--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When a man becomes a writer, I think he…" description: "\"When a man becomes a writer, I think he takes on a sacred obligation to produce beauty and enlightenment and comfort at top speed.\" — Kurt Vonnegut" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e79/kurt-vonnegut-41_beauty_when-a-man-becomes-a-writer-i-think-he-t_617088.jpg" --- # When a man becomes a writer, I think he takes on a sacred… ![“When a man becomes a writer, I think he takes on a sacred obligation to produce beauty and enlightenment and comfort at top speed.” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e79/kurt-vonnegut-41_beauty_when-a-man-becomes-a-writer-i-think-he-t_617088.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e79/kurt-vonnegut-41_beauty_when-a-man-becomes-a-writer-i-think-he-t_617088.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e79/kurt-vonnegut-41_beauty_when-a-man-becomes-a-writer-i-think-he-t_617088.jpg) > “When a man becomes a writer, I think he takes on a sacred obligation to produce beauty and enlightenment and comfort at top speed.” [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing is portrayed as a moral duty to create beauty, insight, and comfort quickly, emphasizing responsibility to readers. **In simple terms:** Writers must swiftly bring beauty and comfort. Key Takeaway Write with purpose and speed. Themes creativity responsibility beauty Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - publishing deadlines - creative blocks - audience expectations Key Concepts ethics of art literary purpose Questions to Reflect On - What responsibilities do writers have to society? - How balance speed and quality? A Different Perspective Speed may compromise depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Buddhism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) [Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comfort/) [Speed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speed/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“No, I don’t think my conscience would let me support a strike like that. When a man becomes a writer, I think he takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut-jr/no-i-don-t-think-my-conscience-would-let-me-support-a-strike-like/) [Kurt Vonnegut Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut-jr/) > [“Young Castle called me "Scoop." "Good Morning, Scoop. What's new in the word game?" "I might ask the same of you," I replied. "I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/young-castle-called-me-scoop-good-morning-scoop-what-s-new-in-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [The man, the writer, the instrument of the creation will die, but his creation does not die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luigi-pirandello/the-man-the-writer-the-instrument-of-the-creation-will-die-but-his/) [Luigi Pirandello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luigi-pirandello/) > [A man is a writer if all his words are strung in definite sentence sounds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-moore/a-man-is-a-writer-if-all-his-words-are-strung-in-definite-sentence/) [Marianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-moore/) > [he asked, "what makes a man a writer?" "well," I said, "it's simple, it's either you get it down on paper or you jump…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/he-asked-what-makes-a-man-a-writer-well-i-said-it-s-simple-it-s/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [“This is man: a writer of books, a putter-down of words, a painter of pictures, a maker of ten thousand philosophies. He grows passionate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/this-is-man-a-writer-of-books-a-putter-down-of-words-a-painter-of/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [“Just as a fighter has to feel that he possesses the right to do physical damage to another man, so a writer has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/just-as-a-fighter-has-to-feel-that-he-possesses-the-right-to-do/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [One must never judge the writer by the man; but one may fairly judge the man by the writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-kronenberger/one-must-never-judge-the-writer-by-the-man-but-one-may-fairly-judge/) [Louis Kronenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-kronenberger/) > [To choose a writer for a friend is like palling around with your cardiologist, who might be musing as you talk to him that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-broyard/to-choose-a-writer-for-a-friend-is-like-palling-around-with-your/) [Anatole Broyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-broyard/) > [There ought to be some sign in a book about man, that the writer knows thoroughly one man at least.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-moore-colby/there-ought-to-be-some-sign-in-a-book-about-man-that-the-writer-knows/) [Frank Moore Colby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-moore-colby/) > [He asked, "What makes a man a writer?" "Well," I said, "it's simple. You either get it down on paper, or jump off a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/he-asked-what-makes-a-man-a-writer-well-i-said-it-s-simple-you-either/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [“There is no lonelier man than a writer when he's writing, except the suicide.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hemingway-ernest-2/there-is-no-lonelier-man-than-a-writer-when-he-s-writing-except-the/) [Hemingway, Ernest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hemingway-ernest-2/) > [I'd probably play games obsessively if I didn't write, although I admit I don't read novels partly because I don't enjoy it, not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-traviss/i-d-probably-play-games-obsessively-if-i-didn-t-write-although-i/) [Karen Traviss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-traviss/) > [The advice I would offer to any writer is that even when you think you have revised your book to the point where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/the-advice-i-would-offer-to-any-writer-is-that-even-when-you-think/) [Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/) > [The first writer that I think of immediately that I studied with at Michigan is Peter Ho Davies. He was really important to me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/the-first-writer-that-i-think-of-immediately-that-i-studied-with-at/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) ## More by Kurt Vonnegut > [“You must bloom as a writer and I must bloom as a painter. Everything else about us is uninteresting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-must-bloom-as-a-writer-and-i-must-bloom-as-a-painter-everything/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“People aren't supposed to look back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/people-aren-t-supposed-to-look-back/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Have a good nap, did you?” said the porter. “Yes,” said Billy. “Man,” said the porter, “you sure had a hard-on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/have-a-good-nap-did-you-said-the-porter-yes-said-billy-man-said-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I told him that if we doubted that we are demons in Hell, he should read The Mysterious Stranger, which Mark Twain wrote in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-told-him-that-if-we-doubted-that-we-are-demons-in-hell-he-should/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [ “Thomas Jefferson High School \[..