---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The public has no idea that writing is a…"
description: "\"“The public has no idea that writing is a disease, and that the writer who publishes is like a beggar who exhibits his sores. ”\" — Michael Kruger"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eeb/michael-kr-ger-110679_writing_the-public-has-no-idea-that-writing-is-a_1319574.jpg"
---

#  The public has no idea that writing is a disease, and that…

![“The public has no idea that writing is a disease, and that the writer who publishes is like a beggar who exhibits his sores.” quote by Michael Kruger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eeb/michael-kr-ger-110679_writing_the-public-has-no-idea-that-writing-is-a_1319574.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eeb/michael-kr-ger-110679_writing_the-public-has-no-idea-that-writing-is-a_1319574.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eeb/michael-kr-ger-110679_writing_the-public-has-no-idea-that-writing-is-a_1319574.jpg)

> ““The public has no idea that writing is a disease, and that the writer who publishes is like a beggar who exhibits his sores. ””

[Michael Kruger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kr-ger/)

## About This Quote

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

Writing is portrayed as a disease that forces writers to expose personal wounds, making publication feel like begging.

**In simple terms:** Writing reveals personal pain, making publishing feel vulnerable.

Key Takeaway

Embrace vulnerability and view sharing as strength.

Themes

writing vulnerability exposure creativity societal perception

Mood

melancholic defiant

Type

critical philosophical

When to use this quote

- publishing
- creative expression
- public reception
- self‑acceptance

Key Concepts

literature psychology social stigma artist’s dilemma

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you see writing as a burden or a gift?
- How does sharing affect your sense of self?

A Different Perspective

The metaphor may romanticize suffering and overlook the joy of creation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Beggar Exhibits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beggar-exhibits-4392765/) [Disease Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disease-writer-4392763/) [Exhibits Sores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exhibits-sores-4392764/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writer Publishes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-publishes-1756129/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-disease-994610/)

## Related quotes

> [If a writer publishes any thing that attracts notice, and is in itself just, but does not accord with our plan, we must endeavour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-weishaupt/if-a-writer-publishes-any-thing-that-attracts-notice-and-is-in-itself/)

[Adam Weishaupt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-weishaupt/)

> [“There were no rules when it came to writing, he said. Take a close look at the lives of poets and novelists, and what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/there-were-no-rules-when-it-came-to-writing-he-said-take-a-close-look/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [“you are a narcissist. That is the raison dêtre of the journal. Journal writing is a disease. But it's all right. It's very interesting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/you-are-a-narcissist-that-is-the-raison-d-tre-of-the-journal-journal/)

[Anaïs Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [I think all writing is a disease. You can't stop it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carlos-williams/i-think-all-writing-is-a-disease-you-can-t-stop-it/)

[William Carlos Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carlos-williams/)

> [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/)

[Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/)

> [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/)

[Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/)

> [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 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/)

> [At the very beginning, I was a page at Letterman, and I freelanced for any place that would let me write any word. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-schwartz/at-the-very-beginning-i-was-a-page-at-letterman-and-i-freelanced-for/)

[Ben Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-schwartz/)

> [If I don't know who I'm writing for, I make it up and pick somebody I'm writing for. That's really the only way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-mazin/if-i-don-t-know-who-i-m-writing-for-i-make-it-up-and-pick-somebody-i/)

[Craig Mazin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-mazin/)

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/)

[Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/)

> [Regardless of the criticisms I receive from the left, the right and the middle, I think it's important to maintain a prolific writing jab,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/regardless-of-the-criticisms-i-receive-from-the-left-the-right-and/)

[Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/)

> [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/)

[Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/)

> [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/)

[Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/)

## More by Michael Kruger

> [“Life is too short to waste your time with bad books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kr-ger/life-is-too-short-to-waste-your-time-with-bad-books/)

[Michael Krüger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kr-ger/)

[Explore all 2 Michael Kruger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kr-ger/)

## More Writer quotes

> [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/)

[Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/)

> [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/)

[Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/)

> [Regardless of the criticisms I receive from the left, the right and the middle, I think it's important to maintain a prolific writing jab,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/regardless-of-the-criticisms-i-receive-from-the-left-the-right-and/)

[Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/)

> [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/)

[Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/)

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [If I don't know who I'm writing for, I make it up and pick somebody I'm writing for. That's really the only way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-mazin/if-i-don-t-know-who-i-m-writing-for-i-make-it-up-and-pick-somebody-i/)

[Craig Mazin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-mazin/)

> [At the very beginning, I was a page at Letterman, and I freelanced for any place that would let me write any word. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-schwartz/at-the-very-beginning-i-was-a-page-at-letterman-and-i-freelanced-for/)

[Ben Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-schwartz/)

> [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/)

> [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/)

[Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/)

> [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/)

[Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/)

> [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/)

> [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

> [I might, by chance, write something just as shoddy; But then I wouldn't show it to everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/i-might-by-chance-write-something-just-as-shoddy-but-then-i-wouldn-t/)

[Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/)

> [“Note found in the patron suggestion box: "You have SIGNS up near the computers that say BE QUIET, but people don't be quiet. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-sheridan/note-found-in-the-patron-suggestion-box-you-have-signs-up-near-the/)

[Gina Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-sheridan/)

[Browse all 43,858 Writer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The public has no idea that writing is a disease, and that the writer who publishes is like a beggar who exhibits his sores. ”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Michael Kruger"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kr-ger/the-public-has-no-idea-that-writing-is-a-disease-and-that-the-writer/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Writer"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kr-ger/the-public-has-no-idea-that-writing-is-a-disease-and-that-the-writer/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eeb/michael-kr-ger-110679_writing_the-public-has-no-idea-that-writing-is-a_1319574.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eeb/michael-kr-ger-110679_writing_the-public-has-no-idea-that-writing-is-a_1319574.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eeb/michael-kr-ger-110679_writing_the-public-has-no-idea-that-writing-is-a_1319574.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The public has no idea that writing is a disease, and that the writer who publishes is like a beggar who…” — Michael Kruger",
                "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": "Michael Kruger",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kr-ger/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The public has no idea that...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kr-ger/the-public-has-no-idea-that-writing-is-a-disease-and-that-the-writer/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kr-ger/the-public-has-no-idea-that-writing-is-a-disease-and-that-the-writer/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
