--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To observe the world carefully, to write…" description: "\"To observe the world carefully, to write a lot and often, on a schedule if necessary, to use the dictionary a lot, to look up word origins, to analyze ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fb/lydia-davis-3244_admire_to-observe-the-world-carefully-to-write_2282151.png" --- # To observe the world carefully, to write a lot and often… ![“To observe the world carefully, to write a lot and often, on a schedule if necessary, to use the dictionary a lot, to look up word origins, to analyze closely the work of writers you admire, to read not only contemporaries but writers of the past, to learn at least one foreign language, to live an…” quote by Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fb/lydia-davis-3244_admire_to-observe-the-world-carefully-to-write_2282151.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fb/lydia-davis-3244_admire_to-observe-the-world-carefully-to-write_2282151.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fb/lydia-davis-3244_admire_to-observe-the-world-carefully-to-write_2282151.png) > “To observe the world carefully, to write a lot and often, on a schedule if necessary, to use the dictionary a lot, to look up word origins, to analyze closely the work of writers you admire, to read not only contemporaries but writers of the past, to learn at least one foreign language, to live an interesting life outside of writing.” [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Cultivating disciplined observation, extensive reading, linguistic study, and varied experiences enriches writing and life. **In simple terms:** Study, read, and live broadly to improve writing. Key Takeaway Adopt a structured, curious routine. Themes writing learning discipline curiosity Mood reflective motivational Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - writing practice - daily reading - language study - travel - life experiences Key Concepts literary analysis language acquisition historical context Questions to Reflect On - How can you integrate reading and language study into a busy schedule? - What daily habit will most improve your writing? A Different Perspective Time constraints may limit depth of study. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dictionary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dictionary/) [Foreign language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreign-language/) [Interesting life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interesting-life/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Schedules](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/schedules/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [If I were to offer any advice to young writers, it would be this: be discriminating and be discerning about the work you set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-l-pez/if-i-were-to-offer-any-advice-to-young-writers-it-would-be-this-be/) [Barry Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-l-pez/) > [“We've inherited many ideas about writing that emerged in the eighteenth century, especially an interest in literature as both an expression and an exploration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-shapiro/we-ve-inherited-many-ideas-about-writing-that-emerged-in-the/) [James Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-shapiro/) > [Various random experiments, cut-ups, fold-ins, juxtapositions, timed writings of other kinds, the "objects assignment" which involves dream, adventure, ancestry. Writing outside, writing on moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-waldman/various-random-experiments-cut-ups-fold-ins-juxtapositions-timed/) [Anne Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-waldman/) > [I suspect that writer's block afflicts mainly people who have some stable and ample source of income outside of writing. So far it hasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-saberhagen/i-suspect-that-writer-s-block-afflicts-mainly-people-who-have-some/) [Fred Saberhagen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-saberhagen/) > [There are plenty of writers, past and present, from Shakespeare to Henry James to Lydia Davis, who test the limits of coherence and put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-scott/there-are-plenty-of-writers-past-and-present-from-shakespeare-to/) [Joanna Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-scott/) > [How simple the writing of literature would be if it were only necessary to write in another way what has been well written. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/how-simple-the-writing-of-literature-would-be-if-it-were-only/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [I identify with the characters very closely. At the same time that I'm outside, writing, I'm also inside, experiencing, and it can be very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/i-identify-with-the-characters-very-closely-at-the-same-time-that-i-m/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“There’s nothing I need or want to know from the writers I admire that isn’t in their books. It’s better to read a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/there-s-nothing-i-need-or-want-to-know-from-the-writers-i-admire-that/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [There are writers you admire, for the skill or the art, for the inventiveness or for the professionalism of a career well spent. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-d-houston/there-are-writers-you-admire-for-the-skill-or-the-art-for-the/) [James D. Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-d-houston/) > [In all the writers I admire, the common detonator is their courage to walk naked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/in-all-the-writers-i-admire-the-common-detonator-is-their-courage-to/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [Some of the writers I admire who seem very, very funny and very emotional to me can develop a closeness with the reader without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/some-of-the-writers-i-admire-who-seem-very-very-funny-and-very/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [All of the great writers whom I admire have died. I guess the most recent one would be Marquez.