---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wrote a piece for the school literary…"
description: "\"I wrote a piece for the school literary magazine that now makes me think: 'My God in Heaven, this is just the worst drivel.'\" — Pat Conroy"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/878/pat-conroy-768_drivel_i-wrote-a-piece-for-the-school-literary_485403.jpg"
---

#  I wrote a piece for the school literary magazine that now…

![“I wrote a piece for the school literary magazine that now makes me think: 'My God in Heaven, this is just the worst drivel.'” quote by Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/878/pat-conroy-768_drivel_i-wrote-a-piece-for-the-school-literary_485403.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/878/pat-conroy-768_drivel_i-wrote-a-piece-for-the-school-literary_485403.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/878/pat-conroy-768_drivel_i-wrote-a-piece-for-the-school-literary_485403.jpg)

> “I wrote a piece for the school literary magazine that now makes me think: 'My God in Heaven, this is just the worst drivel.'”

[Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The author regrets publishing a piece they now view as low quality and feels embarrassed by it.

**In simple terms:** Regret over a poorly written work.

Key Takeaway

Accept imperfection and learn from criticism.

Themes

regret self‑criticism creative process

Mood

embarrassed reflective

Type

personal literary

When to use this quote

- writing class
- peer review
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

literary self‑assessment humility

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you turn this regret into growth?
- What standards will you set for future work?

A Different Perspective

Self‑criticism may hinder future creativity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven/) [Literary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literary/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/)

## Related quotes

> [I was writing very early, like I was involved in our high school literary magazine, which was called 'Pariah.' The football team was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-was-writing-very-early-like-i-was-involved-in-our-high-school/)

[Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/)

> [People ask what was the first piece of music I wrote. There was no first piece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodney-bennett/people-ask-what-was-the-first-piece-of-music-i-wrote-there-was-no/)

[Richard Rodney Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodney-bennett/)

> [I wrote a piece from North Korea called Visit to a Small Planet which is a line I stole from a play of Gore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-wrote-a-piece-from-north-korea-called-visit-to-a-small-planet-which/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [The other week I wrote a piece on a photograph I got at a flea market, and I got about 70 hits. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/the-other-week-i-wrote-a-piece-on-a-photograph-i-got-at-a-flea-market/)

[Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/)

> [“The only time I've ever learned anything from a review was when John Lanchester wrote a piece in the Guardian about my second novel,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/the-only-time-i-ve-ever-learned-anything-from-a-review-was-when-john/)

[Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/)

> [I wrote a piece of software in 1998 that created fictional weather.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/i-wrote-a-piece-of-software-in-1998-that-created-fictional-weather/)

[Daniel Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-suarez/)

> [Someone wrote a piece about Henry Green in The Partisan Review that was so intriguing that I got one of his novels, Loving, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-southern/someone-wrote-a-piece-about-henry-green-in-the-partisan-review-that/)

[Terry Southern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-southern/)

> [I wrote a piece in the New York Times back in the Nineties saying that racial discrimination ought to be a criminal offense, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/i-wrote-a-piece-in-the-new-york-times-back-in-the-nineties-saying/)

[Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/)

> [The worst story I ever wrote was after the conviction of Jeff Skilling and Ken Lay. My co-author and I wrote a piece for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethany-mclean/the-worst-story-i-ever-wrote-was-after-the-conviction-of-jeff/)

[Bethany McLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bethany-mclean/)

> [“I went home that day, and I wrote your name over and over on a piece of paper. I must have written it a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-hayes/i-went-home-that-day-and-i-wrote-your-name-over-and-over-on-a-piece/)

[Gwen Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-hayes/)

> [I wrote The Same Sea not as a political allegory about Israelis and Palestinians. I wrote it about something much more gutsy and immediate.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/i-wrote-the-same-sea-not-as-a-political-allegory-about-israelis-and/)

[Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/)