\] His high school was named after a slave owner who was also one of the world’s greatest theoreticians on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/thomas-jefferson-high-school-his-high-school-was-named-after-a-slave/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I had a certain amount of skill as a dramatist, and Dr. Goebbels wanted me to use it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-had-a-certain-amount-of-skill-as-a-dramatist-and-dr-goebbels-wanted/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around. Lucky me, lucky mud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-was-some-of-the-mud-that-got-to-sit-up-and-look-around-lucky-me/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“The town was Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A., Earth, Solar System, Milky Way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-town-was-newport-rhode-island-u-s-a-earth-solar-system-milky-way/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Her face was one of a kind, a surprising variation that made observers think, Yes--that would be another very nice way for people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/her-face-was-one-of-a-kind-a-surprising-variation-that-made-observers/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“You finally fell in love, I see,” said Salo. “Only an Earthling year ago,” said Constant. “It took us that long to realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-finally-fell-in-love-i-see-said-salo-only-an-earthling-year-ago/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Like all Earthlings at the point of death, Mary Young sent faint reminders of herself to those who had known her. She released a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/like-all-earthlings-at-the-point-of-death-mary-young-sent-faint/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“And contrast Mary Kathleen, if you will, with my wife Ruth, the Ophelia of the death camps, who believed that even the most intelligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-contrast-mary-kathleen-if-you-will-with-my-wife-ruth-the-ophelia/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Someday, someday, this crazy world will have to end, And our God will take things back that He to us did lend. And if,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/someday-someday-this-crazy-world-will-have-to-end-and-our-god-will/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“They were going back to the slaughterhouse for souvenirs of the war.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/they-were-going-back-to-the-slaughterhouse-for-souvenirs-of-the-war/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“There are plenty of good reasons for fighting," I said, "but no good reason ever to hate without reservation, to imagine that God Almighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-are-plenty-of-good-reasons-for-fighting-i-said-but-no-good/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) [Explore all 2,089 Kurt Vonnegut quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## More Beauty quotes > [We do not want nowadays temples of worship and outward rites and ceremonies. What we really want is an Asram. We want a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/we-do-not-want-nowadays-temples-of-worship-and-outward-rites-and/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. 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When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/to-me-the-beauty-of-a-quilt-or-a-dress-lies-within-the-stitches-and/) [Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/) > [“do not misunderstand person by beauty You really do not know its real or Mask on dirty thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/do-not-misunderstand-person-by-beauty-you-really-do-not-know-its-real/) [Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/) > [“I already love in you your beauty, but I am only beginning to love in you that which is eternal and ever precious –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-already-love-in-you-your-beauty-but-i-am-only-beginning-to-love-in/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [Call her beautiful a million times and she won't believe you. Call her ugly once, and she will never forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumblr/call-her-beautiful-a-million-times-and-she-won-t-believe-you-call-her/) Tumblr > [Time can but make her beauty over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/time-can-but-make-her-beauty-over-again/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. 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I needed to find out all the information I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-avery-ellison/what-about-you-what-do-you-do-i-needed-to-ask-questions-draw-him-out/) [Kate Avery Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-avery-ellison/) [Browse all 24,662 Beauty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When a man becomes a writer, I think he takes on a sacred obligation to produce beauty and enlightenment and comfort at top speed.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kurt Vonnegut" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/when-a-man-becomes-a-writer-i-think-he-takes-on-a-sacred-obligation/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beauty" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/when-a-man-becomes-a-writer-i-think-he-takes-on-a-sacred-obligation/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e79/kurt-vonnegut-41_beauty_when-a-man-becomes-a-writer-i-think-he-t_617088.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e79/kurt-vonnegut-41_beauty_when-a-man-becomes-a-writer-i-think-he-t_617088.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e79/kurt-vonnegut-41_beauty_when-a-man-becomes-a-writer-i-think-he-t_617088.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When a man becomes a writer, I think he takes on a sacred obligation to produce beauty and enlightenment and…” — Kurt Vonnegut", "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": "Kurt Vonnegut", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When a man becomes a writer,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/when-a-man-becomes-a-writer-i-think-he-takes-on-a-sacred-obligation/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/when-a-man-becomes-a-writer-i-think-he-takes-on-a-sacred-obligation/#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 } } ] } ```