--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think if you have the compulsion to…" description: "\"I think if you have the compulsion to write, you're not going to feel whole until you start putting words on paper.\" — Lee Kelly" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/385/lee-kelly-42006_compulsion_i-think-if-you-have-the-compulsion-to-wr_1848951.jpg" --- # I think if you have the compulsion to write, you're not… ![“I think if you have the compulsion to write, you're not going to feel whole until you start putting words on paper.” quote by Lee Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/385/lee-kelly-42006_compulsion_i-think-if-you-have-the-compulsion-to-wr_1848951.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/385/lee-kelly-42006_compulsion_i-think-if-you-have-the-compulsion-to-wr_1848951.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/385/lee-kelly-42006_compulsion_i-think-if-you-have-the-compulsion-to-wr_1848951.jpg) > “I think if you have the compulsion to write, you're not going to feel whole until you start putting words on paper.” [Lee Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kelly/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Compulsive writing drives the need to externalize thoughts for wholeness. **In simple terms:** Writing fulfills a deep inner urge. Key Takeaway Start writing to feel complete. Themes creativity compulsion self‑expression Mood introspective encouraging Type creative psychological When to use this quote - journaling - creative writing classes - therapy sessions - personal blogs Key Concepts psychology of creativity mental health Questions to Reflect On - When does writing become a compulsion? - How can you channel it healthily? A Different Perspective Compulsion may become unhealthy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Compulsion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compulsion/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Words on paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-on-paper/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [The hardest part for me during the creation stage is actually putting words on paper that make sense and tell my story the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-conrad/the-hardest-part-for-me-during-the-creation-stage-is-actually-putting/) [Linda Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-conrad/) > [Well, putting words on paper isn't your job. Your job is to go digging around in your soul. And that's the end of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radney-foster/well-putting-words-on-paper-isn-t-your-job-your-job-is-to-go-digging/) Radney Foster > [Although I always loved reading and putting words on paper, I never thought about becoming a writer until I was twelve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-willis-holt/although-i-always-loved-reading-and-putting-words-on-paper-i-never/) [Kimberly Willis Holt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-willis-holt/) > [Writing is not about self-expression; it is about putting words on paper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lish/writing-is-not-about-self-expression-it-is-about-putting-words-on/) [Gordon Lish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lish/) > [I can't point to a moment or incident that made me see that this business, this putting down words on paper, was what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-can-t-point-to-a-moment-or-incident-that-made-me-see-that-this/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [I think I'm a very lazy writer and by that I mean that I do not battle, I don't struggle too hard against it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/i-think-i-m-a-very-lazy-writer-and-by-that-i-mean-that-i-do-not/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [I tend to work most often from the method of ignoring any ritualistic writing for long periods of time, and then I'll spend three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-keck/i-tend-to-work-most-often-from-the-method-of-ignoring-any-ritualistic/) [Kevin Keck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-keck/) > [Until there's a public commitment, and action to back that commitment, a policy is only words on paper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-field/until-there-s-a-public-commitment-and-action-to-back-that-commitment/) [Tim Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-field/) > [No complaining about how hard it is to write, we are all so, so lucky to write, to sit down, inside, and write words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/no-complaining-about-how-hard-it-is-to-write-we-are-all-so-so-lucky/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [If your values are not used as the constitution of your organization, or if they are compromised, they become just words on paper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-capodagli/if-your-values-are-not-used-as-the-constitution-of-your-organization/) [Bill Capodagli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-capodagli/) > [Dreaming and hoping won't produce a piece of work; only writing, rewriting and rewriting (if necessary)- a devoted translation of thoughts and dreams into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberta-gellis/dreaming-and-hoping-won-t-produce-a-piece-of-work-only-writing/) Roberta Gellis > [It's not enough to celebrate the ideals that we're built on, liberty and justice and equality for all. Those just can't be words on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/it-s-not-enough-to-celebrate-the-ideals-that-we-re-built-on-liberty/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [There are certain things that words on paper can never make a crime, .. There are certain acts that by sheer common sense are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kevorkian/there-are-certain-things-that-words-on-paper-can-never-make-a-crime/) [Jack Kevorkian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kevorkian/) > [Smart art galleries know it's not the words on paper but the emotion in the piece that makes clients pull out the credit card…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-white/smart-art-galleries-know-it-s-not-the-words-on-paper-but-the-emotion/) [Jack White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-white/) > [I often get asked, 'Is the book dead?' It hasn't happened yet. It's different than music. Music was always meant to be pure sound…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-kidd/i-often-get-asked-is-the-book-dead-it-hasn-t-happened-yet-it-s/) [Chip Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-kidd/) ## More by Lee Kelly > [“We're flirting, sparring, pushing each other with our magic—we both know it. I want to beat him so badly. A very small part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kelly/we-re-flirting-sparring-pushing-each-other-with-our-magic-we-both/) [Lee Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kelly/) > [Restaurants, shows, night life, art exhibits, readings - New York is such a cultural epicenter, and while Jersey makes so much sense right now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kelly/restaurants-shows-night-life-art-exhibits-readings-new-york-is-such-a/) [Lee Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kelly/) > [“I'm not positive who first gives in to the pull, the magnetic force drawing us together, but once it starts it's like a train…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kelly/i-m-not-positive-who-first-gives-in-to-the-pull-the-magnetic-force/) [Lee Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kelly/) > [I know too well how you can go from feeling like your sister knows you better than anyone else in the world, to feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kelly/i-know-too-well-how-you-can-go-from-feeling-like-your-sister-knows/) [Lee Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kelly/) > [“The car immediately becomes assaulted with thick, toxic air. The kind of air where it feels like dangerous things might just crawl out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kelly/the-car-immediately-becomes-assaulted-with-thick-toxic-air-the-kind/) [Lee Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kelly/) > [“It's Friday night, and there's a moon wild and hazy, drawn like a messy chalk circle on a slate slab of a sky.