--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In her autobiographical Giving Up the…" description: "\"“In her autobiographical Giving Up the Ghost (2003), Hilary Mantel reveals: “I have always been addicted to something or other, usually something there..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54e/lynne-truss-4153_addicted_in-her-autobiographical-giving-up-the-gh_1134660.png" --- # In her autobiographical Giving Up the Ghost (2003), Hilary… ![“In her autobiographical Giving Up the Ghost (2003), Hilary Mantel reveals: “I have always been addicted to something or other, usually something there’s no support group for. Semicolons, for instance, I can never give up for more than two hundred words at a time.” quote by Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54e/lynne-truss-4153_addicted_in-her-autobiographical-giving-up-the-gh_1134660.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54e/lynne-truss-4153_addicted_in-her-autobiographical-giving-up-the-gh_1134660.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54e/lynne-truss-4153_addicted_in-her-autobiographical-giving-up-the-gh_1134660.png) > ““In her autobiographical Giving Up the Ghost (2003), Hilary Mantel reveals: “I have always been addicted to something or other, usually something there’s no support group for. Semicolons, for instance, I can never give up for more than two hundred words at a time.”” [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author confesses an addictive love for semicolons, despite lacking support groups. **In simple terms:** She loves semicolons even without community. Key Takeaway Embrace quirks, even if unconventional. Themes writing addiction creativity Mood playful self‑aware Type literary humorous When to use this quote - creative writing - editing workshops - self‑acceptance groups Key Concepts punctuation personal habit Questions to Reflect On - What unconventional habit fuels your work? - How do you balance passion with practicality? A Different Perspective Obsessive habits may hinder productivity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Addicted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addicted/) [Addicted Usually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addicted-usually-3134671/) [Generosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generosity/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Giving Ghost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving-ghost-3134673/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hilary-mantel-3134670/) [Reveals Addicted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reveals-addicted-3134672/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I will read anything by Laura Hillenbrand, Walter Isaacson, Barbara Kingsolver, John le Carre, John Grisham, Hilary Mantel, Toni Morrison, Anna Quindlen and Alice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-will-read-anything-by-laura-hillenbrand-walter-isaacson-barbara/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [I wouldn't dream of commenting on Hilary Mantel as a novelist, frankly I'd be grateful if she stayed off my patch as a historian.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-starkey/i-wouldn-t-dream-of-commenting-on-hilary-mantel-as-a-novelist-frankly/) [David Starkey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-starkey/) > [Nothing in the last few years has dazzled me more than Hilary Mantel's 'Wolf Hall,' which blew the top of my head straight off.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/nothing-in-the-last-few-years-has-dazzled-me-more-than-hilary-mantel/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [What's interesting about subscribing to a life of giving is that you become addicted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-kay-ash/what-s-interesting-about-subscribing-to-a-life-of-giving-is-that-you/) [Mary Kay Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-kay-ash/) > [Slightly Addicted, my Mind got me trippin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indigo-vanity/slightly-addicted-my-mind-got-me-trippin/) [Indigo Vanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indigo-vanity/) > [I'm addicted to my BlackBerry. I get made fun of a lot in the writer's room for being on it constantly. I'm a writer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bj-novak/i-m-addicted-to-my-blackberry-i-get-made-fun-of-a-lot-in-the-writer-s/) [BJ Novak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bj-novak/) > [Fianlly a wave of reailty swept over my eyes and I was able to see, I wasn't in love with an angle but addicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian/fianlly-a-wave-of-reailty-swept-over-my-eyes-and-i-was-able-to-see-i/) [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian/) > [You know you are addicted to coffee when you still drink it and its over 100\*F outside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kylee/you-know-you-are-addicted-to-coffee-when-you-still-drink-it-and-its/) [Kylee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kylee/) > [Im so addicted to facebook I can log-in with my eyes close.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asheya/im-so-addicted-to-facebook-i-can-log-in-with-my-eyes-close/) [Asheya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asheya/) > [Mostly we are addicted to television shows for two reasons; whether it's because we get to connect with the story-line as somewhat similar is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sudha-chandran/mostly-we-are-addicted-to-television-shows-for-two-reasons-whether-it/) [Sudha Chandran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sudha-chandran/) > [“Feeling addicted to an ex makes letting them go excruciatingly hard even when you rationally want to move on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-cortney-warren/feeling-addicted-to-an-ex-makes-letting-them-go-excruciatingly-hard/) [Dr. Cortney Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-cortney-warren/) > [It is like an addiction: I get addicted to performing and touring. I get itchy and think, 'I've got to do this.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-prass/it-is-like-an-addiction-i-get-addicted-to-performing-and-touring-i/) [Natalie Prass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-prass/) > [I'm addicted to directing!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-shankman/i-m-addicted-to-directing/) [Adam Shankman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-shankman/) > [Before I got addicted to comedy, I was seriously thinking about playing tennis full time. I joined the tennis team and played with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrot-top/before-i-got-addicted-to-comedy-i-was-seriously-thinking-about/) [Carrot Top](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrot-top/) > [I love transforming myself constantly because it gives me that 'new' feeling that I'm very much addicted to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-mondo/i-love-transforming-myself-constantly-because-it-gives-me-that-new/) [Brad Mondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-mondo/) ## More by Lynne Truss > [Punctuation marks are the traffic signals of language: they tell us to slow down, notice this, take a detour, and stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/punctuation-marks-are-the-traffic-signals-of-language-they-tell-us-to/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Evidently an A level in English is a sacred trust, like something out of "The Lord of the Rings". You must go forth with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/evidently-an-a-level-in-english-is-a-sacred-trust-like-something-out/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Texting is a supremely secretive medium of communication - it's like passing a note - and this means we should be very careful what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/texting-is-a-supremely-secretive-medium-of-communication-it-s-like/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“Part of one's despair, of course, is that the world cares nothing for the little shocks endured