--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How long has it been since you wrote a…" description: "\"How long has it been since you wrote a story where your real love or your real hatred somehow got onto the paper? When was the last time you dared rele..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68e/ray-bradbury-75_bolts_how-long-has-it-been-since-you-wrote-a-s_1399292.jpg" --- # How long has it been since you wrote a story where your… ![“How long has it been since you wrote a story where your real love or your real hatred somehow got onto the paper? When was the last time you dared release a cherished prejudice so it slammed the page like a lightning bolt?” quote by Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68e/ray-bradbury-75_bolts_how-long-has-it-been-since-you-wrote-a-s_1399292.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68e/ray-bradbury-75_bolts_how-long-has-it-been-since-you-wrote-a-s_1399292.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68e/ray-bradbury-75_bolts_how-long-has-it-been-since-you-wrote-a-s_1399292.jpg) > “How long has it been since you wrote a story where your real love or your real hatred somehow got onto the paper? When was the last time you dared release a cherished prejudice so it slammed the page like a lightning bolt?” [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writers should confront deep emotions, letting love or hatred fuel powerful, authentic storytelling. **In simple terms:** Write with intense feeling for impact. Key Takeaway Channel strong emotions into prose. Themes creativity emotion authenticity risk writing Mood introspective passionate Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - novel drafting - journal entries - poetry - screenplays Key Concepts psychology of narrative emotional honesty literary catharsis Questions to Reflect On - Which feeling drives your best work? - How can you balance honesty with audience reception? A Different Perspective Overwhelming emotion can cloud clarity; may alienate readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hatred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hatred/) [Lightning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lightning/) [Lightning bolts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lightning-bolts/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Prejudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prejudice/) [Real love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-love/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Yes, it was real hatred - not the hatred we only read about in novels, which I do not believe in, hatred that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/yes-it-was-real-hatred-not-the-hatred-we-only-read-about-in-novels/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Real misanthropes are not found in solitude, but in the world; since it is experience of life, and not philosophy, which produces real hatred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giacomo-leopardi/real-misanthropes-are-not-found-in-solitude-but-in-the-world-since-it/) [Giacomo Leopardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giacomo-leopardi/) > [What we are really lacking today is a real hatred of evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-smith/what-we-are-really-lacking-today-is-a-real-hatred-of-evil/) [Chuck Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-smith/) > [He has the attention span of a lightning bolt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-redford/he-has-the-attention-span-of-a-lightning-bolt/) [Robert Redford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-redford/) > [That was the real secret of the Tarahumara: they'd never forgotten what it felt like to love running. They remembered that running was mankind's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcdougall/that-was-the-real-secret-of-the-tarahumara-they-d-never-forgotten/) [Christopher McDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcdougall/) > [Martin Luther King's 1963 'I have a dream' speech was a thrilling milestone in the civil rights movement, so enduring that we tend to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-j-williams/martin-luther-king-s-1963-i-have-a-dream-speech-was-a-thrilling/) [Patricia J. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-j-williams/) > [What we were trying to do was take the notion of Greek tragedy, of fated and doomed people, and instead of these Olympian gods,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/what-we-were-trying-to-do-was-take-the-notion-of-greek-tragedy-of/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [Loving is a journey with water and with stars, with smothered air and abrupt storms of flour: loving is a clash of lightning-bolts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/loving-is-a-journey-with-water-and-with-stars-with-smothered-air-and/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [“What could I do? I was afraid he'd point at me and say 'Him!,' and then lightning bolts would hit me or something" -Chong”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-maberry/what-could-i-do-i-was-afraid-he-d-point-at-me-and-say-him-and-then/) [Jonathan Maberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-maberry/) > [“Lightning bolts went off in my head,” according to Jobs. “I remember running into the house, crying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/lightning-bolts-went-off-in-my-head-according-to-jobs-i-remember/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [“In fact, if you are faced with the prospect of running across an open field in which lightning bolts are going to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-fact-if-you-are-faced-with-the-prospect-of-running-across-an-open/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The music was thunder and joy. Lightning bolts of happiness and praise, foot-stomping, dance-shouting, good-feeling singing from the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etta-james/the-music-was-thunder-and-joy-lightning-bolts-of-happiness-and-praise/) [Etta James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etta-james/) > [Venues are all the same, all feel the same, these generic blank spaces. I like artists like Lightning Bolt-bands that go in and kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-oldham/venues-are-all-the-same-all-feel-the-same-these-generic-blank-spaces/) [Will Oldham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-oldham/) > [If God consistently sent lightning bolts in response to bad doctrine, our planet would sparkle nightly like a Christmas tree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/if-god-consistently-sent-lightning-bolts-in-response-to-bad-doctrine/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [“Although we take this for granted, the cancellation of positive and negative charges is quite remarkable, and has been experimentally checked to 1 