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/all-of-the-great-writers-whom-i-admire-have-died-i-guess-the-most/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [But I don't really write to honor the past. I write to investigate, to try to figure out what happened and why it happened,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horton-foote/but-i-don-t-really-write-to-honor-the-past-i-write-to-investigate-to/) [Horton Foote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horton-foote/) > [The best way to learn about writing is to study the work of other writers you admire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffery-deaver/the-best-way-to-learn-about-writing-is-to-study-the-work-of-other/) [Jeffery Deaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffery-deaver/) > [I actually don't read the press. All the writers I admire were significantly reclusive, and I'm still trying to figure out how they got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branden-jacobs-jenkins/i-actually-don-t-read-the-press-all-the-writers-i-admire-were/) [Branden Jacobs-Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branden-jacobs-jenkins/) ## More by Lydia Davis > [Heart weeps. Head tries to help heart. Head tells heart how it is, again: You will lose the ones you love. They will all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/heart-weeps-head-tries-to-help-heart-head-tells-heart-how-it-is-again/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“But on that particular day I did not even begin to feel interested in this chore, and was suddenly more deeply bored than I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/but-on-that-particular-day-i-did-not-even-begin-to-feel-interested-in/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [If a translation doesn't have obvious writing problems, it may seem quite all right at first glance. We readers, after all, quickly adapt to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/if-a-translation-doesn-t-have-obvious-writing-problems-it-may-seem/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [I always interrupt work with other work, either in a small way or big way, so that's normal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/i-always-interrupt-work-with-other-work-either-in-a-small-way-or-big/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [ I worked more intensively hour after hour when I was starting out \[writing\]. More laboriously. I'd say quantity is important as well as quality,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/i-worked-more-intensively-hour-after-hour-when-i-was-starting-out/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [I don't feel I have to struggle against allegory. I let the readers do the interpreting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/i-don-t-feel-i-have-to-struggle-against-allegory-i-let-the-readers-do/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“because she couldn’t write the name of what she was: a wa wam owm owamn womn”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/because-she-couldn-t-write-the-name-of-what-she-was-a-wa-wam-owm/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“Everything was sharper, clearer, and closer, as though, before, I had been seeing only little bits at a time, not all of it, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/everything-was-sharper-clearer-and-closer-as-though-before-i-had-been/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“He did not know exactly when to thank his hostess after attending a dinner or a weekend party. In his uncertainty, he would thank…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/he-did-not-know-exactly-when-to-thank-his-hostess-after-attending-a/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“There was no confusion of our bodies. I knew which arm was his and which mine, and which leg, and which shoulder. I did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/there-was-no-confusion-of-our-bodies-i-knew-which-arm-was-his-and/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“So it’s not really $100 a shot because it goes on all day, from the start when you wake up and feel her body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/so-it-s-not-really-100-a-shot-because-it-goes-on-all-day-from-the/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“The people of the town, though, remained strangers: I could not realize that I must be seeing some of them over and over again,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/the-people-of-the-town-though-remained-strangers-i-could-not-realize/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“He does not trust her: she will claim to be in a bad mood when she is not, and then require him to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/he-does-not-trust-her-she-will-claim-to-be-in-a-bad-mood-when-she-is/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [I would recommend, definitely, developing a 'day job' that you like - don't expect to make money writing!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/i-would-recommend-definitely-developing-a-day-job-that-you-like-don-t/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [the translator, a lonely sort of acrobat, becomes confused in a labyrinth of paradox, or climbs a pyramid of dependent clauses and has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/the-translator-a-lonely-sort-of-acrobat-becomes-confused-in-a/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) [Explore all 135 Lydia Davis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) ## More Admire quotes > [Everyone will admire you when you do well. What a horrible thing to do to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everyone-will-admire-you-when-you-do-well-what-a-horrible-thing-to-do/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I admire Serena Williams, because, I mean, who doesn't admire Serena Williams?