--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writing is such a 'pretend' profession…" description: "\"Writing is such a 'pretend' profession. Nobody is counting on you at all. You can't 'pretend' to be a lawyer or a teacher. It takes a lot of grit to co..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f53/mackenzie-scott-54297_career_writing-is-such-a-pretend-profession-nob_1378745.jpg" --- # Writing is such a 'pretend' profession. Nobody is counting… ![“Writing is such a 'pretend' profession. Nobody is counting on you at all. You can't 'pretend' to be a lawyer or a teacher. It takes a lot of grit to continue.” quote by MacKenzie Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f53/mackenzie-scott-54297_career_writing-is-such-a-pretend-profession-nob_1378745.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f53/mackenzie-scott-54297_career_writing-is-such-a-pretend-profession-nob_1378745.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f53/mackenzie-scott-54297_career_writing-is-such-a-pretend-profession-nob_1378745.jpg) > “Writing is such a 'pretend' profession. Nobody is counting on you at all. You can't 'pretend' to be a lawyer or a teacher. It takes a lot of grit to continue.” [MacKenzie Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mackenzie-scott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing demands authenticity and perseverance; it is not a façade but a disciplined craft. **In simple terms:** Writing needs grit, not pretending. Key Takeaway Persist despite lack of external validation. Themes authenticity perseverance craft discipline Mood motivational realistic Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - authoring a novel - freelance journalism - content creation - academic publishing Key Concepts creative writing career development self‑discipline Questions to Reflect On - What drives you when no one watches? - How can you sustain grit long‑term? A Different Perspective Risk of burnout without external support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Grit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grit/) [Lawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lawyer/) [Lawyer Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lawyer-teacher-4470009/) [Pretend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretend/) [Pretend Lawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretend-lawyer-4769518/) [Pretend Profession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretend-profession-4769517/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Pretend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-pretend-2959206/) ## Related quotes > [If you're a doctor or a lawyer or teacher, if you only get three things right out of 10, you're considered a failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-moyer/if-you-re-a-doctor-or-a-lawyer-or-teacher-if-you-only-get-three/) [Jamie Moyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-moyer/) > [It's great fun if you get a good piece of writing and you can pretend to be someone else, tell a story that needs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hay/it-s-great-fun-if-you-get-a-good-piece-of-writing-and-you-can-pretend/) [Colin Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hay/) > [When I'm writing, what I pretend subconsciously is that we're cavemen, we're sitting around the fire, and I'm telling you stories. If I bore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/when-i-m-writing-what-i-pretend-subconsciously-is-that-we-re-cavemen/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [If a lawyer, if a teacher, if a bus driver, if they're on $40,000 and they get offered a lot more to go somewhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-bill-williams/if-a-lawyer-if-a-teacher-if-a-bus-driver-if-they-re-on-40-000-and/) [Sonny Bill Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-bill-williams/) > [I like grit, I like love and death, I'm tired of irony. ... A lot of good fiction is sentimental. ... The novelist who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harrison/i-like-grit-i-like-love-and-death-i-m-tired-of-irony-a-lot-of-good/) [Jim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harrison/) > [Will you keep going when you don't know why? When you can't get any answers that would make the pain go away, will you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/will-you-keep-going-when-you-don-t-know-why-when-you-can-t-get-any/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [“Before all the little mean things she told me gathered and gathered and lodged like grit in a skinned knee.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/before-all-the-little-mean-things-she-told-me-gathered-and-gathered/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [I like the man who takes the stones Upon his rocky road With smiling lips instead of groans, Whate'er his heavy load Who seizes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kendrick-bangs/i-like-the-man-who-takes-the-stones-upon-his-rocky-road-with-smiling/) [John Kendrick Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kendrick-bangs/) > [“The grits were lumpy, but the flavor was incredible: the garlic and onion powder, the cayenne's heat lingering after every bite, the creamy tang…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-robinson/the-grits-were-lumpy-but-the-flavor-was-incredible-the-garlic-and/) [Shauna Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-robinson/) > [Grit can't be measured on pop quizzes, but it can often predict long-term success more than mere intelligence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-moser/grit-can-t-be-measured-on-pop-quizzes-but-it-can-often-predict-long/) [Laura Moser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-moser/) > [You know I'm from North Carolina, so I grew up eating