--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Was it only by dreaming or writing that I…" description: "\"Was it only by dreaming or writing that I could find out what I thought?\" — Joan Didion" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/joan-didion-497_dreams_was-it-only-by-dreaming-or-writing-that_2017799.jpg" --- # Was it only by dreaming or writing that I could find out… ![“Was it only by dreaming or writing that I could find out what I thought?” quote by Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/joan-didion-497_dreams_was-it-only-by-dreaming-or-writing-that_2017799.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/joan-didion-497_dreams_was-it-only-by-dreaming-or-writing-that_2017799.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/joan-didion-497_dreams_was-it-only-by-dreaming-or-writing-that_2017799.jpg) > “Was it only by dreaming or writing that I could find out what I thought?” [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. Questioning whether dreaming or writing reveals true thoughts. **In simple terms:** Writing uncovers inner ideas. Key Takeaway Use writing to explore subconscious. Themes creativity self‑discovery writing Mood contemplative inquisitive Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - journaling - creative projects - therapy sessions Key Concepts cognitive introspection literary process Questions to Reflect On - What dreams have you turned into words? - How does writing change your perspective? A Different Perspective May imply writing alone solves self‑knowledge. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dreaming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreaming/) [Dreaming Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreaming-writing-481022/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-thought-637841/) ## Related quotes > [“Mistress Creation keeps calling my name... i long for her, and she, for me... we will be reunited soon. In the interim, i bide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaeda-dewalt/mistress-creation-keeps-calling-my-name-i-long-for-her-and-she-for-me/) [Jaeda DeWalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaeda-dewalt/) > [I used to spend a lot of time dreaming and writing poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohit-chauhan/i-used-to-spend-a-lot-of-time-dreaming-and-writing-poetry/) [Mohit Chauhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohit-chauhan/) > [“Secret to writing a bestseller: You write. You stop dreaming of writing. You stop talking about writing. Stop wishing you were writing. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gunson/secret-to-writing-a-bestseller-you-write-you-stop-dreaming-of-writing/) [Jonathan Gunson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gunson/) > [I've lost track of the number of people who want to be writers but never actually write anything. Talking about writing, dreaming about writing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/i-ve-lost-track-of-the-number-of-people-who-want-to-be-writers-but/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [The process of creating is related to the process of dreaming although when you are writing you're doing it and when you're dreaming, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-stone/the-process-of-creating-is-related-to-the-process-of-dreaming/) [Robert Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-stone/) > [When I write, I make decent money doing it, but I don't wake up dreaming about writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-heslov/when-i-write-i-make-decent-money-doing-it-but-i-don-t-wake-up/) [Grant Heslov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-heslov/) > [I realized Michael was right. I mean, I am always writing in this journal. And I do compose a lot of poetry, and write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/i-realized-michael-was-right-i-mean-i-am-always-writing-in-this/) [Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/) > [Sometimes I would write while inspired and sometimes I would write through sheer force of will, and in revision the writing that I thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-michaels/sometimes-i-would-write-while-inspired-and-sometimes-i-would-write/) [Jesse Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-michaels/) > [Expediency of literature, reason of literature, lawfulness of writing down a thought, is questioned; much is to say on both sides,and, while the fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/expediency-of-literature-reason-of-literature-lawfulness-of-writing/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“The Invisible Writer (Sonnet 2654) When I unveil a new book cover, you'd naturally assume that I know what I'm gonna write, but let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-invisible-writer-sonnet-2654-when-i-unveil-a-new-book-cover-you-d/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [I didn't really think I would be a musician. I always thought I'd be a writer. I wanted to be a writer in college,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-siegel/i-didn-t-really-think-i-would-be-a-musician-i-always-thought-i-d-be-a/) [Leah Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-siegel/) > [As soon as your mind knows that it's on and it's supposed to produce some lines, either it doesn't or it produces things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/as-soon-as-your-mind-knows-that-it-s-on-and-it-s-supposed-to-produce/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [ It was very interesting time to be in England. Even at that point \[John\] Lennon and \[Paul\] McCartney influenced my writing. I thought, "maybe… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/it-was-very-interesting-time-to-be-in-england-even-at-that-point-john/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [I had feelings that I didn't know what to do with, and I felt better when I started writing them. I thought of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/i-had-feelings-that-i-didn-t-know-what-to-do-with-and-i-felt-better/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [For years following the death of my mother, I wanted to write about her. I started writing what I thought of as personal essays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-k-smith/for-years-following-the-death-of-my-mother-i-wanted-to-write-about/) [Tracy K. