--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A boy was watching his grandmother write…" description: "\"“A boy was watching his grandmother write a letter. At one point he asked: ‘Are you writing a story about what we’ve done? Is it a story about me?’ His..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/907/paulo-coelho-10_bad-thing_a-boy-was-watching-his-grandmother-write_2987437.jpg" --- # A boy was watching his grandmother write a letter. At one… ![“A boy was watching his grandmother write a letter. At one point he asked: ‘Are you writing a story about what we’ve done? Is it a story about me?’ His grandmother stopped writing her letter and said to her grandson: I am writing about you, actually, but more important than the words is the pencil…” quote by Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/907/paulo-coelho-10_bad-thing_a-boy-was-watching-his-grandmother-write_2987437.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/907/paulo-coelho-10_bad-thing_a-boy-was-watching-his-grandmother-write_2987437.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/907/paulo-coelho-10_bad-thing_a-boy-was-watching-his-grandmother-write_2987437.jpg) > ““A boy was watching his grandmother write a letter. At one point he asked: ‘Are you writing a story about what we’ve done? Is it a story about me?’ His grandmother stopped writing her letter and said to her grandson: I am writing about you, actually, but more important than the words is the pencil I’m using. I hope you will be like this pencil when you grow up.’ Intrigued, the boy looked at the pencil. It didn’t seem very special. ‘But it’s just like any other pencil I’ve ever seen!’ ‘That depends on how you look at things. It has five qualities which, if you manage to hang on them, will make you a person who is always at peace with the world.’ ‘First quality: you are capable of great things, but you must never forget that there is a hand guiding your steps. We call that hand God, and He always guides us according to His will.’ ‘Second quality: now and then, I have to stop writing and use a sharpner. That makes the pencil suffer a little, but afterwards, he’s much sharper. So you, too, must learn to bear certain pains and sorrows, because they will make you a better person. ‘Third quality: the pencil always allows us to use an eraser to rub out any mistakes. This means that correcting something we did is not necessarily a bad thing; it helps to keep us on the road to justice.’ ‘Fourth quality: what really matters in a pencil is not its wooden exterior, but the graphite inside. So always pay attention to what is happening inside you.’ ‘Finally, the pencil’s fifth quality: it always leaves a mark. in just the same way, you should know that everything you do in life will leave a mark, so try to be conscious of that in your every action”” [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The grandmother uses a pencil as a metaphor for personal growth, emphasizing divine guidance, resilience through pain, forgiveness, inner substance, and lasting impact. **In simple terms:** A pencil teaches life lessons about guidance, pain, correction, inner core, and legacy. Key Takeaway Embrace guidance, endure hardships, correct mistakes, nurture inner values, and act mindfully. Themes spirituality personal development resilience self-awareness legacy Mood reflective inspirational thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational motivational When to use this quote - parent‑child teaching - spiritual mentorship - self‑reflection workshops - personal growth seminars - creative writing prompts Key Concepts metaphor guidance pain forgiveness inner self impact Questions to Reflect On - How can you apply each pencil quality in daily decisions? - What marks do you want to leave? A Different Perspective The metaphor may oversimplify complex life challenges and ignore external factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-thing/) [Better person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-person/) [Grandmother Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandmother-write-4677493/) [Grandson Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandson-writing-4677495/) [Like Pencil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-pencil-541331/) [Pay attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pay-attention/) [Pencil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pencil/) [Pencil Using](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pencil-using-4677494/) [Words Pencil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-pencil-2739760/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [My journey began with a single pencil. While traveling through India in 2006, I asked a boy begging on the streets, 'If you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-braun/my-journey-began-with-a-single-pencil-while-traveling-through-india/) [Adam Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-braun/) > [“I write for... I wish I could write purely for fun – I wish I could wake up in the morning and write about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malebo-sephodi/i-write-for-i-wish-i-could-write-purely-for-fun-i-wish-i-could-wake/) [Malebo Sephodi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malebo-sephodi/) > [I like 'pencil-necked weasel'. It has 'pencil' in it. Pencils are good things. You can draw or write things with pencils. I think it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-like-pencil-necked-weasel-it-has-pencil-in-it-pencils-are-good/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“life is like a pencil,whenever it breaks you sharpen it again,that's how life is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-buah/life-is-like-a-pencil-whenever-it-breaks-you-sharpen-it-again-that-s/) [Elizabeth Buah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-buah/) > [I use a special tool. I make it myself; very sharp steel point and a handle like a pencil. For me it is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ugo-mochi/i-use-a-special-tool-i-make-it-myself-very-sharp-steel-point-and-a/) [Ugo Mochi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ugo-mochi/) > [I'm still short now, but when I was 