---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No matter how true I believe what I am…"
description: "\"No matter how true I believe what I am writing to be, if the reader cannot also participate in that truth, then I have failed.\" — Madeleine L'Engle"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4e/madeleine-l-engle-345_believe_no-matter-how-true-i-believe-what-i-am-w_2503608.png"
---

#  No matter how true I believe what I am writing to be, if…

![“No matter how true I believe what I am writing to be, if the reader cannot also participate in that truth, then I have failed.” quote by Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4e/madeleine-l-engle-345_believe_no-matter-how-true-i-believe-what-i-am-w_2503608.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4e/madeleine-l-engle-345_believe_no-matter-how-true-i-believe-what-i-am-w_2503608.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4e/madeleine-l-engle-345_believe_no-matter-how-true-i-believe-what-i-am-w_2503608.png)

> “No matter how true I believe what I am writing to be, if the reader cannot also participate in that truth, then I have failed.”

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

## About This Quote

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

A writer must ensure readers can engage with the truth presented, otherwise the work fails its purpose.

**In simple terms:** Writers need reader connection for success.

Key Takeaway

Eng audience engagement.

Themes

communication truth reader engagement

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- teaching
- publishing
- public speaking
- creative writing

Key Concepts

Literary theory authorial intent

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you test reader comprehension?
- What strategies ensure shared understanding?

A Different Perspective

Readers may interpret truth differently, limiting impact.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [“But the truth was, we had failed, and rather than let anyone else know, we crafted careful excuses and alibis, and wrapped them around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-brown/but-the-truth-was-we-had-failed-and-rather-than-let-anyone-else-know/)

[Eleanor Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-brown/)

> [“We came home because we were failures. We wouldn't admit that, of course, not at first, not to ourselves, and certainly not to anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-brown/we-came-home-because-we-were-failures-we-wouldn-t-admit-that-of/)

[Eleanor Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-brown/)

> [“Readers," continued Miss Winter, "are fools. They believe all writing is autobiographical. And so it is, but not in the way they think. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/readers-continued-miss-winter-are-fools-they-believe-all-writing-is/)

[Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/)

> [For most of my writing life, I've refused to allow myself to believe that writing was a significant form of action. I always felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athol-fugard/for-most-of-my-writing-life-i-ve-refused-to-allow-myself-to-believe/)

[Athol Fugard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athol-fugard/)

> [“Writing is difficult. You do it all alone without encouragement and without any certainty that you'll ever be published or paid or even that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/writing-is-difficult-you-do-it-all-alone-without-encouragement-and/)

[Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/)

> [I believe in my writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-manilow/i-believe-in-my-writing/)

[Barry Manilow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-manilow/)

> [My true nature, I believe, is writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lagravenese/my-true-nature-i-believe-is-writing/)

[Richard LaGravenese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lagravenese/)

> [“I do not believe in writing down to children but rather up to their intelligence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-l-alexander/i-do-not-believe-in-writing-down-to-children-but-rather-up-to-their/)

[D.L. Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-l-alexander/)

> [“What if it were as they say? If, while I believe I am writing in fun, what I write were really dictated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/what-if-it-were-as-they-say-if-while-i-believe-i-am-writing-in-fun/)

[Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/)

> [I don't believe in writing people off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rico-love/i-don-t-believe-in-writing-people-off/)

[Rico Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rico-love/)

> [Write all the time. I believe in writing every day, at least a thousand words a day. We have a strange idea about writing:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodora-goss/write-all-the-time-i-believe-in-writing-every-day-at-least-a-thousand/)

[Theodora Goss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodora-goss/)

> [Readers are fools. They believe all writing is autobiographical. And so it is, but not in the way they think. The writer's life needs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/readers-are-fools-they-believe-all-writing-is-autobiographical-and-so/)

[Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/)

> [I believe that writing on music is experienced inside your head, is not a physically present in the world, it has a different kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-christgau/i-believe-that-writing-on-music-is-experienced-inside-your-head-is/)

[Robert Christgau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-christgau/)

> [Literature can teach us how to live before we live, and how to die before we die. I believe that writing is practice for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayne-anne-phillips/literature-can-teach-us-how-to-live-before-we-live-and-how-to-die/)

