--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's a hard thing to examine and…" description: "\"It's a hard thing to examine and difficult to speak for other writers, but when I look at my own writing there is often too much reticence. And that's ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fa/katie-kitamura-13105_cutting_it-s-a-hard-thing-to-examine-and-difficu_2013932.jpg" --- # It's a hard thing to examine and difficult to speak for… ![“It's a hard thing to examine and difficult to speak for other writers, but when I look at my own writing there is often too much reticence. And that's a flaw I have as a person as well. I'm too reticent. I'm non-confrontational to a fault. And I'm risk-averse, which probably shows in my sentences…” quote by Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fa/katie-kitamura-13105_cutting_it-s-a-hard-thing-to-examine-and-difficu_2013932.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fa/katie-kitamura-13105_cutting_it-s-a-hard-thing-to-examine-and-difficu_2013932.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fa/katie-kitamura-13105_cutting_it-s-a-hard-thing-to-examine-and-difficu_2013932.jpg) > “It's a hard thing to examine and difficult to speak for other writers, but when I look at my own writing there is often too much reticence. And that's a flaw I have as a person as well. I'm too reticent. I'm non-confrontational to a fault. And I'm risk-averse, which probably shows in my sentences. The aversion to long lines, the tendency to strip things back and be spare. My writing is an act of erasure that's tied up with my personality. I can easily produce a ninety thousand word chunk of writing and then cut back and back until I've only got ten thousand words. Or nothing.” [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The writer reflects on excessive self‑censorship, risk‑aversion, and a tendency to erase much of their work, linking it to personal reticence. **In simple terms:** The author admits they cut down their writing a much due to being overly cautious. Key Takeaway Embrace fuller expression and accept imperfection. Themes self‑criticism creativity confidence Mood reflective thoughtful Type self‑help creative When to use this quote - drafting - editing - creative workshops Key Concepts over‑editing risk aversion personal growth Questions to Reflect On - How does personal reticence shape your writing? - What steps can you take to balance editing with expression? A Different Perspective Over‑editing can stifle originality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cutting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cutting/) [Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) [Flaws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flaws/) [Hard things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-things/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Personality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personality/) [Reticence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reticence/) [Spare Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spare-writing-3612061/) [Speak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speak/) [Speak Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speak-writers-3612062/) [Thousand words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand-words/) [Tied up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tied-up/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Reticence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-reticence-3612060/) ## Related quotes > [Theres that initial reticence for some athletes to take you seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-guerrero/theres-that-initial-reticence-for-some-athletes-to-take-you-seriously/) [Lisa Guerrero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-guerrero/) > [Whatever deficiencies the leaders of the American Revolution may have had, reticence, fortunately, was not one of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-bailyn/whatever-deficiencies-the-leaders-of-the-american-revolution-may-have/) [Bernard Bailyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-bailyn/) > [“There are a great many opinions in this world, and a good half of them are professed by people who have never been in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/there-are-a-great-many-opinions-in-this-world-and-a-good-half-of-them/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [Racing is a great mania to which one must sacrifice everything, without reticence, without hesitation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enzo-ferrari/racing-is-a-great-mania-to-which-one-must-sacrifice-everything/) [Enzo Ferrari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enzo-ferrari/) > [The name Shatner is Austrian and partly Germanic, and there's Germanic reticence and silence perhaps, but there is passion underneath.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/the-name-shatner-is-austrian-and-partly-germanic-and-there-s-germanic/) [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) > [Still, there is a basic reticence about his approach that feels refreshing in today's culture of maximum exposure. Brandt did not go to great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-smee/still-there-is-a-basic-reticence-about-his-approach-that-feels/) [Sebastian Smee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-smee/) > [There is a probably natural and learned reticence with myself talking about my early life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-stephenson/there-is-a-probably-natural-and-learned-reticence-with-myself-talking/) [Pamela Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-stephenson/) > [I remember manners, that's when people are scared to make other persons mad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/i-remember-manners-that-s-when-people-are-scared-to-make-other/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) > [The art of flirtation is dying. A man and woman are either in love these days or just friends. In the realm of love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-mannes/the-art-of-flirtation-is-dying-a-man-and-woman-are-either-in-love/) [Marya Mannes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-mannes/) > [“There are many men in London, you know, who, some from shyness, some from misanthropy, have no wish for the company of their fellows.