--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I used to think that if I had a choice…" description: "\"I used to think that if I had a choice between writing well and living well, I would choose the former. But now I think that's sheer lunacy. Writing we..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d25/nicole-krauss-920_choices_i-used-to-think-that-if-i-had-a-choice-b_1065244.png" --- # I used to think that if I had a choice between writing… ![“I used to think that if I had a choice between writing well and living well, I would choose the former. But now I think that's sheer lunacy. Writing weighs so much less, in the great cosmic equation, than living.” quote by Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d25/nicole-krauss-920_choices_i-used-to-think-that-if-i-had-a-choice-b_1065244.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d25/nicole-krauss-920_choices_i-used-to-think-that-if-i-had-a-choice-b_1065244.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d25/nicole-krauss-920_choices_i-used-to-think-that-if-i-had-a-choice-b_1065244.png) > “I used to think that if I had a choice between writing well and living well, I would choose the former. But now I think that's sheer lunacy. Writing weighs so much less, in the great cosmic equation, than living.” [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing writing over living is a false priority; life’s experiences outweigh the act of writing. **In simple terms:** Living matters more than writing. Key Takeaway Prioritize life experiences. Themes life writing values priorities Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career decisions - daily routines - creative projects - relationships Key Concepts existentialism personal fulfillment Questions to Reflect On - What would you change if you valued life more? - How does this view affect your creative process? A Different Perspective Writing alone cannot replace a lived life. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Living well](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-well/) [Lunacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lunacy/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing well](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-well/) ## Related quotes > [“Create the worlds of your choice by writing the books you want.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-carrington/create-the-worlds-of-your-choice-by-writing-the-books-you-want/) [Marcia Carrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-carrington/) > [Have more than one idea on the go at any one time. 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That is the only justification for my writing, living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/i-am-i-and-i-must-follow-that-furrow-not-copy-another-that-is-the/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“I think, use my imagination, and write; therefore, I am. Every day I'm writing, I'm living. Every other day is just waiting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-berish/i-think-use-my-imagination-and-write-therefore-i-am-every-day-i-m/) Michael Berish > [“I'm merely dying to be remembered for simply writing about my living memories”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-biondi/i-m-merely-dying-to-be-remembered-for-simply-writing-about-my-living/) [Michael Biondi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-biondi/) > [Being a writer, writing for a living, is one long persistence game. Everyone wants you to quit. Quite often, you want to quit. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kameron-hurley/being-a-writer-writing-for-a-living-is-one-long-persistence-game/) [Kameron Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kameron-hurley/) > [It wasn't until after college that I started writing. I had just applied randomly for jobs in the media and got one on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-kinsella/it-wasn-t-until-after-college-that-i-started-writing-i-had-just/) [Sophie Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-kinsella/) ## More by Nicole Krauss > [“Narrative cannot sustain formlessness any more than light can sustain darkness - it is the antithesis of formlessness, and so it can never truly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/narrative-cannot-sustain-formlessness-any-more-than-light-can-sustain/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [I think of novels as houses. 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When things have settled a bit, we really must discuss you choice in pets..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/clarissa-he-said-here-with-the-vampire-i-see-when-things-have-settled/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Change is inevitable but personal growth is a choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/change-is-inevitable-but-personal-growth-is-a-choice/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [If you choose to draw from the inner well of free will, then you can make choices that are outside your current karmic patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-choose-to-draw-from-the-inner-well-of-free-will-then-you-can/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Act always so as to increase the number of choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/act-always-so-as-to-increase-the-number-of-choices/) [Heinz von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/) > [Give me a platter of choice finnan haddie, freshly cooked in its bath of water and milk, add melted butter, a slice or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/give-me-a-platter-of-choice-finnan-haddie-freshly-cooked-in-its-bath/) [Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/) > [I don't know that any woman could ever not think about that at some point - even making the choice not to do it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-watts/i-don-t-know-that-any-woman-could-ever-not-think-about-that-at-some/) [Naomi Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-watts/) > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) [Browse all 11,466 Choices quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I used to think that if I had a choice between writing well and living well, I would choose the former. 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