--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I always start writing with a clean piece…" description: "\"I always start writing with a clean piece of paper and a dirty mind.\" — Patrick Dennis" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/770/patrick-dennis-37692_dirty_i-always-start-writing-with-a-clean-piec_2818964.jpg" --- # I always start writing with a clean piece of paper and a… ![“I always start writing with a clean piece of paper and a dirty mind.” quote by Patrick Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/770/patrick-dennis-37692_dirty_i-always-start-writing-with-a-clean-piec_2818964.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/770/patrick-dennis-37692_dirty_i-always-start-writing-with-a-clean-piec_2818964.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/770/patrick-dennis-37692_dirty_i-always-start-writing-with-a-clean-piec_2818964.jpg) > “I always start writing with a clean piece of paper and a dirty mind.” [Patrick Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dennis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He begins writing on clean paper with a “dirty mind,” implying fresh start with raw ideas. **In simple terms:** Start fresh but keep raw creativity. Key Takeaway Combine clarity with unfiltered thought. Themes writing creativity process Mood introspective playful Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - authoring - journaling - brainstorming Key Concepts literary technique mindset Questions to Reflect On - How do you clear mental clutter before writing? - What rituals help you capture raw ideas? A Different Perspective Balancing order and chaos can be tricky. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dirty mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dirty-mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [The writing is clean. I really wouldn't have changed a word. 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Salsbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-salsbury/) ## More by Patrick Dennis > [“Oh, darling, you know we writers must occasionally stretch a point to heighten the dramatic situation. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dennis/oh-darling-you-know-we-writers-must-occasionally-stretch-a-point-to/) [Patrick Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dennis/) > [“She made another sweeping gesture that somehow went wrong because she knocked over the coffee pot and I immediately wrote down six new words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dennis/she-made-another-sweeping-gesture-that-somehow-went-wrong-because-she/) [Patrick Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dennis/) > [“Within the last two years it had been called Tony's, Belle's Bar Sinister, The Ole Plantation, Tony's, Alt Wien, Paris Soir--or Sewer--Victor's Vesuvius, Chez…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dennis/within-the-last-two-years-it-had-been-called-tony-s-belle-s-bar/) [Patrick Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dennis/) > [“Life is a banquet and most poor bastards are starving to death!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dennis/life-is-a-banquet-and-most-poor-bastards-are-starving-to-death/) [Patrick Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dennis/) > [“Life is a banquet and most poor s.o.b.'s are starving to death." Auntie Mame”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dennis/life-is-a-banquet-and-most-poor-s-o-b-s-are-starving-to-death-auntie/) [Patrick Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dennis/) > [Writing isn't hard - no harder than ditch digging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dennis/writing-isn-t-hard-no-harder-than-ditch-digging/) [Patrick Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dennis/) > [“Daddy always said that Christmas is a joyous season when suicides and holdups and shoplifting and like that reach a new high and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dennis/daddy-always-said-that-christmas-is-a-joyous-season-when-suicides-and/) [Patrick Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dennis/) > [Chinchilla is said to be more chic than mink, though personally it reminds me of unborn burlap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dennis/chinchilla-is-said-to-be-more-chic-than-mink-though-personally-it/) [Patrick Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dennis/) > [“she thought that 9Am was in the middle of the night”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dennis/she-thought-that-9am-was-in-the-middle-of-the-night/) [patrick dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dennis/) > [“Tipsy actress Vera Charles (who had 'more changes of costume than facial expression,' according to one critic to whom she never spoke again) ...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dennis/tipsy-actress-vera-charles-who-had-more-changes-of-costume-than/) [Patrick Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dennis/) > [“Why darling, I'm your Auntie Mame!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dennis/why-darling-i-m-your-auntie-mame/) [Patrick Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dennis/) [Explore all 12 Patrick Dennis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dennis/) ## More Dirty quotes > [“If any woman opens her legs for you, don't feel so lucky to be fed with nonsense, she has been a bitch for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/if-any-woman-opens-her-legs-for-you-don-t-feel-so-lucky-to-be-fed/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [I'm a film guy. 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She's just a dirty fighter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarryn-fisher/she-s-not-the-enemy-she-s-just-a-dirty-fighter/) [Tarryn Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarryn-fisher/) > [Mr. Bumpy from Bump in the Night was this funky little guy who lived under the bed and thought eating dust bunnies was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/mr-bumpy-from-bump-in-the-night-was-this-funky-little-guy-who-lived/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [My hair is naturally blond and thin, so I like to give it some texture. 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If I tell you a racist or dirty joke and you laugh, you're telling me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-landau/people-are-in-denial-all-the-time-hiding-things-if-i-tell-you-a/) [Martin Landau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-landau/) Browse all 1,999 Dirty quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I always start writing with a clean piece of paper and a dirty mind.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Patrick Dennis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dennis/i-always-start-writing-with-a-clean-piece-of-paper-and-a-dirty-mind/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dirty" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dennis/i-always-start-writing-with-a-clean-piece-of-paper-and-a-dirty-mind/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/770/patrick-dennis-37692_dirty_i-always-start-writing-with-a-clean-piec_2818964.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/770/patrick-dennis-37692_dirty_i-always-start-writing-with-a-clean-piec_2818964.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/770/patrick-dennis-37692_dirty_i-always-start-writing-with-a-clean-piec_2818964.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I always start writing with a clean piece of paper and a dirty mind.” — Patrick Dennis", "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": "Patrick Dennis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dennis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I always start writing with a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dennis/i-always-start-writing-with-a-clean-piece-of-paper-and-a-dirty-mind/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dennis/i-always-start-writing-with-a-clean-piece-of-paper-and-a-dirty-mind/#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 } } ] } ```