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-konta/i-admire-serena-williams-because-i-mean-who-doesn-t-admire-serena/) [Johanna Konta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-konta/) > [How proud I am to be compared to Oprah. I really admire her. She's a minority woman and she's done all this by herself...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristina-saralegui/how-proud-i-am-to-be-compared-to-oprah-i-really-admire-her-she-s-a/) [Cristina Saralegui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristina-saralegui/) > [I admire President Obama's ability to trust strangers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/i-admire-president-obama-s-ability-to-trust-strangers/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [I really admire people's interactions with technology that aren't tech-centric but use it as a tool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-polachek/i-really-admire-people-s-interactions-with-technology-that-aren-t/) [Caroline Polachek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-polachek/) > [During my first years in the Sierra, I was ever calling on everybody within reach to admire them, but I found no one half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/during-my-first-years-in-the-sierra-i-was-ever-calling-on-everybody/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [Shaw's works make me admire the magnificent tolerance and broadmindedness of the english.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/shaw-s-works-make-me-admire-the-magnificent-tolerance-and/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [It could be my British need for discipline that makes me admire the American appetite for freedom and passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-winwood/it-could-be-my-british-need-for-discipline-that-makes-me-admire-the/) [Steve Winwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-winwood/) > [I believe in a world where there are no heroes, and I've read and know humanity a lot. There are moments that I admire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-believe-in-a-world-where-there-are-no-heroes-and-i-ve-read-and-know/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [I admire machinery as much is any man, and am as thankful to it as any man can be for what it does for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-admire-machinery-as-much-is-any-man-and-am-as-thankful-to-it-as-any/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [I think it's really good and helpful to have the people you most admire in some other discipline than what you work in. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whit-stillman/i-think-it-s-really-good-and-helpful-to-have-the-people-you-most/) [Whit Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whit-stillman/) > [Part of what we admire about a painting or a piece of music is the order which the artist has imposed upon what would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/part-of-what-we-admire-about-a-painting-or-a-piece-of-music-is-the/) [Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/) > [I respect and admire the Premier League.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-koeman/i-respect-and-admire-the-premier-league/) [Ronald Koeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-koeman/) > [“Admire and appreciate your man and he will be happy on your side”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-alfiori/admire-and-appreciate-your-man-and-he-will-be-happy-on-your-side/) [Linda Alfiori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-alfiori/) > [“The thing I admire most about you is no matter how hard, or how much the world has tried to beat you, break you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-gill/the-thing-i-admire-most-about-you-is-no-matter-how-hard-or-how-much/) [Nikita Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-gill/) Browse all 2,369 Admire quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To observe the world carefully, to write a lot and often, on a schedule if necessary, to use the dictionary a lot, to look up word origins, to analyze closely the work of writers you admire, to read not only contemporaries but writers of the past, to learn at least one foreign language, to live an interesting life outside of writing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lydia Davis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/to-observe-the-world-carefully-to-write-a-lot-and-often-on-a-schedule/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Admire" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/to-observe-the-world-carefully-to-write-a-lot-and-often-on-a-schedule/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fb/lydia-davis-3244_admire_to-observe-the-world-carefully-to-write_2282151.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fb/lydia-davis-3244_admire_to-observe-the-world-carefully-to-write_2282151.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fb/lydia-davis-3244_admire_to-observe-the-world-carefully-to-write_2282151.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To observe the world carefully, to write a lot and often, on a schedule if necessary, to use the dictionary…” — Lydia Davis", "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": "Lydia Davis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To observe the world carefully, to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/to-observe-the-world-carefully-to-write-a-lot-and-often-on-a-schedule/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/to-observe-the-world-carefully-to-write-a-lot-and-often-on-a-schedule/#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 } } ] } ```