---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Well, my book is written-let it go. But…"
description: "\"Well, my book is written-let it go. But if it were only to write over again there wouldn't be so many things left out. They burn in me; and they keep m..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cc/mark-twain-22_book_well-my-book-is-written-let-it-go-but-if_1857140.png"
---

#  Well, my book is written-let it go. But if it were only to…

![“Well, my book is written-let it go. But if it were only to write over again there wouldn't be so many things left out. They burn in me; and they keep multiplying; but now they can't ever be said. And besides, they would require a library-and a pen warmed up in hell.” quote by Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cc/mark-twain-22_book_well-my-book-is-written-let-it-go-but-if_1857140.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cc/mark-twain-22_book_well-my-book-is-written-let-it-go-but-if_1857140.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cc/mark-twain-22_book_well-my-book-is-written-let-it-go-but-if_1857140.png)

> “Well, my book is written-let it go. But if it were only to write over again there wouldn't be so many things left out. They burn in me; and they keep multiplying; but now they can't ever be said. And besides, they would require a library-and a pen warmed up in hell.”

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

## About This Quote

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

The writer feels compelled to keep writing despite the impossibility of fully capturing all thoughts, acknowledging the endless, burning desire to express.

**In simple terms:** Writing is endless, thoughts overflow.

Key Takeaway

Accept the impossibility, write anyway.

Themes

creativity expression imperfection

Mood

thoughtful determined

Type

literary reflective

When to use this quote

- journaling
- novel drafting
- blogging
- academic writing
- personal letters

Key Concepts

literary ambition psychology of writing artist's block

Questions to Reflect On

- What ideas are you afraid to leave out?
- How does acknowledging imperfection free your creativity?

A Different Perspective

The pressure to include everything can hinder clarity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Entrepreneur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entrepreneur/) [Hell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hell/) [Humorists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humorists/) [Lecturer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lecturer/) [Left out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left-out/) [Letting go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/letting-go/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Publishers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/publishers/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [The proverb says, "Born lucky, always lucky," and I am very superstitious. As a small boy I was notoriously lucky. It was usual for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-proverb-says-born-lucky-always-lucky-and-i-am-very-superstitious/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [Nothing helps scenery like bacon and eggs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/nothing-helps-scenery-like-bacon-and-eggs/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [At 50, a man can be an ass without being an optimist but not an optimist without being an ass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/at-50-a-man-can-be-an-ass-without-being-an-optimist-but-not-an/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [Alas! those good old days are gone, when a murderer could wipe the stain from his name and soothe his trouble to sleep simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/alas-those-good-old-days-are-gone-when-a-murderer-could-wipe-the/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [I have a religion-but you will call it blasphemy. It is that there is a God for the rich man but none for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-have-a-religion-but-you-will-call-it-blasphemy-it-is-that-there-is/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [“So let it be written, so let it be done.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-weeks/so-let-it-be-written-so-let-it-be-done/)

[Brent Weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-weeks/)

> [Our deal always was that we did one as scripted always, we got it like we thought we needed - so we were all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blair-underwood/our-deal-always-was-that-we-did-one-as-scripted-always-we-got-it-like/)

[Blair Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blair-underwood/)

> [Honestly I try to stay away from what has been written about me because if you let that stuff get to you and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-lautner/honestly-i-try-to-stay-away-from-what-has-been-written-about-me/)

[Taylor Lautner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-lautner/)

> [“I write because I have to; because I wouldn't know what to do with my hands if I didn't.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angeline-trevena/i-write-because-i-have-to-because-i-wouldn-t-know-what-to-do-with-my/)

Angeline Trevena

> [For me now, it's about what you would write and what you wouldn't write, and that's how I select what I am going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-jordan/for-me-now-it-s-about-what-you-would-write-and-what-you-wouldn-t/)

[Neil Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-jordan/)

> [The books one has written in the past have two surprises in store: one couldn't write them again, and wouldn't want to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/the-books-one-has-written-in-the-past-have-two-surprises-in-store-one/)

[Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/)

