--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wanted to be a writer, that's all. I…" description: "\"“I wanted to be a writer, that's all. I wanted to write about it all. Everything that happens in a moment. The way the flowers looked when you carried ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ad/michael-cunningham-1120_time_i-wanted-to-be-a-writer-that-s-all-i-wan_1297002.jpg" --- # I wanted to be a writer, that's all. I wanted to write… ![“I wanted to be a writer, that's all. I wanted to write about it all. Everything that happens in a moment. The way the flowers looked when you carried them in your arms. This towel, how it smells, how it feels, this thread. All our feelings, yours and mine. The history of it, who we once were…” quote by Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ad/michael-cunningham-1120_time_i-wanted-to-be-a-writer-that-s-all-i-wan_1297002.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ad/michael-cunningham-1120_time_i-wanted-to-be-a-writer-that-s-all-i-wan_1297002.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ad/michael-cunningham-1120_time_i-wanted-to-be-a-writer-that-s-all-i-wan_1297002.jpg) > ““I wanted to be a writer, that's all. I wanted to write about it all. Everything that happens in a moment. The way the flowers looked when you carried them in your arms. This towel, how it smells, how it feels, this thread. All our feelings, yours and mine. The history of it, who we once were. Everything in the world. Everything all mixed up, like it's all mixed up now.”” [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) ## 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 wants to capture every sensory detail and emotion, seeing the world as an intertwined tapestry of experiences. **In simple terms:** Write with vivid, all‑encompassing detail. Key Takeaway Observe fully, write fully. Themes creativity observation memory Mood introspective artistic Type creative expressive When to use this quote - journaling - novel writing - photography - mindfulness Key Concepts literature sensory perception Questions to Reflect On - Which senses most inspire your writing? - How do you balance detail with narrative flow? A Different Perspective Too much detail can overwhelm the reader. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [The spider's touch, how exquisitely fine! Feels at each thread, and lives along the line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/the-spider-s-touch-how-exquisitely-fine-feels-at-each-thread-and/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [As Elmore Leonard says, I write to find out what happens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/as-elmore-leonard-says-i-write-to-find-out-what-happens/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [I write about everything that happens in my life, whether or not the songs actually are released or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cody-simpson/i-write-about-everything-that-happens-in-my-life-whether-or-not-the/) [Cody Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cody-simpson/) > [Sometimes you have a poem that you really want to write and it never happens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-k-williams/sometimes-you-have-a-poem-that-you-really-want-to-write-and-it-never/) [C. K. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-k-williams/) > [I only write about what I do, what happens to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brownie-mcghee/i-only-write-about-what-i-do-what-happens-to-me/) [Brownie McGhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brownie-mcghee/) > [I should like to write about what happens when fictive people encounter and are embellished by real people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-giono/i-should-like-to-write-about-what-happens-when-fictive-people/) [Jean Giono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-giono/) > [When I do write, it happens really easily. I'll just kind of sing along to whatever I'm playing, then find a line to build…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-brock/when-i-do-write-it-happens-really-easily-i-ll-just-kind-of-sing-along/) [Isaac Brock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-brock/) > [I don't actually talk about my books much, because I find if I talk about them I don't want to write them anymore. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/i-don-t-actually-talk-about-my-books-much-because-i-find-if-i-talk/) [Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/) > [I write about what happens to me. It's all there. I couldn't do it any other way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-frampton/i-write-about-what-happens-to-me-it-s-all-there-i-couldn-t-do-it-any/) [Peter Frampton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-frampton/) > [Some things are hard to write about. After something happens to you, you go to write it down, and either you over dramatize it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/some-things-are-hard-to-write-about-after-something-happens-to-you/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [I should write a book. I've always wanted to write a book. I should write a book about kids who see dead people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-noory/i-should-write-a-book-i-ve-always-wanted-to-write-a-book-i-should/) [George Noory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-noory/) > [I wanted to write a book about two women falling in love that wasn't hinged on tragedy or that involved some horrible identity-based misfortune.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-perri/i-wanted-to-write-a-book-about-two-women-falling-in-love-that-wasn-t/) [Camille Perri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-perri/) > [Unfortunately, neither of my grandfathers were alive by the time I decided I wanted to write a book. I wish I had asked them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shweta-bachchan-nanda/unfortunately-neither-of-my-grandfathers-were-alive-by-the-time-i/) [Shweta Bachchan Nanda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shweta-bachchan-nanda/) > [I tried to depict the human face of this history, I wanted to write a book that people would actually want to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imre-kert-sz/i-tried-to-depict-the-human-face-of-this-history-i-wanted-to-write-a/) [Imre Kertész](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imre-kert-sz/) > [I think that if you look at all of the books that have ever been written about people working in the White House, they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-mastromonaco/i-think-that-if-you-look-at-all-of-the-books-that-have-ever-been/) [Alyssa