grits, honey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tabitha-brown/you-know-i-m-from-north-carolina-so-i-grew-up-eating-grits-honey/) [Tabitha Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tabitha-brown/) > [Londoners are really good at dealing with any crap that's thrown at them. We hunker down, we grit our teeth and we get on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andi-oliver/londoners-are-really-good-at-dealing-with-any-crap-that-s-thrown-at/) [Andi Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andi-oliver/) > [When my main character in 'Heat' climbs the tower, the highest diving platform, hoping to resume competitive diving after an injury, I am there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cadnum/when-my-main-character-in-heat-climbs-the-tower-the-highest-diving/) [Michael Cadnum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cadnum/) > [Grit, determination, the right amount of crazy, self belief - everything it takes to be a champion. I have that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/grit-determination-the-right-amount-of-crazy-self-belief-everything/) [Dustin Poirier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/) > [Grit and self-control are related, but they're not the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-duckworth/grit-and-self-control-are-related-but-they-re-not-the-same-thing/) [Angela Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-duckworth/) ## More by MacKenzie Scott > [I am a better person when I am writing, and I am probably a better mother because I can focus all that laser attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mackenzie-scott/i-am-a-better-person-when-i-am-writing-and-i-am-probably-a-better/) [MacKenzie Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mackenzie-scott/) > [To me, watching your spouse, somebody that you love, have an adventure - what is better than that?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mackenzie-scott/to-me-watching-your-spouse-somebody-that-you-love-have-an-adventure/) [MacKenzie Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mackenzie-scott/) > [I think Amazon has been great for readers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mackenzie-scott/i-think-amazon-has-been-great-for-readers/) [MacKenzie Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mackenzie-scott/) > [My characters are based on people I know, but not in a direct way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mackenzie-scott/my-characters-are-based-on-people-i-know-but-not-in-a-direct-way/) [MacKenzie Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mackenzie-scott/) > [Cocktail parties for me can be nerve-racking. 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There must be love and a vocation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessye-norman/one-needs-more-than-ambition-and-talent-to-make-a-success-of-anything/) [Jessye Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessye-norman/) > [There are so many things you can do with your life, you can go to school and study toward your career, you can become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simphiwe-scientist-dumi/there-are-so-many-things-you-can-do-with-your-life-you-can-go-to/) [Simphiwe Scientist Dumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simphiwe-scientist-dumi/) > [I always knew I wanted to have a good career, so I made it happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chord-overstreet/i-always-knew-i-wanted-to-have-a-good-career-so-i-made-it-happen/) [Chord Overstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chord-overstreet/) > [I am a very big fan of Brian Eno, of his work as an artist and making his music, and as a producer. 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I've had managers, the minute they say it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-verlaine/my-non-career-my-excuse-for-a-career-honestly-i-never-think-about-the/) [Tom Verlaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-verlaine/) > [“The vocation of a man lies in his vision.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-vocation-of-a-man-lies-in-his-vision/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I started off as a model maker, so the first part of my career was a model maker and then a motion control camera…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/i-started-off-as-a-model-maker-so-the-first-part-of-my-career-was-a/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > [Growing up I did commercials and things like that, but nothing serious. As I got older, my family is really hardcore into academics. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/portia-doubleday/growing-up-i-did-commercials-and-things-like-that-but-nothing-serious/) [Portia Doubleday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/portia-doubleday/) > [You can have a career and kids who love you. But you have to nurture yourself and find a way to be fulfilled so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-reitman/you-can-have-a-career-and-kids-who-love-you-but-you-have-to-nurture/) [Catherine Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-reitman/) > [As for doing good; that is one of the professions which is full. Moreover I have tried it fairly and, strange as it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/as-for-doing-good-that-is-one-of-the-professions-which-is-full/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Even though I'm already successful and have a career, it is always good to have your eggs in more than one basket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farrah-abraham/even-though-i-m-already-successful-and-have-a-career-it-is-always/) [Farrah Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farrah-abraham/) [Browse all 11,387 Career quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Writing is such a 'pretend' profession. Nobody is counting on you at all. You can't 'pretend' to be a lawyer or a teacher. 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