---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's a fiendishly difficult thing to do…"
description: "\"“It's a fiendishly difficult thing to do because paper that has been written on doesn't burn easily.”\" — Mikhael Bulgakov"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a6/mikhael-bulgakov-111616_difficult_it-s-a-fiendishly-difficult-thing-to-do_261636.jpg"
---

#  It's a fiendishly difficult thing to do because paper that…

![“It's a fiendishly difficult thing to do because paper that has been written on doesn't burn easily.” quote by Mikhael Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a6/mikhael-bulgakov-111616_difficult_it-s-a-fiendishly-difficult-thing-to-do_261636.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a6/mikhael-bulgakov-111616_difficult_it-s-a-fiendishly-difficult-thing-to-do_261636.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a6/mikhael-bulgakov-111616_difficult_it-s-a-fiendishly-difficult-thing-to-do_261636.jpg)

> ““It's a fiendishly difficult thing to do because paper that has been written on doesn't burn easily.””

[Mikhael Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhael-bulgakov/)

## About This Quote

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

Writing on paper makes it resistant to destruction, symbolizing how ideas persist despite attempts to erase them.

**In simple terms:** Ideas survive even when trying to destroy them.

Key Takeaway

Preserve and share your ideas.

Themes

creativity resistance impermanence knowledge

Mood

thoughtful reflective

Type

quote observation philosophical

When to use this quote

- archiving work
- protecting intellectual property
- educational publishing

Key Concepts

philosophy literature information theory

Questions to Reflect On

- What ideas of you are hard to erase?
- How can you protect your creative work?

A Different Perspective

Physical destruction cannot erase the impact of ideas.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) [Difficult thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult-thing/) [Fiendishly Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiendishly-difficult-2578290/) [Paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paper/) [Paper Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paper-written-385660/)

## Related quotes

> [They didn’t have novels back then. (Tory) History says they didn’t have books, yet what’s this thing in my hand? It’s square, bound paper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/they-didn-t-have-novels-back-then-tory-history-says-they-didn-t-have/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [Strong words outlast the paper they are written upon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/strong-words-outlast-the-paper-they-are-written-upon/)

[Joseph Bruchac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bruchac/)

> [“Remind me again why I put up with you?" ''Cause you sold me your soul for five bucks, and now you must submit to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethany-frenette/remind-me-again-why-i-put-up-with-you-cause-you-sold-me-your-soul-for/)

[Bethany Frenette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bethany-frenette/)

> [“It was time to begin making notes on how the search was going, the people he had met, the conversations he had had, his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/it-was-time-to-begin-making-notes-on-how-the-search-was-going-the/)

[José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/)

> [A verbal contract isn't worth the paper it's written on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn/a-verbal-contract-isn-t-worth-the-paper-it-s-written-on/)

[Samuel Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn/)

> [“Dear Jim." The writing grew suddenly blurred and misty. And she had lost him again--had lost him again! At the sight of the familiar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-lillian-voynich/dear-jim-the-writing-grew-suddenly-blurred-and-misty-and-she-had-lost/)

[Ethel Lillian Voynich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-lillian-voynich/)

> [“Between George W. Bush and Barack Obama, the US Constitution is no longer worth the paper it's written on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/between-george-w-bush-and-barack-obama-the-us-constitution-is-no/)

[Michel Templet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-templet/)

> [“If left unexecuted, even the greatest competitive strategies are not worth the paper on which they were written.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-lowitt/if-left-unexecuted-even-the-greatest-competitive-strategies-are-not/)

[Eric Lowitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-lowitt/)

> [“A verbal contract is worth about as much as the paper it's written on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn/a-verbal-contract-is-worth-about-as-much-as-the-paper-it-s-written-on/)

[Samuel Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn/)

> [Of course a politician's promise isn't worth the paper it's written on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-pearce/of-course-a-politician-s-promise-isn-t-worth-the-paper-it-s-written-on/)

[Russell Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-pearce/)

> [Now everybody who knows anything at all knows perfectly well that even a business letter does not deserve the paper on which it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-hallowell-abbott/now-everybody-who-knows-anything-at-all-knows-perfectly-well-that/)

[Eleanor Hallowell Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-hallowell-abbott/)

> [“An oral contract isn't worth the paper it's written on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-goldwyn-jr/an-oral-contract-isn-t-worth-the-paper-it-s-written-on/)

[Sam Goldwyn Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-goldwyn-jr/)

> [It is not worth the paper it is written on unless it is backed by the kind of force that will make the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yitzhak-rabin/it-is-not-worth-the-paper-it-is-written-on-unless-it-is-backed-by-the/)

[Yitzhak Rabin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yitzhak-rabin/)

