--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What I have in mind when I start to write…" description: "\"What I have in mind when I start to write could fit inside an acorn-an acorn, moreover, that rarely if ever grows into an oak. Write fiction and you re..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42f/philip-roth-681_acorn_what-i-have-in-mind-when-i-start-to-writ_3184788.jpg" --- # What I have in mind when I start to write could fit inside… ![“What I have in mind when I start to write could fit inside an acorn-an acorn, moreover, that rarely if ever grows into an oak. Write fiction and you relinquish reason. You start with an acorn and you end up with a mackerel.” quote by Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42f/philip-roth-681_acorn_what-i-have-in-mind-when-i-start-to-writ_3184788.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42f/philip-roth-681_acorn_what-i-have-in-mind-when-i-start-to-writ_3184788.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42f/philip-roth-681_acorn_what-i-have-in-mind-when-i-start-to-writ_3184788.jpg) > “What I have in mind when I start to write could fit inside an acorn-an acorn, moreover, that rarely if ever grows into an oak. Write fiction and you relinquish reason. You start with an acorn and you end up with a mackerel.” [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing begins with a tiny, simple idea that can expand unpredictably, often abandoning logic for imagination. **In simple terms:** Small ideas can grow wildly unpredictable. Key Takeaway Embrace the unexpected in creative work. Themes creativity imagination process uncertainty Mood reflective inspired Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - writing workshops - first drafts - brainstorming sessions - creative blocks - editing revisions Key Concepts Narrative development creative freedom idea incubation Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance structure and spontaneity? - What small seed sparked your last project? A Different Perspective The metaphor may overstate chaos; many writers maintain logical structure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acorn/) [Acorns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acorns/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fit/) [Grows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grows/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Inside Acorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inside-acorn-5195859/) [Mackerel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mackerel/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Oak Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oak-write-5850320/) [Oaks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oaks/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Songwriting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/songwriting/) [Start Acorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/start-acorn-5850321/) [Write Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-fiction/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [The boughs of the oak are roaring inside the acorn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-tomlinson/the-boughs-of-the-oak-are-roaring-inside-the-acorn/) [Charles Tomlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-tomlinson/) > [“How can I explain such a thing? I simply know it in the way I know there's an oak tree inside an acorn...I've come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/how-can-i-explain-such-a-thing-i-simply-know-it-in-the-way-i-know/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/even-a-blind-squirrel-finds-an-acorn-now-and-again/) [Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) > [The truth, I discovered, is a tree that grows as a man gains access to experience. A child sees the acorn of his daily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/the-truth-i-discovered-is-a-tree-that-grows-as-a-man-gains-access-to/) [Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/) > [An infinity of forest lies dormant within the dreams on one acorn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/an-infinity-of-forest-lies-dormant-within-the-dreams-on-one-acorn/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As naturally as the oak bears an acorn and the vine a gourd, man bears a poem, either spoken or done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/as-naturally-as-the-oak-bears-an-acorn-and-the-vine-a-gourd-man-bears/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [ACORN, you may recall, is the left-wing activist group with longtime ties to community organizer-turned-President Barack Obama. The nonprofit, which now takes in 40…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-malkin/acorn-you-may-recall-is-the-left-wing-activist-group-with-longtime/) [Michelle Malkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-malkin/) > [Schoolchildren and older people like the idea of planting trees. For children, it's interesting that an acorn will grow into an oak, and for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-anderson/schoolchildren-and-older-people-like-the-idea-of-planting-trees-for/) [Clive Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-anderson/) > [Before the acorn can bring forth the oak, it must become itself a wreck. No plant ever came from any but a wrecked seed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-whitall-smith/before-the-acorn-can-bring-forth-the-oak-it-must-become-itself-a/) [Hannah Whitall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-whitall-smith/) > [Oak trees come out of acorns, no matter how unlikely that seems. An acorn is just a tree's way back into the ground. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-ann-grau/oak-trees-come-out-of-acorns-no-matter-how-unlikely-that-seems-an/) [Shirley Ann Grau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-ann-grau/) > [The acorn of ambition often grows into an oak from which men hang.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-acorn-of-ambition-often-grows-into-an-oak-from-which-men-hang/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think character never changes; the Acorn becomes an Oak, which is very little like an Acorn to be sure, but it never becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hester-lynch-piozzi/i-think-character-never-changes-the-acorn-becomes-an-oak-which-is/) [Hester Lynch Piozzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hester-lynch-piozzi/) > [Eventually, even a blind squirell will find an acorn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cornette/eventually-even-a-blind-squirell-will-find-an-acorn/) [Jim Cornette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cornette/) > [The tallest oak tree once was an acorn that any pig could have swallowed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/the-tallest-oak-tree-once-was-an-acorn-that-any-pig-could-have/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [It takes time for an acorn to turn into an oak, but the oak is already implied in the acorn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/it-takes-time-for-an-acorn-to-turn-into-an-oak-but-the-oak-is-already/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) ## More by Philip Roth > [“The old intergenerational give-and-take of the country-that-used-to-be, when everyone knew his role and took the rules dead seriously, the acculturating back-and-forth that all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/the-old-intergenerational-give-and-take-of-the-country-that-used-to/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [You be greater than your feelings. I don't demand this of you - life does. Otherwise you'll be washed away by feelings. You'll be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/you-be-greater-than-your-feelings-i-don-t-demand-this-of-you-life/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [Nothing bad can happen to a writer. Everything is material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/nothing-bad-can-happen-to-a-writer-everything-is-material/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [The only way to have a funeral