Mastromonaco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-mastromonaco/) ## More by Michael Cunningham > [“Mizzy has wandered into the garden. Carole looks contemplatively at him, says, "Lovely boy." "My wife's insanely younger brother. He's one of those kids…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/mizzy-has-wandered-into-the-garden-carole-looks-contemplatively-at/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“Zoe loved Trancas's mother. She respected her exhausted and ironic hope for rebirth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/zoe-loved-trancas-s-mother-she-respected-her-exhausted-and-ironic/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [The lives great artists live and the books they write are two very different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/the-lives-great-artists-live-and-the-books-they-write-are-two-very/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“How often since then has she wondered what might have happened if she'd tried to remain with him; if she’d returned Richard's kiss on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/how-often-since-then-has-she-wondered-what-might-have-happened-if-she/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“...a full week of their mother's quiet fury over the fun they don't seem to be having and their father's dogged attempts to provide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/a-full-week-of-their-mother-s-quiet-fury-over-the-fun-they-don-t-seem/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [Oh, all you immigrants and visionaries, what do you hope to find here, who do you hope to become?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/oh-all-you-immigrants-and-visionaries-what-do-you-hope-to-find-here/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“She wants to have baked a cake that banishes sorrow, even if only for a little while.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/she-wants-to-have-baked-a-cake-that-banishes-sorrow-even-if-only-for/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“And yet, it gives Peter nothing. Not now. Not today. Not when he needs... more. More than this well-executed idea. More than the shark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/and-yet-it-gives-peter-nothing-not-now-not-today-not-when-he-needs/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [He insists on a version of you that is funnier, stranger, more eccentric and prfound thatn you suspect yourself to be--capable of doing more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/he-insists-on-a-version-of-you-that-is-funnier-stranger-more/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [The worst are full of passionate intensity while the best lack all conviction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/the-worst-are-full-of-passionate-intensity-while-the-best-lack-all/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“And here he is, letting the massive steel street door click shut behind him, standing at the top of the three iron steps that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/and-here-he-is-letting-the-massive-steel-street-door-click-shut/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [It's the world, you live in it, even if some boy has made a fool of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/it-s-the-world-you-live-in-it-even-if-some-boy-has-made-a-fool-of-you/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“She's had a long life. Now she's going to the Lord." "Frankly it creeps me out a little when you say things like that,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/she-s-had-a-long-life-now-she-s-going-to-the-lord-frankly-it-creeps/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [Any other vexations to report?" he asks. "I love the word 'vexations.'" "It's the 'x.' Nice to jump off a 'v' and bite into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/any-other-vexations-to-report-he-asks-i-love-the-word-vexations-it-s/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [Dead, we are revealed in our true dimensions, and they are surprisingly modest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/dead-we-are-revealed-in-our-true-dimensions-and-they-are-surprisingly/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) [Explore all 277 Michael Cunningham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) ## More Time quotes > ['Mad TV' is one of my most favorite shows of all time and is a huge part of my obsession with sketch comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-dawson/mad-tv-is-one-of-my-most-favorite-shows-of-all-time-and-is-a-huge/) [Shane Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-dawson/) > [These joys were so trifling as to be as imperceptible as grains of gold among the sand, and in moments of depression she saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/these-joys-were-so-trifling-as-to-be-as-imperceptible-as-grains-of/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“William didn't look like he'd be difficult about anything - he was thin and sandy-haired and already wore eyeglasses like his father. Most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-c-wrede/william-didn-t-look-like-he-d-be-difficult-about-anything-he-was-thin/) [Patricia C. Wrede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-c-wrede/) > [Intel has a very complete process that I go through any time I want to sell that ensures I have no insider information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-krzanich/intel-has-a-very-complete-process-that-i-go-through-any-time-i-want/) [Brian Krzanich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-krzanich/) > [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [I feel like the future is unwritten. So many of the things that we write now haven't been about educating people on the environment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flansburgh/i-feel-like-the-future-is-unwritten-so-many-of-the-things-that-we/) [John Flansburgh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flansburgh/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [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/) > [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/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“Conception is the beginning of human life. From the time that an ovum is fertilized a new life begins that is neither that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/conception-is-the-beginning-of-human-life-from-the-time-that-an-ovum/) Declaration on Procured Abortion Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974 > [“You put together two things that have not been put together before. 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