--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That idea of not being exactly who you…" description: "\"That idea of not being exactly who you write as is so crucial. Even looking at those words as I type them, it feels dirty, it feels like I'm admitting ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1b/lucas-mann-50072_dirty_that-idea-of-not-being-exactly-who-you-w_852703.jpg" --- # That idea of not being exactly who you write as is so… ![“That idea of not being exactly who you write as is so crucial. Even looking at those words as I type them, it feels dirty, it feels like I'm admitting something. Unfortunately, I think that's how the conversation around nonfiction is so much of the time - either defensive or accusatory. Aha!…” quote by Lucas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1b/lucas-mann-50072_dirty_that-idea-of-not-being-exactly-who-you-w_852703.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1b/lucas-mann-50072_dirty_that-idea-of-not-being-exactly-who-you-w_852703.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b1b/lucas-mann-50072_dirty_that-idea-of-not-being-exactly-who-you-w_852703.jpg) > “That idea of not being exactly who you write as is so crucial. Even looking at those words as I type them, it feels dirty, it feels like I'm admitting something. Unfortunately, I think that's how the conversation around nonfiction is so much of the time - either defensive or accusatory. Aha! You've been caught! But the original essence of something is always lost when it's reproduced.” [Lucas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-mann/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Authenticity in nonfiction is compromised when writers edit or sanitize their voice, leading to defensiveness or accusation. **In simple terms:** Truthful writing avoids self‑censorship. Key Takeaway Write honestly, accept imperfection. Themes authenticity truth writing ethics Mood critical introspective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - journalistic pieces - memoirs - academic essays Key Concepts self‑censorship defensiveness reproduction loss Questions to Reflect On - What parts of your story feel unsafe to share? - How can honesty improve credibility? A Different Perspective Readers may reject uncomfortable truths. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Nonfiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonfiction/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I do not like admitting that the Internet gets to me but I felt maybe it would be beneficial to acknowledge it, and again,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-viall/i-do-not-like-admitting-that-the-internet-gets-to-me-but-i-felt-maybe/) [Nick Viall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-viall/) > [“Do you think I like this? Like admitting you’ll probably choose your life over a life with me?” He”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hunter/do-you-think-i-like-this-like-admitting-you-ll-probably-choose-your/) [Elizabeth Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hunter/) > [Oust me if you want, but if I stepped down, I would be admitting guilt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-temer/oust-me-if-you-want-but-if-i-stepped-down-i-would-be-admitting-guilt/) [Michel Temer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-temer/) > [First and foremost, be faithful to your superiors, keep all promises, refuse the friendship of all who are not like you; and if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/first-and-foremost-be-faithful-to-your-superiors-keep-all-promises/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [how can he love me then not? He went,he ran. And I cannot bring him back. Yet I left the door metaphorically wide open,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-north/how-can-he-love-me-then-not-he-went-he-ran-and-i-cannot-bring-him/) [Freya North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-north/) > [Nobody likes me!" "I wish I could like you, Charlie Brown, but I can't... If I were to like you, it would be admitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schulz/nobody-likes-me-i-wish-i-could-like-you-charlie-brown-but-i-can-t-if/) [Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) > [There is a difference between admitting and confessing. Admitting involves softening, making excuses for things that cannot be excused; confessing just names the crimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/there-is-a-difference-between-admitting-and-confessing-admitting/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [The only tough thing is admitting to my wife how much a certain article of clothing costs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taye-diggs/the-only-tough-thing-is-admitting-to-my-wife-how-much-a-certain/) [Taye Diggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taye-diggs/) > [The first step is always admitting you have a problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-first-step-is-always-admitting-you-have-a-problem/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Another person is, at the heart of it, unknowable. And if you cannot know a person enough to always guess what they’re capable of,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/another-person-is-at-the-heart-of-it-unknowable-and-if-you-cannot/) [Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/) > [Admitting weakness seems to be such a severe psychic threat for Bush that when he makes a mistake it's safer just to reinforce it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-brown/admitting-weakness-seems-to-be-such-a-severe-psychic-threat-for-bush/) [Tina Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-brown/) > [“Maybe that is what growing up was all about. It was about changing your mind. Opening it right up. Admitting to yourself that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/maybe-that-is-what-growing-up-was-all-about-it-was-about-changing/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [“Admitting we're not heroic is when we're the most heroic of all”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dorian-scrubs/admitting-we-re-not-heroic-is-when-we-re-the-most-heroic-of-all/) [John Dorian- scrubs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dorian-scrubs/) > [“The truth is I do love you. Admitting that means opening myself up to all that pain when you leave. After you realize this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-moran/the-truth-is-i-do-love-you-admitting-that-means-opening-myself-up-to/) [Kelly Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-moran/) > [I think there's a lot of power in admitting that you don't know everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kit-williamson/i-think-there-s-a-lot-of-power-in-admitting-that-you-don-t-know/) [Kit Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kit-williamson/) ## More by Lucas Mann > [There is something more important than the place being left. It's that swell of crushing emptiness that makes the insignificant seem anything but.