---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't read much of what I write because…"
description: "\"I don't read much of what I write because I worry about unintentionally borrowing something.\" — Kelley Armstrong"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/kelley-armstrong-581_books_i-don-t-read-much-of-what-i-write-becaus_1189572.png"
---

#  I don't read much of what I write because I worry about…

![“I don't read much of what I write because I worry about unintentionally borrowing something.” quote by Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/kelley-armstrong-581_books_i-don-t-read-much-of-what-i-write-becaus_1189572.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/kelley-armstrong-581_books_i-don-t-read-much-of-what-i-write-becaus_1189572.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/kelley-armstrong-581_books_i-don-t-read-much-of-what-i-write-becaus_1189572.png)

> “I don't read much of what I write because I worry about unintentionally borrowing something.”

[Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/)

## About This Quote

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

Authors fear unintentionally borrowing ideas, leading to self-censorship and creative hesitation.

**In simple terms:** Writers worry about accidental plagiarism, hindering expression.

Key Takeaway

Write confidently, trusting your unique voice.

Themes

creativity plagiarism confidence

Mood

thoughtful encouraging

Type

motivational inspirational

When to use this quote

- novel drafting
- workshops
- editing stages

Key Concepts

intellectual property writing process

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you differentiate influence from copying?
- What practices protect originality?

A Different Perspective

Overcaution can stifle originality.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Borrowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borrowing/) [Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [“Whenever you get a worry (a negative thought that won’t go away), write it down. The act of writing helps to crystallize it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-g-amen/whenever-you-get-a-worry-a-negative-thought-that-won-t-go-away-write/)

[Daniel G. Amen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-g-amen/)

> [Write first, worry later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-farr/write-first-worry-later/)

[David Farr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-farr/)

> [A gentleman never offends unintentionally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/a-gentleman-never-offends-unintentionally/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [I don't think you should ever insult people unintentionally: if you're doing it, you ought to mean it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-don-t-think-you-should-ever-insult-people-unintentionally-if-you-re/)

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

> [I think unintentionally I gravitate towards concepts and topics that hit home or are something real we can all relate to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-gordon/i-think-unintentionally-i-gravitate-towards-concepts-and-topics-that/)

[Seth Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-gordon/)

> [I don't say anything unintentionally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-monaghan/i-don-t-say-anything-unintentionally/)

[Dominic Monaghan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-monaghan/)

> [Of course, there is no denying that I, too, have made mistakes, intentionally and unintentionally, but the good part is that now I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shehnaaz-gill/of-course-there-is-no-denying-that-i-too-have-made-mistakes/)

[Shehnaaz Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shehnaaz-gill/)

> [“Every now and then, quite unintentionally, someone taught you something about yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/every-now-and-then-quite-unintentionally-someone-taught-you-something/)

[Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/)

> [People say things unintentionally, not realizing that it could hurt someone's feelings because they've just never experienced what you have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-macdonald/people-say-things-unintentionally-not-realizing-that-it-could-hurt/)

[Danielle Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-macdonald/)

> [A gentleman is one who never hurts anyone's feelings unintentionally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/a-gentleman-is-one-who-never-hurts-anyone-s-feelings-unintentionally/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [“Sometimes people do much wrong unintentionally, meaning for the best”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-hickman/sometimes-people-do-much-wrong-unintentionally-meaning-for-the-best/)

[Tracy Hickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-hickman/)

> [In art, one does not aim for simplicity; one achieves it unintentionally as one gets closer to the real meaning of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constantin-brancusi/in-art-one-does-not-aim-for-simplicity-one-achieves-it/)

[Constantin Brancusi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constantin-brancusi/)

> [A gentleman is someone who never gives offense unintentionally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-brann/a-gentleman-is-someone-who-never-gives-offense-unintentionally/)

[Eva Brann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-brann/)

> [Sometimes when people start dating a hot piece, they take on some of their boo's characteristics unintentionally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-robinson/sometimes-when-people-start-dating-a-hot-piece-they-take-on-some-of/)

[Phoebe Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-robinson/)

> [How much wrong have we done unintentionally, meaning the best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-hickman/how-much-wrong-have-we-done-unintentionally-meaning-the-best/)

[Tracy Hickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-hickman/)