> [I wrote your name on a piece of paper, but by accident I threw it away.. I wrote you name on my hand, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pyzamcom/i-wrote-your-name-on-a-piece-of-paper-but-by-accident-i-threw-it-away/)

Pyzamcom

> [“It's been fun to have it take on a life of its own. I feel like I'm not even creating as much as I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/it-s-been-fun-to-have-it-take-on-a-life-of-its-own-i-feel-like-i-m/)

[Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/)

> [“See this? I wrote this piece two years ago, after my parents died. I was angry. I was hurt. I wrote down exactly what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hoover/see-this-i-wrote-this-piece-two-years-ago-after-my-parents-died-i-was/)

[Colleen Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hoover/)

> [“I wrote this piece because my mailbox was full of bills, junk mail, and lettuce, but not a single letter from Andre Breton. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-wrote-this-piece-because-my-mailbox-was-full-of-bills-junk-mail-and/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

## More by Pat Conroy

> [A recipe is a story that ends with a good meal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/a-recipe-is-a-story-that-ends-with-a-good-meal/)

[Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/)

> [Except for memory, time would have no meaning at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/except-for-memory-time-would-have-no-meaning-at-all/)

[Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/)

> [It's an article of faith that the novels I've loved will live inside me forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/it-s-an-article-of-faith-that-the-novels-i-ve-loved-will-live-inside/)

[Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/)

> [“my folks wouldn't read a book if you put a gun to their dicks. but they read people all day long and always get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/my-folks-wouldn-t-read-a-book-if-you-put-a-gun-to-their-dicks-but/)

[Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/)

> [Cameras are a lifesaver for very shy people who have nowhere else to hide. Behind a lens they can disguise the fact that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/cameras-are-a-lifesaver-for-very-shy-people-who-have-nowhere-else-to/)

[Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/)

> [Carolina beach music," Dupree said, coming up on the porch. "The holiest sound on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/carolina-beach-music-dupree-said-coming-up-on-the-porch-the-holiest/)

[Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/)

> [“My memory often seems like a city of exiled poets afire with the astonishment of language, each believing in the integrity of his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/my-memory-often-seems-like-a-city-of-exiled-poets-afire-with-the/)

[Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/)

> [“We began our life together at a moment of natural self-pity and defeat that left an inimitable impression on both of us. The rejection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/we-began-our-life-together-at-a-moment-of-natural-self-pity-and/)

[Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/)

> [“I always liked your piety, Jack.” “I’m a lot cuter than the women of your generation,” Betsy said, playing up to Capers and Mike.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/i-always-liked-your-piety-jack-i-m-a-lot-cuter-than-the-women-of-your/)

[Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/)

> [“From the beginning I've searched out those writers unafraid to stir up the emotions, who entrust me with their darkest passions, their most indestructible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/from-the-beginning-i-ve-searched-out-those-writers-unafraid-to-stir/)

[Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/)

> [“My mother's voice and my father's fists are two bookends of my childhood, and they form the basis of my art.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/my-mother-s-voice-and-my-father-s-fists-are-two-bookends-of-my/)

[Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/)

> [“Over the years, my church gave me passage into a menagerie of exotic words unknown in the South: "introit," "offertory," "liturgy," "movable feast," "the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/over-the-years-my-church-gave-me-passage-into-a-menagerie-of-exotic/)

[Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/)

> [“I have built a city from the books I've read. A good book sings a a timeless music that is heard in the choir…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/i-have-built-a-city-from-the-books-i-ve-read-a-good-book-sings-a-a/)

[Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/)

> [“Time moves funny and it's hard to pin down. Occasionally, time offers you a hundred opportunities to do the right thing. Sometimes, it gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/time-moves-funny-and-it-s-hard-to-pin-down-occasionally-time-offers/)

[Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/)

> [“I take it as an article of faith that the novels I've loved will live inside me forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/i-take-it-as-an-article-of-faith-that-the-novels-i-ve-loved-will-live/)

[Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/)

[Explore all 371 Pat Conroy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/)