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-mann/there-is-something-more-important-than-the-place-being-left-it-s-that/) [Lucas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-mann/) > [Lately I've been thinking about the idea that all novels are, at least in some way, about the process of writing a novel -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-mann/lately-i-ve-been-thinking-about-the-idea-that-all-novels-are-at-least/) [Lucas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-mann/) > [After writing anything, there's always that postpartum feeling of, "What do I do now?" - I think particularly for nonfiction writers. I feel myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-mann/after-writing-anything-there-s-always-that-postpartum-feeling-of-what/) [Lucas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-mann/) > [For better or worse, I seem to gravitate toward writing about something or someone else, then have my own self shove its way into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-mann/for-better-or-worse-i-seem-to-gravitate-toward-writing-about/) [Lucas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-mann/) > [Walter Benjamin talks about art losing its original "aura" in an age of mechanical reproduction. In writing memoir, we're taking something that happened in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-mann/walter-benjamin-talks-about-art-losing-its-original-aura-in-an-age-of/) [Lucas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-mann/) > [I came to nonfiction through journalism. My first book was journalism, and it was so frustrating to me, while I was writing it, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-mann/i-came-to-nonfiction-through-journalism-my-first-book-was-journalism/) [Lucas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-mann/) [Explore all 7 Lucas Mann quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-mann/) ## More Admitting quotes > [I think there's a lot of power in admitting that you don't know everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kit-williamson/i-think-there-s-a-lot-of-power-in-admitting-that-you-don-t-know/) [Kit Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kit-williamson/) > [“The truth is I do love you. Admitting that means opening myself up to all that pain when you leave. After you realize this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-moran/the-truth-is-i-do-love-you-admitting-that-means-opening-myself-up-to/) [Kelly Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-moran/) > [“Admitting we're not heroic is when we're the most heroic of all”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dorian-scrubs/admitting-we-re-not-heroic-is-when-we-re-the-most-heroic-of-all/) [John Dorian- scrubs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dorian-scrubs/) > [“Maybe that is what growing up was all about. It was about changing your mind. Opening it right up. Admitting to yourself that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/maybe-that-is-what-growing-up-was-all-about-it-was-about-changing/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [Admitting weakness seems to be such a severe psychic threat for Bush that when he makes a mistake it's safer just to reinforce it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-brown/admitting-weakness-seems-to-be-such-a-severe-psychic-threat-for-bush/) [Tina Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-brown/) > [Another person is, at the heart of it, unknowable. And if you cannot know a person enough to always guess what they’re capable of,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/another-person-is-at-the-heart-of-it-unknowable-and-if-you-cannot/) [Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/) > [The first step is always admitting you have a problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-first-step-is-always-admitting-you-have-a-problem/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only tough thing is admitting to my wife how much a certain article of clothing costs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taye-diggs/the-only-tough-thing-is-admitting-to-my-wife-how-much-a-certain/) [Taye Diggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taye-diggs/) > [There is a difference between admitting and confessing. Admitting involves softening, making excuses for things that cannot be excused; confessing just names the crimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/there-is-a-difference-between-admitting-and-confessing-admitting/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [Nobody likes me!" "I wish I could like you, Charlie Brown, but I can't... If I were to like you, it would be admitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schulz/nobody-likes-me-i-wish-i-could-like-you-charlie-brown-but-i-can-t-if/) [Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) > [how can he love me then not? He went,he ran. And I cannot bring him back. Yet I left the door metaphorically wide open,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-north/how-can-he-love-me-then-not-he-went-he-ran-and-i-cannot-bring-him/) [Freya North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-north/) > [First and foremost, be faithful to your superiors, keep all promises, refuse the friendship of all who are not like you; and if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/first-and-foremost-be-faithful-to-your-superiors-keep-all-promises/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Oust me if you want, but if I stepped down, I would be admitting guilt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-temer/oust-me-if-you-want-but-if-i-stepped-down-i-would-be-admitting-guilt/) [Michel Temer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-temer/) > [I think that lawyers are terrible at admitting that they're wrong. And not just admitting it; also realizing it. Most lawyers are very successful,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-think-that-lawyers-are-terrible-at-admitting-that-they-re-wrong-and/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [Courageous? Courageous would have been admitting weakness and leaving Dauntless, no matter what shame accompanied it. Pride is what killed Al, and it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/courageous-courageous-would-have-been-admitting-weakness-and-leaving/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) Browse all 302 Admitting quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "That idea of not being exactly who you write as is so crucial. Even looking at those words as I type them, it feels dirty, it feels like I'm admitting something. Unfortunately, I think that's how the conversation around nonfiction is so much of the time - either defensive or accusatory. Aha! You've been caught! 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