--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I never set out to write books for…" description: "\"I never set out to write books for children. I don't have a feeling that I'm gonna save children or my life is devoted.\" — Maurice Sendak" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fe/maurice-sendak-1273_book_i-never-set-out-to-write-books-for-child_1665785.jpg" --- # I never set out to write books for children. I don't have… ![“I never set out to write books for children. I don't have a feeling that I'm gonna save children or my life is devoted.” quote by Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fe/maurice-sendak-1273_book_i-never-set-out-to-write-books-for-child_1665785.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fe/maurice-sendak-1273_book_i-never-set-out-to-write-books-for-child_1665785.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fe/maurice-sendak-1273_book_i-never-set-out-to-write-books-for-child_1665785.jpg) > “I never set out to write books for children. I don't have a feeling that I'm gonna save children or my life is devoted.” [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He never aimed to “save” children; writing is a personal, artistic pursuit **In simple terms:** Writing isn’t a mission to rescue children Key Takeaway Write for artistic integrity, not rescue Themes creativity purpose children’s literature Mood reflective inspirational Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - publishing - educational programs - creative workshops Key Concepts artistic intent authorial freedom Questions to Reflect On - What drives your creative work? - Should authors feel responsible for societal change? A Different Perspective Expecting literature to solve social issues can limit its art ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Children book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children-book/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Save the children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/save-the-children/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Save the Children is an awesome charity that has helped more than 125 million children around the world, providing everything from school books to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pewdiepie/save-the-children-is-an-awesome-charity-that-has-helped-more-than-125/) PewDiePie > [Newfoundland dogs are good to save children from drowning, but you must have a pond of water handy and a child, or else there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/newfoundland-dogs-are-good-to-save-children-from-drowning-but-you/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Save the Children is often told that its aims are impossible - that there has always been child suffering and there always will be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eglantyne-jebb/save-the-children-is-often-told-that-its-aims-are-impossible-that/) [Eglantyne Jebb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eglantyne-jebb/) > [“Save the Children, an organization whose research has proved repeatedly that money in women’s hands benefits families much more than money flowing to men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/save-the-children-an-organization-whose-research-has-proved/) [Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/) > [My final conclusion after 40 years or more in this business is that the unofficial policy of the World Health Organization and the unofficial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archie-kalokerinos/my-final-conclusion-after-40-years-or-more-in-this-business-is-that/) [Archie Kalokerinos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archie-kalokerinos/) > [“Save the children, save mankind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-b-powell/save-the-children-save-mankind/) [Aaron B. Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-b-powell/) > [Whenever an earthquake or tsunami takes thousands of innocent lives, a shocked world talks of little else. I'll never forget the wrenching days I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-m-mulcahy/whenever-an-earthquake-or-tsunami-takes-thousands-of-innocent-lives-a/) [Anne M. Mulcahy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-m-mulcahy/) > [I've always admired the work that Save the Children does to improve the lives of children and their families all over the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gemma-chan/i-ve-always-admired-the-work-that-save-the-children-does-to-improve/) [Gemma Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gemma-chan/) > [“Suffer the little children to come unto Me.” Is there a prayerless father reading this? May God let the arrow go down into your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-l-moody/suffer-the-little-children-to-come-unto-me-is-there-a-prayerless/) [D.L. Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-l-moody/) > [Save the Children is also working to improve accommodation for refugee families living outside settlements. I met a family which had been living in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gemma-chan/save-the-children-is-also-working-to-improve-accommodation-for/) [Gemma Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gemma-chan/) > [As I began to get a deeper understanding of the vital life-saving work Save the Children does, I felt compelled to help in any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-o-connor/as-i-began-to-get-a-deeper-understanding-of-the-vital-life-saving/) [Erin O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-o-connor/) > [It's a big shame that when you have a platform to write about Save the Children, the media interest lies with my moral alignment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-o-connor/it-s-a-big-shame-that-when-you-have-a-platform-to-write-about-save/) [Erin O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-o-connor/) > [My plea...is a plea to save the children. Too many of them walk with pain and fear, in loneliness and despair. Children need sunlight...They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/my-plea-is-a-plea-to-save-the-children-too-many-of-them-walk-with/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) > [Save the children of the World from their acidic lifestyles and diets and their acidic parents who are feeding them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-o-young/save-the-children-of-the-world-from-their-acidic-lifestyles-and-diets/) [Robert O. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-o-young/) > [Writing for children is bloody difficult; books for children are as complex as their adult counterparts, and they should therefore be accorded the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/writing-for-children-is-bloody-difficult-books-for-children-are-as/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) ## More by Maurice Sendak > [I never thought of Bumble-Ardy in that way. But I still have that same deep feeling for children who are in dire trouble. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-never-thought-of-bumble-ardy-in-that-way-but-i-still-have-that-same/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I was a very sickly child. My parents were immigrants. They were not decorous. They were not discreet. They always thought I was gonna…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-was-a-very-sickly-child-my-parents-were-immigrants-they-were-not/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [The distinctions of fine art bore me to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/the-distinctions-of-fine-art-bore-me-to-death/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [The fan mail I get from kids are asking me questions which they do not ask their mothers and fathers. Because if they had,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/the-fan-mail-i-get-from-kids-are-asking-me-questions-which-they-do/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [“May I ask what you have in your black leather bag with gold buckles?" "Everything." They were climbing a narrow staircase. Rhoda stopped to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/may-i-ask-what-you-have-in-your-black-leather-bag-with-gold-buckles/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I grew up in a house that was in a constant state of mourning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-grew-up-in-a-house-that-was-in-a-constant-state-of-mourning/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [Illustrations have as much to say as the text. The trick is to say the same thing, but in a different way. It's no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/illustrations-have-as-much-to-say-as-the-text-the-trick-is-to-say-the/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I'm a lucky buck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-m-a-lucky-buck/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I've convinced myself - I hope I'm right - that children despair of you if you don't tell them the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-ve-convinced-myself-i-hope-i-m-right-that-children-despair-of-you/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [It's no fun being lonely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/it-s-no-fun-being-lonely/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [It dawned on me that art was the way I could survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/it-dawned-on-me-that-art-was-the-way-i-could-survive/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I cry a lot because I miss people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-cry-a-lot-because-i-miss-people/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [You cannot write for children They're much too complicated. You can only write books that are of interest to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/you-cannot-write-for-children-they-re-much-too-complicated-you-can/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [All I liked to do when I was a kid was draw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/all-i-liked-to-do-when-i-was-a-kid-was-draw/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [I'm still as enamored and turned on by work as I was when I was young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-m-still-as-enamored-and-turned-on-by-work-as-i-was-when-i-was-young/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) [Explore all 262 Maurice Sendak quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) ## 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": "I never set out to write books for children. 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