--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I look for ambiguity when I'm writing…" description: "\"I look for ambiguity when I'm writing because life is ambiguous.\" — Keith Richards" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a9/keith-richards-1996_ambiguity_i-look-for-ambiguity-when-i-m-writing-be_2886580.png" --- # I look for ambiguity when I'm writing because life is… ![“I look for ambiguity when I'm writing because life is ambiguous.” quote by Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a9/keith-richards-1996_ambiguity_i-look-for-ambiguity-when-i-m-writing-be_2886580.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a9/keith-richards-1996_ambiguity_i-look-for-ambiguity-when-i-m-writing-be_2886580.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a9/keith-richards-1996_ambiguity_i-look-for-ambiguity-when-i-m-writing-be_2886580.png) > “I look for ambiguity when I'm writing because life is ambiguous.” [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ambiguity in writing mirrors life's inherent uncertainty, inviting multiple interpretations. **In simple terms:** Write ambiguously to reflect life's uncertainty. Key Takeaway Embrace uncertainty in art. Themes ambiguity creativity life philosophy Mood curious thoughtful Type experimental reflective When to use this quote - songwriting - novel writing - visual arts Key Concepts interpretation artistic freedom personal expression Questions to Reflect On - How much ambiguity is effective? - What emotions does ambiguity evoke? A Different Perspective Too much ambiguity can confuse audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ambiguity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambiguity/) [Ambiguity Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambiguity-writing-4031534/) [Ambiguous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambiguous/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Ambiguous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-ambiguous-3525213/) [Look Ambiguity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look-ambiguity-3548857/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“I look for ambiguity because life is ambiguous!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marko-stout/i-look-for-ambiguity-because-life-is-ambiguous/) [Marko Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marko-stout/) > [Real life ... it was an ambiguous world, where actions sometimes had no meaning, where chaos reigned and no one was allowed to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bentley-little/real-life-it-was-an-ambiguous-world-where-actions-sometimes-had-no/) [Bentley Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bentley-little/) > [Life is ambiguous, isn't it? It's never as black and white as you see it in the movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-blunt/life-is-ambiguous-isn-t-it-it-s-never-as-black-and-white-as-you-see/) [Emily Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-blunt/) > [Black life is ambiguous, and a kaleidoscope of meanings, rich, multi-sided . . . we have frozen our vision in figures that caricature, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bartlett-johnson/black-life-is-ambiguous-and-a-kaleidoscope-of-meanings-rich-multi/) [Charles Bartlett Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bartlett-johnson/) > [With adoption, there is a whole range of experiences, and a lot of it goes under the radar. There is too much icky stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-sharp/with-adoption-there-is-a-whole-range-of-experiences-and-a-lot-of-it/) [Lesley Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-sharp/) > [The United States has been ambiguous on the current situation in Nepal. They have not actually come out very strongly in terms of pushing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irene-khan/the-united-states-has-been-ambiguous-on-the-current-situation-in/) [Irene Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irene-khan/) > [“It is still cheating, even if nobody comes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/it-is-still-cheating-even-if-nobody-comes/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Ambiguity can't be ambiguous. It is often very vivid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammad-mustafa/ambiguity-can-t-be-ambiguous-it-is-often-very-vivid/) [Mohammad MUSTAFA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammad-mustafa/) > [everything is ambiguous. It's exciting, in a way, if you can tolerate ambiguity. I can't, but I'm taking a course where it's taught, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-ballantyne/everything-is-ambiguous-it-s-exciting-in-a-way-if-you-can-tolerate/) [Sheila Ballantyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-ballantyne/) > [The Democratic leadership has expressed great concern for the incarceration rate in the commonwealth in the last few years. Now they want to fill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-vaughan/the-democratic-leadership-has-expressed-great-concern-for-the/) [Bill Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-vaughan/) > [We will discuss the issue and the rumors surrounding it with the agency. It is not very sensitive or ambiguous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamid-reza-assefi/we-will-discuss-the-issue-and-the-rumors-surrounding-it-with-the/) [Hamid-Reza Assefi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamid-reza-assefi/) > [There's the ambiguity of human relationships, for instance. A relationship between two people, just like a sequence of words, is ambiguous if