--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writing is a discipline: it's almost all…" description: "\"Writing is a discipline: it's almost all about holding back.\" — Rachel Cusk" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a0/rachel-cusk-3482_about_writing-is-a-discipline-it-s-almost-all_1053094.png" --- # Writing is a discipline: it's almost all about holding back. ![“Writing is a discipline: it's almost all about holding back.” quote by Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a0/rachel-cusk-3482_about_writing-is-a-discipline-it-s-almost-all_1053094.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a0/rachel-cusk-3482_about_writing-is-a-discipline-it-s-almost-all_1053094.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a0/rachel-cusk-3482_about_writing-is-a-discipline-it-s-almost-all_1053094.png) > “Writing is a discipline: it's almost all about holding back.” [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing requires restraint, focusing on what to omit as much as what to include **In simple terms:** Good writing often means holding back words Key Takeaway Practice disciplined editing Themes creativity discipline craft Mood thoughtful instructive Type literary educational When to use this quote - novel writing - essay drafting - editing workshops Key Concepts minimalism self‑control Questions to Reflect On - When does restraint become a barrier to expression? - How can writers balance restraint with authenticity? A Different Perspective Over‑editing can stifle spontaneity ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) [Almost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/almost/) [Back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/back/) [Discipline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline/) [Discipline Holding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline-holding-2530874/) [Holding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holding/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Discipline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-discipline-432050/) ## Related quotes > [It is only through having a stable loving partnership that I began to feel in control enough to attempt a strict writing discipline, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-zambreno/it-is-only-through-having-a-stable-loving-partnership-that-i-began-to/) [Kate Zambreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-zambreno/) > [All writing is discipline, but screenwriting is a drill sergeant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/all-writing-is-discipline-but-screenwriting-is-a-drill-sergeant/) [Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) > [Like, you can't tell a certain race, like, 'You're supposed to act this way, and you're not supposed to act this way because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kreayshawn/like-you-can-t-tell-a-certain-race-like-you-re-supposed-to-act-this/) [Kreayshawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kreayshawn/) > [It's a universal truth that no parent wishes to acknowledge that the fear and phobias we are in thrall to in adulthood almost invariably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariella-frostrup/it-s-a-universal-truth-that-no-parent-wishes-to-acknowledge-that-the/) [Mariella Frostrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariella-frostrup/) > [Especially on television, it's not so much a patriarchy; it always seems that there's a smart, strong woman calling the shots, and her doofus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-weber/especially-on-television-it-s-not-so-much-a-patriarchy-it-always/) [Jake Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-weber/) > [I really like worship music. It settles my soul. Gets me back on track. The lyrics are almost like a prayer, so it's my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-benson/i-really-like-worship-music-it-settles-my-soul-gets-me-back-on-track/) [Jodi Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-benson/) > [I think for me, or for anyone who plays the quarterback position, it's almost an unspoken word when you think about leadership. Some guys…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cam-newton/i-think-for-me-or-for-anyone-who-plays-the-quarterback-position-it-s/) [Cam Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cam-newton/) > [TV is the place for writers to live. This is where you have creative control and you're constantly writing. 'Twilight' had almost a TV…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-rosenberg/tv-is-the-place-for-writers-to-live-this-is-where-you-have-creative/) [Melissa Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-rosenberg/) > [“Loneliness is holding the one you love / When you know you might never hold him again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kami-garcia/loneliness-is-holding-the-one-you-love-when-you-know-you-might-never/) [Kami Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kami-garcia/) > [“Forgiveness is about letting go of the past and not holding on to it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/forgiveness-is-about-letting-go-of-the-past-and-not-holding-on-to-it/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [“Holding something doesn't make it yours. You realize at some point you're just keeping it back for yourself, because it's pulling away with equal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-silvey/holding-something-doesn-t-make-it-yours-you-realize-at-some-point-you/) [Craig Silvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-silvey/) > [I can conquer the world with one hand, as long as you are holding the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-smith/i-can-conquer-the-world-with-one-hand-as-long-as-you-are-holding-the/) [Megan Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-smith/) > [Hold tenderly that which you cherish, for it is precious and a tight grip may crush it. Do not let the fear of dropping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-alberti/hold-tenderly-that-which-you-cherish-for-it-is-precious-and-a-tight/) [Bob Alberti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-alberti/) > [If holding onto them requires you to lower your self-worth and self-respect let go of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/if-holding-onto-them-requires-you-to-lower-your-self-worth-and-self/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [We