---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But suddenly, after all this time, I feel…"
description: "\"“But suddenly, after all this time, I feel there is something to say, and if I don't quickly write it down, my head will burst. It doesn't matter if yo..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b12/paul-auster-351_time_but-suddenly-after-all-this-time-i-feel_127803.jpg"
---

#  But suddenly, after all this time, I feel there is…

![“But suddenly, after all this time, I feel there is something to say, and if I don't quickly write it down, my head will burst. It doesn't matter if you read it. It doesn't even matter if I send it - assuming that could be done. Perhaps it comes down to this. I am writing to you because you know…” quote by Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b12/paul-auster-351_time_but-suddenly-after-all-this-time-i-feel_127803.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b12/paul-auster-351_time_but-suddenly-after-all-this-time-i-feel_127803.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b12/paul-auster-351_time_but-suddenly-after-all-this-time-i-feel_127803.jpg)

> ““But suddenly, after all this time, I feel there is something to say, and if I don't quickly write it down, my head will burst. It doesn't matter if you read it. It doesn't even matter if I send it - assuming that could be done. Perhaps it comes down to this. I am writing to you because you know nothing. Because you are far away from me and know nothing.””

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

## About This Quote

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

The urgency of ideas can feel overwhelming, compelling immediate capture before they fade.

**In simple terms:** Ideas feel urgent, need quick writing.

Key Takeaway

Write ideas before they slip away.

Themes

creativity urgency expression

Mood

anxious determined

Type

motivational reflective

When to use this quote

- writing
- brainstorming
- creative work

Key Concepts

psychology memory

Practical Applications

- keep a notebook
- set reminders

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you prioritize ideas?
- What stops you from writing now?

A Different Perspective

Ideas may lose depth if rushed.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Comes Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comes-writing-344761/) [Feel Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-say/) [Send Assuming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/send-assuming-1473793/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Write Head](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-head-640078/)

## Related quotes

> [“Nobody ever plays the romantic part I write for them in my head.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/somi-ekhasomhi/nobody-ever-plays-the-romantic-part-i-write-for-them-in-my-head/)

[Somi Ekhasomhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/somi-ekhasomhi/)

> [I won't usually just sit down to write. I'd have done it in my head already. I visualise a story just like a film…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruskin-bond/i-won-t-usually-just-sit-down-to-write-i-d-have-done-it-in-my-head/)

[Ruskin Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruskin-bond/)

> [Others may write from the head, but he writes from the heart, and the heart will always understand him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/others-may-write-from-the-head-but-he-writes-from-the-heart-and-the/)

[Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/)

> [Hey, don't write yourself off yet. It's only in your head to feel left out, or looked down on. Just do your best. Do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-eats-world/hey-don-t-write-yourself-off-yet-it-s-only-in-your-head-to-feel-left/)

[Jimmy Eats World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-eats-world/)

> [You write your first draft with your heart and you re-write with your head. The first key to writing is to write, not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-connery/you-write-your-first-draft-with-your-heart-and-you-re-write-with-your/)

[Sean Connery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-connery/)

> [“The space where I write is in my head, I suppose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/the-space-where-i-write-is-in-my-head-i-suppose/)

[Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/)

> [Sometimes I sit down and write, but I can write in my head line by line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kodie-shane/sometimes-i-sit-down-and-write-but-i-can-write-in-my-head-line-by-line/)

[Kodie Shane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kodie-shane/)

> [“What I know about love, I can write on the head of a matchstick.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-avon/what-i-know-about-love-i-can-write-on-the-head-of-a-matchstick/)

[Barbara Avon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-avon/)

> [It isn't that inspiration doesn't exist, but it comes only with writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-braine/it-isn-t-that-inspiration-doesn-t-exist-but-it-comes-only-with-writing/)

[John Braine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-braine/)

> [ Thoughts are created in the act of writing. \[It is a myth that\] you must have something to say in order to write. Reality:… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-smith/thoughts-are-created-in-the-act-of-writing-it-is-a-myth-that-you-must/)

[Frank Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-smith/)

> [There's a marvelous sense of mastery that comes with writing a sentence that sounds exactly as you want it to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/there-s-a-marvelous-sense-of-mastery-that-comes-with-writing-a/)

[Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/)

> [All my children inspire me in life, and that always comes out in the writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-weller/all-my-children-inspire-me-in-life-and-that-always-comes-out-in-the/)

[Paul Weller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-weller/)

> [For me, experience is everything when it comes to writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kodie-shane/for-me-experience-is-everything-when-it-comes-to-writing/)

[Kodie Shane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kodie-shane/)

> [Everybody writes their own parts and we don't step on each others toes. When it comes to writing we each have our roles and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/3-doors-down/everybody-writes-their-own-parts-and-we-don-t-step-on-each-others/)

[3 Doors Down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/3-doors-down/)

> [The quality of that 'who I am', is what I hope comes out in the writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/the-quality-of-that-who-i-am-is-what-i-hope-comes-out-in-the-writing/)

[Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/)

