--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I began writing seriously in my mid-20s…" description: "\"I began writing seriously in my mid-20s and didnt publish my first book until I was 41.\" — Kent Haruf" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a7/kent-haruf-18766_book_i-began-writing-seriously-in-my-mid-20s_2053001.jpg" --- # I began writing seriously in my mid-20s and didnt publish… ![“I began writing seriously in my mid-20s and didnt publish my first book until I was 41.” quote by Kent Haruf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a7/kent-haruf-18766_book_i-began-writing-seriously-in-my-mid-20s_2053001.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a7/kent-haruf-18766_book_i-began-writing-seriously-in-my-mid-20s_2053001.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a7/kent-haruf-18766_book_i-began-writing-seriously-in-my-mid-20s_2053001.jpg) > “I began writing seriously in my mid-20s and didnt publish my first book until I was 41.” [Kent Haruf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-haruf/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He started writing seriously in his 20s but only published his first book at 41, showing perseverance. **In simple terms:** Late publishing after long effort. Key Takeaway Persist despite delayed success. Themes writing career timelines perseverance Mood encouraging realistic Type career motivational When to use this quote - writing workshops - career counseling - author panels - self‑publishing Key Concepts Late bloomers creative persistence Questions to Reflect On - What motivates you to keep writing? - How do you handle delayed recognition? A Different Perspective Success may still feel uncertain after late achievement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Began Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/began-writing/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Didnt Publish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/didnt-publish-3878979/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Publish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/publish/) [Publish Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/publish-book-368085/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Seriously](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-seriously-688444/) ## Related quotes > [I began writing seriously in my mid-20s and didn't publish my first book until I was 41.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-haruf/i-began-writing-seriously-in-my-mid-20s-and-didn-t-publish-my-first/) [Kent Haruf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-haruf/) > [Once you publish a book, it is out of your control. You cannot dictate how people read it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/once-you-publish-a-book-it-is-out-of-your-control-you-cannot-dictate/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [You want to publish with a publisher because a publisher knows how to publish a book. And you don't. You really don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/you-want-to-publish-with-a-publisher-because-a-publisher-knows-how-to/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [If you're going to publish a book, you probably are going to make a fool of yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/if-you-re-going-to-publish-a-book-you-probably-are-going-to-make-a/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [I learned how difficult it is to self-publish a book. It's complex, it's confusing, it's idiosyncratic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/i-learned-how-difficult-it-is-to-self-publish-a-book-it-s-complex-it/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [ You can publish a poem you think is a very important poem, and you don't hear a word from anyone. \[...\] You can publish… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-ferlinghetti/you-can-publish-a-poem-you-think-is-a-very-important-poem-and-you-don/) [Lawrence Ferlinghetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-ferlinghetti/) > [Three publishers came to me at the White House after George lost and said, 'We would like to publish your book.' I said, 'Well,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-bush/three-publishers-came-to-me-at-the-white-house-after-george-lost-and/) [Barbara Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-bush/) > [I was a book editor for nine years. I'm familiar with the opposite experience, bracing myself for the likelihood that no one would want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/i-was-a-book-editor-for-nine-years-i-m-familiar-with-the-opposite/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [But once you publish a book, doesn’t it by definition become the realm of public discourse? Otherwise, wouldn’t we just write books and print…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-evison/but-once-you-publish-a-book-doesn-t-it-by-definition-become-the-realm/) [Jonathan Evison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-evison/) > [It takes a long time to publish a book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-koch/it-takes-a-long-time-to-publish-a-book/) [Kenneth Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-koch/) > [After you publish a book, you become a writer and you're supposed to take it very seriously. You're supposed to show up at your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/after-you-publish-a-book-you-become-a-writer-and-you-re-supposed-to/) [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) > [Just because everyone CAN publish a book these days, doesn't mean everyone SHOULD. The world doesn't need 1000 knock-offs of 50 Shades of Grey.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-gaspirtz/just-because-everyone-can-publish-a-book-these-days-doesn-t-mean/) [Oliver Gaspirtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-gaspirtz/) > [When you publish a book, you do so in part to end the silence. All censorship is silence. I would never, as an author,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/when-you-publish-a-book-you-do-so-in-part-to-end-the-silence-all/) [Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/) > [Nothing is a matter of age. It's really in the person because you can publish book after book after book and still want that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/nothing-is-a-matter-of-age-it-s-really-in-the-person-because-you-can/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [I didn't say I have to be a writer, but I did say that I needed to publish at least one book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomi-adeyemi/i-didn-t-say-i-have-to-be-a-writer-but-i-did-say-that-i-needed-to/) [Tomi Adeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomi-adeyemi/) ## More by Kent Haruf > [I began writing seriously in my mid-20s and didn't publish my first book until I was 41.