--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have written stories, essays, even…" description: "\"I have written stories, essays, even whole books on trains, scribble-scribble.\" — Paul Theroux" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7e/paul-theroux-913_books_i-have-written-stories-essays-even-whole_1642222.jpg" --- # I have written stories, essays, even whole books on… ![“I have written stories, essays, even whole books on trains, scribble-scribble.” quote by Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7e/paul-theroux-913_books_i-have-written-stories-essays-even-whole_1642222.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7e/paul-theroux-913_books_i-have-written-stories-essays-even-whole_1642222.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7e/paul-theroux-913_books_i-have-written-stories-essays-even-whole_1642222.jpg) > “I have written stories, essays, even whole books on trains, scribble-scribble.” [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Travel inspires prolific writing, turning fleeting moments into lasting narratives. **In simple terms:** Travel fuels writing. Key Takeaway Capture moments while they happen. Themes travel writing observation Mood reflective inspired Type personal travelogue When to use this quote - journaling on trains - writing essays - authoring books - creative inspiration Key Concepts Narrative peripateticism Questions to Reflect On - How can you structure spontaneous ideas? - What routines help preserve travel insights? A Different Perspective Writing may become scattered without focus. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Trains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trains/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [It is almost axiomatic that the worst trains take you through magical places.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/it-is-almost-axiomatic-that-the-worst-trains-take-you-through-magical/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [I sought trains; I found passengers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/i-sought-trains-i-found-passengers/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [“But, truly, the worst trains take one across the best landscapes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/but-truly-the-worst-trains-take-one-across-the-best-landscapes/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [ “The trains \[in a country\] contain the essential paraphernalia of the culture: Thai trains have the shower jar with the glazed dragon on its… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-trains-in-a-country-contain-the-essential-paraphernalia-of-the/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [Truly, the worst trains take one across the best landscapes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/truly-the-worst-trains-take-one-across-the-best-landscapes/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [“The trains in any country contain the essential paraphernalia of the culture: Thai trains have the shower jar with the glazed dragon on its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-trains-in-any-country-contain-the-essential-paraphernalia-of-the/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [I certainly have been writing stories that are hard science fiction, that are very reminiscent of 'Golden Age tales' from the '40s and '50s.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/i-certainly-have-been-writing-stories-that-are-hard-science-fiction/) [Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/) > [I've always written stories from female perspectives. That it's one of the reasons I write, to have that experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vestal-mcintyre/i-ve-always-written-stories-from-female-perspectives-that-it-s-one-of/) [Vestal McIntyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vestal-mcintyre/) > [I am not Shakespeare or Hemingway, but I have written stories on tennis that were brilliant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ion-tiriac/i-am-not-shakespeare-or-hemingway-but-i-have-written-stories-on/) [Ion Tiriac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ion-tiriac/) > [I had always written. I had written stories and poems. Then I started writing plays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-had-always-written-i-had-written-stories-and-poems-then-i-started/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [Those stories weren't being written at all - stories about women's inner lives and outer activism. We've come miles and miles, but we still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisa-tomei/those-stories-weren-t-being-written-at-all-stories-about-women-s/) [Marisa Tomei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisa-tomei/) > [In our not-yet-acknowledged secret garden lie the seeds of some of our best not-yet-written stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-stein/in-our-not-yet-acknowledged-secret-garden-lie-the-seeds-of-some-of/) [Sol Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-stein/) > [I have no liking for novels or stories - none in the world; and so, whenever I read one - which is not oftener…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-have-no-liking-for-novels-or-stories-none-in-the-world-and-so/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [No one can call themselves a writer until he or she has written at least fifty stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/no-one-can-call-themselves-a-writer-until-he-or-she-has-written-at/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [The kind of roles one wants to do arent being written; the stories one wants to tell are few and far between; and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tisca-chopra/the-kind-of-roles-one-wants-to-do-arent-being-written-the-stories-one/) [Tisca Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tisca-chopra/) ## More by Paul Theroux > [I feel as if my mission is to write, to see, to observe, and I feel lazy if I'm not reaching conclusions. I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/i-feel-as-if-my-mission-is-to-write-to-see-to-observe-and-i-feel-lazy/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [The larger an English industry was, the more likely it was to go bankrupt, because the English were not naturally corporate people; they disliked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-larger-an-english-industry-was-the-more-likely-it-was-to-go/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [Maine out of season is unmistakably a great destination: hospitable, good-humored, plenty of elbow room, short days, dark nights of crackling ice crystals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/maine-out-of-season-is-unmistakably-a-great-destination-hospitable/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [You can't write about a friend, you can only write about a former friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/you-can-t-write-about-a-friend-you-can-only-write-about-a-former/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [“sightseeing, an activity that delights the truly idle because it seems so much like scholarship, gawping and eavesdropping on antiquity, flattering oneself with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/sightseeing-an-activity-that-delights-the-truly-idle-because-it-seems/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [The Australian Book of Etiquette is a very slim volume.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-australian-book-of-etiquette-is-a-very-slim-volume/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [Tourists who go to Africa have more of a traditional experience than Africans do. A tourist goes on safari; Africans don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/tourists-who-go-to-africa-have-more-of-a-traditional-experience-than/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [In a way, Che Guevara's fate was far worse than Simon Bolivar's. Guevara's collapse was complete: his intentions were forgotten, but his style was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/in-a-way-che-guevara-s-fate-was-far-worse-than-simon-bolivar-s/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [It is the simplest fact of Indian life: there are too many Indians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/it-is-the-simplest-fact-of-indian-life-there-are-too-many-indians/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [Pain does not create a long-lasting memory, but the memory of luxury exerts itself for ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/pain-does-not-create-a-long-lasting-memory-but-the-memory-of-luxury/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [When I began to make some money, I really wanted to have a home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/when-i-began-to-make-some-money-i-really-wanted-to-have-a-home/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [Men in their late 50s often make very bad decisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/men-in-their-late-50s-often-make-very-bad-decisions/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [The wish to disappear sends many travelers away. If you are thoroughly sick of being kept waiting at home or at work, travel is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-wish-to-disappear-sends-many-travelers-away-if-you-are-thoroughly/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [To a lot of Africans, seeing an animal is a something of a rarity. So it's a paradox of this sort of parallel life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/to-a-lot-of-africans-seeing-an-animal-is-a-something-of-a-rarity-so/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [The wish to travel seems to me characteristically human: the desire to move, to satisfy your curiosity or ease your fears, to change the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-wish-to-travel-seems-to-me-characteristically-human-the-desire-to/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) [Explore all 328 Paul Theroux quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [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/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have written stories, essays, even whole books on trains, scribble-scribble.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Theroux" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/i-have-written-stories-essays-even-whole-books-on-trains-scribble/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/i-have-written-stories-essays-even-whole-books-on-trains-scribble/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7e/paul-theroux-913_books_i-have-written-stories-essays-even-whole_1642222.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7e/paul-theroux-913_books_i-have-written-stories-essays-even-whole_1642222.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7e/paul-theroux-913_books_i-have-written-stories-essays-even-whole_1642222.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I have written stories, essays, even whole books on trains, scribble-scribble.” — Paul Theroux", "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 Theroux", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I have written stories, essays, even...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/i-have-written-stories-essays-even-whole-books-on-trains-scribble/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/i-have-written-stories-essays-even-whole-books-on-trains-scribble/#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 } } ] } ```