it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliot-perlman/there-s-the-ambiguity-of-human-relationships-for-instance-a/) [Elliot Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliot-perlman/) > [This is the power of images, the ambiguity. You are never completely sure of anything. With written language, it's more concrete. You have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-serra/this-is-the-power-of-images-the-ambiguity-you-are-never-completely/) [Albert Serra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-serra/) > [“The more I protested about this ambiguity, the more Joanna pointed out to me that it was both a terrible and wonderful part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilda-radner/the-more-i-protested-about-this-ambiguity-the-more-joanna-pointed-out/) [Gilda Radner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilda-radner/) > [Life is also a mixture of unsolved problems, ambiguous victories and vague defeats-with very few moments of clear peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-prather/life-is-also-a-mixture-of-unsolved-problems-ambiguous-victories-and/) [Hugh Prather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-prather/) ## More by Keith Richards > [“When you are growing up there are two institutional places that affect you most powerfully: the church, which belongs to God, and the public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/when-you-are-growing-up-there-are-two-institutional-places-that/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [“Wild Horses" started in a B-minor chord, and Stu didn't play minor chords, "fucking Chinese music.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/wild-horses-started-in-a-b-minor-chord-and-stu-didn-t-play-minor/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [“And you listen to some of that meticulous Mozart stuff and Vivaldi and you realize that they knew that too. They knew when to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/and-you-listen-to-some-of-that-meticulous-mozart-stuff-and-vivaldi/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [Everybody's got a different way of telling a story - and has different stories to tell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/everybody-s-got-a-different-way-of-telling-a-story-and-has-different/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [Let me be clear about this. I don't have a drug problem. I have a police problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/let-me-be-clear-about-this-i-don-t-have-a-drug-problem-i-have-a/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [It's called the mysterious rhythm of life, ... I can't quite account for it. It's probably an addiction, quite honestly. I need that shot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/it-s-called-the-mysterious-rhythm-of-life-i-can-t-quite-account-for/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [I never thought I was wasted, but I probably was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/i-never-thought-i-was-wasted-but-i-probably-was/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [I don't encourage anybody to do what I do, you know? Why should you? More for me!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/i-don-t-encourage-anybody-to-do-what-i-do-you-know-why-should-you/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [The idea of retiring is like killing yourself. It's almost like Hari Kari. I intend to live to a 100 and go down in history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/the-idea-of-retiring-is-like-killing-yourself-it-s-almost-like-hari/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [“La gente me pregunta "por qué no lo dejas?". El hecho es que no me puedo retirar hasta que no estire la pata. Creo…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/la-gente-me-pregunta-por-qu-no-lo-dejas-el-hecho-es-que-no-me-puedo/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [Before Elvis, everything was in black and white. Then came Elvis. Zoom, glorious Technicolor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/before-elvis-everything-was-in-black-and-white-then-came-elvis-zoom/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [There's no substitute for live work to keep a band together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/there-s-no-substitute-for-live-work-to-keep-a-band-together/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [But I've always felt very comfortable on stage, even if I screw up. It always felt like a dog, this is my turf, piss…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/but-i-ve-always-felt-very-comfortable-on-stage-even-if-i-screw-up-it/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [I'm not getting old I'm evolving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/i-m-not-getting-old-i-m-evolving/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [I'm an unpure purist, something like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/i-m-an-unpure-purist-something-like-that/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) [Explore all 190 Keith Richards quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) ## More Ambiguity quotes > [The position is clear - there is no ambiguity in Sinn Fein's position. We, along with all the other parties, have signed up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-mcguinness/the-position-is-clear-there-is-no-ambiguity-in-sinn-fein-s-position/) [Martin McGuinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-mcguinness/) > [Ambiguity is necessary in some of my stories, not in all. In those, it certainly contributes to the richness of the story. I