> [In 2008, Bitcoin was mysteriously introduced to the world in an obscure, technical paper written under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. By late 2013, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hanke/in-2008-bitcoin-was-mysteriously-introduced-to-the-world-in-an/)

[Steve Hanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hanke/)

> [“The most difficult thing is to admit ourselves, and the best proof is our strength and patience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-s-jagadeesh-kumar/the-most-difficult-thing-is-to-admit-ourselves-and-the-best-proof-is/)

[P.S. Jagadeesh Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-s-jagadeesh-kumar/)

## More by Mikhael Bulgakov

> [“In the broad field of Russian letters in the USSR, I was the one and only literary wolf. I was advised to dye my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhael-bulgakov/in-the-broad-field-of-russian-letters-in-the-ussr-i-was-the-one-and/)

[Mikhael Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhael-bulgakov/)

[Explore all 2 Mikhael Bulgakov quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhael-bulgakov/)

## More Difficult quotes

> [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/)

[Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/)

> [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/)

[Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/)

> [Consumers can choose organic cotton grown without pesticides, but it uses more water and requires more land than conventional crops. Organic cotton can also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/consumers-can-choose-organic-cotton-grown-without-pesticides-but-it/)

[Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/)

> [It is extremely difficult to do anything constructive, let alone deep, on daily commercial television, especially on a talk show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/it-is-extremely-difficult-to-do-anything-constructive-let-alone-deep/)

[Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/)

> [Having small children and being an investigative reporter would seem like a difficult mix, but it worked well for me. I was often working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/having-small-children-and-being-an-investigative-reporter-would-seem/)

[Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/)

> [It's only a little difficult to say no. You've got to believe that the work you're doing is ultimately more useful to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-sivers/it-s-only-a-little-difficult-to-say-no-you-ve-got-to-believe-that-the/)

[Derek Sivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-sivers/)

> [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/)

[Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/)

> [It's difficult for people to come to the understanding that only a small minority of the people ever really get the word about life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/it-s-difficult-for-people-to-come-to-the-understanding-that-only-a/)

[Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/)

> [Lutherans, whose arguments and mistakes will not be difficult to contest or discover, do not want to attribute any value to works, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-servetus/lutherans-whose-arguments-and-mistakes-will-not-be-difficult-to/)

[Michael Servetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-servetus/)

> [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

> [I want to make myself and the crowd happy by way of something different, and that makes things difficult. I'm never playing something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiesto/i-want-to-make-myself-and-the-crowd-happy-by-way-of-something/)

[Tiesto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiesto/)

> [The surprise of an army is now next to an impossibility. ... Prearranged surprises are rare and difficult because in order to plan one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-henri-jomini/the-surprise-of-an-army-is-now-next-to-an-impossibility-prearranged/)

[Antoine-Henri Jomini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-henri-jomini/)

> [Politics only makes the difficult challenge of marriage even harder, with the demands of the job and the public spotlight it casts on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/politics-only-makes-the-difficult-challenge-of-marriage-even-harder/)

[Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/)

> [To explicate the uses of the Brain seems as difficult a task as to paint the Soul, of which it is commonly said, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-willis/to-explicate-the-uses-of-the-brain-seems-as-difficult-a-task-as-to/)

[Thomas Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-willis/)

> [Someone else who liked what I did might turn around and say, "She's reworking and rethinking everything. She could just be making blankets now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-emin/someone-else-who-liked-what-i-did-might-turn-around-and-say-she-s/)

[Tracey Emin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-emin/)

[Browse all 13,132 Difficult quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“It's a fiendishly difficult thing to do because paper that has been written on doesn't burn easily.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mikhael Bulgakov"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhael-bulgakov/it-s-a-fiendishly-difficult-thing-to-do-because-paper-that-has-been/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Difficult"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhael-bulgakov/it-s-a-fiendishly-difficult-thing-to-do-because-paper-that-has-been/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a6/mikhael-bulgakov-111616_difficult_it-s-a-fiendishly-difficult-thing-to-do_261636.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a6/mikhael-bulgakov-111616_difficult_it-s-a-fiendishly-difficult-thing-to-do_261636.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a6/mikhael-bulgakov-111616_difficult_it-s-a-fiendishly-difficult-thing-to-do_261636.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It's a fiendishly difficult thing to do because paper that has been written on doesn't burn easily.” — Mikhael Bulgakov",
                "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": "Mikhael Bulgakov",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhael-bulgakov/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“It's a fiendishly difficult thing to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhael-bulgakov/it-s-a-fiendishly-difficult-thing-to-do-because-paper-that-has-been/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhael-bulgakov/it-s-a-fiendishly-difficult-thing-to-do-because-paper-that-has-been/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
