--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A writer must say yes to life." description: "\"A writer must say yes to life.\" — Natalie Goldberg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd3/natalie-goldberg-1741_funny_a-writer-must-say-yes-to-life-181979_181979.png" --- # A writer must say yes to life. ![“A writer must say yes to life.” quote by Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd3/natalie-goldberg-1741_funny_a-writer-must-say-yes-to-life-181979_181979.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd3/natalie-goldberg-1741_funny_a-writer-must-say-yes-to-life-181979_181979.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd3/natalie-goldberg-1741_funny_a-writer-must-say-yes-to-life-181979_181979.png) > “A writer must say yes to life.” [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) ## 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 should embrace life fully, allowing experiences to inform their work. **In simple terms:** Writers should say yes to life. Key Takeaway Live fully to write authentically. Themes creativity experience authenticity Mood curious enthusiastic Type philosophical creative When to use this quote - travel writing - personal essays - fiction drafting Key Concepts literature mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - How does life experience shape your writing? - When do you need to step back? A Different Perspective Saying yes may lead to burnout without boundaries. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writer Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-say/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Yes Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yes-life-1136538/) ## Related quotes > [“We are important and our lives are important, magnificent really, and their details are worthy to be recorded. This is how writers must think,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/we-are-important-and-our-lives-are-important-magnificent-really-and-2/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [“Say yes to life, even though you know it may devour you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-larsen/say-yes-to-life-even-though-you-know-it-may-devour-you/) [Stephen Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-larsen/) > [To my young friends out there: Life can be great, but not when you can't see it. So, open your eyes to life: to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-reagan/to-my-young-friends-out-there-life-can-be-great-but-not-when-you-can/) [Nancy Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-reagan/) > [“Say yes to life and life will say yes to you!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/say-yes-to-life-and-life-will-say-yes-to-you/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“To really go at it in life and in business, you have to say yes to everything. It's something you'll see successful people do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-cardone/to-really-go-at-it-in-life-and-in-business-you-have-to-say-yes-to/) [Grant Cardone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-cardone/) > [Say yes to life be' weird and spontaneous say yes to opportunities and say no to those who think you're crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/say-yes-to-life-be-weird-and-spontaneous-say-yes-to-opportunities-and/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [“We are lovers, we say Yes to each other.  Yes to life—to more and more of life—to its brevity, its grief, its disappointments.  To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-mckeeman/we-are-lovers-we-say-yes-to-each-other-yes-to-life-to-more-and-more/) [Gordon B. McKeeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-mckeeman/) > [The warrior’s approach is to say ‘yes’ to life: ‘yes’ to it all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-warrior-s-approach-is-to-say-yes-to-life-yes-to-it-all/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [One of my New Year's resolutions is to say 'yes!' Yes to love, yes to life, yes to staying in more!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz/one-of-my-new-year-s-resolutions-is-to-say-yes-yes-to-love-yes-to/) [LIZ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz/) > [Always say 'yes' to the present moment... Surrender to what is. 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Say yes to life - and see how life suddenly starts working for you rather than against you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/surrender-to-what-is-say-yes-to-life-and-see-how-life-suddenly-starts/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [“One must say Yes to life and embrace it wherever it is found—and it is found in terrible places; nevertheless, there it is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/one-must-say-yes-to-life-and-embrace-it-wherever-it-is-found-and-it/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [The challenge is to make the church's yes to life concrete and effective. The struggle will be long, and it needs each one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/the-challenge-is-to-make-the-church-s-yes-to-life-concrete-and/) [Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/) > [Let us say "Yes" to life and not death. Let us say "Yes" to freedom and not enslavement to the many idols of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/let-us-say-yes-to-life-and-not-death-let-us-say-yes-to-freedom-and/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) ## More by Natalie Goldberg > [“We heard about people who go back to their roots. That is good, but don't get stuck in the root. There is the branch,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/we-heard-about-people-who-go-back-to-their-roots-that-is-good-but-don/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [Over and over, we have to go back to the beginning. We should not be ashamed of this. It is good. It's like drinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/over-and-over-we-have-to-go-back-to-the-beginning-we-should-not-be/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [I feel very rich when I have time to write and very poor when I get a regular paycheck and no time at