---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's easy, at this point in my life, very…"
description: "\"It's easy, at this point in my life, very easy to write a beautiful sentence that's meaningless. A lot of writers do that. But I don't want it to be me..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3e/lynne-tillman-5609_again-and-again_it-s-easy-at-this-point-in-my-life-very_2644277.png"
---

#  It's easy, at this point in my life, very easy to write a…

![“It's easy, at this point in my life, very easy to write a beautiful sentence that's meaningless. A lot of writers do that. But I don't want it to be meaningless. I want it to actually say what I want it to say, and so I'm thinking about it again and again and again.” quote by Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3e/lynne-tillman-5609_again-and-again_it-s-easy-at-this-point-in-my-life-very_2644277.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3e/lynne-tillman-5609_again-and-again_it-s-easy-at-this-point-in-my-life-very_2644277.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3e/lynne-tillman-5609_again-and-again_it-s-easy-at-this-point-in-my-life-very_2644277.png)

> “It's easy, at this point in my life, very easy to write a beautiful sentence that's meaningless. A lot of writers do that. But I don't want it to be meaningless. I want it to actually say what I want it to say, and so I'm thinking about it again and again and again.”

[Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Writers often craft elegant prose that lacks substance; she seeks meaningful expression through careful revision.

**In simple terms:** Beautiful writing should convey clear meaning.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize clarity over style.

Themes

writing clarity revision

Mood

reflective determined

Type

literary advice

When to use this quote

- literary essays
- creative writing workshops
- personal journaling

Key Concepts

meaningful communication authorial intent

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you ensure your sentences carry intended meaning?
- What revisions help reveal purpose?

A Different Perspective

Elegant language can still be empty without purpose.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Again and again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/again-and-again/) [Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Beautiful Sentence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful-sentence-1132364/) [Easy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy/) [Easy Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy-write/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Meaningless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaningless/) [Sentence Meaningless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentence-meaningless-2296239/) [Sentences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentences/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Want Meaningless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-meaningless-2296240/) [Write Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-beautiful-1143157/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [I just feel like I need one last fling, get it out of my system, I just want have meaningless sex with the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-green/i-just-feel-like-i-need-one-last-fling-get-it-out-of-my-system-i-just/)

[Rachel Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-green/)

> [I subject my sentences and the words to a kind of Grand Inquisition. I'm trying always to leave out what I think is extraneous.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-subject-my-sentences-and-the-words-to-a-kind-of-grand-inquisition-i/)

[Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/)

> [I'm trying always to leave out what I think is extraneous. And to find what I think is the most wonderful language to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-m-trying-always-to-leave-out-what-i-think-is-extraneous-and-to-find/)

[Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/)

> [Beautiful sentences pop into my head. Beautiful sentences that aren't always absolutely accurate. Then, I have to choose between the beautiful sentence and being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/beautiful-sentences-pop-into-my-head-beautiful-sentences-that-aren-t/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [A really Beautiful Sentence With a Very Wonderful Meaning I Need EveryThing 'Permanent' In a 'Temporary' Life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/a-really-beautiful-sentence-with-a-very-wonderful-meaning-i-need/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [Nothing feels better than constructing a beautiful sentence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leandra-medine/nothing-feels-better-than-constructing-a-beautiful-sentence/)

[Leandra Medine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leandra-medine/)

> [The world's most beautiful sentence:- But, I Love You!! The world's most painful sentence:- I Love You, But!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-world-s-most-beautiful-sentence-but-i-love-you-the-world-s-most/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Each story, good and bad, short or long-from that trip to the mall when you saw Santa, to a long, bad illness-they are all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/each-story-good-and-bad-short-or-long-from-that-trip-to-the-mall-when/)

[Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/)

> [“A plane flies overhead and inside it is a writer who has spent most of his life as a law clerk, even though he’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pleasefindthis/a-plane-flies-overhead-and-inside-it-is-a-writer-who-has-spent-most/)

[pleasefindthis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pleasefindthis/)

> [I pop a beautiful sentence into my mouth and suck it like a fruit drop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bohumil-hrabal/i-pop-a-beautiful-sentence-into-my-mouth-and-suck-it-like-a-fruit-drop/)

[Bohumil Hrabal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bohumil-hrabal/)