do not know which irresponsible Israeli prime minister will take office and decide to use nuclear weapons in the struggle against neighboring Arab…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mordechai-vanunu/we-do-not-know-which-irresponsible-israeli-prime-minister-will-take/) [Mordechai Vanunu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mordechai-vanunu/) ## More by Rachel Cusk > [A creative writing workshop will contain students whose ambitions and abilities, whose conceptions of literature itself, are so diverse that what they have in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/a-creative-writing-workshop-will-contain-students-whose-ambitions-and/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [“If a man had a nasty side to his character, she wanted to get to it immediately and confront it. She didn’t want it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/if-a-man-had-a-nasty-side-to-his-character-she-wanted-to-get-to-it/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [If I know somebody is coming 'round, it is incredibly difficult for me to work because I'm waiting for this interruption - even the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/if-i-know-somebody-is-coming-round-it-is-incredibly-difficult-for-me/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [I felt that I could swim for miles, out into the ocean: a desire for freedom, an impulse to move, tugged at me as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/i-felt-that-i-could-swim-for-miles-out-into-the-ocean-a-desire-for/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [The creativity of childhood was often surrendered amid feelings of unworthiness. So the idea that others are demanding to be given it back -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/the-creativity-of-childhood-was-often-surrendered-amid-feelings-of/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [A neighbor is something that belongs to the stable world of home life, the thing that lives next door to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/a-neighbor-is-something-that-belongs-to-the-stable-world-of-home-life/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [Help is dangerous because it exists outside the human economy: the only payment for help is gratitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/help-is-dangerous-because-it-exists-outside-the-human-economy-the/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [A feminist man is a bit like a vegetarian: it's the humanitarian principle he's defending, I suppose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/a-feminist-man-is-a-bit-like-a-vegetarian-it-s-the-humanitarian/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [Feminism remains something that needs to be explained to people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/feminism-remains-something-that-needs-to-be-explained-to-people/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [“At the time, he had got rid of her so efficiently and so suavely that she had felt almost reassured even as she was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/at-the-time-he-had-got-rid-of-her-so-efficiently-and-so-suavely-that/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [“From the distance of England the Italian cuisine seems to be all things to all people. It does not expect you to bend to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/from-the-distance-of-england-the-italian-cuisine-seems-to-be-all/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [You could time a suburban story by your watch: it lasts as long as it takes a small furry animal that's lonely to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/you-could-time-a-suburban-story-by-your-watch-it-lasts-as-long-as-it/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [It is expected that a children's story will raise a difficulty and then resolve it: increasingly, this resolution is so prompt and so resounding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/it-is-expected-that-a-children-s-story-will-raise-a-difficulty-and/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [Human beings have a need, generally, to destroy things. The Freudian principle of civilisation is correct. There's always, always a difference between the family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/human-beings-have-a-need-generally-to-destroy-things-the-freudian/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [I don't think I knew that you could be a novelist. I think a lot of my students are in the same condition. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/i-don-t-think-i-knew-that-you-could-be-a-novelist-i-think-a-lot-of-my/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) [Explore all 128 Rachel Cusk quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. 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?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) [Browse all 26,122 About quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Writing is a discipline: it's almost all about holding back.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rachel Cusk" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/writing-is-a-discipline-it-s-almost-all-about-holding-back/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "About" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/writing-is-a-discipline-it-s-almost-all-about-holding-back/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a0/rachel-cusk-3482_about_writing-is-a-discipline-it-s-almost-all_1053094.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a0/rachel-cusk-3482_about_writing-is-a-discipline-it-s-almost-all_1053094.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a0/rachel-cusk-3482_about_writing-is-a-discipline-it-s-almost-all_1053094.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Writing is a discipline: it's almost all about holding back.” — Rachel Cusk", "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": "Rachel Cusk", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Writing is a discipline: it's almost...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/writing-is-a-discipline-it-s-almost-all-about-holding-back/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/writing-is-a-discipline-it-s-almost-all-about-holding-back/#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 } } ] } ```