--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I do not think of literature as something…" description: "\"I do not think of literature as something confessional or therapeutic. I make sentences in order to be precise about experiences and things. I am urged..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0f/per-petterson-8468_about_i-do-not-think-of-literature-as-somethin_902517.png" --- # I do not think of literature as something confessional or… ![“I do not think of literature as something confessional or therapeutic. I make sentences in order to be precise about experiences and things. I am urged by many things and no things in particular.” quote by Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0f/per-petterson-8468_about_i-do-not-think-of-literature-as-somethin_902517.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0f/per-petterson-8468_about_i-do-not-think-of-literature-as-somethin_902517.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a0f/per-petterson-8468_about_i-do-not-think-of-literature-as-somethin_902517.png) > “I do not think of literature as something confessional or therapeutic. I make sentences in order to be precise about experiences and things. I am urged by many things and no things in particular.” [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Literature is a precise tool for describing experience, not a therapeutic outlet, emphasizing clarity over confession. **In simple terms:** Literature aims for precise description, not therapy. Key Takeaway Write with clarity, not confession. Themes writing precision literature Mood analytical thoughtful Type critical philosophical When to use this quote - author interviews - creative workshops - academic analysis Key Concepts philosophy of art communication Questions to Reflect On - Should writers balance precision with emotion? - How does confession affect reader connection? A Different Perspective Therapeutic writing can still offer personal insight. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Confessional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confessional/) [Experiences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiences/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Precise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/precise/) [Therapeutic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/therapeutic/) [Urged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/urged/) ## Related quotes > [“Everything that was Chace Keaton urged him to follow her. To ask her to dinner. To get to know her. To find the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-ashley/everything-that-was-chace-keaton-urged-him-to-follow-her-to-ask-her/) [Kristen Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-ashley/) > [When people disagreed with him he urged them to be objective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/when-people-disagreed-with-him-he-urged-them-to-be-objective/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [I wanted to stay in New York to pursue acting, but my dad urged me to get a four-year degree. Reading about the film…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-miller/i-wanted-to-stay-in-new-york-to-pursue-acting-but-my-dad-urged-me-to/) [Lauren Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-miller/) > [In 2005, attorneys general of 35 states urged the Federal Reserve to end the unsigned check system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/in-2005-attorneys-general-of-35-states-urged-the-federal-reserve-to/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [“Make no little plans,” he urged. “They have no magic to stir men’s blood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-nasht/make-no-little-plans-he-urged-they-have-no-magic-to-stir-men-s-blood/) Simon Nasht > [It is always pleasant to be urged to do something on the ground that one can do it well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/it-is-always-pleasant-to-be-urged-to-do-something-on-the-ground-that/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [Social networking platforms like Facebook and Twitter should be urged to adhere to business practices that maximize the safety of activists using their platforms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/social-networking-platforms-like-facebook-and-twitter-should-be-urged/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [No," I said. "I'm not safe, Belen. Who is going to tear Kerrick's arm off if he hits me again? Come on," I urged.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-v-snyder/no-i-said-i-m-not-safe-belen-who-is-going-to-tear-kerrick-s-arm-off/) [Maria V. Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-v-snyder/) > [I would rather go while I am being urged to stay, than to stay beyond the time when I should go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-major/i-would-rather-go-while-i-am-being-urged-to-stay-than-to-stay-beyond/) [John Major](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-major/) > [My father also encouraged my love of nature. 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He believed that when a woman says no, she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/florentino-ariza-was-left-with-the-nagging-suspicion-that-this-was/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [It has been lately urged in a very respectable quarter that it is the mission of this country to spread civil and religious liberty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-calhoun/it-has-been-lately-urged-in-a-very-respectable-quarter-that-it-is-the/) [John C. Calhoun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-calhoun/) > [She was thrilling to a desire that urged her to go forward, to be in closer to that fire, to be squabbling with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/she-was-thrilling-to-a-desire-that-urged-her-to-go-forward-to-be-in/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) ## More by Per Petterson > [“Light in every lamp, light in every mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/light-in-every-lamp-light-in-every-mind/) [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) > [I come from a working-class family. They're the people I know and the people I love, I guess. I do not write about them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/i-come-from-a-working-class-family-they-re-the-people-i-know-and-the/) [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) > [When my mother talked about her brother, there was this light in her eyes. I thought, 'This is the basis of a novel.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/when-my-mother-talked-about-her-brother-there-was-this-light-in-her/) [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) > [“But life had shifted its weight from one point to another, from one leg to the other, like a silent giant in the vast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/but-life-had-shifted-its-weight-from-one-point-to-another-from-one/) [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) > [“All my life I have longed to be alone in a place like this. Even when everything was going well, as it often did.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/all-my-life-i-have-longed-to-be-alone-in-a-place-like-this-even-when/) [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) > [“I distinctly heard the blackbird from the top of a spruce tree, and clear as glass I heard the lark high up and several…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/i-distinctly-heard-the-blackbird-from-the-top-of-a-spruce-tree-and/) [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) > [I decided if I couldn't be a writer, my life would be miserable. I had this imaginary room of references to all the books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/i-decided-if-i-couldn-t-be-a-writer-my-life-would-be-miserable-i-had/) [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) > [“It is important not to be careless about supper when you are alone. It is easily done, boring as it is to cook for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/it-is-important-not-to-be-careless-about-supper-when-you-are-alone-it/) [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) > [“We ran back, he first and I following him, between the beds and downstairs, and we picked up an armful of wood from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/we-ran-back-he-first-and-i-following-him-between-the-beds-and/) [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) > [I rely heavily on rhythm when I write. You should tap your foot when you read it, all the way through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/i-rely-heavily-on-rhythm-when-i-write-you-should-tap-your-foot-when/) [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) > [“What I liked was the train ride. 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That is who we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/i-write-about-families-that-is-who-we-are/) [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) > [“...the young swans as big as their parents now, but still grey and it looks peculiar, like two different species swimming in a line,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/the-young-swans-as-big-as-their-parents-now-but-still-grey-and-it/) [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) [Explore all 79 Per Petterson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. 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As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' 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