> [There is nothing that pleases me more than a beautiful sentence ... It is something that satisfies me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/there-is-nothing-that-pleases-me-more-than-a-beautiful-sentence-it-is/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [Most beautiful sentence: - But I love you. Most painful sentence: - I love you but..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thecomedypost/most-beautiful-sentence-but-i-love-you-most-painful-sentence-i-love/)

[TheComedyPost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thecomedypost/)

> [“Because when I read, I don't really read; I pop a beautiful sentence into my mouth and suck it like a fruit drop, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bohumil-hrabal/because-when-i-read-i-don-t-really-read-i-pop-a-beautiful-sentence/)

[Bohumil Hrabal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bohumil-hrabal/)

> [The most beautiful sentence-&gt;but I love you…the most painful sentence-&gt;i love you but.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bakare/the-most-beautiful-sentence-but-i-love-you-the-most-painful-sentence/)

[Bakare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bakare/)

> [“The song you write may be beautiful, the research you conceive may be beautiful, but you are the real beauty in life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-maisel/the-song-you-write-may-be-beautiful-the-research-you-conceive-may-be/)

[Eric Maisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-maisel/)

## More by Lynne Tillman

> [There may be an art to conversation, and some are better at it than others, but conversation's virtue lies in randomness and possibility: people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/there-may-be-an-art-to-conversation-and-some-are-better-at-it-than/)

[Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/)

> [I'd studied English literature and American history, but the English literature, which I thought was going to be helpful to me in an immediate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-d-studied-english-literature-and-american-history-but-the-english/)

[Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/)

> [I subject my sentences and the words to a kind of Grand Inquisition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-subject-my-sentences-and-the-words-to-a-kind-of-grand-inquisition/)

[Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/)

> [Laughing and crying are very similar. Sometimes people go from laughing to crying, or crying to laughing. I remember being at someone's wedding and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/laughing-and-crying-are-very-similar-sometimes-people-go-from/)

[Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/)

> [ \[Reality\] isn't simply the so-called world that you're in. Your reality is a much larger one that takes in all matter of identification and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/reality-isn-t-simply-the-so-called-world-that-you-re-in-your-reality/)

[Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/)

> [I write about what I'm thinking about. I write about what is bothering me or what is a political, aesthetic, or ethical issue or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-write-about-what-i-m-thinking-about-i-write-about-what-is-bothering/)

[Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/)

> [My friends and I sometimes laugh at each other that there is so much maintenance of a body. I paid no attention when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/my-friends-and-i-sometimes-laugh-at-each-other-that-there-is-so-much/)

[Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/)

> [I'm interested in reality but I'm not interested in realism at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-m-interested-in-reality-but-i-m-not-interested-in-realism-at-all/)

[Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/)

> [In a practical sense, pain kept me from sitting down as much, so that sometimes I would have to stand to write. Not that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/in-a-practical-sense-pain-kept-me-from-sitting-down-as-much-so-that/)

[Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/)

> [I'm bothered, as a reader, when I feel the writer is filling in too much. Again, whether it's nonfiction or fiction, I think writers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-m-bothered-as-a-reader-when-i-feel-the-writer-is-filling-in-too/)

[Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/)

> [It wasn't that I wanted to be an artist. But when I took my first drawing class with the painter Doug Ohlson, I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/it-wasn-t-that-i-wanted-to-be-an-artist-but-when-i-took-my-first/)

[Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/)

> [I'm interested in reality but I'm not interested in realism at all. I'm interested in the ways that I think people want to relate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-m-interested-in-reality-but-i-m-not-interested-in-realism-at-all-i/)

[Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/)

> [It's true you have to screen out a lot living in the city. I stayed away from New York for a long time after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/it-s-true-you-have-to-screen-out-a-lot-living-in-the-city-i-stayed/)

[Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/)

> [Kafka wrote the great line: "my education has damaged me in ways I do not even know." And that's always been a signature motto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/kafka-wrote-the-great-line-my-education-has-damaged-me-in-ways-i-do/)

[Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/)

> [There are lots of unlikable characters in literature. It doesn't mean they're not fascinating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/there-are-lots-of-unlikable-characters-in-literature-it-doesn-t-mean/)

[Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/)

