---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I write so much because my cat sits on my…"
description: "\"I write so much because my cat sits on my lap. She purrs so I don't want to get up. She's so much more calming than my husband.\" — Joyce Carol Oates"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ec/joyce-carol-oates-344_calming_i-write-so-much-because-my-cat-sits-on-m_495901.png"
---

#  I write so much because my cat sits on my lap. She purrs…

![“I write so much because my cat sits on my lap. She purrs so I don't want to get up. She's so much more calming than my husband.” quote by Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ec/joyce-carol-oates-344_calming_i-write-so-much-because-my-cat-sits-on-m_495901.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ec/joyce-carol-oates-344_calming_i-write-so-much-because-my-cat-sits-on-m_495901.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ec/joyce-carol-oates-344_calming_i-write-so-much-because-my-cat-sits-on-m_495901.png)

> “I write so much because my cat sits on my lap. She purrs so I don't want to get up. She's so much more calming than my husband.”

[Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/)

## About This Quote

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

She attributes her prolific writing to the calming presence of her cat, suggesting that comfort and companionship can boost creative productivity.

**In simple terms:** Her cat’s purring helps her write more.

Key Takeaway

Create a comfortable environment to foster work.

Themes

creativity comfort companionship productivity

Mood

reflective warm

Type

inspirational personal

When to use this quote

- home office
- writing sessions
- pet ownership
- focus enhancement

Key Concepts

animal therapy creative flow work habits

Questions to Reflect On

- What environment helps you focus?
- Can pets improve work performance?

A Different Perspective

Not everyone finds pets calming; may distract others.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Calming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calming/) [Cat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cat/) [Cats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cats/) [Husband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/husband/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [I'm on Facebook and the Internet EVERY DAY NUMEROUS TIMES A DAY.Sorry about the shouting but I can't help myself. My mother said her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franny-armstrong/i-m-on-facebook-and-the-internet-every-day-numerous-times-a-day-sorry/)

[Franny Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franny-armstrong/)

> [If a cat sits on a hot stove once, it will never sit on a cold one either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wolfowitz/if-a-cat-sits-on-a-hot-stove-once-it-will-never-sit-on-a-cold-one/)

[Paul Wolfowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wolfowitz/)

> [Wherever a cat sits, there shall happiness be found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-spencer/wherever-a-cat-sits-there-shall-happiness-be-found/)

[Stanley Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-spencer/)

> [“Dear Victor: Wow. That … really got out of hand. I’m sending this cat in as a peace offering. I forgive you for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/dear-victor-wow-that-really-got-out-of-hand-i-m-sending-this-cat-in/)

[Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/)

> [The thing most consistently on my desk as I write is a cat - a different one at different times of the day. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/the-thing-most-consistently-on-my-desk-as-i-write-is-a-cat-a/)

[Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/)

> [Unfortunate stuff about being a guy in school and a really hot girl sits on your lap and you have to resist getting a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padraig/unfortunate-stuff-about-being-a-guy-in-school-and-a-really-hot-girl/)

[Padraig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padraig/)

> [In the midst of the storm, your life boat appears. A psalm, a hymn, a word... calming the fiercest winds of the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-the-midst-of-the-storm-your-life-boat-appears-a-psalm-a-hymn-a/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Meditation is like light: when meditation comes, politics disappears. So you cannot be meditative and political. That is impossible: you are asking for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/meditation-is-like-light-when-meditation-comes-politics-disappears-so/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [“I sometimes forget how calming the ocean can be,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joann-bassett/i-sometimes-forget-how-calming-the-ocean-can-be/)

[JoAnn Bassett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joann-bassett/)

> [Being a perfectionist, I didn't want to settle for just getting by, so I enrolled in a vocal training program. I then learned that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyson-stoner/being-a-perfectionist-i-didn-t-want-to-settle-for-just-getting-by-so/)

[Alyson Stoner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyson-stoner/)

> [Every single empire in its official discourse has said that it is not like all the others, that its circumstances are special, that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/every-single-empire-in-its-official-discourse-has-said-that-it-is-not/)

[Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/)

> [“Quiet descended on her, calm, content, as her needle, drawing the silk smoothly to its gentle pause, collected the green folds together and attached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/quiet-descended-on-her-calm-content-as-her-needle-drawing-the-silk/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> ['Landfill' by Daughter has calming, rich tones that are only improved upon by the gorgeous voice of Daughter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lovett/landfill-by-daughter-has-calming-rich-tones-that-are-only-improved/)

[Ben Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lovett/)

> [There's nothing more calming in difficult moments that knowing there's some one fighting with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/there-s-nothing-more-calming-in-difficult-moments-that-knowing-there/)

[Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/)

> [I commend Sri Chinmoy for his faith and serenity, and I hope he will continue to exert his calming and constructive influence on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mulroney/i-commend-sri-chinmoy-for-his-faith-and-serenity-and-i-hope-he-will/)

[Brian Mulroney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mulroney/)

## More by Joyce Carol Oates

> [“A woman who has lost her husband is invalid, thus an invalid. In”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/a-woman-who-has-lost-her-husband-is-invalid-thus-an-invalid-in/)

[Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/)

> [Running! If there's any activity happier, more exhilarating, more nourishing to the imagination, I can't think of what it might be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/running-if-there-s-any-activity-happier-more-exhilarating-more/)

[Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/)

> [You need so much energy and encouragement to write that if someone says something negative, some of that energy goes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/you-need-so-much-energy-and-encouragement-to-write-that-if-someone/)

[Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/)

> [I learned long ago that being Lewis Carroll was infinitely more exciting than being Alice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-learned-long-ago-that-being-lewis-carroll-was-infinitely-more/)

[Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/)

> [Paradox: how do we know what we have failed to see because we have no language to express it, thus we cannot know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/paradox-how-do-we-know-what-we-have-failed-to-see-because-we-have-no/)

[Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/)

> [At all crucial moments in our lives we want to speak without knowing what to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/at-all-crucial-moments-in-our-lives-we-want-to-speak-without-knowing/)

[Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/)

> [A writer’s life is in his work, and that is the place to find him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/a-writer-s-life-is-in-his-work-and-that-is-the-place-to-find-him/)

[Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/)

> [The challenge is to resist circumstances. Any idiot can be happy in a happy place, but moral courage is required to be happy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/the-challenge-is-to-resist-circumstances-any-idiot-can-be-happy-in-a/)

[Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/)

> [The first sentence cant be written until the final sentence is written.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/the-first-sentence-cant-be-written-until-the-final-sentence-is-written/)

[Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/)

> [“Did you know, Marianne: how by breaking the code that day, you broke it forever? For us all?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/did-you-know-marianne-how-by-breaking-the-code-that-day-you-broke-it/)

[Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/)

> ['The Accursed' is very much a novel about social injustice as the consequence of the terrible, tragic division of classes - the exploitation not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/the-accursed-is-very-much-a-novel-about-social-injustice-as-the/)

[Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/)

> [Keep a light, hopeful heart. But expect the worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/keep-a-light-hopeful-heart-but-expect-the-worst/)

[Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/)

> [And this is the forbidden truth, the unspeakable taboo - that evil is not always repellent but frequently attractive; that it has the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/and-this-is-the-forbidden-truth-the-unspeakable-taboo-that-evil-is/)

[Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/)

> [I don't think that writer's block exists really. I think that when you're trying to do something prematurely, it just won't come. Certain subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-don-t-think-that-writer-s-block-exists-really-i-think-that-when-you/)

[Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/)

> [... such speculation is like staring into the hot white sun. you know the sun is there but you can't see a thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/such-speculation-is-like-staring-into-the-hot-white-sun-you-know-the/)

[Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/)

[Explore all 658 Joyce Carol Oates quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/)

## More Calming quotes

> [I commend Sri Chinmoy for his faith and serenity, and I hope he will continue to exert his calming and constructive influence on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mulroney/i-commend-sri-chinmoy-for-his-faith-and-serenity-and-i-hope-he-will/)

[Brian Mulroney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mulroney/)