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/there-are-many-men-in-london-you-know-who-some-from-shyness-some-from/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [As anyone who has covered the company for any length of time knows, Yahoo's record on major decision-making has been akin to a hippie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-swisher/as-anyone-who-has-covered-the-company-for-any-length-of-time-knows/) [Kara Swisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-swisher/) > [It is not a life at all. It is a reticence, in three volumes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-e-gladstone/it-is-not-a-life-at-all-it-is-a-reticence-in-three-volumes/) [William E. Gladstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-e-gladstone/) > [A judicious reticence is hard to learn, but it is one of the great lessons of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/a-judicious-reticence-is-hard-to-learn-but-it-is-one-of-the-great/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [“You yourself are English and yet you do not seem to appreciate the quality of the English reaction to a direct question. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/you-yourself-are-english-and-yet-you-do-not-seem-to-appreciate-the/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [The right to reticence seems earned only by having nothing to hide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-johnston/the-right-to-reticence-seems-earned-only-by-having-nothing-to-hide/) [Jill Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-johnston/) ## More by Katie Kitamura > [Translated literature can be fascinating. There's something so intriguing about reading the text second hand - a piece of prose that has already been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/translated-literature-can-be-fascinating-there-s-something-so/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [The point about sales is relevant because it suggests there are cultures out there that are supporting and consuming, on a vast scale, challenging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/the-point-about-sales-is-relevant-because-it-suggests-there-are/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [It took me a long time to accept that I was a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/it-took-me-a-long-time-to-accept-that-i-was-a-writer/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [“life rarely finds its exact likeness in a novel, that is hardly fiction’s purpose,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/life-rarely-finds-its-exact-likeness-in-a-novel-that-is-hardly/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [As a writer, I think the greatest danger would be self-censorship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/as-a-writer-i-think-the-greatest-danger-would-be-self-censorship/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [There's a long relationship between science fiction and the 'novel of ideas,' and I think writers of science fiction are able to draw on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/there-s-a-long-relationship-between-science-fiction-and-the-novel-of/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [I write some art criticism, and one thing that's clear to me is that politics is fashionable in the American art world in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/i-write-some-art-criticism-and-one-thing-that-s-clear-to-me-is-that/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [I'm often a little perplexed, when I read a review of a book, by the quotes that are pulled out as evidence of excellent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/i-m-often-a-little-perplexed-when-i-read-a-review-of-a-book-by-the/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [I don't speak any languages well enough to make an expert assessment on writing in translation, but since I'm interested in awkwardness in prose,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/i-don-t-speak-any-languages-well-enough-to-make-an-expert-assessment/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [I think it's poignant and powerful, this idea that if someone knows your name, they have the ability to kind of hail you and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/i-think-it-s-poignant-and-powerful-this-idea-that-if-someone-knows/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [“A place has a curious quality when you have only a partial understanding of its language, and in those early months the sensation was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/a-place-has-a-curious-quality-when-you-have-only-a-partial/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [“People were capable of living their lives in a state of permanent disappointment, there were plenty of people who did not marry the person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/people-were-capable-of-living-their-lives-in-a-state-of-permanent/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [I was introduced to fighting by my brother - he's a tattooer, a tough guy - and I completely fell in love with it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/i-was-introduced-to-fighting-by-my-brother-he-s-a-tattooer-a-tough/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [I don't know why I write. The honest answer is that I don't have an answer. I wouldn't die if I couldn't write fiction.