[Explore all 100 Lynne Tillman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/)

## More Again and again quotes

> [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [As in any machine, all the wires must be connected to the mains through one main wire. In the same way, you all must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/as-in-any-machine-all-the-wires-must-be-connected-to-the-mains/)

[Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/)

> [Because when you work with a different team, the expectations are different and then you deliver in a very different way. You look back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-r-rahman/because-when-you-work-with-a-different-team-the-expectations-are/)

[A. R. Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-r-rahman/)

> [Again and again I tell God I need help, and God says, 'Well, isn't that fabulous? Because I need help too. So you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/again-and-again-i-tell-god-i-need-help-and-god-says-well-isn-t-that/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [After this happens again and again, we reach a point were there is nothing but satori, which is what nirvikalpa samadhi is like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/after-this-happens-again-and-again-we-reach-a-point-were-there-is/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Listen, the story of the United States is this: One kid, without anything, walks out of his house, down the road, with nothing but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-bone-burnett/listen-the-story-of-the-united-states-is-this-one-kid-without/)

[T Bone Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-bone-burnett/)

> [The regular division of the plane into congruent figures evoking an association in the observer with a familiar natural object is one of these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-escher/the-regular-division-of-the-plane-into-congruent-figures-evoking-an/)

[M. C. Escher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-escher/)

> [Don´t be unnecessarily burdened by the past. Go on closing the chapters that you have read; there is no need to go back again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/don-t-be-unnecessarily-burdened-by-the-past-go-on-closing-the/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [The difference between a winner and a loser - they both failed, but the winner gets back up and does it again and again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-plitt/the-difference-between-a-winner-and-a-loser-they-both-failed-but-the/)

[Greg Plitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-plitt/)

> [Owning the intellectual property is like owning land: You need to keep investing in it again and again to get a payoff; you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-dyson/owning-the-intellectual-property-is-like-owning-land-you-need-to-keep/)

[Esther Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-dyson/)

> [The key to longevity is to keep doing what you do better than anyone else. We work real hard at that. It's about getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-lauren/the-key-to-longevity-is-to-keep-doing-what-you-do-better-than-anyone/)

[Ralph Lauren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-lauren/)

> [You are great young people. I have said again and again, we have the finest generation of young people ever in the history of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/you-are-great-young-people-i-have-said-again-and-again-we-have-the/)

[Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/)

> [If you find that the reader of popular romances--however uneducated a reader, however bad the romances--goes back to his old favourites again and again,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/if-you-find-that-the-reader-of-popular-romances-however-uneducated-a/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [And while I am talking to you mothers and fathers, I give you one more assurance. I have said this before, but I shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/and-while-i-am-talking-to-you-mothers-and-fathers-i-give-you-one-more/)

[Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/)

> [It comes down to risk, again and again. If you risk coming out, if you risk making pictures that aren’t good, you might discover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-meyerowitz/it-comes-down-to-risk-again-and-again-if-you-risk-coming-out-if-you/)

[Joel Meyerowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-meyerowitz/)

[Browse all 445 Again and again quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/again-and-again/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It's easy, at this point in my life, very easy to write a beautiful sentence that's meaningless. A lot of writers do that. But I don't want it to be meaningless. I want it to actually say what I want it to say, and so I'm thinking about it again and again and again.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Lynne Tillman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/it-s-easy-at-this-point-in-my-life-very-easy-to-write-a-beautiful/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Again and again"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/it-s-easy-at-this-point-in-my-life-very-easy-to-write-a-beautiful/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3e/lynne-tillman-5609_again-and-again_it-s-easy-at-this-point-in-my-life-very_2644277.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3e/lynne-tillman-5609_again-and-again_it-s-easy-at-this-point-in-my-life-very_2644277.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3e/lynne-tillman-5609_again-and-again_it-s-easy-at-this-point-in-my-life-very_2644277.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It's easy, at this point in my life, very easy to write a beautiful sentence that's meaningless. A lot of…” — Lynne Tillman",
                "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": "Lynne Tillman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It's easy, at this point in...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/it-s-easy-at-this-point-in-my-life-very-easy-to-write-a-beautiful/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/it-s-easy-at-this-point-in-my-life-very-easy-to-write-a-beautiful/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
