in-the-world-waiting-for-words-to-be-written-to-them/) [Patricia Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-garfield/) > [“But for Soraya, words on a page were seductive, free, inviting everyone, without distinction. She could not help it when she found words written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-aboulela/but-for-soraya-words-on-a-page-were-seductive-free-inviting-everyone/) [Leila Aboulela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-aboulela/) > [“The words he had written wiggled off the page and escaped from the drawer. The letters stacked themselves, one on top of the other.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-mu-oz-ryan/the-words-he-had-written-wiggled-off-the-page-and-escaped-from-the/) [Pam Muñoz Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-mu-oz-ryan/) > [“Objectives are only words written on paper without passion and desire”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-t-albright/objectives-are-only-words-written-on-paper-without-passion-and-desire/) [W.T. Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-t-albright/) > [“When I hear his voice, I see his words written in calligraphy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-martin/when-i-hear-his-voice-i-see-his-words-written-in-calligraphy/) [Shawn Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-martin/) > [I was given a pen not to write anything but just to make me feel how it is to hold something full yet untouched.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-given-a-pen-not-to-write-anything-but-just-to-make-me-feel-how/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You tell others about Me - that I am a loving God. Your words are glib. My words are written in the blood of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/you-tell-others-about-me-that-i-am-a-loving-god-your-words-are-glib/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [“Surely I write not for the hopeful young, Or those who deem their happiness of worth, Or such as pasture and grow fat among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thomson/surely-i-write-not-for-the-hopeful-young-or-those-who-deem-their/) [James Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thomson/) > [“A skillful literary artist has constructed a tale. If wise, he has not fashioned his thoughts to accommodate his incidents; but having conceived, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/a-skillful-literary-artist-has-constructed-a-tale-if-wise-he-has-not/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) ## More by Jo Baker > [“Wherever you are in this world, the sky is still above you. Wherever you are, God still watches over you; He sees into your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-baker/wherever-you-are-in-this-world-the-sky-is-still-above-you-wherever/) [Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-baker/) > [“I would ask if you miss me like I miss you, so that there is not another spot in all the world that seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-baker/i-would-ask-if-you-miss-me-like-i-miss-you-so-that-there-is-not/) [Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-baker/) > [“You have no idea at all yet what you can bear!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-baker/you-have-no-idea-at-all-yet-what-you-can-bear/) [Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-baker/) > [“of resentment, as he clambered into the carriage, that it was Liberty Hall for the remaining servantry until then.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-baker/of-resentment-as-he-clambered-into-the-carriage-that-it-was-liberty/) [Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-baker/) > [“The ladies, who had condoled so thoroughly with her during her time of grief, found it rather more difficult to participate in her happiness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-baker/the-ladies-who-had-condoled-so-thoroughly-with-her-during-her-time-of/) [Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-baker/) > [“...too much time spent with books had not fitted her to be easy with herself, and other people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-baker/too-much-time-spent-with-books-had-not-fitted-her-to-be-easy-with/) [Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-baker/) > [“She wished the journey was over, but she did not want to arrive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-baker/she-wished-the-journey-was-over-but-she-did-not-want-to-arrive/) [Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-baker/) > [“And when he surfaces to a cramped hand, a crick in the neck, the sunlight shifted across the floor, a sore blink, he knows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-baker/and-when-he-surfaces-to-a-cramped-hand-a-crick-in-the-neck-the/) [Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-baker/) > [“Mrs. Hill had changed Lyddie’s nappies, wiped her snotty nose, had nursed her through colic”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-baker/mrs-hill-had-changed-lyddie-s-nappies-wiped-her-snotty-nose-had/) [Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-baker/) > [“Other, dryer customers came and went, having just stepped out of their conveyances or popped down the street from their houses in the town.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-baker/other-dryer-customers-came-and-went-having-just-stepped-out-of-their/) [Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-baker/) > [“Sarah was soon lugging pasteboard boxes, paper packages and rolled samples of wallpaper. She had seen all of this before: she had daydreamed it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-baker/sarah-was-soon-lugging-pasteboard-boxes-paper-packages-and-rolled/) [Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-baker/) > [Threads that drift alone will sometimes simply twine themselves together, without need for spindle or distaff: brought into each other’s ambit, they bind themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-baker/threads-that-drift-alone-will-sometimes-simply-twine-themselves/) [Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-baker/) > [It was a thought, that. Not to attach yourself to a man, but to confront instead the open world, the wide fields of France…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-baker/it-was-a-thought-that-not-to-attach-yourself-to-a-man-but-to-confront/) [Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-baker/) > [Words had become overnight just little coins, insignificant and unfreighted, to be exchanged for ribbons, buttons, for an apple or an egg.