> [There's nothing more calming in difficult moments that knowing there's some one fighting with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/there-s-nothing-more-calming-in-difficult-moments-that-knowing-there/)

[Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/)

> ['Landfill' by Daughter has calming, rich tones that are only improved upon by the gorgeous voice of Daughter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lovett/landfill-by-daughter-has-calming-rich-tones-that-are-only-improved/)

[Ben Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lovett/)

> [“Quiet descended on her, calm, content, as her needle, drawing the silk smoothly to its gentle pause, collected the green folds together and attached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/quiet-descended-on-her-calm-content-as-her-needle-drawing-the-silk/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [Every single empire in its official discourse has said that it is not like all the others, that its circumstances are special, that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/every-single-empire-in-its-official-discourse-has-said-that-it-is-not/)

[Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/)

> [Being a perfectionist, I didn't want to settle for just getting by, so I enrolled in a vocal training program. I then learned that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyson-stoner/being-a-perfectionist-i-didn-t-want-to-settle-for-just-getting-by-so/)

[Alyson Stoner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyson-stoner/)

> [“I sometimes forget how calming the ocean can be,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joann-bassett/i-sometimes-forget-how-calming-the-ocean-can-be/)

[JoAnn Bassett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joann-bassett/)

> [Meditation is like light: when meditation comes, politics disappears. So you cannot be meditative and political. That is impossible: you are asking for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/meditation-is-like-light-when-meditation-comes-politics-disappears-so/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [In the midst of the storm, your life boat appears. A psalm, a hymn, a word... calming the fiercest winds of the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-the-midst-of-the-storm-your-life-boat-appears-a-psalm-a-hymn-a/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Meditation is not passive sitting in silence. It is sitting in awareness, free from distraction, and realizing the clear understanding that arises from concentration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/meditation-is-not-passive-sitting-in-silence-it-is-sitting-in/)

[Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/)

> [You can handle anything if you think you can. Just keep your cool and your sense of humor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/smiley-blanton/you-can-handle-anything-if-you-think-you-can-just-keep-your-cool-and/)

[Smiley Blanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/smiley-blanton/)

> [The mental suffering you create is always some form of non-acceptance, some form of unconscious resistance to what is. On the level of thought,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-mental-suffering-you-create-is-always-some-form-of-non-acceptance/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [There's a lot of different things, but I think love gives us peace one way or another, and a calming effect on our soul,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-bruno/there-s-a-lot-of-different-things-but-i-think-love-gives-us-peace-one/)

[Aaron Bruno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-bruno/)

> [Something about being surrounded by water has a really calming effect on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-leo-butz/something-about-being-surrounded-by-water-has-a-really-calming-effect/)

[Norbert Leo Butz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-leo-butz/)

> [Literal cleanliness and orderliness can release us from abstract cognitive and affective distress - just consider how, during moments where life seems to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/literal-cleanliness-and-orderliness-can-release-us-from-abstract/)

[Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/)

[Browse all 188 Calming quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calming/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I write so much because my cat sits on my lap. She purrs so I don't want to get up. She's so much more calming than my husband.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Joyce Carol Oates"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-write-so-much-because-my-cat-sits-on-my-lap-she-purrs-so-i-don-t/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Calming"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-write-so-much-because-my-cat-sits-on-my-lap-she-purrs-so-i-don-t/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ec/joyce-carol-oates-344_calming_i-write-so-much-because-my-cat-sits-on-m_495901.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ec/joyce-carol-oates-344_calming_i-write-so-much-because-my-cat-sits-on-m_495901.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ec/joyce-carol-oates-344_calming_i-write-so-much-because-my-cat-sits-on-m_495901.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I write so much because my cat sits on my lap. She purrs so I don't want to get up. She's so much more…” — Joyce Carol Oates",
                "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": "Joyce Carol Oates",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I write so much because my...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-write-so-much-because-my-cat-sits-on-my-lap-she-purrs-so-i-don-t/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-write-so-much-because-my-cat-sits-on-my-lap-she-purrs-so-i-don-t/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
