--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The shoddy writer wants only publication…" description: "\"“The shoddy writer wants only publication. He fails to recognize that almost anyone willing to devote between twelve and fourteen hours a day to writin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/john-gardner-3092_books_the-shoddy-writer-wants-only-publication_836358.jpg" --- # The shoddy writer wants only publication. He fails to… ![“The shoddy writer wants only publication. He fails to recognize that almost anyone willing to devote between twelve and fourteen hours a day to writing--and there are many such people, will eventually get published. But only the great writer will survive, the writer who fully understands his trade…” quote by John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/john-gardner-3092_books_the-shoddy-writer-wants-only-publication_836358.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/john-gardner-3092_books_the-shoddy-writer-wants-only-publication_836358.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/john-gardner-3092_books_the-shoddy-writer-wants-only-publication_836358.jpg) > ““The shoddy writer wants only publication. He fails to recognize that almost anyone willing to devote between twelve and fourteen hours a day to writing--and there are many such people, will eventually get published. But only the great writer will survive, the writer who fully understands his trade and is willing to take time and the necessary risks, always assuming, of course, that the writer is profoundly honest and at least in his writing, sane. Sanity in a writer is merely this: However stupid he may be in his private life, he never cheats in writing. He never forgets that his audience is, at least ideally, as noble, generous, and tolerant as he is himself (or more so), and never forgets that he is writing about people, so that to turn characters to cartoons, to treat his characters as innately inferior to himself, to forget their reasons for being as they are, to treat them as brutes, is bad art. Sanity also involves taste. The true writer has a great advantage over most other people: He knows the great tradition of literature, which has always been the cutting edge of morality, religion, and politics, to say nothing of social reform. He knows what the greatest literary minds of the past are proud to do and what they will not stoop to, and his knowledge informs his practice.”” [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A writer must prioritize honesty, respect for readers, and deep literary tradition over mere desire for publication. **In simple terms:** Great writing needs honesty, respect, and tradition. Key Takeaway Write with integrity and knowledge of literary tradition. Themes honesty respect tradition literary knowledge craftsmanship Mood reflective serious Type philosophical instructional When to use this quote - novel writing - academic essays - screenwriting - journalism Key Concepts ethical writing literary tradition character depth Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance artistic integrity with market demands? - What traditions influence your writing today? A Different Perspective Great writing may not guarantee commercial success. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Cutting edge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cutting-edge/) [Private life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/private-life/) [Religion and politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion-and-politics/) [Sanity Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sanity-writer-604077/) [Social reform](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-reform/) [Writer Profoundly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-profoundly-604080/) [Writer Survive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-survive-604079/) [Writer Wants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-wants-290242/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Sane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-sane-604078/) ## Related quotes > [“The question one asks of the young writer who wants to know if he's got what it takes is this: "Is writing novels what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/the-question-one-asks-of-the-young-writer-who-wants-to-know-if-he-s/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [Let the writer take up surgery or bricklaying if he is interested in technique. 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But only the great writer will survive, the writer who fully understands his trade and is willing to take time and the necessary risks, always assuming, of course, that the writer is profoundly honest and at least in his writing, sane. Sanity in a writer is merely this: However stupid he may be in his private life, he never cheats in writing. He never forgets that his audience is, at least ideally, as noble, generous, and tolerant as he is himself (or more so), and never forgets that he is writing about people, so that to turn characters to cartoons, to treat his characters as innately inferior to himself, to forget their reasons for being as they are, to treat them as brutes, is bad art. Sanity also involves taste. The true writer has a great advantage over most other people: He knows the great tradition of literature, which has always been the cutting edge of morality, religion, and politics, to say nothing of social reform. 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