is to invite everyone who ever knew the person and just wait for the accident to happen-somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/the-only-way-to-have-a-funeral-is-to-invite-everyone-who-ever-knew/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [To become a celebrity is to become a brand name. There is Ivory Soap, Rice Krispies, and Philip Roth. Ivory is the soap that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/to-become-a-celebrity-is-to-become-a-brand-name-there-is-ivory-soap/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [“There are no reasons. She is obliged to be as she is. We all are. Reasons are in books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/there-are-no-reasons-she-is-obliged-to-be-as-she-is-we-all-are/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [“As far as I can see there is no conquering or exorcising the past with words - words born either of imagination or forthrightness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/as-far-as-i-can-see-there-is-no-conquering-or-exorcising-the-past/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [The book really comes to life in the rewriting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/the-book-really-comes-to-life-in-the-rewriting/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [“What is astonishing is that we, who had no idea how anything was going to turn out, now know exactly what happened.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/what-is-astonishing-is-that-we-who-had-no-idea-how-anything-was-going/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [“Good Christ, a Jewish man with parents alive is a fifteen-year-old boy, and will remain a fifteen-year-old boy till they die!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/good-christ-a-jewish-man-with-parents-alive-is-a-fifteen-year-old-boy/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [I am the Raskolnikov of jerking off – the sticky evidence is everywhere!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/i-am-the-raskolnikov-of-jerking-off-the-sticky-evidence-is-everywhere/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [“Better for real things to be uncontrollable, better for one's life to be undecipherable and intellectually impenetrable than to attempt to make casual sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/better-for-real-things-to-be-uncontrollable-better-for-one-s-life-to/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [“Doctor Spielvogel, it alleviates nothing fixing the blame - blaming is still ailing, of course, of course - but nonetheless, what was it with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/doctor-spielvogel-it-alleviates-nothing-fixing-the-blame-blaming-is/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [My God! The English language is a form of communication! Conversation isn't just crossfire where you shoot and get shot at! Where you've got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/my-god-the-english-language-is-a-form-of-communication-conversation/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [You asked if I thought my fiction had changed anything in the culture and the answer is no. Sure, there's been some scandal, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/you-asked-if-i-thought-my-fiction-had-changed-anything-in-the-culture/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) [Explore all 388 Philip Roth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) ## More Acorn quotes > [“Acorn struggles in pain to crack the hard shell and emerge. For it senses that out there… exists more and it knows it. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-rumi/acorn-struggles-in-pain-to-crack-the-hard-shell-and-emerge-for-it/) [Robin Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-rumi/) > [It takes time for an acorn to turn into an oak, but the oak is already implied in the acorn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/it-takes-time-for-an-acorn-to-turn-into-an-oak-but-the-oak-is-already/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [The tallest oak tree once was an acorn that any pig could have swallowed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/the-tallest-oak-tree-once-was-an-acorn-that-any-pig-could-have/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [“As we actually taste the flavor of what he's teaching, we begin to see that it's not proverbs for daily living, or ways of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-bourgeault/as-we-actually-taste-the-flavor-of-what-he-s-teaching-we-begin-to-see/) [Cynthia Bourgeault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-bourgeault/) > [Eventually, even a blind squirell will find an acorn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cornette/eventually-even-a-blind-squirell-will-find-an-acorn/) [Jim Cornette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cornette/) > [“Think of the self that God has given as an acorn. It is a marvelous little thing, a perfect shape, perfectly designed for its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-elliot/think-of-the-self-that-god-has-given-as-an-acorn-it-is-a-marvelous/) [Elisabeth Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-elliot/) > [“Get you gone, you dwarf, You minimus of hindering knotgrass made, You bead, you acorn!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/get-you-gone-you-dwarf-you-minimus-of-hindering-knotgrass-made-you/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“For the acorn to move forward in its life, it must first be severed from everything it has ever known. It must fall from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cody-edward-lee-miller/for-the-acorn-to-move-forward-in-its-life-it-must-first-be-severed/) [Cody Edward Lee Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cody-edward-lee-miller/) > [I think character never changes; the Acorn becomes an Oak, which is very little like an Acorn to be sure, but it never becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hester-lynch-piozzi/i-think-character-never-changes-the-acorn-becomes-an-oak-which-is/) [Hester Lynch Piozzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hester-lynch-piozzi/) > [“There is an oak tree is inside the acorn seed, but the acorn seed will never become an oak tree unless it is willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saji-ijiyemi/there-is-an-oak-tree-is-inside-the-acorn-seed-but-the-acorn-seed-will/) [Saji Ijiyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saji-ijiyemi/) > [The acorn of ambition often grows into an oak from which men hang.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-acorn-of-ambition-often-grows-into-an-oak-from-which-men-hang/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Even a blind pig finds an acorn now and then.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-robinson/even-a-blind-pig-finds-an-acorn-now-and-then/) [Debra Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-robinson/) > [I'm not cool with ACORN or the working families' party, or people that vote like democrats and run on Republican lines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-hoffman/i-m-not-cool-with-acorn-or-the-working-families-party-or-people-that/) [Doug Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-hoffman/) > [“Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and then.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-t-bende/even-a-blind-squirrel-finds-an-acorn-now-and-then/) [S.T. Bende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-t-bende/) > [“Even a blind hog can find an acorn once in a while”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-shumaker/even-a-blind-hog-can-find-an-acorn-once-in-a-while/) [William F. Shumaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-shumaker/) [Browse all 58 Acorn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acorn/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What I have in mind when I start to write could fit inside an acorn-an acorn, moreover, that rarely if ever grows into an oak. Write fiction and you relinquish reason. 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