--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was writing full time after quitting a…" description: "\"I was writing full time after quitting a job as a high school English teacher, and I hadn't been able to sell anything, and my bank account was down to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f74/matthew-quick-1377_able_i-was-writing-full-time-after-quitting-a_730050.png" --- # I was writing full time after quitting a job as a high… ![“I was writing full time after quitting a job as a high school English teacher, and I hadn't been able to sell anything, and my bank account was down to zero, and all of my friends were like 'What are you doing in the basement, when are you going to get a real job?', and my parents thought I'd…” quote by Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f74/matthew-quick-1377_able_i-was-writing-full-time-after-quitting-a_730050.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f74/matthew-quick-1377_able_i-was-writing-full-time-after-quitting-a_730050.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f74/matthew-quick-1377_able_i-was-writing-full-time-after-quitting-a_730050.png) > “I was writing full time after quitting a job as a high school English teacher, and I hadn't been able to sell anything, and my bank account was down to zero, and all of my friends were like 'What are you doing in the basement, when are you going to get a real job?', and my parents thought I'd completely lost it.” [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker describes the struggle of pursuing a creative career despite financial hardship and external doubt. **In simple terms:** Facing hardship while chasing a dream. Key Takeaway Persist despite doubt and scarcity. Themes resilience creativity financial insecurity family expectations self‑belief Mood determined anxious hopeful Type motivational personal narrative When to use this quote - writing career - side‑hustle - family pressure - financial planning Key Concepts entrepreneurship risk identity motivation Questions to Reflect On - What would you need to keep going when resources run out? - How can you turn criticism into motivation? A Different Perspective Success may still require external support or a safety net. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bank account](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bank-account/) [English](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english/) [English teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-teacher/) [Friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friends/) [Get a real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get-a-real/) [High school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school/) [Job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/job/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [My mother passed away when I was 14, so there were certain things I missed in terms of upbringing. 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She'd keep asking when I'd get a real job!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-spillman/my-aunt-could-never-understand-how-writing-could-be-a-full-time-job/) [Ken Spillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-spillman/) > [I love that my dad has stopped asking me when I'm going to get a real job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/i-love-that-my-dad-has-stopped-asking-me-when-i-m-going-to-get-a-real/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [I never did very well in mathI could never seem to persuade the teacher that I hadn't meant my answers literally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-trillin/i-never-did-very-well-in-mathi-could-never-seem-to-persuade-the/) [Calvin Trillin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-trillin/) > [“Jenna walked in between desks and plonked herself down behind hers, noticing AGAIN that the teacher hadn’t graced the class with his zitty presence.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marita-a-hansen/jenna-walked-in-between-desks-and-plonked-herself-down-behind-hers/) [Marita A. Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marita-a-hansen/) > [“I thought maybe she would have been an okay teacher. If she hadn't been guaranteed to scare the opinions right out of just about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-jensen/i-thought-maybe-she-would-have-been-an-okay-teacher-if-she-hadn-t/) [Melissa Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-jensen/) > [“We think our job as humans is to avoid pain, our job as parents is to protect our children from pain, and our job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glennon-doyle-melton/we-think-our-job-as-humans-is-to-avoid-pain-our-job-as-parents-is-to/) [Glennon Doyle Melton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glennon-doyle-melton/) > [As a kid, you want to be liked for who you are. You don't want to be liked for who your parents are. 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I always cry at movies, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/i-grew-up-in-a-blue-collar-neighborhood-and-was-raised-by-a-man-who/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [Life is not a PG feel-good movie. Real life often ends badly. 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I am so impossibly happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/i-am-so-happy-i-am-so-impossibly-happy/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [“the only way you could meet my crazy was by doing something crazy for yourself”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/the-only-way-you-could-meet-my-crazy-was-by-doing-something-crazy-for/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [When I travel round the country, people can't place my accent; if there's someone in the audience, they'll be like, 'You're from Philadelphia', but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/when-i-travel-round-the-country-people-can-t-place-my-accent-if-there/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [“Empiezo a comprender que tenemos una clase de amistad en la que no se necesitan muchas palabras.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/empiezo-a-comprender-que-tenemos-una-clase-de-amistad-en-la-que-no-se/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [When she needed help most, she was abandoned--and only when she offered help to others was she beloved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/when-she-needed-help-most-she-was-abandoned-and-only-when-she-offered/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [“Sounds like the start of a beautiful friendship, Leonard. It really does.” “Here’s looking at you, kid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/sounds-like-the-start-of-a-beautiful-friendship-leonard-it-really/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [“The whole time I pretend I have mental telepathy. And with my mind only, I’ll say — or think? — to the target, 'Don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/the-whole-time-i-pretend-i-have-mental-telepathy-and-with-my-mind/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [Someday an opportunity will come. Think about Harry Potter. 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If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. 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