--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I write entirely to find out what I'm…" description: "\"I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at. What I see and what I fear.\" — Joan Didion" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f7/joan-didion-497_fear_i-write-entirely-to-find-out-what-i-m-th_1286817.jpg" --- # I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm… ![“I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at. What I see and what I fear.” quote by Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f7/joan-didion-497_fear_i-write-entirely-to-find-out-what-i-m-th_1286817.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f7/joan-didion-497_fear_i-write-entirely-to-find-out-what-i-m-th_1286817.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f7/joan-didion-497_fear_i-write-entirely-to-find-out-what-i-m-th_1286817.jpg) > “I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at. What I see and what I fear.” [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing serves as a tool for self‑discovery, revealing thoughts, perceptions, and fears. **In simple terms:** Writing uncovers self‑thoughts and fears. Key Takeaway Write to explore inner world. Themes self‑discovery writing reflection Mood introspective curious Type personal philosophical When to use this quote - journaling - therapy sessions - creative retreats Key Concepts introspection creative process Questions to Reflect On - What hidden fears emerge when you write? - How does observation shape your narrative? A Different Perspective Writing may expose uncomfortable truths. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-write-entirely-to-find-out-what-i-m-thinking-what-i-m-looking-at-2/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [Had my credentials been in order I would never have become a writer. Had I been blessed with even limited access to my own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/had-my-credentials-been-in-order-i-would-never-have-become-a-writer/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [Bad news sells because the amygdala is always looking for something to fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-diamandis/bad-news-sells-because-the-amygdala-is-always-looking-for-something/) [Peter Diamandis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-diamandis/) > [Courage is looking fear right in the eye and saying, Get the hell out of my way, Ive got things to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknown/courage-is-looking-fear-right-in-the-eye-and-saying-get-the-hell-out/) âUnknown > [“The first part of looking at our fear is just inviting it into our awareness without judgment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/the-first-part-of-looking-at-our-fear-is-just-inviting-it-into-our/) [Thich Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/) > [Courage is looking fear right in the eye and saying, 'Get the heck out of my way, I've got things to do.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/courage-is-looking-fear-right-in-the-eye-and-saying-get-the-heck-out/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Never loan money to friends or family that you are not able to write off entirely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-yoffe/never-loan-money-to-friends-or-family-that-you-are-not-able-to-write/) [Emily Yoffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-yoffe/) > [I think my biggest revelation was to write entirely from the heart, and to convey emotion, even when it meant forcing myself to feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-gaskarth/i-think-my-biggest-revelation-was-to-write-entirely-from-the-heart/) [Alex Gaskarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-gaskarth/) > [... to write well it is entirely necessary to read widely and deeply. Good poems are the best teachers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/to-write-well-it-is-entirely-necessary-to-read-widely-and-deeply-good/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [Ninety percent of my material is made on stage, but I feel like you're missing something by abandoning sitting down to write entirely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segura/ninety-percent-of-my-material-is-made-on-stage-but-i-feel-like-you-re/) [Tom Segura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segura/) > [To discover the real you, look at what you spend time thinking about when no one is looking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/to-discover-the-real-you-look-at-what-you-spend-time-thinking-about/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [It's not always easy to tell the difference between thinking and looking out of the window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/it-s-not-always-easy-to-tell-the-difference-between-thinking-and/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [You can't tell what a man is like or what he is thinking when you are looking at him. You must get around behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/you-can-t-tell-what-a-man-is-like-or-what-he-is-thinking-when-you-are/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [I've never owned a telescope, but it's something I'm thinking of looking into.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-ve-never-owned-a-telescope-but-it-s-something-i-m-thinking-of/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [“I don’t want you to leap into another relationship without thinking. Looking for perfect is a big, fat myth because perfect isn’t out there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-bauer/i-don-t-want-you-to-leap-into-another-relationship-without-thinking/) [Joan Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-bauer/) ## More by Joan Didion > [To shift the structure of a sentence alters the meaning of that sentence, as definitely and inflexibly as the position of a camera alters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/to-shift-the-structure-of-a-sentence-alters-the-meaning-of-that/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [I work every day. Sometimes I don't accomplish anything every day, but if I don't work every day, I get depressed and get afraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-work-every-day-sometimes-i-don-t-accomplish-anything-every-day-but/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [Style is character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/style-is-character/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [California is a place in which a boom mentality and a sense of Chekhovian loss meet in uneasy suspension.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/california-is-a-place-in-which-a-boom-mentality-and-a-sense-of/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“I went because I was interested in the alchemy of issues.