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-k-smith/) ## 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 Dreaming quotes > [When I am creating art, I have absolutely no social responsibility. It's like dreaming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cronenberg/when-i-am-creating-art-i-have-absolutely-no-social-responsibility-it/) [David Cronenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cronenberg/) > [He's the first thing I think of when I wake up. the only thing I think of when Im awake. and the last thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/treasure-2/he-s-the-first-thing-i-think-of-when-i-wake-up-the-only-thing-i-think/) [Treasure^^](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/treasure-2/) > [U R D 1st Thing I Think About Wen I Wake Up Just Thinking Of U Put D Biggest Smiles On My Face Every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhatsprincess/u-r-d-1st-thing-i-think-about-wen-i-wake-up-just-thinking-of-u-put-d/) [ZhatsPrincess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhatsprincess/) > [The important part of dreaming is what you do when you wake up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dal-lamagna/the-important-part-of-dreaming-is-what-you-do-when-you-wake-up/) [Dal LaMagna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dal-lamagna/) > [Courageous dreaming allows you to create from the source, the quantum soup of the universe where everything exists in a latent or potential state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-villoldo/courageous-dreaming-allows-you-to-create-from-the-source-the-quantum/) [Alberto Villoldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-villoldo/) > [I went to sleep dreaming of Malawi, and all the things made possible when your dreams are powered by your heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kamkwamba/i-went-to-sleep-dreaming-of-malawi-and-all-the-things-made-possible/) [William Kamkwamba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kamkwamba/) > [“Her silent singing wrapped around the story she was telling herself, which she extended further every night on the deck. (Averill often told herself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/her-silent-singing-wrapped-around-the-story-she-was-telling-herself/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [“Dreams are part of our human survival kit, part of what has kept us going, and evolving on this planet. Across history most people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moss/dreams-are-part-of-our-human-survival-kit-part-of-what-has-kept-us/) [Robert Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moss/) > [Sometimes I close my eyes; sometimes I let my hunger rise. I think of all you are - you are the love of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemis-khan/sometimes-i-close-my-eyes-sometimes-i-let-my-hunger-rise-i-think-of/) [Kemis Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemis-khan/) > [Dreaming by the river, I dedicated my imagination to water, to clear, green water, the water that makes the meadows green.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/dreaming-by-the-river-i-dedicated-my-imagination-to-water-to-clear/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [“I had a dream about you last night... you kept meowing at people and licking yourself it was not unlike you normally.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-mckay/i-had-a-dream-about-you-last-night-you-kept-meowing-at-people-and/) [Nicole McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-mckay/) > [If I go to sleep with you on my mind, will I wake up in your arms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taty-the-great/if-i-go-to-sleep-with-you-on-my-mind-will-i-wake-up-in-your-arms/) [Taty The Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taty-the-great/) > [Be bold in your caring, and be bold in your dreaming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-w-bush/be-bold-in-your-caring-and-be-bold-in-your-dreaming/) [George H. W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-h-w-bush/) > [Of course when I started, it's not because I was such a brilliant actress. I didn't know I was good. I thought I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-bouquet/of-course-when-i-started-it-s-not-because-i-was-such-a-brilliant/) [Carole Bouquet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-bouquet/) > [While sleep is clearly vital to emotional well-being, what is it, exactly, about sleep that is so necessary? As it turns out, mood disorders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-weil/while-sleep-is-clearly-vital-to-emotional-well-being-what-is-it/) [Andrew Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-weil/) [Browse all 1,667 Dreaming quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreaming/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Was it only by dreaming or writing that I could find out what I thought?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joan Didion" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/was-it-only-by-dreaming-or-writing-that-i-could-find-out-what-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dreaming" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/was-it-only-by-dreaming-or-writing-that-i-could-find-out-what-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/joan-didion-497_dreams_was-it-only-by-dreaming-or-writing-that_2017799.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/joan-didion-497_dreams_was-it-only-by-dreaming-or-writing-that_2017799.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f9/joan-didion-497_dreams_was-it-only-by-dreaming-or-writing-that_2017799.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Was it only by dreaming or writing that I could find out what I thought?” — 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": "Was it only by dreaming or...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/was-it-only-by-dreaming-or-writing-that-i-could-find-out-what-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/was-it-only-by-dreaming-or-writing-that-i-could-find-out-what-i/#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 } } ] } ```