--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have to be able to see the thing that's…" description: "\"I have to be able to see the thing that's going on that I'm writing about, or else it just doesn't make any sense to me.\" — Nick Cave" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/nick-cave-1153_able_i-have-to-be-able-to-see-the-thing-that_2655253.jpg" --- # I have to be able to see the thing that's going on that… ![“I have to be able to see the thing that's going on that I'm writing about, or else it just doesn't make any sense to me.” quote by Nick Cave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/nick-cave-1153_able_i-have-to-be-able-to-see-the-thing-that_2655253.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/nick-cave-1153_able_i-have-to-be-able-to-see-the-thing-that_2655253.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/nick-cave-1153_able_i-have-to-be-able-to-see-the-thing-that_2655253.jpg) > “I have to be able to see the thing that's going on that I'm writing about, or else it just doesn't make any sense to me.” [Nick Cave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cave/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding the subject is essential for meaningful writing. **In simple terms:** Know your subject to write well. Key Takeaway Research before you write. Themes writing clarity understanding creativity process Mood thoughtful practical Type educational motivational When to use this quote - journalism - novel writing - academic research - storytelling Key Concepts literary theory cognitive psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you deepen subject knowledge? - What if you lack information? A Different Perspective Time constraints may limit depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Going Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-writing-793222/) [Make sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-sense/) [Thing Going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-going-785129/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-just/) ## Related quotes > [It's so easy, as a writer, to get stuck in your own head, to live in the little worlds you create. To forget that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/it-s-so-easy-as-a-writer-to-get-stuck-in-your-own-head-to-live-in-the/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [The only one thing that keep us going is love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horla/the-only-one-thing-that-keep-us-going-is-love/) [Horla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horla/) > [It's the best thing going, parenthood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/it-s-the-best-thing-going-parenthood/) [Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/) > [“You know something, Red? … I think we got a good thing going on here.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priscilla-glenn/you-know-something-red-i-think-we-got-a-good-thing-going-on-here/) [Priscilla Glenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priscilla-glenn/) > [You can never ask God to tell you what the end is. You can ask, "Is this a good thing to do?" But not,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-romney/you-can-never-ask-god-to-tell-you-what-the-end-is-you-can-ask-is-this/) [Ann Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-romney/) > [“I'll not go where there is any of that sort of thing going on, again. It's the sure way, and the only sure way;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-ll-not-go-where-there-is-any-of-that-sort-of-thing-going-on-again/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“At least I had one thing going for me: I was a realist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/at-least-i-had-one-thing-going-for-me-i-was-a-realist/) [William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/) > [“We started this thing together. That’s how we’re going to finish it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-rossi/we-started-this-thing-together-that-s-how-we-re-going-to-finish-it/) [Veronica Rossi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-rossi/) > [I've got that Irish thing going on. Lots of Irish in my background.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-ve-got-that-irish-thing-going-on-lots-of-irish-in-my-background/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [There has to be a beginning somewhere and my thing is that I am going to give it all I got.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrell-owens/there-has-to-be-a-beginning-somewhere-and-my-thing-is-that-i-am-going/) [Terrell Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrell-owens/) > [Hold onto hope. Its the only thing that will keep you going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/hold-onto-hope-its-the-only-thing-that-will-keep-you-going/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [I have my own thing going on; I don't want to imitate anyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefflon-don/i-have-my-own-thing-going-on-i-don-t-want-to-imitate-anyone-else/) [Stefflon Don](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefflon-don/) > [Invest in inflation. It is the only thing going up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/invest-in-inflation-it-is-the-only-thing-going-up/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [“Because a thing is going strong now, it need not go strong for ever,' she said. 'This craze for motion has only set in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster-2/because-a-thing-is-going-strong-now-it-need-not-go-strong-for-ever/) [E.M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster-2/) > [If you have a good thing going behind the scenes, you'll have a good thing going on-screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-o-brien/if-you-have-a-good-thing-going-behind-the-scenes-you-ll-have-a-good/) [Dylan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-o-brien/) ## More by Nick Cave > [Texting is apocalyptic on some level. It's a reduction of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cave/texting-is-apocalyptic-on-some-level-it-s-a-reduction-of-things/) [Nick Cave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cave/) > [“And I know why our friendship must be kept a secret. Or they will kill You like they killed You in the Bible. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cave/and-i-know-why-our-friendship-must-be-kept-a-secret-or-they-will-kill/) [Nick Cave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cave/) > [I want to write songs that are so sad, the kind of sad where you take someone's little finger and break it in three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cave/i-want-to-write-songs-that-are-so-sad-the-kind-of-sad-where-you-take/) [Nick Cave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cave/) > [“Through these days Bunny made increasingly frequent and protracted visits to the bathroom, beating off with a single-minded savagery intense even by Bunny's standards.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cave/through-these-days-bunny-made-increasingly-frequent-and-protracted/) [Nick Cave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cave/) > [Personally I find the story of Christ incredibly moving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cave/personally-i-find-the-story-of-christ-incredibly-moving/) [Nick Cave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cave/) > [ That's what we \[outsiders\] feel America is really about - the kind of crazed ravings of the Christian right - when it's probably something… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cave/that-s-what-we-outsiders-feel-america-is-really-about-the-kind-of/) [Nick Cave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cave/) > [“My relationship with my muse is a delicate one at the best of times and I feel that it is my duty to protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cave/my-relationship-with-my-muse-is-a-delicate-one-at-the-best-of-times/) [Nick Cave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cave/) > [I'm kind of old-school and love nothing more than sitting, opening a book, and reading it. But I also love listening to audio books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cave/i-m-kind-of-old-school-and-love-nothing-more-than-sitting-opening-a/) [Nick Cave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cave/) > [Early on I realized when you write a song about someone, it flatters them on some level, and gives you a lot of room…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cave/early-on-i-realized-when-you-write-a-song-about-someone-it-flatters/) [Nick Cave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cave/) > [My father was a teacher and my mother also worked in the school, so the family has a background in education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cave/my-father-was-a-teacher-and-my-mother-also-worked-in-the-school-so/) [Nick Cave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cave/) > [I think it's an essential fact for any performer or artist to fail as poignantly as they can succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cave/i-think-it-s-an-essential-fact-for-any-performer-or-artist-to-fail-as/) [Nick Cave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cave/) > [To my undying shame, I do read reviews. I don't read them all, but I like to get some kind of idea how things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cave/to-my-undying-shame-i-do-read-reviews-i-don-t-read-them-all-but-i/) [Nick Cave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cave/) > [Brother, be a brother, fill this tiny cup of mine. And please, sir, make it whiskey: I have no head for wine!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cave/brother-be-a-brother-fill-this-tiny-cup-of-mine-and-please-sir-make/) [Nick Cave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cave/) > [When you've been initiated, you can stand in the world differently. And I think it is up to all of us, we can have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cave/when-you-ve-been-initiated-you-can-stand-in-the-world-differently-and/) [Nick Cave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cave/) > [Polly Jean, I love you. I love the texture of your skin, the taste of your saliva, the softness of your ears. I love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cave/polly-jean-i-love-you-i-love-the-texture-of-your-skin-the-taste-of/) [Nick Cave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cave/) [Explore all 280 Nick Cave quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cave/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) [Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/) > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) [Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have to be able to see the thing that's going on that I'm writing about, or else it just doesn't make any sense to me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nick Cave" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cave/i-have-to-be-able-to-see-the-thing-that-s-going-on-that-i-m-writing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Able" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cave/i-have-to-be-able-to-see-the-thing-that-s-going-on-that-i-m-writing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/nick-cave-1153_able_i-have-to-be-able-to-see-the-thing-that_2655253.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/nick-cave-1153_able_i-have-to-be-able-to-see-the-thing-that_2655253.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd8/nick-cave-1153_able_i-have-to-be-able-to-see-the-thing-that_2655253.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I have to be able to see the thing that's going on that I'm writing about, or else it just doesn't make any…” — Nick Cave", "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": "Nick Cave", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cave/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I have to be able to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cave/i-have-to-be-able-to-see-the-thing-that-s-going-on-that-i-m-writing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cave/i-have-to-be-able-to-see-the-thing-that-s-going-on-that-i-m-writing/#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 } } ] } ```