my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/i-feel-very-rich-when-i-have-time-to-write-and-very-poor-when-i-get-a/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [Actually, when I look at my old notebooks, I think I have been a bit self-indulgent and have given myself too much time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/actually-when-i-look-at-my-old-notebooks-i-think-i-have-been-a-bit/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [Our bodies are garbage heaps: we collect experience, and from the decomposition of the thrown-out eggshells, spinach leaves, coffee grinds, and old steak bones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/our-bodies-are-garbage-heaps-we-collect-experience-and-from-the/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [Know that you will eventually have to leave everything behind; the writing will demand it of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/know-that-you-will-eventually-have-to-leave-everything-behind-the/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [To encounter a fine book and have time to read it is a wonderful thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/to-encounter-a-fine-book-and-have-time-to-read-it-is-a-wonderful-thing/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [In the past few years I've assigned books to be read before a student attends one of my weeklong seminars. 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I wanted to record my life in case…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/i-told-all-kinds-of-stories-about-going-to-japan-about-playing-ball/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [“No matter what a person does to cover up and conceal themselves, when we write and lose control, I can spot a person from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/no-matter-what-a-person-does-to-cover-up-and-conceal-themselves-when/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [To stay close and intimate with experience is to stay close to the mind; the nitty gritty mind of the way things really are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/to-stay-close-and-intimate-with-experience-is-to-stay-close-to-the/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [I read Eve Ensler and thought it was fabulous. 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It's just this sense that you got something to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-describe-it-s-just-this-sense-that-you-got/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [God reveals Himself through surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-reveals-himself-through-surprises/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Sometimes I look at my awesome twitter followers & think to myself, What the hell would I do without them :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/sometimes-i-look-at-my-awesome-twitter-followers-think-to-myself-what/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [The happy have whole days,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colley-cibber/the-happy-have-whole-days/) [Colley Cibber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colley-cibber/) > [Congratulations to Facebook on going public with all my private information...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/congratulations-to-facebook-on-going-public-with-all-my-private/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Why are things as they are and not otherwise?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johannes-kepler/why-are-things-as-they-are-and-not-otherwise/) [Johannes Kepler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johannes-kepler/) > [I've been funny my whole life. This is a gift God gave me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-morgan/i-ve-been-funny-my-whole-life-this-is-a-gift-god-gave-me/) [Tracy Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-morgan/) > [Penis goes in , sperms cums out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/penis-goes-in-sperms-cums-out/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [If you were to send a werewolf to the moon, would he be a werewolf permanently?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-schaal/if-you-were-to-send-a-werewolf-to-the-moon-would-he-be-a-werewolf/) [Kristen Schaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-schaal/) > [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/) [Pancho Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pancho-barnes/) > [If you can connect people, you can create the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-heiferman/if-you-can-connect-people-you-can-create-the-future/) [Scott Heiferman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-heiferman/) > [Don't think OF the market. Think AS the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-fishman/don-t-think-of-the-market-think-as-the-market/) [Michael Fishman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-fishman/) [Browse all 39,858 Funny quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A writer must say yes to life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Natalie Goldberg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/a-writer-must-say-yes-to-life/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Funny" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/a-writer-must-say-yes-to-life/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd3/natalie-goldberg-1741_funny_a-writer-must-say-yes-to-life-181979_181979.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd3/natalie-goldberg-1741_funny_a-writer-must-say-yes-to-life-181979_181979.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd3/natalie-goldberg-1741_funny_a-writer-must-say-yes-to-life-181979_181979.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A writer must say yes to life.” — Natalie Goldberg", "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": "Natalie Goldberg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A writer must say yes to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/a-writer-must-say-yes-to-life/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/a-writer-must-say-yes-to-life/#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 } } ] } ```