14, I was like a pencil. You had to be aggressive and hold your own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raheem-sterling/i-m-still-short-now-but-when-i-was-14-i-was-like-a-pencil-you-had-to/) [Raheem Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raheem-sterling/) > [Life is like pencil without rubber we can write whatever we want but we can't erase what we need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aamir-sheikh/life-is-like-pencil-without-rubber-we-can-write-whatever-we-want-but/) [Aamir Sheikh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aamir-sheikh/) > [I once volunteered to teach English as a second language, and I thought that I would have all these intense relationships with all these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-white/i-once-volunteered-to-teach-english-as-a-second-language-and-i/) [Mike White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-white/) > [Our love is like a pencil; It could get strong or it could break, I wish it would erase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariah-santos/our-love-is-like-a-pencil-it-could-get-strong-or-it-could-break-i/) [Mariah Santos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariah-santos/) > [The computer is really like a pencil, you know. It used to be. The pencil can do anything you want to, but you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/massimo-vignelli/the-computer-is-really-like-a-pencil-you-know-it-used-to-be-the/) [Massimo Vignelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/massimo-vignelli/) > [If guns kill people, I can blame misspelled words on my pencil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-the-cable-guy/if-guns-kill-people-i-can-blame-misspelled-words-on-my-pencil/) [Larry the Cable Guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-the-cable-guy/) > [Make your love be like a pencil wid rubber that when mistakes are done you juct rub it though too much rubbing the ruber…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorcas/make-your-love-be-like-a-pencil-wid-rubber-that-when-mistakes-are/) [Dorcas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorcas/) > [We need to sharpen our focus & live to the point just like a pencil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-need-to-sharpen-our-focus-live-to-the-point-just-like-a-pencil/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sometimes we just need someone who is like a pencil with an eraser. To write happiness and erase all sadness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-we-just-need-someone-who-is-like-a-pencil-with-an-eraser-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I like pencil skirts because they hug me in all the right places.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-moore/i-like-pencil-skirts-because-they-hug-me-in-all-the-right-places/) [Mandy Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-moore/) ## More by Paulo Coelho > [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Love will never separate a man from his personal legend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/love-will-never-separate-a-man-from-his-personal-legend/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The world has a soul and whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of many things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-has-a-soul-and-whoever-understands-that-soul-can-also/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [To love is to be in communion with the other and to discover in that other the spark of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/to-love-is-to-be-in-communion-with-the-other-and-to-discover-in-that/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [It is not enough to dream of the Impossible Love - it is necessary to conquer it too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-is-not-enough-to-dream-of-the-impossible-love-it-is-necessary-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Eat when it is time to eat. And walk when it is time to walk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/eat-when-it-is-time-to-eat-and-walk-when-it-is-time-to-walk/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [People are reading more and writing more because of the internet. So the virtual world is a way for me to listen to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/people-are-reading-more-and-writing-more-because-of-the-internet-so/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Joy is like sex – it begins and ends. I want pleasure. I want to be contended, but happiness? I no longer fall into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/joy-is-like-sex-it-begins-and-ends-i-want-pleasure-i-want-to-be/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Trudi se da zivis, sjecanja su za starije ljude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/trudi-se-da-zivis-sjecanja-su-za-starije-ljude/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I've always been a very restless person. I work hard, spend too much time looking after my son, I dance like a mad thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-ve-always-been-a-very-restless-person-i-work-hard-spend-too-much/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [When someone leaves, it's because someone else is about to arrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-someone-leaves-it-s-because-someone-else-is-about-to-arrive/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-past-and-the-future-become-unimportant-there-is-only-that-moment/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [She didn't need to understand the meaning of life; it was enough to find someone who did, and then fall asleep in his arms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/she-didn-t-need-to-understand-the-meaning-of-life-it-was-enough-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“The simpler the pose, the better; the more sober, the more beautiful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-simpler-the-pose-the-better-the-more-sober-the-more-beautiful/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) [Explore all 3,665 Paulo Coelho quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## More