## More by Kelley Armstrong

> [So," I said. "Seems you're going to be stuck with me for a while." He smiled. A real smile that lit up his whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/so-i-said-seems-you-re-going-to-be-stuck-with-me-for-a-while-he/)

[Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/)

> [“He turned my way, and I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn't notice for a second. Then I realized I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/he-turned-my-way-and-i-was-so-engrossed-in-my-thoughts-that-i-didn-t/)

[Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/)

> [when times are tough, the weak bail and the tough get creative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/when-times-are-tough-the-weak-bail-and-the-tough-get-creative/)

[Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/)

> [Nuh-uh. No deals with the devil. I’ve learned my lesson on that one. ~Jaime Vegas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/nuh-uh-no-deals-with-the-devil-i-ve-learned-my-lesson-on-that-one/)

[Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/)

> [“Another night then,' Mom said. 'Maybe on the weekend we can have a barbecue and invite your sister.' 'Or,' I said turning to Rafe,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/another-night-then-mom-said-maybe-on-the-weekend-we-can-have-a/)

[Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/)

> [Believe me, I have better things to do than sabotage your friendships. No one else's world revolves around you, Cassandra." -Paige to Cassandra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/believe-me-i-have-better-things-to-do-than-sabotage-your-friendships/)

[Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/)

> [Reviews are great. I can read negative reviews and say, 'You know that point they made... they were dead on.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/reviews-are-great-i-can-read-negative-reviews-and-say-you-know-that/)

[Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/)

> [When a series is doing well, it's very tempting to keep writing it, even when the creative well is drying up. It's tempting because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/when-a-series-is-doing-well-it-s-very-tempting-to-keep-writing-it/)

[Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/)

> [You bat your baby blues at tall, dark, and gruesome, and next thing you know, he's trailing you like a lost puppy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/you-bat-your-baby-blues-at-tall-dark-and-gruesome-and-next-thing-you/)

[Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/)

> [With no chance to take off, I had to play my role, searching for the rendezvous spot, which gave me the excuse to look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/with-no-chance-to-take-off-i-had-to-play-my-role-searching-for-the/)

[Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/)

> [When I glanced at the chair, it started to shake. I’d like to think it was scared of me, but I rarely invoked that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/when-i-glanced-at-the-chair-it-started-to-shake-i-d-like-to-think-it/)

[Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/)

> [“Nonsense, Chloe. I certainly hope you aren't afraid of cemeteries" "Um, no" Tori said. "It's the bodies buried in them that worry her. Uh,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/nonsense-chloe-i-certainly-hope-you-aren-t-afraid-of-cemeteries-um-no/)

[Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/)

> [I was...a journalist...though my typical beat was freelancing articles on Canadian politics, which never included any mention of demonic phenomena, though it might explain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/i-was-a-journalist-though-my-typical-beat-was-freelancing-articles-on/)

[Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/)

> [I found something" Simon said as he walked in. He whipped out an old-fashioned key from his pocket and grinned at me. "It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/i-found-something-simon-said-as-he-walked-in-he-whipped-out-an-old/)

[Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/)

> [“He laughed and tugged me down in a kiss. Then, lips still close enough to feel them tickle mine, he said, "You know this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/he-laughed-and-tugged-me-down-in-a-kiss-then-lips-still-close-enough/)

[Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/)

[Explore all 458 Kelley Armstrong quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/)

## More Books 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/)

> [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/)

[Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/)

> [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/)

[Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/)

> [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/)

> [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/)

[Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/)

> [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/)

> [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/)

Christopher K. Krebs

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [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/)

> [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/)

Markus Herz

> [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

[Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I don't read much of what I write because I worry about unintentionally borrowing something.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Kelley Armstrong"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/i-don-t-read-much-of-what-i-write-because-i-worry-about/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/i-don-t-read-much-of-what-i-write-because-i-worry-about/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/kelley-armstrong-581_books_i-don-t-read-much-of-what-i-write-becaus_1189572.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/kelley-armstrong-581_books_i-don-t-read-much-of-what-i-write-becaus_1189572.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b57/kelley-armstrong-581_books_i-don-t-read-much-of-what-i-write-becaus_1189572.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I don't read much of what I write because I worry about unintentionally borrowing something.” — Kelley Armstrong",
                "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": "Kelley Armstrong",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I don't read much of what...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/i-don-t-read-much-of-what-i-write-because-i-worry-about/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/i-don-t-read-much-of-what-i-write-because-i-worry-about/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