doubt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/ambiguity-is-necessary-in-some-of-my-stories-not-in-all-in-those-it/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) > [During the Cold War, we lived in coded times when it wasn't easy and there were shades of grey and ambiguity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/during-the-cold-war-we-lived-in-coded-times-when-it-wasn-t-easy-and/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [You cannot grow in the integrative dance of action and contemplation without a strong tolerance for ambiguity, an ability to allow, forgive, and contain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/you-cannot-grow-in-the-integrative-dance-of-action-and-contemplation/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [I blame my grandfather 100 percent for his oldest son's death. I don't think there's any ambiguity there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-l-trump/i-blame-my-grandfather-100-percent-for-his-oldest-son-s-death-i-don-t/) [Mary L. Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-l-trump/) > [I think the relationship between social-dominance orientation in people and the extent to which they're made uncomfortable by ambiguity and novelty is really important.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/i-think-the-relationship-between-social-dominance-orientation-in/) [Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/) > [Yet again, an ancient answer echoes across the centuries: Listen! Listen to stories! For what stories do, above all else, is hold up a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-kurtz/yet-again-an-ancient-answer-echoes-across-the-centuries-listen-listen/) [Ernest Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-kurtz/) > [My path to wisdom began when I stopped pretending to know things I didn't know. When I explicitly admitted to the limits of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-max/my-path-to-wisdom-began-when-i-stopped-pretending-to-know-things-i/) [Tucker Max](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-max/) > [If there is a single tragic flaw that mars our biggest enterprises, it is conservatism - the failure to fail, and fail big, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-there-is-a-single-tragic-flaw-that-mars-our-biggest-enterprises-it/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [In order to be as free as I possibly can, in my own imagination, I can't take positions that are closed. Everything I've ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/in-order-to-be-as-free-as-i-possibly-can-in-my-own-imagination-i-can/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [I've always been drawn to ambiguity in pop music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-ve-always-been-drawn-to-ambiguity-in-pop-music/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [I believe that we can still have a genre of scientific books suitable for and accessible alike to professionals and interested laypeople. The concepts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-believe-that-we-can-still-have-a-genre-of-scientific-books-suitable/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [I am in the utmost perplexity, yand have wished a hundred times, that if there is a A God, nature would manifest him without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/i-am-in-the-utmost-perplexity-yand-have-wished-a-hundred-times-that/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [There's a lot of ambiguity in life, and so often, our art is very neatly wrapped up at the end, when our lives never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-coon/there-s-a-lot-of-ambiguity-in-life-and-so-often-our-art-is-very/) [Carrie Coon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-coon/) > [“Man must not attempt to dispel the ambiguity of his being but, on the contrary, accept the task of realizing it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/man-must-not-attempt-to-dispel-the-ambiguity-of-his-being-but-on-the/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) [Browse all 431 Ambiguity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambiguity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I look for ambiguity when I'm writing because life is ambiguous.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Keith Richards" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/i-look-for-ambiguity-when-i-m-writing-because-life-is-ambiguous/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ambiguity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/i-look-for-ambiguity-when-i-m-writing-because-life-is-ambiguous/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a9/keith-richards-1996_ambiguity_i-look-for-ambiguity-when-i-m-writing-be_2886580.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a9/keith-richards-1996_ambiguity_i-look-for-ambiguity-when-i-m-writing-be_2886580.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a9/keith-richards-1996_ambiguity_i-look-for-ambiguity-when-i-m-writing-be_2886580.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I look for ambiguity when I'm writing because life is ambiguous.” — Keith Richards", "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": "Keith Richards", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I look for ambiguity when I'm...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/i-look-for-ambiguity-when-i-m-writing-because-life-is-ambiguous/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/i-look-for-ambiguity-when-i-m-writing-because-life-is-ambiguous/#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 } } ] } ```