Bad thing quotes > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [I've said it before, good people are forced to do bad things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-cloud/i-ve-said-it-before-good-people-are-forced-to-do-bad-things/) [Angus Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-cloud/) > [I think the people I talk about are generally so stupid that they don't even know I'm saying bad things about them. I've run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-handler/i-think-the-people-i-talk-about-are-generally-so-stupid-that-they-don/) [Chelsea Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-handler/) > [One thing I always tell players is that there are three bad things: Nothing good happens after midnight, nothing good happens when you're around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-saban/one-thing-i-always-tell-players-is-that-there-are-three-bad-things/) [Nick Saban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-saban/) > [I'm not going to pretend that bad things don't happen. I just hope my daughter has enough understanding that when they do, just give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-krasinski/i-m-not-going-to-pretend-that-bad-things-don-t-happen-i-just-hope-my/) [John Krasinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-krasinski/) > [I've heard some pretty bad things in my life. I'm just one of those people I've gotten to a point where I don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-bush/i-ve-heard-some-pretty-bad-things-in-my-life-i-m-just-one-of-those/) [Sophia Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-bush/) > [Like everybody, you get nights where you feel completely depressed. You start thinking about all the bad things and think about the glass half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/like-everybody-you-get-nights-where-you-feel-completely-depressed-you/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [Be Thankful for all things in life. Even for the bad things. SOMETIMES the worst situations in life turn out to be the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/be-thankful-for-all-things-in-life-even-for-the-bad-things-sometimes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In my business, you should be very strong in mind. 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I want Hartley in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-watt/i-don-t-know-why-i-latched-onto-the-idea-of-being-friends-but-it-sits/) [Erin Watt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-watt/) > [I'm just grateful to people who are willing to admit how bad things feel for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-m-just-grateful-to-people-who-are-willing-to-admit-how-bad-things/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [I love it when television is shot in a cinematic way and I think to aspire to that is no bad thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-rhys/i-love-it-when-television-is-shot-in-a-cinematic-way-and-i-think-to/) [Matthew Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-rhys/) > [“Dear Delphine, When you are older I want you to find Chinua Achebe. I want you to read Things Fall Apart. 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Sometimes I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buck-brannaman/in-life-we-don-t-know-why-things-happen-i-believe-god-is-not/) [Buck Brannaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buck-brannaman/) [Browse all 2,889 Bad thing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-thing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A boy was watching his grandmother write a letter. At one point he asked: ‘Are you writing a story about what we’ve done? Is it a story about me?’ His grandmother stopped writing her letter and said to her grandson: I am writing about you, actually, but more important than the words is the pencil I’m using. I hope you will be like this pencil when you grow up.’ Intrigued, the boy looked at the pencil. It didn’t seem very special. ‘But it’s just like any other pencil I’ve ever seen!’ ‘That depends on how you look at things. It has five qualities which, if you manage to hang on them, will make you a person who is always at peace with the world.’ ‘First quality: you are capable of great things, but you must never forget that there is a hand guiding your steps. We call that hand God, and He always guides us according to His will.’ ‘Second quality: now and then, I have to stop writing and use a sharpner. That makes the pencil suffer a little, but afterwards, he’s much sharper. So you, too, must learn to bear certain pains and sorrows, because they will make you a better person. ‘Third quality: the pencil always allows us to use an eraser to rub out any mistakes. This means that correcting something we did is not necessarily a bad thing; it helps to keep us on the road to justice.’ ‘Fourth quality: what really matters in a pencil is not its wooden exterior, but the graphite inside. So always pay attention to what is happening inside you.’ ‘Finally, the pencil’s fifth quality: it always leaves a mark. in just the same way, you should know that everything you do in life will leave a mark, so try to be conscious of that in your every action”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paulo Coelho" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/a-boy-was-watching-his-grandmother-write-a-letter-at-one-point-he/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bad thing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/a-boy-was-watching-his-grandmother-write-a-letter-at-one-point-he/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/907/paulo-coelho-10_bad-thing_a-boy-was-watching-his-grandmother-write_2987437.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/907/paulo-coelho-10_bad-thing_a-boy-was-watching-his-grandmother-write_2987437.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/907/paulo-coelho-10_bad-thing_a-boy-was-watching-his-grandmother-write_2987437.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A boy was watching his grandmother write a letter. 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