---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I never enjoyed writing a book more…"
description: "\"I never enjoyed writing a book more; indeed, it is the only one I remember in no sense as a labor but as a joy.\" — John Kenneth Galbraith"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaf/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_book_i-never-enjoyed-writing-a-book-more-inde_713839.png"
---

#  I never enjoyed writing a book more; indeed, it is the…

![“I never enjoyed writing a book more; indeed, it is the only one I remember in no sense as a labor but as a joy.” quote by John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaf/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_book_i-never-enjoyed-writing-a-book-more-inde_713839.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaf/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_book_i-never-enjoyed-writing-a-book-more-inde_713839.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaf/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_book_i-never-enjoyed-writing-a-book-more-inde_713839.png)

> “I never enjoyed writing a book more; indeed, it is the only one I remember in no sense as a labor but as a joy.”

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He expresses that writing a book felt like joy rather than labor, highlighting a rare experience of pure creative fulfillment.

**In simple terms:** Writing felt joyful, not a chore.

Key Takeaway

Seek work that feels like play.

Themes

creativity joy work fulfillment

Mood

inspired optimistic

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- authoring
- teaching
- public speaking

Key Concepts

economics literature personal satisfaction

Questions to Reflect On

- What activities bring you joy without feeling like work?
- How can you infuse more play into your profession?

A Different Perspective

Joyful work can still involve effort.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labor/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing a book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-a-book/)

## Related quotes

> [I always enjoyed writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iman-shumpert/i-always-enjoyed-writing/)

[Iman Shumpert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iman-shumpert/)

> [I love graphic novels - I love reading them, I enjoyed writing them, I would love to go back and do them again. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ridley/i-love-graphic-novels-i-love-reading-them-i-enjoyed-writing-them-i/)

[John Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ridley/)

> [I believe that half the trouble in the world comes from people asking 'What have I achieved?' rather than 'What have I enjoyed?' I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-farley/i-believe-that-half-the-trouble-in-the-world-comes-from-people-asking/)

[Walter Farley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-farley/)

> [I always enjoyed writing. I did playlets in high school, I did radio shows in college. That's one of the reasons I went down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-castellaneta/i-always-enjoyed-writing-i-did-playlets-in-high-school-i-did-radio/)

[Dan Castellaneta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-castellaneta/)

> [I enjoyed writing speeches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-ridloff/i-enjoyed-writing-speeches/)

[Lauren Ridloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-ridloff/)

> [I was eighteen when I wrote my first book, and I can't remember what it was called. I have no idea where the manuscript…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-voigt/i-was-eighteen-when-i-wrote-my-first-book-and-i-can-t-remember-what/)

[Cynthia Voigt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-voigt/)

> [The first pages of any book I remember reading, in Pinner Wood primary school, were from The Beacon Readers: stories of Farmer Giles, Rover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rosen/the-first-pages-of-any-book-i-remember-reading-in-pinner-wood-primary/)

[Michael Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rosen/)

> [I often compare myself as a kid to my own grandchildren, who are around 11 and 14 now. That's the age kids usually read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-lowry/i-often-compare-myself-as-a-kid-to-my-own-grandchildren-who-are/)

[Lois Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-lowry/)

> [The first book I remember loving was 'Grug and the Big Red Apple.' The first film I saw in the cinema was 'Grease.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/the-first-book-i-remember-loving-was-grug-and-the-big-red-apple-the/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [“Is it in the book?” I asked as I exchanged a look with both men. “Only you can tell me that. I don’t have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-pressey/is-it-in-the-book-i-asked-as-i-exchanged-a-look-with-both-men-only/)

[Rose Pressey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-pressey/)

> [We have a book that we just write down what the kids say. You forget...and when you read the book you remember and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-harmon/we-have-a-book-that-we-just-write-down-what-the-kids-say-you-forget/)

[Mark Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-harmon/)

> [The books of our childhood offer a vivid door to our own pasts, and not necessarily for the stories we read there, but for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-buzbee/the-books-of-our-childhood-offer-a-vivid-door-to-our-own-pasts-and/)

[Lewis Buzbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-buzbee/)

