--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The thing is not to write what no one…" description: "\"“The thing is not to write what no one else could have written, but to write what only you could have written.”\" — Nam Le" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/091/nam-le-37373_write_the-thing-is-not-to-write-what-no-one-el_335713.jpg" --- # The thing is not to write what no one else could have… ![“The thing is not to write what no one else could have written, but to write what only you could have written.” quote by Nam Le](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/091/nam-le-37373_write_the-thing-is-not-to-write-what-no-one-el_335713.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/091/nam-le-37373_write_the-thing-is-not-to-write-what-no-one-el_335713.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/091/nam-le-37373_write_the-thing-is-not-to-write-what-no-one-el_335713.jpg) > ““The thing is not to write what no one else could have written, but to write what only you could have written.”” [Nam Le](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nam-le/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Write authentically by focusing on your unique perspective rather than trying to imitate others. **In simple terms:** Write your own voice, not others'. Key Takeaway Prioritize your unique voice in writing. Themes authenticity creativity individuality writing expression Mood thoughtful inspirational Type literary creative When to use this quote - creative writing workshops - personal essays - novel drafting Key Concepts literature identity voice development Questions to Reflect On - What story only you can tell? - How does your background shape your voice? A Different Perspective Imitation can feel safe but limits originality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Thing Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-write/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Write Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-written-1478615/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written/) [Written Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written-write-320913/) ## Related quotes > [In 2012, I really thought, 'That's it. It's over. I've written what I can write.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-marber/in-2012-i-really-thought-that-s-it-it-s-over-i-ve-written-what-i-can/) [Patrick Marber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-marber/) > [I have written, and I do write, but the truth is I don't love it. I can't stand the process!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hewlett/i-have-written-and-i-do-write-but-the-truth-is-i-don-t-love-it-i-can/) [David Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hewlett/) > [“The thing is not to write what no one else has written but to write what only you could have written.' I found this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nam-le/the-thing-is-not-to-write-what-no-one-else-has-written-but-to-write/) [Nam Le](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nam-le/) > [If you have not done things worthy of being written about, at least write things worthy of being read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giacomo-casanova/if-you-have-not-done-things-worthy-of-being-written-about-at-least/) [Giacomo Casanova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giacomo-casanova/) > [If I wanted to change the world, the last thing I would do is write a play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/if-i-wanted-to-change-the-world-the-last-thing-i-would-do-is-write-a/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [So I be written in the Book of Love. I do not care about that Book Above. 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All you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-andrews/in-a-way-there-s-nothing-new-under-the-sun-so-anything-you-write/) [Jesse Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-andrews/) > [“Always write with property, because how you write is who you are and what is written will remain written.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-holm-garibay/always-write-with-property-because-how-you-write-is-who-you-are-and/) [Ingrid Holm-Garibay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-holm-garibay/) > [It's much more important to write than to be written about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/it-s-much-more-important-to-write-than-to-be-written-about/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [To be accurate, write; to remember, write; to know thine own mind, write. And a written prayer is a prayer of faith, special, sure,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-farquhar-tupper/to-be-accurate-write-to-remember-write-to-know-thine-own-mind-write/) [Martin Farquhar Tupper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-farquhar-tupper/) > [“Can I show all that I have written to my Beloved, the one for whom all I write is written?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vipul-rikhi/can-i-show-all-that-i-have-written-to-my-beloved-the-one-for-whom-all/) [Vipul Rikhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vipul-rikhi/) > [When I read, it is not acted literature; but what I write is written acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/when-i-read-it-is-not-acted-literature-but-what-i-write-is-written/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [Write it down. Written goals have a way of transforming wishes into wants; cant's into cans; dreams into plans; and plans into reality. Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/write-it-down-written-goals-have-a-way-of-transforming-wishes-into/) [Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/) > [I never thought I'd write, because I'd never written anything in my whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/i-never-thought-i-d-write-because-i-d-never-written-anything-in-my/) [Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/) > [“So I be written in the Book of Love, I have no care about that book above; Erase my name, or write it, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-le-gallienne/so-i-be-written-in-the-book-of-love-i-have-no-care-about-that-book/) [Richard Le Gallienne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-le-gallienne/) ## More by Nam Le > [“I do believe that you can never know yourself let alone the person next to you let alone the person halfway across the world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nam-le/i-do-believe-that-you-can-never-know-yourself-let-alone-the-person/) [Nam Le](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nam-le/) > [“The thing is not to write what no one else has written but to write what only you could have written.' I found this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nam-le/the-thing-is-not-to-write-what-no-one-else-has-written-but-to-write/) [Nam Le](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nam-le/) > [“-honor won in youth grows with age.