--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm incapable of writing without social…" description: "\"I'm incapable of writing without social commentary. I like to think that it's integrated and not really heavy handedly didactic.\" — John Shirley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8be/john-shirley-22620_commentary_i-m-incapable-of-writing-without-social_1869687.jpg" --- # I'm incapable of writing without social commentary. I like… ![“I'm incapable of writing without social commentary. I like to think that it's integrated and not really heavy handedly didactic.” quote by John Shirley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8be/john-shirley-22620_commentary_i-m-incapable-of-writing-without-social_1869687.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8be/john-shirley-22620_commentary_i-m-incapable-of-writing-without-social_1869687.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8be/john-shirley-22620_commentary_i-m-incapable-of-writing-without-social_1869687.jpg) > “I'm incapable of writing without social commentary. I like to think that it's integrated and not really heavy handedly didactic.” [John Shirley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shirley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing inherently carries social commentary, even when aiming for subtlety rather than overt didacticism. **In simple terms:** All writing reflects society. Key Takeaway Be aware of your embedded messages. Themes art society intentionality Mood analytical thoughtful Type philosophical creative When to use this quote - fiction writing - journalism - blogging - scriptwriting Key Concepts narrative voice cultural critique subtlety Questions to Reflect On - Do you intend to influence readers? - How subtle should commentary be? A Different Perspective Subtlety may be missed by audiences; overanalysis can hinder enjoyment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I like singing all songs, really, but I find that writing social commentary comes naturally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-marley/i-like-singing-all-songs-really-but-i-find-that-writing-social/) [Damian Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-marley/) > [I think it's just a lack of ability, we're incapable of writing hits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-hickey/i-think-it-s-just-a-lack-of-ability-we-re-incapable-of-writing-hits/) [Kenny Hickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-hickey/) > [I'm always amazed when someone tells me they've listened to the Family Guy commentary, like, Really? You could honestly sit through that?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-macfarlane/i-m-always-amazed-when-someone-tells-me-they-ve-listened-to-the/) [Seth Macfarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-macfarlane/) > [I had a very high-grade publisher tell me I was incapable of writing a memoir.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-had-a-very-high-grade-publisher-tell-me-i-was-incapable-of-writing/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“That's how it is with art. Mere humans who root through their refrigerators at three o'clock in the morning are incapable of such writing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/that-s-how-it-is-with-art-mere-humans-who-root-through-their/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [The first time I go to the TV for commentary I no like it because I have a fight coming up and I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fabricio-werdum/the-first-time-i-go-to-the-tv-for-commentary-i-no-like-it-because-i/) [Fabricio Werdum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fabricio-werdum/) > [We like the John Gruber model - he writes some long stuff that's very thoughtful and analytical, and then other stuff, he just adds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-lyons/we-like-the-john-gruber-model-he-writes-some-long-stuff-that-s-very/) [Daniel Lyons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-lyons/) > [I had made all these rules for myself: I'm not writing social commentary, I'm not writing love songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/i-had-made-all-these-rules-for-myself-i-m-not-writing-social/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [Teaching is a great complement to writing. It's very social and gets you out of your own head. It's also very optimistic. It renews…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-catton/teaching-is-a-great-complement-to-writing-it-s-very-social-and-gets/) [Eleanor Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-catton/) > [I don't write as many songs as I used to. But, I find myself writing for social media more - times have changed. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlo-guthrie/i-don-t-write-as-many-songs-as-i-used-to-but-i-find-myself-writing/) [Arlo Guthrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlo-guthrie/) > [I'm interested in ways of writing about the social world that don't assassinate the life that's in it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-back/i-m-interested-in-ways-of-writing-about-the-social-world-that-don-t/) [Les Back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-back/) > [I am not in the least eloquent or fluent with languages. My writing on social media is quite pedestrian. But even if it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitabh-bachchan/i-am-not-in-the-least-eloquent-or-fluent-with-languages-my-writing-on/) [Amitabh Bachchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitabh-bachchan/) > [You were doing a TV show - you don't realise that you're also making social commentary at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-benson/you-were-doing-a-tv-show-you-don-t-realise-that-you-re-also-making/) [Amber Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-benson/) > [Zombies have always had a lot of built-in social commentary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-levine/zombies-have-always-had-a-lot-of-built-in-social-commentary/) [Jonathan Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-levine/) > [I'm attracted to things that make a point or have a certain point of view, but it's not a conscious thing that I decide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-blum/i-m-attracted-to-things-that-make-a-point-or-have-a-certain-point-of/) [Jason Blum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-blum/) ## More by John Shirley > [I do try to be of some use in the world. I sometimes do volunteer work with kids, and manage to help some people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shirley/i-do-try-to-be-of-some-use-in-the-world-i-sometimes-do-volunteer-work/) [John Shirley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shirley/) > [Weekends are a bit like rainbows; they look good from a distance but disappear when you get up close to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shirley/weekends-are-a-bit-like-rainbows-they-look-good-from-a-distance-but/) [John Shirley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shirley/) > [“If the modern world were a patient in my care... I would diagnose it suicidal." - Dr. Sofia Lamb”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shirley/if-the-modern-world-were-a-patient-in-my-care-i-would-diagnose-it/) [John Shirley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shirley/) > [“Almost anyone could be Fascist under the right circumstances. If they get scared enough. It's because, you see, most people live their lives like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shirley/almost-anyone-could-be-fascist-under-the-right-circumstances-if-they/) [John Shirley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shirley/) > [“The greater the scope in implementing an activity, the greater the need for strict attention to small details.