> [I look at him, look at the book, remember, this book, this moment, the first book I ever loved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/i-look-at-him-look-at-the-book-remember-this-book-this-moment-the/)

[Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/)

> [These are rules I've picked up along the way to help me remain invisible when I'm writing a book, to help me show rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/these-are-rules-i-ve-picked-up-along-the-way-to-help-me-remain/)

[Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/)

> [Writing a book is an adventure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/writing-a-book-is-an-adventure/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

## More by John Kenneth Galbraith

> [Getting on the cover of TIME guarantees the existence of opposition in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/getting-on-the-cover-of-time-guarantees-the-existence-of-opposition/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [Technology means the systematic application of scientific or other organized knowledge to practical tasks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/technology-means-the-systematic-application-of-scientific-or-other/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [“Men can labor to make sense out of single steps toward the goal without ever pausing to reflect that the goal itself is ludicrous.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/men-can-labor-to-make-sense-out-of-single-steps-toward-the-goal/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [Consumer wants can have bizarre, frivolous, or even immoral origins, and an admirable case can still be made for a society that seeks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/consumer-wants-can-have-bizarre-frivolous-or-even-immoral-origins-and/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [That one never need to look beyond the love of money for explanation of human behavior is one of the most jealously guarded simplification…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/that-one-never-need-to-look-beyond-the-love-of-money-for-explanation/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [Agriculture is one economic activity that does not obey the laws of demand and supply.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/agriculture-is-one-economic-activity-that-does-not-obey-the-laws-of/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [If we were not in Vietnam, all that part of the world would be enjoying the obscurity it so richly deserves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/if-we-were-not-in-vietnam-all-that-part-of-the-world-would-be/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [Washington is a place where men praise courage and act on elaborate personal cost-benefit calculations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/washington-is-a-place-where-men-praise-courage-and-act-on-elaborate/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [World War II revealed two of the enduring features of the Keynesian Revolution. One was the moral difference between spending for welfare and spending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/world-war-ii-revealed-two-of-the-enduring-features-of-the-keynesian/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [Money is what fueled the industrial society. But in the informational society, the fuel, the power, is knowledge. One has now come to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/money-is-what-fueled-the-industrial-society-but-in-the-informational/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [While it will be desirable to achieve planned results, it will be even more important to avoid unplanned disasters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/while-it-will-be-desirable-to-achieve-planned-results-it-will-be-even/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [A bad book is the worse that it cannot repent. It has not been the devil's policy to keep the masses of mankind in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/a-bad-book-is-the-worse-that-it-cannot-repent-it-has-not-been-the/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [Genius is a rising stock market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/genius-is-a-rising-stock-market/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [Mr. David Stockman has said that supply-side economics was merely a cover for the trickle-down approach to economic policy—what an older and less elegant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/mr-david-stockman-has-said-that-supply-side-economics-was-merely-a/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [Inventions that are not made, like babies that are not born, are rarely missed. In the absence of new developments, old ones may seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/inventions-that-are-not-made-like-babies-that-are-not-born-are-rarely/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

[Explore all 434 John Kenneth Galbraith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

## More Book quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/)

[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/)

> [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/)

[Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/)

> [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/)

[Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/)

> [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/)

[Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/)

[Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I never enjoyed writing a book more; indeed, it is the only one I remember in no sense as a labor but as a joy.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Kenneth Galbraith"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/i-never-enjoyed-writing-a-book-more-indeed-it-is-the-only-one-i/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/i-never-enjoyed-writing-a-book-more-indeed-it-is-the-only-one-i/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaf/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_book_i-never-enjoyed-writing-a-book-more-inde_713839.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaf/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_book_i-never-enjoyed-writing-a-book-more-inde_713839.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaf/john-kenneth-galbraith-643_book_i-never-enjoyed-writing-a-book-more-inde_713839.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I never enjoyed writing a book more; indeed, it is the only one I remember in no sense as a labor but as a…” — John Kenneth Galbraith",
                "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": "John Kenneth Galbraith",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I never enjoyed writing a book...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/i-never-enjoyed-writing-a-book-more-indeed-it-is-the-only-one-i/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/i-never-enjoyed-writing-a-book-more-indeed-it-is-the-only-one-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