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kelly/it-s-friday-night-and-there-s-a-moon-wild-and-hazy-drawn-like-a-messy/) [Lee Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kelly/) > [“A graveyard of boats, cloaked in the shadows of their storm-beaten sails, rest like long-forgotten tombstones on the edges of the docks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kelly/a-graveyard-of-boats-cloaked-in-the-shadows-of-their-storm-beaten/) [Lee Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kelly/) > [I have ALWAYS wanted to write - I was the seven-year old entering local library poetry contests, and I recently found my eighth-grade yearbook…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kelly/i-have-always-wanted-to-write-i-was-the-seven-year-old-entering-local/) [Lee Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kelly/) > [“It's just the withdrawal," I say, and turn back to the water. The moon hangs over it low and bright, casts a long thread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kelly/it-s-just-the-withdrawal-i-say-and-turn-back-to-the-water-the-moon/) [Lee Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kelly/) [Explore all 10 Lee Kelly quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kelly/) ## More Compulsion quotes > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [The individual, by means of the discipline imposed on him by sport, not only plays and finds relaxation from the various compulsions to which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-ellul/the-individual-by-means-of-the-discipline-imposed-on-him-by-sport-not/) [Jacques Ellul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-ellul/) > [For many people it's Facebook, or sports on TV, whatever it is. I have my own demons that I battle. But whatever they are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/for-many-people-it-s-facebook-or-sports-on-tv-whatever-it-is-i-have/) [Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/) > [Knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/knowledge-which-is-acquired-under-compulsion-obtains-no-hold-on-the/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [I think it's in our nature to try to get beyond that next horizon. I think that when we as a species are scratching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-howard/i-think-it-s-in-our-nature-to-try-to-get-beyond-that-next-horizon-i/) [Ron Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-howard/) > [Those of us with this ancient compulsion to tell stories sometimes start with a single kernel of something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-p-jones/those-of-us-with-this-ancient-compulsion-to-tell-stories-sometimes/) [Edward P. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-p-jones/) > [You develop an instant global consciousness, a people orientation, an intense dissatisfaction with the state of the world, and a compulsion to do something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/you-develop-an-instant-global-consciousness-a-people-orientation-an/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [I found myself compelled - like this weird, shameful compulsion - to draw cute animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/i-found-myself-compelled-like-this-weird-shameful-compulsion-to-draw/) [Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/) > [Why am I always at war with myself? Why have I told, as if upon compulsion, what I knew all along I ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/why-am-i-always-at-war-with-myself-why-have-i-told-as-if-upon/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [It is true that the virtues which are less esteemed and practiced now--independence, self-reliance, and the willingness to bear risks, the readiness to back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/it-is-true-that-the-virtues-which-are-less-esteemed-and-practiced-now/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [Not merely by rules of conduct and religious observances, nor by much learning either, nor even by attainment of concentration, nor by sleeping alone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/not-merely-by-rules-of-conduct-and-religious-observances-nor-by-much/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I started off like everyone else does, slogging but having a compulsion to put words on paper. I didn't write or read horror or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/i-started-off-like-everyone-else-does-slogging-but-having-a/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [I have with me two gods, Persuasion and Compulsion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/themistocles/i-have-with-me-two-gods-persuasion-and-compulsion/) [Themistocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/themistocles/) > [When you are dealing with a serious compulsion or addictive pattern, then by definition self-will, self-discipline, and any other machinations of the conscious mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/when-you-are-dealing-with-a-serious-compulsion-or-addictive-pattern/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) [Browse all 513 Compulsion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compulsion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think if you have the compulsion to write, you're not going to feel whole until you start putting words on paper.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lee Kelly" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kelly/i-think-if-you-have-the-compulsion-to-write-you-re-not-going-to-feel/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Compulsion" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kelly/i-think-if-you-have-the-compulsion-to-write-you-re-not-going-to-feel/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/385/lee-kelly-42006_compulsion_i-think-if-you-have-the-compulsion-to-wr_1848951.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/385/lee-kelly-42006_compulsion_i-think-if-you-have-the-compulsion-to-wr_1848951.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/385/lee-kelly-42006_compulsion_i-think-if-you-have-the-compulsion-to-wr_1848951.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think if you have the compulsion to write, you're not going to feel whole until you start putting words on…” — Lee Kelly", "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": "Lee Kelly", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kelly/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think if you have the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kelly/i-think-if-you-have-the-compulsion-to-write-you-re-not-going-to-feel/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kelly/i-think-if-you-have-the-compulsion-to-write-you-re-not-going-to-feel/#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 } } ] } ```