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shirley/the-greater-the-scope-in-implementing-an-activity-the-greater-the/) [John Shirley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shirley/) > [“When you serve a beer-cock an ear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shirley/when-you-serve-a-beer-cock-an-ear/) [John Shirley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shirley/) > [I'm just the kind of person who seems designed, probably by nature, to try to make a difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shirley/i-m-just-the-kind-of-person-who-seems-designed-probably-by-nature-to/) [John Shirley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shirley/) > [“from the end of John Shirley's Black Glass, something like: "the Singularity guys don't understand, they aren't copying us, our brains, just the noise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shirley/from-the-end-of-john-shirley-s-black-glass-something-like-the/) [John Shirley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shirley/) > [A man must make of his life a ladder that he never ceases to climb -- if you're not rising, you are slipping down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shirley/a-man-must-make-of-his-life-a-ladder-that-he-never-ceases-to-climb-if/) [John Shirley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shirley/) > [I'm not quite pompous enough to think of myself as an educator or a man capable of definitive refutation of falsehoods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shirley/i-m-not-quite-pompous-enough-to-think-of-myself-as-an-educator-or-a/) [John Shirley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shirley/) > [As far as I know Misha wrote the first cyberpunk poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shirley/as-far-as-i-know-misha-wrote-the-first-cyberpunk-poetry/) [John Shirley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shirley/) > [“It was like the Iran/Contra hearings in the last century; then, too, the investigators had looked just so far and no further.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shirley/it-was-like-the-iran-contra-hearings-in-the-last-century-then-too-the/) [John Shirley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shirley/) > [“He liked living simply. And he liked living alone. He had grown to dislike physical affection. It was intrusive, and it bullied his self…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shirley/he-liked-living-simply-and-he-liked-living-alone-he-had-grown-to/) [John Shirley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shirley/) > [Innocence could be considered a discrete state of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shirley/innocence-could-be-considered-a-discrete-state-of-mind/) [John Shirley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shirley/) > [People in extreme conditions are suddenly naked, realer than normal, perhaps even more alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shirley/people-in-extreme-conditions-are-suddenly-naked-realer-than-normal/) [John Shirley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shirley/) [Explore all 27 John Shirley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shirley/) ## More Commentary quotes > [Things happen too quickly, crisis follows crisis, the soil of our minds is perpetually disturbed. Each of us, to relieve his feelings, broadcasts his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/things-happen-too-quickly-crisis-follows-crisis-the-soil-of-our-minds/) [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) > [The narration, in fact, doubles the drama with a commentary without which no mise en scene would be possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lacan/the-narration-in-fact-doubles-the-drama-with-a-commentary-without/) [Jacques Lacan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lacan/) > [I always had a running commentary in my head that was extremely funny and off-center, but I never said it to anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elayne-boosler/i-always-had-a-running-commentary-in-my-head-that-was-extremely-funny/) [Elayne Boosler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elayne-boosler/) > [I don't like going to football games. I like watching them on television. When you go to a game, it's hard to focus. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-legend/i-don-t-like-going-to-football-games-i-like-watching-them-on/) [John Legend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-legend/) > [Melissa McCarthy just opened this new movie, 'Identity Thief,' and Rex Reed, who's a known critic, wrote a scathing commentary on her weight. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-gad/melissa-mccarthy-just-opened-this-new-movie-identity-thief-and-rex/) [Josh Gad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-gad/) > [Spirituality does two things for you. One, you are forced to become more selfless, two, you trust to providence. The opposite of a spiritual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imran-khan/spirituality-does-two-things-for-you-one-you-are-forced-to-become/) [Imran Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imran-khan/) > [Where beauty is worshipped for beauty's sake as a goddess, independent of and superior to morality and philosophy, the most horrible putrefaction is apt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/where-beauty-is-worshipped-for-beauty-s-sake-as-a-goddess-independent/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [ \[John Calvin's\] treatment of the person and work of Christ, of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer, of prayer and liturgy,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/john-calvin-s-treatment-of-the-person-and-work-of-christ-of-the-holy/) [Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/) > [My work is not so much a direct commentary as it is an open-ended observation of the absurdities around us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ori-gersht/my-work-is-not-so-much-a-direct-commentary-as-it-is-an-open-ended/) [Ori Gersht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ori-gersht/) > [“The late-afternoon light was thick and orange and she passed four different couples taking photos of themselves on the same cobblestoned block, all their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/the-late-afternoon-light-was-thick-and-orange-and-she-passed-four/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [I'm not interested in the director's commentary stuff. I think that stuff is really boring. And, if the director explains too much, it takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-m-kahn/i-m-not-interested-in-the-director-s-commentary-stuff-i-think-that/) [Joseph M. Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-m-kahn/) > [“Every time I check Facebook, I get sick of my friends' pointless dramatic posts!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malak-abu-shanab/every-time-i-check-facebook-i-get-sick-of-my-friends-pointless/) Malak Abu Shanab > [It's a sad commentary when I have to say that sometimes in our country we are real sensitive to race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-robertson/it-s-a-sad-commentary-when-i-have-to-say-that-sometimes-in-our/) [Oscar Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-robertson/) > [“For the commentator to stay as closely as possible to home, that is, to the text of the Gospel itself, there is much to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-ridderbos/for-the-commentator-to-stay-as-closely-as-possible-to-home-that-is-to/) Herman Ridderbos > [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/) Browse all 299 Commentary quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm incapable of writing without social commentary. 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