by the sensitive stickler. While we look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/part-of-one-s-despair-of-course-is-that-the-world-cares-nothing-for/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [For any true stickler, you see, the sight of the plural word “Book’s” with an apostrophe in it will trigger a ghastly private emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/for-any-true-stickler-you-see-the-sight-of-the-plural-word-book-s/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Brackets come in various shapes, types and names: 1 round brackets (which we call brackets, and the Americans call parentheses) 2 square brackets \[which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/brackets-come-in-various-shapes-types-and-names-1-round-brackets/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Texting is a fundamentally sneaky form of communication, which we should despise, but it is such a boon we don't care. We are all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/texting-is-a-fundamentally-sneaky-form-of-communication-which-we/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [My favorite thing in the world is a quiz show, 'University Challenge,' so you can see what kind of sad person I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/my-favorite-thing-in-the-world-is-a-quiz-show-university-challenge-so/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“nothing is straightforward in the world of literary taste.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/nothing-is-straightforward-in-the-world-of-literary-taste/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Punctuation is a courtesy designed to help readers to understand a story without stumbling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/punctuation-is-a-courtesy-designed-to-help-readers-to-understand-a/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“one might dare to say that while the full stop is the lumpen male of the punctuation world (do one job at a time;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/one-might-dare-to-say-that-while-the-full-stop-is-the-lumpen-male-of/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [The main advantage of working at home is that you get to find out what cats really do all day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/the-main-advantage-of-working-at-home-is-that-you-get-to-find-out/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“I think about death sometimes. Analytically, of course.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/i-think-about-death-sometimes-analytically-of-course/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“For the first time since she met him, she asked herself whether mr Dodgson was really the sunny personality she had at first imagined.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/for-the-first-time-since-she-met-him-she-asked-herself-whether-mr/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“All the important roles shortly boiled down to one: remember your with other people; show some consideration.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/all-the-important-roles-shortly-boiled-down-to-one-remember-your-with/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) [Explore all 115 Lynne Truss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) ## More Addicted quotes > [I love transforming myself constantly because it gives me that 'new' feeling that I'm very much addicted to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-mondo/i-love-transforming-myself-constantly-because-it-gives-me-that-new/) [Brad Mondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-mondo/) > [Before I got addicted to comedy, I was seriously thinking about playing tennis full time. I joined the tennis team and played with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrot-top/before-i-got-addicted-to-comedy-i-was-seriously-thinking-about/) [Carrot Top](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrot-top/) > [I'm addicted to directing!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-shankman/i-m-addicted-to-directing/) [Adam Shankman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-shankman/) > [It is like an addiction: I get addicted to performing and touring. I get itchy and think, 'I've got to do this.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-prass/it-is-like-an-addiction-i-get-addicted-to-performing-and-touring-i/) [Natalie Prass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-prass/) > [“Feeling addicted to an ex makes letting them go excruciatingly hard even when you rationally want to move on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-cortney-warren/feeling-addicted-to-an-ex-makes-letting-them-go-excruciatingly-hard/) [Dr. Cortney Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-cortney-warren/) > [Mostly we are addicted to television shows for two reasons; whether it's because we get to connect with the story-line as somewhat similar is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sudha-chandran/mostly-we-are-addicted-to-television-shows-for-two-reasons-whether-it/) [Sudha Chandran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sudha-chandran/) > [Im so addicted to facebook I can log-in with my eyes close.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asheya/im-so-addicted-to-facebook-i-can-log-in-with-my-eyes-close/) [Asheya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asheya/) > [You know you are addicted to coffee when you still drink it and its over 100\*F outside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kylee/you-know-you-are-addicted-to-coffee-when-you-still-drink-it-and-its/) [Kylee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kylee/) > [Fianlly a wave of reailty swept over my eyes and I was able to see, I wasn't in love with an angle but addicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian/fianlly-a-wave-of-reailty-swept-over-my-eyes-and-i-was-able-to-see-i/) [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian/) > [I'm addicted to my BlackBerry. I get made fun of a lot in the writer's room for being on it constantly. I'm a writer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bj-novak/i-m-addicted-to-my-blackberry-i-get-made-fun-of-a-lot-in-the-writer-s/) [BJ Novak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bj-novak/) > [Slightly Addicted, my Mind got me trippin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indigo-vanity/slightly-addicted-my-mind-got-me-trippin/) [Indigo Vanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indigo-vanity/) > [I'm addicted to your punishment and you're the master and I am waiting for disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/papa-roach/i-m-addicted-to-your-punishment-and-you-re-the-master-and-i-am/) [Papa Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/papa-roach/) > [“All you have to do is not fuck it up. Is it really that hard?” Was he kidding? Of course it was that hard.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-j-shen/all-you-have-to-do-is-not-fuck-it-up-is-it-really-that-hard-was-he/) [L.J. Shen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-j-shen/) > [Collectors become obsessive and then addicted. You become addicted to art and you can't live without it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-broad/collectors-become-obsessive-and-then-addicted-you-become-addicted-to/) [Eli Broad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-broad/) > [Yes, I'm a complete itinerant. I keep making attempts not to be, but then circumstances make me uproot and go somewhere else again. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hall/yes-i-m-a-complete-itinerant-i-keep-making-attempts-not-to-be-but/) [Rebecca Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hall/) [Browse all 541 Addicted quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addicted/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In her autobiographical Giving Up the Ghost (2003), Hilary Mantel reveals: “I have always been addicted to something or other, usually something there’s no support group for. 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