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/i-don-t-know-why-i-write-the-honest-answer-is-that-i-don-t-have-an/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) > [“It was a terrible thing, to love and not know whether you were loved in return, it led to the worst sensations--jealousy, rage, self-loathing--to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/it-was-a-terrible-thing-to-love-and-not-know-whether-you-were-loved/) [Katie Kitamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) [Explore all 51 Katie Kitamura quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/) ## More Cutting quotes > [“I locked the door and turned on the water to fill the tub. I made it so hot that I had to get in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-crandall/i-locked-the-door-and-turned-on-the-water-to-fill-the-tub-i-made-it/) [Susan Crandall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-crandall/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [Since I worked with Danny Boyle before on Slumdog Millionaire, we have great success and everything. So, when I first got the script and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-r-rahman/since-i-worked-with-danny-boyle-before-on-slumdog-millionaire-we-have/) [A. R. Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-r-rahman/) > [A man has a right to use a saw, an axe, a plane, separately; may he not combine their uses on the same piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-man-has-a-right-to-use-a-saw-an-axe-a-plane-separately-may-he-not/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [I didn't understand Southland Tales script at all! Is there a single word to describe it? Cacophony? It's celebrity meets pornography meets politics -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-grant/i-didn-t-understand-southland-tales-script-at-all-is-there-a-single/) [Beth Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-grant/) > [Confidence comes from cutting yourself some slack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-daly/confidence-comes-from-cutting-yourself-some-slack/) [Tess Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-daly/) > [The nineteenth century lynching mob cuts off ears, toes, and fingers, strips off flesh, and distributes portions of the body as souvenirs among the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-b-wells/the-nineteenth-century-lynching-mob-cuts-off-ears-toes-and-fingers/) [Ida B. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-b-wells/) > [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [ We have no clear ideas of the agency of \[demonic\] spirits, nor is it necessary. The Scripture says little to satisfy our curiosity; but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/we-have-no-clear-ideas-of-the-agency-of-demonic-spirits-nor-is-it/) [John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/) > [The child who ran weeping to you with a cut finger is now brought home, smiling gamely, with a broken collarbone and incredible contusions-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-brown/the-child-who-ran-weeping-to-you-with-a-cut-finger-is-now-brought/) [Pam Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-brown/) > [Somewhere somebody must have some sense. Men must see that force begets force, hate begets hate, toughness begets toughness. And it is all a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/somewhere-somebody-must-have-some-sense-men-must-see-that-force/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [“I hate the way you talk to me And the way you cut your hair I hate the way you drive my car I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-hate-the-way-you-talk-to-me-and-the-way-you-cut-your-hair-i-hate/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [God holds each of us by a string. When we sin, we cut the string. But God ties it up again, making a knot.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/god-holds-each-of-us-by-a-string-when-we-sin-we-cut-the-string-but/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) > [What's the difference between obsolete and cutting edge? Obsolete works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/what-s-the-difference-between-obsolete-and-cutting-edge-obsolete-works/) [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) > [Geometry, which should only obey Physics, when united with it sometimes commands it. If it happens that the question which we wish to examine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/geometry-which-should-only-obey-physics-when-united-with-it-sometimes/) [Jean le Rond d'Alembert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/) [Browse all 6,010 Cutting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cutting/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's a hard thing to examine and difficult to speak for other writers, but when I look at my own writing there is often too much reticence. And that's a flaw I have as a person as well. I'm too reticent. I'm non-confrontational to a fault. And I'm risk-averse, which probably shows in my sentences. The aversion to long lines, the tendency to strip things back and be spare. My writing is an act of erasure that's tied up with my personality. I can easily produce a ninety thousand word chunk of writing and then cut back and back until I've only got ten thousand words. Or nothing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Katie Kitamura" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-examine-and-difficult-to-speak-for-other-writers/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cutting" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-examine-and-difficult-to-speak-for-other-writers/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fa/katie-kitamura-13105_cutting_it-s-a-hard-thing-to-examine-and-difficu_2013932.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fa/katie-kitamura-13105_cutting_it-s-a-hard-thing-to-examine-and-difficu_2013932.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3fa/katie-kitamura-13105_cutting_it-s-a-hard-thing-to-examine-and-difficu_2013932.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's a hard thing to examine and difficult to speak for other writers, but when I look at my own writing…” — Katie Kitamura", "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": "Katie Kitamura", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kitamura/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's a hard thing to examine...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-examine-and-difficult-to-speak-for-other-writers/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kitamura/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-examine-and-difficult-to-speak-for-other-writers/#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 } } ] } ```