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-haruf/i-began-writing-seriously-in-my-mid-20s-and-didn-t-publish-my-first/) [Kent Haruf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-haruf/) > [“quit trying to fix things and we settled into our long polite and quiet life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-haruf/quit-trying-to-fix-things-and-we-settled-into-our-long-polite-and/) [Kent Haruf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-haruf/) > [“You understand? If you can read you can cook. You can always feed yourselves. You remember that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-haruf/you-understand-if-you-can-read-you-can-cook-you-can-always-feed/) [Kent Haruf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-haruf/) > [“The precious ordinary. I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-haruf/the-precious-ordinary-i/) [Kent Haruf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-haruf/) > [I enjoy bluegrass, folk, gospel, and classical. I don't listen to music when I write. I sometimes listen to music just before I sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-haruf/i-enjoy-bluegrass-folk-gospel-and-classical-i-don-t-listen-to-music/) [Kent Haruf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-haruf/) > [We'd do better to follow the admonition of Jesus about loving our neighbours. People in the U.S. are capable of forgiveness and willing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-haruf/we-d-do-better-to-follow-the-admonition-of-jesus-about-loving-our/) [Kent Haruf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-haruf/) > [Writers who aren't from rural states in the Midwest or the West often treat such people as if they were the Waltons or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-haruf/writers-who-aren-t-from-rural-states-in-the-midwest-or-the-west-often/) [Kent Haruf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-haruf/) > [My desire is to be anonymous, isolated, quiet, peaceful, and concentrated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-haruf/my-desire-is-to-be-anonymous-isolated-quiet-peaceful-and-concentrated/) [Kent Haruf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-haruf/) > [“Alene looked out toward the fading sky. There was only a little light remaining. It would turn nighttime now and soon they would return…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-haruf/alene-looked-out-toward-the-fading-sky-there-was-only-a-little-light/) [Kent Haruf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-haruf/) > [“And so we know the satisfaction of hate. We know the sweet joy of revenge. How it feels good to get even. Oh, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-haruf/and-so-we-know-the-satisfaction-of-hate-we-know-the-sweet-joy-of/) [Kent Haruf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-haruf/) > [In terms of showing their emotions and acting on them, my women characters are a lot more advanced than the men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-haruf/in-terms-of-showing-their-emotions-and-acting-on-them-my-women/) [Kent Haruf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-haruf/) > [That was on a night in August. Dad Lewis died early that morning and the young girl Alice from next door got lost in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-haruf/that-was-on-a-night-in-august-dad-lewis-died-early-that-morning-and/) [Kent Haruf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-haruf/) > [“The evening wasn’t cold yet... But the air was turning sharp, with a fall feeling of loneliness coming. Something unaccountable pending in the air.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-haruf/the-evening-wasn-t-cold-yet-but-the-air-was-turning-sharp-with-a-fall/) [Kent Haruf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-haruf/) > [After finishing the first draft, I work for as long as it takes (for two or three weeks, most often) to rework that first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-haruf/after-finishing-the-first-draft-i-work-for-as-long-as-it-takes-for/) [Kent Haruf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-haruf/) > [I write in a journal first, briefly. Then read something I've read many times before, for about half an hour, then rework what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-haruf/i-write-in-a-journal-first-briefly-then-read-something-i-ve-read-many/) [Kent Haruf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-haruf/) [Explore all 34 Kent Haruf quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-haruf/) ## More Book 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/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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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/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I began writing seriously in my mid-20s and didnt publish my first book until I was 41.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kent Haruf" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-haruf/i-began-writing-seriously-in-my-mid-20s-and-didnt-publish-my-first/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-haruf/i-began-writing-seriously-in-my-mid-20s-and-didnt-publish-my-first/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a7/kent-haruf-18766_book_i-began-writing-seriously-in-my-mid-20s_2053001.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a7/kent-haruf-18766_book_i-began-writing-seriously-in-my-mid-20s_2053001.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a7/kent-haruf-18766_book_i-began-writing-seriously-in-my-mid-20s_2053001.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I began writing seriously in my mid-20s and didnt publish my first book until I was 41.” — Kent Haruf", "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": "Kent Haruf", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-haruf/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I began writing seriously in my...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-haruf/i-began-writing-seriously-in-my-mid-20s-and-didnt-publish-my-first/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-haruf/i-began-writing-seriously-in-my-mid-20s-and-didnt-publish-my-first/#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 } } ] } ```