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nam-le/honor-won-in-youth-grows-with-age/) [Nam Le](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nam-le/) > [“That was the problem with Alison Fischer: you never knew which part of her to look at. He looked at her face”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nam-le/that-was-the-problem-with-alison-fischer-you-never-knew-which-part-of/) [Nam Le](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nam-le/) > [“Art, after all, is - at its best - a lie that tells us the truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nam-le/art-after-all-is-at-its-best-a-lie-that-tells-us-the-truth/) [Nam Le](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nam-le/) > [“...how necessary it was to stay on the surface of things. Because beneath the surface was either dread or delirium.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nam-le/how-necessary-it-was-to-stay-on-the-surface-of-things-because-beneath/) [nam le](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nam-le/) > [“You couldn't think of after, you only thought of now, and come to think of it, you didn't do that either- you were left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nam-le/you-couldn-t-think-of-after-you-only-thought-of-now-and-come-to-think/) [Nam Le](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nam-le/) > [“And it occurred to me then how it took hours, sometimes day, for the surface of a river to freeze over-to hold in its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nam-le/and-it-occurred-to-me-then-how-it-took-hours-sometimes-day-for-the/) [Nam Le](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nam-le/) > [“If you ask me why I came to Iowa, I would say that Iowa is beautiful in the way that any place is beautiful:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nam-le/if-you-ask-me-why-i-came-to-iowa-i-would-say-that-iowa-is-beautiful/) [Nam Le](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nam-le/) > [“He looked out the open window. So this was what it was like. He looked through the green foliage, over the ocean, and felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nam-le/he-looked-out-the-open-window-so-this-was-what-it-was-like-he-looked/) [Nam Le](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nam-le/) > [“I write under not only the presumption that everything I write is deeply conditioned by everything I’ve already written, but that everything I write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nam-le/i-write-under-not-only-the-presumption-that-everything-i-write-is/) [Nam Le](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nam-le/) [Explore all 12 Nam Le quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nam-le/) ## More Write quotes > [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/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [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 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/) > [“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/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [It's a shame that when you've actually lived some life and have something to write about, they're saying you're too old to come out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kt-tunstall/it-s-a-shame-that-when-you-ve-actually-lived-some-life-and-have/) [KT Tunstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kt-tunstall/) > [I think I need the demons in order to write, but the demons have gone. It bothers me a lot. I've tried and tried,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-wilson/i-think-i-need-the-demons-in-order-to-write-but-the-demons-have-gone/) [Brian Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-wilson/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [Everything I write is highly personal, but put in such a way that it's not dropping everything in someone's lap. Although sometimes I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-siberry/everything-i-write-is-highly-personal-but-put-in-such-a-way-that-it-s/) [Jane Siberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-siberry/) > [You make me want to write bad poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-make-me-want-to-write-bad-poetry/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I wish that I had known back then that a mastery of process would lead to a product. Then I probably wouldn't have found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/i-wish-that-i-had-known-back-then-that-a-mastery-of-process-would/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [If I wanted to change the world, the last thing I would do is write a play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/if-i-wanted-to-change-the-world-the-last-thing-i-would-do-is-write-a/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [I write my story in my books, It show that your name filled in my books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-write-my-story-in-my-books-it-show-that-your-name-filled-in-my-books/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The midwest is great because it hasn't been entirely claimed. There's more room to write about it; it's harder to write about New York,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/the-midwest-is-great-because-it-hasn-t-been-entirely-claimed-there-s/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) [Browse all 9,848 Write quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The thing is not to write what no one else could have written, but to write what only you could have written.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nam Le" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nam-le/the-thing-is-not-to-write-what-no-one-else-could-have-written-but-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Write" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nam-le/the-thing-is-not-to-write-what-no-one-else-could-have-written-but-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/091/nam-le-37373_write_the-thing-is-not-to-write-what-no-one-el_335713.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/091/nam-le-37373_write_the-thing-is-not-to-write-what-no-one-el_335713.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/091/nam-le-37373_write_the-thing-is-not-to-write-what-no-one-el_335713.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The thing is not to write what no one else could have written, but to write what only you could have written.” — Nam Le", "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": "Nam Le", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nam-le/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The thing is not to write...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nam-le/the-thing-is-not-to-write-what-no-one-else-could-have-written-but-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nam-le/the-thing-is-not-to-write-what-no-one-else-could-have-written-but-to/#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 } } ] } ```