[Jayne Anne Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayne-anne-phillips/)

> [The way I write my songs is that I have to believe what I'm writing about, and that's why they always end up being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adele/the-way-i-write-my-songs-is-that-i-have-to-believe-what-i-m-writing/)

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

## More by Madeleine L'Engle

> [“One of the hardest lessons I have to learn is how not to be judgmental about people who are judgmental. When I see how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/one-of-the-hardest-lessons-i-have-to-learn-is-how-not-to-be/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [Inspiration more often comes during the work than before it, because the largest part of the job of an artist is to listen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/inspiration-more-often-comes-during-the-work-than-before-it-because/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/you-have-to-write-the-book-that-wants-to-be-written-and-if-the-book/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [Severe illness isolates those in close contact with it, because it inevitably narrows the focus of concern. To a certain extent this can lead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/severe-illness-isolates-those-in-close-contact-with-it-because-it/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [Goodness has never been a guarantee of safety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/goodness-has-never-been-a-guarantee-of-safety/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [“Faith is what makes life bearable, with all its tragedies and ambiguities and sudden, startling joys.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/faith-is-what-makes-life-bearable-with-all-its-tragedies-and/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [“Instead of rejoicing in this glorious “impossible” which gives meaning and dignity to our lives, we try to domesticate God, to make his mighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/instead-of-rejoicing-in-this-glorious-impossible-which-gives-meaning/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [I have never lived before...Until this summer, I did not know what it was to be alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/i-have-never-lived-before-until-this-summer-i-did-not-know-what-it/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [On the other side of pain, there is still love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/on-the-other-side-of-pain-there-is-still-love/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [“To love is to be vulnerable; and it is only in vulnerability and risk—not safety and security—that we overcome darkness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/to-love-is-to-be-vulnerable-and-it-is-only-in-vulnerability-and-risk/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [“IT was the most horrible, the most repellent thing she had ever seen, far more nauseating then anything she had ever imagined with her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/it-was-the-most-horrible-the-most-repellent-thing-she-had-ever-seen/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [I feel as though I'm not breathing when I'm out of his presence. He's the oxygen in my air, the sun in my universe,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/i-feel-as-though-i-m-not-breathing-when-i-m-out-of-his-presence-he-s/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [Rather than feeling lost and unimportant and meaningless, set against galaxies which go beyond the reach of the furthest telescopes, I feel that my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/rather-than-feeling-lost-and-unimportant-and-meaningless-set-against/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [My husband is my most ruthless critic... sometimes he will say, 'It's been said better before.' Of course it has. It's all been said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/my-husband-is-my-most-ruthless-critic-sometimes-he-will-say-it-s-been/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [If we aren't capable of being hurt we aren't capable of feeling joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/if-we-aren-t-capable-of-being-hurt-we-aren-t-capable-of-feeling-joy/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

[Explore all 660 Madeleine L'Engle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

## More Believe quotes

> [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/)

[Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/)

> [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/)

[Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/)

> [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/)

[Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/)

> [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/)

[Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/)

> [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/)

[Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/)

> [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/)

[Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/)

> [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/)

[Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/)

> [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/)

[Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/)

> [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/)

[Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/)

> [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

> [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/)

[Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/)

> [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/)

[Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/)

Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "No matter how true I believe what I am writing to be, if the reader cannot also participate in that truth, then I have failed.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Madeleine L'Engle"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/no-matter-how-true-i-believe-what-i-am-writing-to-be-if-the-reader/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Believe"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/no-matter-how-true-i-believe-what-i-am-writing-to-be-if-the-reader/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4e/madeleine-l-engle-345_believe_no-matter-how-true-i-believe-what-i-am-w_2503608.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4e/madeleine-l-engle-345_believe_no-matter-how-true-i-believe-what-i-am-w_2503608.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4e/madeleine-l-engle-345_believe_no-matter-how-true-i-believe-what-i-am-w_2503608.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“No matter how true I believe what I am writing to be, if the reader cannot also participate in that truth…” — Madeleine L'Engle",
                "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": "Madeleine L'Engle",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "No matter how true I believe...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/no-matter-how-true-i-believe-what-i-am-writing-to-be-if-the-reader/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/no-matter-how-true-i-believe-what-i-am-writing-to-be-if-the-reader/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