## More by Paul Auster

> [“On his best walks, he was able to feel that he was nowhere. And this, finally, was all he ever asked of things: to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/on-his-best-walks-he-was-able-to-feel-that-he-was-nowhere-and-this/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [“No es que escribir me produzca un gran placer, pero es mucho peor si no lo hago.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/no-es-que-escribir-me-produzca-un-gran-placer-pero-es-mucho-peor-si/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [You see, the interesting thing about books, as opposed, say, to films, is that it's always just one person encountering the book, it's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/you-see-the-interesting-thing-about-books-as-opposed-say-to-films-is/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [I'm not a man deeply interested in technology. It eludes me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-m-not-a-man-deeply-interested-in-technology-it-eludes-me/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [The joke is the purest, most essential form of storytelling. Every word has to count.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/the-joke-is-the-purest-most-essential-form-of-storytelling-every-word/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [“What people saw when he appeared before them, then, was not really him, but a person he had invented, an artificial creature he could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/what-people-saw-when-he-appeared-before-them-then-was-not-really-him/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [I had made an empirical discovery and it carried all the weight of a mathematical proof.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-had-made-an-empirical-discovery-and-it-carried-all-the-weight-of-a/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [As long as there's one person to believe it, there's no story that can't be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/as-long-as-there-s-one-person-to-believe-it-there-s-no-story-that-can/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [Writing has always had a tactile quality for me. It's a physical experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/writing-has-always-had-a-tactile-quality-for-me-it-s-a-physical/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [People look at the same passage, and one person will say this is the best thing he's ever read, and another person will say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/people-look-at-the-same-passage-and-one-person-will-say-this-is-the/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [I was very moved to see that the name of the boat was Hamlet - an imaginary character becomes so important to people, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-was-very-moved-to-see-that-the-name-of-the-boat-was-hamlet-an/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [Our lifelong certainties about the world can be demolished in a single second.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/our-lifelong-certainties-about-the-world-can-be-demolished-in-a/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [The ideal reader's the same, and I suppose this person has never had a face or a gender or an age. It's just some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/the-ideal-reader-s-the-same-and-i-suppose-this-person-has-never-had-a/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [“Most lives vanish. A person dies, and little by little all traces of that life disappear. An inventor survives in his inventions, an architect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/most-lives-vanish-a-person-dies-and-little-by-little-all-traces-of/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [“and cut down many trees. When the Humans”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/and-cut-down-many-trees-when-the-humans/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

[Explore all 582 Paul Auster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

## More Time quotes

> ['Mad TV' is one of my most favorite shows of all time and is a huge part of my obsession with sketch comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-dawson/mad-tv-is-one-of-my-most-favorite-shows-of-all-time-and-is-a-huge/)

[Shane Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-dawson/)

> [These joys were so trifling as to be as imperceptible as grains of gold among the sand, and in moments of depression she saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/these-joys-were-so-trifling-as-to-be-as-imperceptible-as-grains-of/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [“William didn't look like he'd be difficult about anything - he was thin and sandy-haired and already wore eyeglasses like his father. Most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-c-wrede/william-didn-t-look-like-he-d-be-difficult-about-anything-he-was-thin/)

[Patricia C. Wrede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-c-wrede/)

> [Intel has a very complete process that I go through any time I want to sell that ensures I have no insider information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-krzanich/intel-has-a-very-complete-process-that-i-go-through-any-time-i-want/)

[Brian Krzanich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-krzanich/)

> [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [I feel like the future is unwritten. So many of the things that we write now haven't been about educating people on the environment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flansburgh/i-feel-like-the-future-is-unwritten-so-many-of-the-things-that-we/)

[John Flansburgh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flansburgh/)

> [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/)

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

> [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/)

[Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/)

> [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/)

[Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/)

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

> [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [“Conception is the beginning of human life. From the time that an ovum is fertilized a new life begins that is neither that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/conception-is-the-beginning-of-human-life-from-the-time-that-an-ovum/)

[Declaration on Procured Abortion Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/)

> [“You put together two things that have not been put together before. And the world is changed. People may not notice at the time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/you-put-together-two-things-that-have-not-been-put-together-before/)

[Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/)

> [“It was about damn time something happened.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/it-was-about-damn-time-something-happened/)

[Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/)

[Browse all 215,255 Time quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“But suddenly, after all this time, I feel there is something to say, and if I don't quickly write it down, my head will burst. It doesn't matter if you read it. It doesn't even matter if I send it - assuming that could be done. Perhaps it comes down to this. I am writing to you because you know nothing. Because you are far away from me and know nothing.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Paul Auster"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/but-suddenly-after-all-this-time-i-feel-there-is-something-to-say-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Time"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/but-suddenly-after-all-this-time-i-feel-there-is-something-to-say-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b12/paul-auster-351_time_but-suddenly-after-all-this-time-i-feel_127803.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b12/paul-auster-351_time_but-suddenly-after-all-this-time-i-feel_127803.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b12/paul-auster-351_time_but-suddenly-after-all-this-time-i-feel_127803.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“But suddenly, after all this time, I feel there is something to say, and if I don't quickly write it down…” — Paul Auster",
                "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": "Paul Auster",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“But suddenly, after all this time,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/but-suddenly-after-all-this-time-i-feel-there-is-something-to-say-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/but-suddenly-after-all-this-time-i-feel-there-is-something-to-say-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
