--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's hard to come up with a 'quote' about…" description: "\"It's hard to come up with a 'quote' about myself. Perhaps I could say that most of my writing has been concerned with understanding between people. Whe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98c/phyllis-a-whitney-34320_book_it-s-hard-to-come-up-with-a-quote-about_2260281.jpg" --- # It's hard to come up with a 'quote' about myself. Perhaps… ![“It's hard to come up with a 'quote' about myself. Perhaps I could say that most of my writing has been concerned with understanding between people. Whether of different races, or religions, or even in the same family I tried in my books... to deal with the subject of understanding the other fellow.” quote by Phyllis A. Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98c/phyllis-a-whitney-34320_book_it-s-hard-to-come-up-with-a-quote-about_2260281.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98c/phyllis-a-whitney-34320_book_it-s-hard-to-come-up-with-a-quote-about_2260281.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98c/phyllis-a-whitney-34320_book_it-s-hard-to-come-up-with-a-quote-about_2260281.jpg) > “It's hard to come up with a 'quote' about myself. Perhaps I could say that most of my writing has been concerned with understanding between people. Whether of different races, or religions, or even in the same family I tried in my books... to deal with the subject of understanding the other fellow.” [Phyllis A. Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-a-whitney/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author emphasizes that her work seeks to bridge gaps between people of different backgrounds, fostering empathy and mutual understanding. **In simple terms:** She writes to help people understand each other. Key Takeaway Seek empathy in all interactions. Themes empathy diversity communication Mood reflective hopeful Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - family discussions - community workshops - multicultural classrooms - interfaith meetings Key Concepts social psychology intercultural dialogue Questions to Reflect On - How can you practice active listening today? - What barriers prevent true understanding? A Different Perspective Understanding alone does not resolve deep-seated prejudice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Different races](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-races/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [Understanding People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding-people/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Richard Foster is justified in writing: I am concerned that our reading and our writing is gravitating to the lowest common denominator so completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/richard-foster-is-justified-in-writing-i-am-concerned-that-our/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [All people share the same desire to be treated equally. We all go through similar emotional journeys from love to hate, rejection to acceptance.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-tai-soon-burgess/all-people-share-the-same-desire-to-be-treated-equally-we-all-go/) [Dana Tai Soon Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-tai-soon-burgess/) > [I would say that writing, both the act of writing, and of course reading of other people's work is, for me, supreme joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lipton/i-would-say-that-writing-both-the-act-of-writing-and-of-course/) [James Lipton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lipton/) > [I think that's what, to me, also talks about the silences in my work - as a woman, a woman writer, when you say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-geok-lin-lim/i-think-that-s-what-to-me-also-talks-about-the-silences-in-my-work-as/) [Shirley Geok-lin Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-geok-lin-lim/) > [I guess what I'm trying to say is that writing is mysterious; you don't ever truly know where it is coming from, so don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavi-gevinson/i-guess-what-i-m-trying-to-say-is-that-writing-is-mysterious-you-don/) [Tavi Gevinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tavi-gevinson/) > [The best advice I ever got came from my mother, Estee Lauder: She believed that if you had something good to say, you should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-lauder/the-best-advice-i-ever-got-came-from-my-mother-estee-lauder-she/) [Leonard Lauder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-lauder/) > [I often give this metaphor where I say that writing short fiction is like surfing, while writing a novel is like navigating with your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etgar-keret/i-often-give-this-metaphor-where-i-say-that-writing-short-fiction-is/) [Etgar Keret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etgar-keret/) > [You have to have something worth saying and then the ability to say it- writing's a double skill, really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/you-have-to-have-something-worth-saying-and-then-the-ability-to-say/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [Writing is very cathartic for me. As a teacher, I hear many students say that writing can be painful and exhausting. It can be,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-lia-block/writing-is-very-cathartic-for-me-as-a-teacher-i-hear-many-students/) [Francesca Lia Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-lia-block/) > [People say writing is really hard. That's very unfair to those who are doing real jobs. People who work in the fields or fix…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/people-say-writing-is-really-hard-that-s-very-unfair-to-those-who-are/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [“But, later, coming back and reading what I have produced, I am unable to detect the difference between what came easily and when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/but-later-coming-back-and-reading-what-i-have-produced-i-am-unable-to/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [I've said it before, and I'll say it again: writing picture books is an art - the art of word choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/i-ve-said-it-before-and-i-ll-say-it-again-writing-picture-books-is-an/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) > [I'd