--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A book, while it is being written, has an…" description: "\"A book, while it is being written, has an intense life of its own which you share.\" — Margaret Bourke-White" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cd/margaret-bourke-white-15756_book_a-book-while-it-is-being-written-has-an_928933.jpg" --- # A book, while it is being written, has an intense life of… ![“A book, while it is being written, has an intense life of its own which you share.” quote by Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cd/margaret-bourke-white-15756_book_a-book-while-it-is-being-written-has-an_928933.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cd/margaret-bourke-white-15756_book_a-book-while-it-is-being-written-has-an_928933.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cd/margaret-bourke-white-15756_book_a-book-while-it-is-being-written-has-an_928933.jpg) > “A book, while it is being written, has an intense life of its own which you share.” [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She describes a book as a living entity that co‑creates with the writer during its creation. **In simple terms:** Writing is a collaborative, evolving process. Key Takeaway Embrace the book’s life. Themes creativity collaboration writing artistic process Mood reflective inspired Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - novel drafting - workshop sessions - creative retreats - editing phases Key Concepts Narrative development author‑text relationship organic storytelling Questions to Reflect On - How does the story shape you? - Do you resist or welcome its direction? A Different Perspective The book’s autonomy can challenge authorial control. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Intense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intense/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I think what we call the dullness of things is a disease in ourselves. Else how could anyone find an intense interest in life?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/i-think-what-we-call-the-dullness-of-things-is-a-disease-in-ourselves/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [I have been in lots of very intense life situations. I have been shot at, and I have been hungry, and I have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-have-been-in-lots-of-very-intense-life-situations-i-have-been-shot/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [A work can have in it a pent-up energy, an intense life of its own, independent of the subject it may represent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-moore/a-work-can-have-in-it-a-pent-up-energy-an-intense-life-of-its-own/) [Henry Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-moore/) > [When the bad stuff was really intense in my life, it was really what you would call writer's block. Your facility is just not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fogerty/when-the-bad-stuff-was-really-intense-in-my-life-it-was-really-what/) [John Fogerty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fogerty/) > [I'm proud of the scars in my soul. They remind me that I have an intense life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-m-proud-of-the-scars-in-my-soul-they-remind-me-that-i-have-an/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Well, I have definitely had a very intense life and upbringing to say the least. I did have a beautiful young mom who loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/well-i-have-definitely-had-a-very-intense-life-and-upbringing-to-say/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [“I want an intense life. Intense sorrow and intense happiness. Intense loneliness and intense kinship. Intense love and intense hatred. Intense regret and intense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhaidev/i-want-an-intense-life-intense-sorrow-and-intense-happiness-intense/) [Abhaidev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhaidev/) > [“An intense life needs a touch of madness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/an-intense-life-needs-a-touch-of-madness/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“The life circle, no different than for us. Sometimes it’s brutal and intense, but without it there would be no life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raine-cantrell/the-life-circle-no-different-than-for-us-sometimes-it-s-brutal-and/) Raine Cantrell > [“I cannot say that having an intense life filled with accomplishments is better than having a relaxed life filled with savoring, though I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/i-cannot-say-that-having-an-intense-life-filled-with-accomplishments/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“The greatest book is one written by your pen, but not exactly from your mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/the-greatest-book-is-one-written-by-your-pen-but-not-exactly-from/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [but for my own part, if a book is well written, I always find it too short.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/but-for-my-own-part-if-a-book-is-well-written-i-always-find-it-too/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [“You know a book is well-written when it makes you read it over and over again, and in every time you enjoy the events,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noora-ahmed-alsuwaidi/you-know-a-book-is-well-written-when-it-makes-you-read-it-over-and/) Noora Ahmed Alsuwaidi > [Nature's great book is written in mathematics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/nature-s-great-book-is-written-in-mathematics/) [Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/) > [“This book is written in a barren period of loss with an attempt to move forward towards substance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phindiwe-nkosi/this-book-is-written-in-a-barren-period-of-loss-with-an-attempt-to/) [Phindiwe Nkosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phindiwe-nkosi/) ## More by Margaret Bourke-White > [I have never forgotten a picture that I ever made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/i-have-never-forgotten-a-picture-that-i-ever-made/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) > [Nothing attracts me like a closed door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/nothing-attracts-me-like-a-closed-door/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) > [Work to me is a sacred thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/work-to-me-is-a-sacred-thing/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) > [Utter truth is essential...and to get that truth may take a lot of searching and long hours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/utter-truth-is-essential-and-to-get-that-truth-may-take-a-lot-of/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) > [A burning purpose attracts others who are drawn along with it and help fulfill it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/a-burning-purpose-attracts-others-who-are-drawn-along-with-it-and/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) > [Even while you're in dead earnest about your work, you must approach it with a feeling of freedom and joy; you must be loose-jointed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/even-while-you-re-in-dead-earnest-about-your-work-you-must-approach/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) > [If anyone gets in my way when I'm making a picture, I become irrational. I'm never sure what I am going to do, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/if-anyone-gets-in-my-way-when-i-m-making-a-picture-i-become/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) > [To understand another human being you must gain some insight into the conditions which made him what he is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/to-understand-another-human-being-you-must-gain-some-insight-into-the/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) > [I was to discover that the quest for human understanding is a lifetime one that has no end in sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/i-was-to-discover-that-the-quest-for-human-understanding-is-a/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) > [Photography is a very subtle thing. You must let the camera take you by the hand, as it were, and lead you into your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/photography-is-a-very-subtle-thing-you-must-let-the-camera-take-you/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) > [Work is something you can count on, a trusted, lifelong friend who never deserts you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/work-is-something-you-can-count-on-a-trusted-lifelong-friend-who/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) > [Saturate yourself with your subject and the camera will all but take you by the hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/saturate-yourself-with-your-subject-and-the-camera-will-all-but-take/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) > [The element of discovery is very important. I don't repeat myself well. I want and need that stimulus of walking forward from one new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/the-element-of-discovery-is-very-important-i-don-t-repeat-myself-well/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) > [ The sights I have just seen \[at Buchenwald\] are so unbelievable that I don't think I'll believe them myself until I've seen the photographs. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/the-sights-i-have-just-seen-at-buchenwald-are-so-unbelievable-that-i/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) > [I like to hide my camera and use a remote control, because then no one knows when I'm actually imprisoning their souls in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/i-like-to-hide-my-camera-and-use-a-remote-control-because-then-no-one/) [Margaret Bourke-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) [Explore all 42 Margaret Bourke-White quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A book, while it is being written, has an intense life of its own which you share.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Margaret Bourke-White" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/a-book-while-it-is-being-written-has-an-intense-life-of-its-own-which/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/a-book-while-it-is-being-written-has-an-intense-life-of-its-own-which/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cd/margaret-bourke-white-15756_book_a-book-while-it-is-being-written-has-an_928933.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cd/margaret-bourke-white-15756_book_a-book-while-it-is-being-written-has-an_928933.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5cd/margaret-bourke-white-15756_book_a-book-while-it-is-being-written-has-an_928933.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A book, while it is being written, has an intense life of its own which you share.” — Margaret Bourke-White", "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": "Margaret Bourke-White", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-bourke-white/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A book, while it is being...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/a-book-while-it-is-being-written-has-an-intense-life-of-its-own-which/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-bourke-white/a-book-while-it-is-being-written-has-an-intense-life-of-its-own-which/#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 } } ] } ```