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-went-because-i-was-interested-in-the-alchemy-of-issues/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“Why did I write it down? In order to remember, of course, but exactly what was it I wanted to remember? How much of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/why-did-i-write-it-down-in-order-to-remember-of-course-but-exactly/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [I no longer want reminders of what was, what got broken, what got lost, what got wasted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-no-longer-want-reminders-of-what-was-what-got-broken-what-got-lost/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [My mother 'gave teas' the way other mothers breathed. Her own mother 'gave teas.' All of their friends 'gave teas,' each involving butter cookies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/my-mother-gave-teas-the-way-other-mothers-breathed-her-own-mother/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [I'm not very interested in people. I recognize it in myself - there is a basic indifference toward people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-m-not-very-interested-in-people-i-recognize-it-in-myself-there-is-a/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“Was there ever in anyone's life span a point free in time, devoid of memory, a point when choice was any more than sum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/was-there-ever-in-anyone-s-life-span-a-point-free-in-time-devoid-of/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“Research to date has shown that, like many other stressors, grief frequently leads to changes in the endocrine, immune, autonomic nervous, and cardiovascular systems;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/research-to-date-has-shown-that-like-many-other-stressors-grief/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“By the end of the week she was thinking constantly about where her body stopped and the air began about the exact point in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/by-the-end-of-the-week-she-was-thinking-constantly-about-where-her/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“I just can't see the upside in this," I heard myself say by way of explanation. Later he said that if John had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-just-can-t-see-the-upside-in-this-i-heard-myself-say-by-way-of/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [ I read so ravenously that I would read through whole categories. I was crazy about reading biographies. \[...\] I think biographies are very urgent… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-read-so-ravenously-that-i-would-read-through-whole-categories-i-was/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [To those of us who remained committed mainly to the exploration of moral distinctions and ambiguities, the feminist analysis may have seemed a particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/to-those-of-us-who-remained-committed-mainly-to-the-exploration-of/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) [Explore all 515 Joan Didion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) ## More Fear quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [“That horrible stinging sensation returned, the muscles behind my eyes straining as the first tear began to fall. “I’m scared, too. For eighteen months…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-ashley/that-horrible-stinging-sensation-returned-the-muscles-behind-my-eyes/) [Devon Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-ashley/) > [“...Often that which most we fear births the resolve that spurs us on to altitudes we could not have achieved, had we continued walking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-t-anderson/often-that-which-most-we-fear-births-the-resolve-that-spurs-us-on-to/) [M.T. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-t-anderson/) > [What an incredible drug fear is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/what-an-incredible-drug-fear-is/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“Anything that you find yourself worrying about regularly may find you suddenly wanting unrealistic changes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nagisa-tatsumi/anything-that-you-find-yourself-worrying-about-regularly-may-find-you/) Nagisa Tatsumi > [“We all know how the thing we secretly fear is not a secret at all but the open and eternal thing that predicts its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/we-all-know-how-the-thing-we-secretly-fear-is-not-a-secret-at-all-but/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [“I had nowhere to go and did not wish to be seen by anyone for fear they would recognize my sadness and so for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-had-nowhere-to-go-and-did-not-wish-to-be-seen-by-anyone-for-fear/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [“Snip off the little worries and expressions of worry” like little branches atop a tall tree.28 If you are truly worried, sharing your concerns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-sanders/snip-off-the-little-worries-and-expressions-of-worry-like-little/) [Tim Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-sanders/) > [“Fear and desire for pleasure. Aggressiveness comes out of fear, predominantly, and sexuality predominantly out of the other. But they mix in the middle.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/fear-and-desire-for-pleasure-aggressiveness-comes-out-of-fear/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [“Carrie Fisher. “Stay afraid, but do it anyway.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-union/carrie-fisher-stay-afraid-but-do-it-anyway/) [Gabrielle Union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-union/) > [“Yes, the issue was courage. It always had been, even as a kid. Things scared him. He couldn't help it. Noise scared him, dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/yes-the-issue-was-courage-it-always-had-been-even-as-a-kid-things/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [Don't be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don't let others discourage you or tell you that you can't do it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/don-t-be-afraid-of-hard-work-nothing-worthwhile-comes-easily-don-t/) [Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) [Browse all 35,569 Fear quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at. What I see and what I fear.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joan Didion" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-write-entirely-to-find-out-what-i-m-thinking-what-i-m-looking-at/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fear" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-write-entirely-to-find-out-what-i-m-thinking-what-i-m-looking-at/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f7/joan-didion-497_fear_i-write-entirely-to-find-out-what-i-m-th_1286817.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f7/joan-didion-497_fear_i-write-entirely-to-find-out-what-i-m-th_1286817.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f7/joan-didion-497_fear_i-write-entirely-to-find-out-what-i-m-th_1286817.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at. What I see and what I fear.” — Joan Didion", "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": "Joan Didion", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I write entirely to find out...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-write-entirely-to-find-out-what-i-m-thinking-what-i-m-looking-at/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-write-entirely-to-find-out-what-i-m-thinking-what-i-m-looking-at/#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 } } ] } ```