say writing is easier for me now than it once was, but I do less of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ball/i-d-say-writing-is-easier-for-me-now-than-it-once-was-but-i-do-less/) [Jesse Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ball/) > [I always say that, for me, writing a book is like a wacky Greyhound bus trip - I know where I'm starting and where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/i-always-say-that-for-me-writing-a-book-is-like-a-wacky-greyhound-bus/) [Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/) > [The role of the writer is not to say what we can all say, but what we are unable to say. Most of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/the-role-of-the-writer-is-not-to-say-what-we-can-all-say-but-what-we/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) ## More by Phyllis A. Whitney > [But emotion cannot be buried by words, though it can be aroused by them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-a-whitney/but-emotion-cannot-be-buried-by-words-though-it-can-be-aroused-by-them/) [Phyllis A. Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-a-whitney/) > [Reading has always been a major part of my life. It has broadened my world and taken me to places I would otherwise have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-a-whitney/reading-has-always-been-a-major-part-of-my-life-it-has-broadened-my/) [Phyllis A. Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-a-whitney/) > [One of the wonderful things about being ALIVE is that it's never too late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-a-whitney/one-of-the-wonderful-things-about-being-alive-is-that-it-s-never-too/) [Phyllis A. Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-a-whitney/) > [A map is not a journey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-a-whitney/a-map-is-not-a-journey/) [Phyllis A. Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-a-whitney/) > [“Good stories are not written, they are rewritten”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-a-whitney/good-stories-are-not-written-they-are-rewritten/) [Phyllis A. Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-a-whitney/) > [“Problem, purpose, conflict, goal. Use them. Think about them while you are in the planning phase of your novel; keep these elements at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-a-whitney/problem-purpose-conflict-goal-use-them-think-about-them-while-you-are/) [Phyllis A. Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-a-whitney/) > [Nobody wanted me. I just kept writing books and learning my craft. Most writers aren't very good in the beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-a-whitney/nobody-wanted-me-i-just-kept-writing-books-and-learning-my-craft-most/) [Phyllis A. Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-a-whitney/) > [Short of throwing away all television sets, I really don't know what we can do about writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-a-whitney/short-of-throwing-away-all-television-sets-i-really-don-t-know-what/) [Phyllis A. Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-a-whitney/) > [“As good as' always spells mediocrity. But when a writer's work is in competition with all those thousands of other manuscripts that pour over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-a-whitney/as-good-as-always-spells-mediocrity-but-when-a-writer-s-work-is-in/) [Phyllis A. Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-a-whitney/) > [You must want to enough. Enough to take all the rejections, enough to pay the price of disappointment and discouragement while you are learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-a-whitney/you-must-want-to-enough-enough-to-take-all-the-rejections-enough-to-2/) [Phyllis A. Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-a-whitney/) > [A good book isn't written, it's rewritten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-a-whitney/a-good-book-isn-t-written-it-s-rewritten/) [Phyllis A. Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-a-whitney/) > [I talk to myself on paper about my characters - sometimes writing in first person... I keep lists of unanswered questions that I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-a-whitney/i-talk-to-myself-on-paper-about-my-characters-sometimes-writing-in/) [Phyllis A. Whitney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-a-whitney/) [Explore all 13 Phyllis A. Whitney quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-a-whitney/) ## More Book 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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's hard to come up with a 'quote' about myself. Perhaps I could say that most of my writing has been concerned with understanding between people. Whether of different races, or religions, or even in the same family I tried in my books... to deal with the subject of understanding the other fellow.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Phyllis A. Whitney" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-a-whitney/it-s-hard-to-come-up-with-a-quote-about-myself-perhaps-i-could-say/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-a-whitney/it-s-hard-to-come-up-with-a-quote-about-myself-perhaps-i-could-say/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98c/phyllis-a-whitney-34320_book_it-s-hard-to-come-up-with-a-quote-about_2260281.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98c/phyllis-a-whitney-34320_book_it-s-hard-to-come-up-with-a-quote-about_2260281.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98c/phyllis-a-whitney-34320_book_it-s-hard-to-come-up-with-a-quote-about_2260281.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's hard to come up with a 'quote' about myself. Perhaps I could say that most of my writing has been…” — Phyllis A. Whitney", "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": "Phyllis A. Whitney", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-a-whitney/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's hard to come up with...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-a-whitney/it-s-hard-to-come-up-with-a-quote-about-myself-perhaps-i-could-say/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-a-whitney/it-s-hard-to-come-up-with-a-quote-about-myself-perhaps-i-could-say/#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 } } ] } ```