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-baker/words-had-become-overnight-just-little-coins-insignificant-and/) [Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-baker/) > [“Because he wanted nothing from her; this was a generous, expansive feeling, unattached to the possibility of gratification; it was the simple happiness that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-baker/because-he-wanted-nothing-from-her-this-was-a-generous-expansive/) [Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-baker/) [Explore all 27 Jo Baker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-baker/) ## More Three words quotes > [I have three words for you," EMT Guy said. "Possible internal bleeding." I turned back to him. "Don't you think if I was bleeding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darynda-jones/i-have-three-words-for-you-emt-guy-said-possible-internal-bleeding-i/) [Darynda Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darynda-jones/) > [Sometimes, when you see a person cry, it's better not to ask why. Sometimes it takes only three words to make them happy again.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-when-you-see-a-person-cry-it-s-better-not-to-ask-why/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I Can't Say I Love U To U Anymore My Darling, Because Those Three Words Are Not Enough To Describe My Love For U. ¥¥](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaceem-madridista/i-can-t-say-i-love-u-to-u-anymore-my-darling-because-those-three/) [Kaceem Madridista](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaceem-madridista/) > [“Waiting requires patience. There are three words in that sentence that nobody likes. Patience is not passivity. To be patient doesn’t mean you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-seefeldt-amodea/waiting-requires-patience-there-are-three-words-in-that-sentence-that/) [Brenda Seefeldt Amodea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-seefeldt-amodea/) > [It has been said that a bride's attitude towards her betrothed can be summed up in three words: Aisle. Alter. Hymn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-muir/it-has-been-said-that-a-bride-s-attitude-towards-her-betrothed-can-be/) [Frank Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-muir/) > [“(In response to the question: What is your least favorite word?) It's three words that we usually use as one: woulda, shoulda, coulda. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-hoffman/in-response-to-the-question-what-is-your-least-favorite-word-it-s/) [Dustin Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-hoffman/) > [I love you', though, were three words she had often heard during her twenty-two years, and it seemed to her that they were now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-love-you-though-were-three-words-she-had-often-heard-during-her/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Three words that will kill you no matter what: I LOVE YOU. It could either kill you with happiness, or kill you with sorrow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-hope/three-words-that-will-kill-you-no-matter-what-i-love-you-it-could/) [Amber Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-hope/) > [Some of the most cutthroat auditions youll have as an actor are when youll have three words to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-amell/some-of-the-most-cutthroat-auditions-youll-have-as-an-actor-are-when/) [Stephen Amell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-amell/) > [There's only one thing to do, and three words for you, I love you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naquitta-faith/there-s-only-one-thing-to-do-and-three-words-for-you-i-love-you/) [Naquitta Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naquitta-faith/) > [If I do, I say so. That's the only way out of that. If there are three words that need to be used more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/if-i-do-i-say-so-that-s-the-only-way-out-of-that-if-there-are-three/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [“Above all else, he loves trilogies. There has never been a trilogy he didn't like, and if you don't understand why, I have three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-lockwood/above-all-else-he-loves-trilogies-there-has-never-been-a-trilogy-he/) [Patricia Lockwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-lockwood/) > [Survival can be summed up in three words - never give up. That's the heart of it really. Just keep trying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bear-grylls/survival-can-be-summed-up-in-three-words-never-give-up-that-s-the/) [Bear Grylls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bear-grylls/) > [I have a friend who lives by a three-word philosophy: Seize the Moment. Just possibly, she may be the wisest woman on this planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erma-bombeck/i-have-a-friend-who-lives-by-a-three-word-philosophy-seize-the-moment/) [Erma Bombeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erma-bombeck/) > [“Mr. Haverstrom closes the door, leaving Patrick and me alone in the hallway. Pat smiles slickly, leaning in toward me. I step back until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-chase/mr-haverstrom-closes-the-door-leaving-patrick-and-me-alone-in-the/) [Emma Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-chase/) [Browse all 365 Three words quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three-words/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He stares now at the three words he has written.They are ridiculous. Writing is ridiculous. A sentence, any sentence, is absurd. Just the idea of it; jam one word up against another, shoulder-to-shoulder, jaw-to-jaw; hem them in with punctuation so they can't move an inch. And then hand that over to someone else to peer at, and expect something to be communicated, something understood. It's not just pointless. It is ethically suspect.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jo Baker" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-baker/he-stares-now-at-the-three-words-he-has-written-they-are-ridiculous/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Three words" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-baker/he-stares-now-at-the-three-words-he-has-written-they-are-ridiculous/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b7/jo-baker-22747_three-words_he-stares-now-at-the-three-words-he-has_2444100.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b7/jo-baker-22747_three-words_he-stares-now-at-the-three-words-he-has_2444100.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b7/jo-baker-22747_three-words_he-stares-now-at-the-three-words-he-has_2444100.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He stares now at the three words he has written.They are ridiculous. Writing is ridiculous. A sentence, any…” — Jo Baker", "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": "Jo Baker", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-baker/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“He stares now at the three...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-baker/he-stares-now-at-the-three-words-he-has-written-they-are-ridiculous/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-baker/he-stares-now-at-the-three-words-he-has-written-they-are-ridiculous/#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 } } ] } ```