--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A personal essay often includes some or a…" description: "\"A personal essay often includes some or a lot of personal confession. That makes the reader feel less lonely in their confusion and darkness.\" — Philli..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61b/phillip-lopate-17223_books_a-personal-essay-often-includes-some-or_168535.jpg" --- # A personal essay often includes some or a lot of personal… ![“A personal essay often includes some or a lot of personal confession. That makes the reader feel less lonely in their confusion and darkness.” quote by Phillip Lopate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61b/phillip-lopate-17223_books_a-personal-essay-often-includes-some-or_168535.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61b/phillip-lopate-17223_books_a-personal-essay-often-includes-some-or_168535.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61b/phillip-lopate-17223_books_a-personal-essay-often-includes-some-or_168535.jpg) > “A personal essay often includes some or a lot of personal confession. That makes the reader feel less lonely in their confusion and darkness.” [Phillip Lopate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-lopate/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Personal essays reveal confessions that connect readers, easing loneliness and confusion. **In simple terms:** Confessional essays build connection. Key Takeaway Share authentic experiences to comfort others. Themes authenticity connection vulnerability Mood intimate encouraging Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - blogging - therapy journals - literary workshops Key Concepts creative writing mental health Questions to Reflect On - How does vulnerability affect reader trust? - When is sharing too much? A Different Perspective None; over‑sharing may risk privacy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Confession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confession/) [Confusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confusion/) [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Lonely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lonely/) [Personal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal/) ## Related quotes > [“Personal essay writing is analogous to undertaking a vision quest, a potential turning point in life taken to discover intimate personal truths, form complex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/personal-essay-writing-is-analogous-to-undertaking-a-vision-quest-a/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [As a student at the time, I kind of felt like my only options as a nonfiction writer were to either jump on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-agata/as-a-student-at-the-time-i-kind-of-felt-like-my-only-options-as-a/) [John D'Agata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-agata/) > [I believe the personal essay is underrated for both writer and reader. It affords the writer great freedom: to speak personally yet invoke others'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-nemko/i-believe-the-personal-essay-is-underrated-for-both-writer-and-reader/) [Marty Nemko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-nemko/) > [“Writing is an exhausting and demoralizing task that destroys human conceits. Writing an elongated series of personal essay opens a person’s mind to explore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/writing-is-an-exhausting-and-demoralizing-task-that-destroys-human/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“Personal essay writing that incites the mind and instigates personal growth involves examination and re-examination, a process of noticing and reflecting upon what a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/personal-essay-writing-that-incites-the-mind-and-instigates-personal/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [My presence isn't simply about "character" - I'm present in every part and particle of the thing, in the sound and rhythm of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-d-ambrosio/my-presence-isn-t-simply-about-character-i-m-present-in-every-part/) [Charles D'Ambrosio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-d-ambrosio/) > [My instinct tells me "purpose" is maybe the enemy of a good personal essay. In my own experience, I'm always lost and wandering and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-d-ambrosio/my-instinct-tells-me-purpose-is-maybe-the-enemy-of-a-good-personal/) [Charles D'Ambrosio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-d-ambrosio/) > [You must read a lot of personal essays - you needn't reinvent the wheel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-lopate/you-must-read-a-lot-of-personal-essays-you-needn-t-reinvent-the-wheel/) [Phillip Lopate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-lopate/) > [“The other thing you can do is write a strong personal essay which lets admissions people inside your life, your heart, and your world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-mirman/the-other-thing-you-can-do-is-write-a-strong-personal-essay-which/) [Eugene Mirman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-mirman/) > [“It is, I think, the rarest of leisure, hard work mixed with hard pleasure, to refine one's time of deep thought or light regard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-l-pez/it-is-i-think-the-rarest-of-leisure-hard-work-mixed-with-hard/) [Barry Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-l-pez/) > [“I decided to write a myth." 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Writing is an act of sharing experiences and offering of an individualistic perspective of our private attitudes pertaining to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/all-writers-are-demonic-dreamers-writing-is-an-act-of-sharing/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [I'm interested in directing movies about situations that I've lived, so they are almost a personal essay about what I've come to believe in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-m-interested-in-directing-movies-about-situations-that-i-ve-lived/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) ## More by Phillip Lopate > [Have fun writing, because it enhances both the writer's and reader's experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-lopate/have-fun-writing-because-it-enhances-both-the-writer-s-and-reader-s/) [Phillip Lopate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-lopate/) > [In new work, we need to see the shadow, however faint, of previous literary effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-lopate/in-new-work-we-need-to-see-the-shadow-however-faint-of-previous/) [Phillip Lopate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-lopate/) > [I'm fortunate in being able to find great satisfaction in my work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-lopate/i-m-fortunate-in-being-able-to-find-great-satisfaction-in-my-work/) [Phillip Lopate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-lopate/) > [Why am I attracted to all these lying quotes all of a sudden? 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Its spread in our big cities represents an insidious Fifth Column suburbanization of the metropolis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-lopate/the-dinner-party-is-a-suburban-form-of-entertainment-its-spread-in/) [Phillip Lopate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-lopate/) > [“Fornicating is like parenting: no matter how you do it, you have the guilty sense that somewhere other people are doing it more correctly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-lopate/fornicating-is-like-parenting-no-matter-how-you-do-it-you-have-the/) [Phillip Lopate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-lopate/) > [Hedonism can be a rational response to a difficult life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-lopate/hedonism-can-be-a-rational-response-to-a-difficult-life/) [Phillip Lopate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-lopate/) > [“The prospect of a long day at the beach makes me panic. There is no harder work than I can think of than taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-lopate/the-prospect-of-a-long-day-at-the-beach-makes-me-panic-there-is-no/) [Phillip Lopate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-lopate/) > [I imagined a psychic pain growing inside him (myself) that demanded some physical outlet. Suicide must have been his attempt to give Pain a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-lopate/i-imagined-a-psychic-pain-growing-inside-him-myself-that-demanded/) [Phillip Lopate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-lopate/) > [Think of a dinner party as a club of revolutionaries, a technocratic elite whose social interactions that night are a dry run for some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-lopate/think-of-a-dinner-party-as-a-club-of-revolutionaries-a-technocratic/) [Phillip Lopate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-lopate/) > [... I vowed that I would always respect the right of an individual to kill himself. Whether suicide was a moral or immoral act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-lopate/i-vowed-that-i-would-always-respect-the-right-of-an-individual-to/) [Phillip Lopate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-lopate/) > [“we who are your closest friends feel the time has come to tell you that every Thursday we have been meeting as a group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-lopate/we-who-are-your-closest-friends-feel-the-time-has-come-to-tell-you/) [Phillip Lopate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-lopate/) > [For most of my life, I have wanted broad impact but now, at 72, I'm not so sure that's always my first priority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-lopate/for-most-of-my-life-i-have-wanted-broad-impact-but-now-at-72-i-m-not/) [Phillip Lopate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-lopate/) > [“…Maybe it’s the fault of our language but dreams are innocent and pictorial. Then let our dreams speak for us side by side, leg…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-lopate/maybe-it-s-the-fault-of-our-language-but-dreams-are-innocent-and/) [Phillip Lopate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-lopate/) [Explore all 37 Phillip Lopate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-lopate/) ## 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. 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