## More Drivel quotes

> [The biggest journalistic game-changer of our time has been the rise of social media and the overgrowth of faux news sources - league- and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lipsyte/the-biggest-journalistic-game-changer-of-our-time-has-been-the-rise/)

[Robert Lipsyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lipsyte/)

> [The greatest danger to Christianity is, I contend, not heresies, not heterodoxies, not atheists, not profane secularism - no, but the kind of orthodoxy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/the-greatest-danger-to-christianity-is-i-contend-not-heresies-not/)

[Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/)

> [But we love the Old Travelers. We love to hear them prate and drivel and lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/but-we-love-the-old-travelers-we-love-to-hear-them-prate-and-drivel/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [While you're being creative, nothing is wrong. There's no such thing as a mistake, and any drivel may lead to the breakthrough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/while-you-re-being-creative-nothing-is-wrong-there-s-no-such-thing-as/)

[John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/)

> [The result is a twitching convulsion of vicious drivel passing itself off as a movie, which can be best appreciated by the kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-reed/the-result-is-a-twitching-convulsion-of-vicious-drivel-passing-itself/)

[Rex Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-reed/)

> [“This is incoherent drivel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-is-incoherent-drivel/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [So-called 'sustainable development'... is meaningless drivel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lovelock/so-called-sustainable-development-is-meaningless-drivel/)

[James Lovelock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lovelock/)

> [“A feller that chatters all the time is bound to talk a certain amount of drivel”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/si-sylvanne/a-feller-that-chatters-all-the-time-is-bound-to-talk-a-certain-amount/)

Si Sylvanne

> [All stories are about wolves. All worth repeating, that is. Anything else is sentimental drivel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/all-stories-are-about-wolves-all-worth-repeating-that-is-anything/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [When I first got back from the war, I said, 'I'm gonna write the Great American Novel about the Vietnam War.' So I sat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marlantes/when-i-first-got-back-from-the-war-i-said-i-m-gonna-write-the-great/)

[Karl Marlantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marlantes/)

> [The neutrality and clarity of an engineering drawing is a better model for teaching about art than all the uncontrollable drivel about the cabbala…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-grosz/the-neutrality-and-clarity-of-an-engineering-drawing-is-a-better/)

[George Grosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-grosz/)

> [“How is it then that your theologians drivel like people in their second childhood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/how-is-it-then-that-your-theologians-drivel-like-people-in-their/)

[Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/)

> [What drivel it all is!... A string of words called religion. Another string of words called philosophy. Half a dozen other stringscalled political ideals.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/what-drivel-it-all-is-a-string-of-words-called-religion-another/)

[Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/)

> [The Reverend Douglas Wilson may not be a professional historian, as his detractors say, but he has a strong grasp of the essentials of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-genovese/the-reverend-douglas-wilson-may-not-be-a-professional-historian-as/)

Eugene Genovese

> [A lot of what journalists write is drivel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-allen/a-lot-of-what-journalists-write-is-drivel/)

[Keith Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-allen/)

Browse all 43 Drivel quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I wrote a piece for the school literary magazine that now makes me think: 'My God in Heaven, this is just the worst drivel.'",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Pat Conroy"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/i-wrote-a-piece-for-the-school-literary-magazine-that-now-makes-me/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Drivel"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/i-wrote-a-piece-for-the-school-literary-magazine-that-now-makes-me/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/878/pat-conroy-768_drivel_i-wrote-a-piece-for-the-school-literary_485403.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/878/pat-conroy-768_drivel_i-wrote-a-piece-for-the-school-literary_485403.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/878/pat-conroy-768_drivel_i-wrote-a-piece-for-the-school-literary_485403.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I wrote a piece for the school literary magazine that now makes me think: 'My God in Heaven, this is just…” — Pat Conroy",
                "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": "Pat Conroy",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I wrote a piece for the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/i-wrote-a-piece-for-the-school-literary-magazine-that-now-makes-me/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/i-wrote-a-piece-for-the-school-literary-magazine-that-now-makes-me/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
