--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The tension between standing apart, and…" description: "\"The tension between standing apart, and being fully involved; that is what makes a writer.\" — Nadine Gordimer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aff/nadine-gordimer-3358_inspirational_the-tension-between-standing-apart-and-b_1719541.jpg" --- # The tension between standing apart, and being fully… ![“The tension between standing apart, and being fully involved; that is what makes a writer.” quote by Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aff/nadine-gordimer-3358_inspirational_the-tension-between-standing-apart-and-b_1719541.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aff/nadine-gordimer-3358_inspirational_the-tension-between-standing-apart-and-b_1719541.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aff/nadine-gordimer-3358_inspirational_the-tension-between-standing-apart-and-b_1719541.jpg) > “The tension between standing apart, and being fully involved; that is what makes a writer.” [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A writer must balance detachment with deep engagement to create authentic work. **In simple terms:** Writers need both distance and involvement. Key Takeaway Cultivate both objectivity and empathy. Themes creativity identity balance Mood reflective introspective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - fiction writing - journalism - personal essays Key Concepts self‑reflection authenticity artistic tension Questions to Reflect On - How do you stay emotionally connected while maintaining critical distance? - What practices help you balance involvement and separation? A Different Perspective Too much detachment can lead to cold, uninspired prose. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Standing apart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/standing-apart/) [Tension](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tension/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I believe - I know (there are not many things I should care to dogmatize about, on the subject of writing) that writers need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/i-believe-i-know-there-are-not-many-things-i-should-care-to-dogmatize/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [...we were like two people standing apart on separate mountain peaks, recklessly leaning forward to throw stones at one another, unaware of the dangerous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/we-were-like-two-people-standing-apart-on-separate-mountain-peaks/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [The writer is a person who is standing apart, like the cheese in 'The Farmer in the Dell' standing there alone but deciding to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/the-writer-is-a-person-who-is-standing-apart-like-the-cheese-in-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Summer is filled with breaking the rules and standing apart, ignoring your head and following you heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suman-rai/summer-is-filled-with-breaking-the-rules-and-standing-apart-ignoring/) [Suman Rai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suman-rai/) > [Summers filled with breaking the rules, standing apart, ignoring your head, and following your heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-engell/summers-filled-with-breaking-the-rules-standing-apart-ignoring-your/) Alyssa Engell > [An historian should yield himself to his subject, become immersed in the place and period of his choice, standing apart from it now and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-eliot-morison/an-historian-should-yield-himself-to-his-subject-become-immersed-in/) [Samuel Eliot Morison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-eliot-morison/) > [If a principle exists it must be immutable, for that is what a principle is - a truth standing apart from the mood of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-cooper/if-a-principle-exists-it-must-be-immutable-for-that-is-what-a/) [Jeff Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-cooper/) > [The question we must ask ourselves as a culture is whether we want to embrace the change that must come, or resist it. 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