> [I think if I was interested in writing on my own, I would be a novelist - then you could write about yourself, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zal-batmanglij/i-think-if-i-was-interested-in-writing-on-my-own-i-would-be-a/)

[Zal Batmanglij](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zal-batmanglij/)

> [I don't believe for one moment you can write well what you wouldn't read for pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/i-don-t-believe-for-one-moment-you-can-write-well-what-you-wouldn-t/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

> [Humorists of the 'mere' sort cannot survive. Humor is only a fragrance, a decoration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/humorists-of-the-mere-sort-cannot-survive-humor-is-only-a-fragrance-a/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [Man is kind enough when he is not excited by religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/man-is-kind-enough-when-he-is-not-excited-by-religion/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

## More by Mark Twain

> [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [“The Creator sat upon the throne, thinking. Behind him stretched the illimitable continent of heaven, steeped in a glory of light and color; before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-creator-sat-upon-the-throne-thinking-behind-him-stretched-the/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [It's easy to quit smoking. I've done it hundreds of times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-s-easy-to-quit-smoking-i-ve-done-it-hundreds-of-times/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [“It is never wrong to do the right thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-is-never-wrong-to-do-the-right-thing/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [A man accustomed to American food and American domestic cookery would not starve to death suddenly in Europe, but I think he would gradually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/a-man-accustomed-to-american-food-and-american-domestic-cookery-would/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [There is nothing training can't cannot do. Nothing is above its reach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/there-is-nothing-training-can-t-cannot-do-nothing-is-above-its-reach/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [I never write Metropolis for seven cents because I can get the same price for city. I never write policeman because I can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-never-write-metropolis-for-seven-cents-because-i-can-get-the-same/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [The higher animals get their teeth without pain or inconvenience. Man gets his through months and months of cruel torture; he will never get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-higher-animals-get-their-teeth-without-pain-or-inconvenience-man/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [“As far as I can see, Italy, for fifteen hundred years, has turned all her energies, all her finances, and all her industry to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/as-far-as-i-can-see-italy-for-fifteen-hundred-years-has-turned-all/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [Begin with the determination to succeed and the work is half done already.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/begin-with-the-determination-to-succeed-and-the-work-is-half-done/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [Many public-school children seem to know only two dates—1492 and 4th of July; and as a rule they don't know what happened on either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/many-public-school-children-seem-to-know-only-two-dates-1492-and-4th/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [If we could imagine such a man, that is a man who could invent the fly and send him out on his mission and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-we-could-imagine-such-a-man-that-is-a-man-who-could-invent-the-fly/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [You perceive, now, that these things are all impossible except in a dream. You perceive that they are pure and puerile insanities, the silly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/you-perceive-now-that-these-things-are-all-impossible-except-in-a/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [Lord save us all from a hope tree that has lost the faculty of putting out blossoms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/lord-save-us-all-from-a-hope-tree-that-has-lost-the-faculty-of/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

[Explore all 3,277 Mark Twain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

## 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! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. 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": "Well, my book is written-let it go. But if it were only to write over again there wouldn't be so many things left out. They burn in me; and they keep multiplying; but now they can't ever be said. And besides, they would require a library-and a pen warmed up in hell.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mark Twain"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/well-my-book-is-written-let-it-go-but-if-it-were-only-to-write-over/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/well-my-book-is-written-let-it-go-but-if-it-were-only-to-write-over/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cc/mark-twain-22_book_well-my-book-is-written-let-it-go-but-if_1857140.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cc/mark-twain-22_book_well-my-book-is-written-let-it-go-but-if_1857140.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cc/mark-twain-22_book_well-my-book-is-written-let-it-go-but-if_1857140.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Well, my book is written-let it go. But if it were only to write over again there wouldn't be so many things…” — Mark Twain",
                "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": "Mark Twain",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Well, my book is written-let it...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/well-my-book-is-written-let-it-go-but-if-it-were-only-to-write-over/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/well-my-book-is-written-let-it-go-but-if-it-were-only-to-write-over/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
