--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Understand that writing is like an…" description: "\"Understand that writing is like an athletic activity. To play tennis well, you expect to keep practicing, but for some reason with writing, you think y..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/natalie-goldberg-1741_activity_understand-that-writing-is-like-an-athle_1405479.png" --- # Understand that writing is like an athletic activity. To… ![“Understand that writing is like an athletic activity. To play tennis well, you expect to keep practicing, but for some reason with writing, you think you should come out fresh the first time.” quote by Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/natalie-goldberg-1741_activity_understand-that-writing-is-like-an-athle_1405479.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/natalie-goldberg-1741_activity_understand-that-writing-is-like-an-athle_1405479.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a3/natalie-goldberg-1741_activity_understand-that-writing-is-like-an-athle_1405479.png) > “Understand that writing is like an athletic activity. To play tennis well, you expect to keep practicing, but for some reason with writing, you think you should come out fresh the first time.” [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. Compares writing to sport, emphasizing consistent practice over expecting perfection initially. **In simple terms:** Practice writing regularly like training for a sport. Key Takeaway Write daily, treat it like a workout. Themes creativity discipline skill development Mood inspirational reflective Type educational motivational When to use this quote - writing workshops - personal journaling - creative retreats Key Concepts habit formation flow state craftsmanship Questions to Reflect On - How does regular practice improve writing? - What habits help sustain creative work? A Different Perspective Risk of focusing too much on quantity over quality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Activity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/activity/) [Athletic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athletic/) [First time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Play Tennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-tennis/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Tennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tennis/) [Tennis Expect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tennis-expect-4938010/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Understand Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understand-writing-476877/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-like/) [Writing Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-think/) ## Related quotes > [With writing, I think you have to be honest with yourself. I have a certain kind of writing; that is, I like to really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvester-stallone/with-writing-i-think-you-have-to-be-honest-with-yourself-i-have-a/) [Sylvester Stallone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvester-stallone/) > [Too often we take notes on writing, we think about writing but never do it. I want you to walk into the heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/too-often-we-take-notes-on-writing-we-think-about-writing-but-never/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [It's okay to embark on writing because you think it will get you love. At least it gets you going, but it doesn't last.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/it-s-okay-to-embark-on-writing-because-you-think-it-will-get-you-love/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [This is the practice school of writing. Like running, the more you do it, the better you get at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/this-is-the-practice-school-of-writing-like-running-the-more-you-do/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [“In my classes, we read great fiction obsessively, and then attempt to see how a writer managed to affect us. 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She'd keep asking when I'd get a real job!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-spillman/my-aunt-could-never-understand-how-writing-could-be-a-full-time-job/) [Ken Spillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-spillman/) > [“Things that only a writer would understand—you’re writing a character—you tell that character who she or he is and they stop you and make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-marbly-warir/things-that-only-a-writer-would-understand-you-re-writing-a-character/) [Lisa Marbly-Warir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-marbly-warir/) > [I love that "furious and gorgeous barrage." That helps me see the relation between the introduction and the book's final section, where writing about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mullen/i-love-that-furious-and-gorgeous-barrage-that-helps-me-see-the/) [Laura Mullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mullen/) > [You must understand that when you are writing a novel you are not making anything up. It's all there and you just have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/you-must-understand-that-when-you-are-writing-a-novel-you-are-not/) [Thomas Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harris/) > [“The longer I am a writer--so long now that my writing finger is periodically numb--the better I understand what writing is; what its function…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/the-longer-i-am-a-writer-so-long-now-that-my-writing-finger-is/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [“Advice? Focus on the craft. Study the greats. Try and understand how and why they made the writing choices they did.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-stump/advice-focus-on-the-craft-study-the-greats-try-and-understand-how-and/) [Patrick Stump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-stump/) > [My writing model is my mother, who is a writer as well. She always valued clarity and simplicity above all else. If someone doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/my-writing-model-is-my-mother-who-is-a-writer-as-well-she-always/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [I do believe that reading can help you understand what you're writing and see what others are doing. But sometimes the desire for more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manuel-puig/i-do-believe-that-reading-can-help-you-understand-what-you-re-writing/) [Manuel Puig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manuel-puig/) ## 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. I have been astonished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/in-the-past-few-years-i-ve-assigned-books-to-be-read-before-a-student/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [“When you draw and pay attention to what is, it's a form of being present. This inspires the mind, makes it happy, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/when-you-draw-and-pay-attention-to-what-is-it-s-a-form-of-being/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [Poetry is a dumb Buddha who thinks a donkey is as important as a diamond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/poetry-is-a-dumb-buddha-who-thinks-a-donkey-is-as-important-as-a/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [I told all kinds of stories about going to Japan, about playing ball with my father... 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. Not only that, but it was really the only thing I could relate to about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/i-read-eve-ensler-and-thought-it-was-fabulous-not-only-that-but-it/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [If you feel bored or uncomfortable as you're writing, ask yourself what's bothering you and write about that. Sometimes your creative energy is like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/if-you-feel-bored-or-uncomfortable-as-you-re-writing-ask-yourself/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) [Explore all 212 Natalie Goldberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) ## More Activity quotes > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [It must be assumed and established as a principle, that the right of private property must be regarded as sacred. Wherefore, the law ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-xiii/it-must-be-assumed-and-established-as-a-principle-that-the-right-of/) [Pope Leo XIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-xiii/) > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [And also I think the rise of other, you could say, destinations for international jihadis mean that Pakistan isn't necessarily the place where people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/and-also-i-think-the-rise-of-other-you-could-say-destinations-for/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [To evoke in oneself a feeling one has once experienced, and having evoked it in oneself, then by means of movements, lines, colors, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-evoke-in-oneself-a-feeling-one-has-once-experienced-and-having/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Fighting's fun, man. It's a great activity, it's a great sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-mitrione/fighting-s-fun-man-it-s-a-great-activity-it-s-a-great-sport/) [Matt Mitrione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-mitrione/) > [There were books everywhere in my house. Books were very present. I just loved books. I never understood reading as anything but a pleasurable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-lucas/there-were-books-everywhere-in-my-house-books-were-very-present-i/) [Lisa Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-lucas/) > [For war to man, like childbirth to women, is simplifying in its emotions and activities. All the real problems of life can be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/for-war-to-man-like-childbirth-to-women-is-simplifying-in-its/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [The only activity a cynic will find contagious is yawning, that is, with other people, at other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/the-only-activity-a-cynic-will-find-contagious-is-yawning-that-is/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [For the longest time, neuroscientists were forced to be passive observers of brain activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gero-miesenbock/for-the-longest-time-neuroscientists-were-forced-to-be-passive/) [Gero Miesenbock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gero-miesenbock/) > [Enjoyment is not a goal, it is a feeling that accompanies important ongoing activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/enjoyment-is-not-a-goal-it-is-a-feeling-that-accompanies-important/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [Once an activity has been socialized, it is impossible to point out, by concrete example, how men in a free market could better conduct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-read/once-an-activity-has-been-socialized-it-is-impossible-to-point-out-by/) [Leonard Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-read/) > [“Fun is not an activity, it is a state of mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/fun-is-not-an-activity-it-is-a-state-of-mind/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [I have to consider everything I eat; I consider every activity I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kimball/i-have-to-consider-everything-i-eat-i-consider-every-activity-i-do/) [Charlie Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kimball/) > [Almost all good businesses engage in 'pain today, gain tomorrow' activities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/almost-all-good-businesses-engage-in-pain-today-gain-tomorrow/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) [Browse all 3,263 Activity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/activity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Understand that writing is like an athletic activity. 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