part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/although-we-take-this-for-granted-the-cancellation-of-positive-and/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) ## More by Ray Bradbury > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Do you ever read any of the books you burn?" He laughed. "That's against the law!" "Oh. Of course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/do-you-ever-read-any-of-the-books-you-burn-he-laughed-that-s-against/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [There's no reason to burn books if you don't read them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/there-s-no-reason-to-burn-books-if-you-don-t-read-them/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [We were put here as witnesses to the miracle of life. We see the stars, and we want them. We are beholden to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/we-were-put-here-as-witnesses-to-the-miracle-of-life-we-see-the-stars/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Remember, with writing, what you’re looking for is just one person to come up and tell you, 'I love you for what you do.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/remember-with-writing-what-you-re-looking-for-is-just-one-person-to/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [As a result of reading science fiction when I was eight, I grew up with an interest in music, architecture, city planning, transportation, politics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/as-a-result-of-reading-science-fiction-when-i-was-eight-i-grew-up/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“You can’t learn to write in college. It’s a very bad place for writers because the teachers always think they know more than you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-can-t-learn-to-write-in-college-it-s-a-very-bad-place-for-writers/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [We're going to become the martians when we land there. When we explore and build communities, we become the martians. That's a wonderful destiny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/we-re-going-to-become-the-martians-when-we-land-there-when-we-explore/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I wish you a wrestling match with your Creative Muse that will last a lifetime. ... I wish craziness and foolishness and madness upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-wish-you-a-wrestling-match-with-your-creative-muse-that-will-last-a/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [The library is the biggest cracker box factory in the world. The more you eat, the more you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/the-library-is-the-biggest-cracker-box-factory-in-the-world-the-more/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [We travel for romance, we travel for architecture, and we travel to be lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/we-travel-for-romance-we-travel-for-architecture-and-we-travel-to-be/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I spent three days a week for 10 years educating myself in the public library, and it's better than college. People should educate themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-spent-three-days-a-week-for-10-years-educating-myself-in-the-public/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [If we try to deny the darkness in our souls then we'll become completely dark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/if-we-try-to-deny-the-darkness-in-our-souls-then-we-ll-become/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [But remember that the Captain belongs to the most dangerous enemy to truth and freedom, the solid unmoving cattle of the majority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/but-remember-that-the-captain-belongs-to-the-most-dangerous-enemy-to/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) [Explore all 1,520 Ray Bradbury quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) ## More Bolts quotes > [Well, well what do we have here? A most pathetic excuse for a bucket of bolts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vegeta/well-well-what-do-we-have-here-a-most-pathetic-excuse-for-a-bucket-of/) [Vegeta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vegeta/) > [ \[The movies\] glamorize game day a little bit too much. It's such a focus. They miss a lot of the nuts and bolts, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-kehres/the-movies-glamorize-game-day-a-little-bit-too-much-it-s-such-a-focus/) [Vince Kehres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-kehres/) > [Our training pushes us to develop a new set of instincts: instead of reacting to danger with a fight-or-flight adrenaline rush, we're trained to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hadfield/our-training-pushes-us-to-develop-a-new-set-of-instincts-instead-of/) [Chris Hadfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hadfield/) > [ Few years ago I did 30m in 3.7 seconds. Whether that makes me quicker than \[Usain\] Bolt, I don't know! We all know Usain… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-emerick-aubameyang/few-years-ago-i-did-30m-in-3-7-seconds-whether-that-makes-me-quicker/) [Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-emerick-aubameyang/) > [This is what our yoga practice is trying to accomplish. Not white light descending from heaven and engulfing you, not energy released from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-kest/this-is-what-our-yoga-practice-is-trying-to-accomplish-not-white/) [Bryan Kest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-kest/) > [The iron bolt...mysteriously fastens the door of hope and holds our spirits in a gloomy prison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/the-iron-bolt-mysteriously-fastens-the-door-of-hope-and-holds-our/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [Muzzle control has to be a religion. You cannot point that weapon at one of your brothers-or yourself. Know where you barrel is at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-couch/muzzle-control-has-to-be-a-religion-you-cannot-point-that-weapon-at/) [Dick Couch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-couch/) > [“In mythology, lightning represents either the loss of ignorance or punishment for those who overstep their bounds. I used two bolts since we intend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joelle-charbonneau/in-mythology-lightning-represents-either-the-loss-of-ignorance-or/) [Joelle Charbonneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joelle-charbonneau/) > [The nuts and bolts of shooting a film and writing a film are still really difficult. But what makes it easier is the fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-pegg/the-nuts-and-bolts-of-shooting-a-film-and-writing-a-film-are-still/) [Simon Pegg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-pegg/) > [If Vin Scully calling a game is just as good in 2013 as he was in 1963, that's the way a game should sound.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/if-vin-scully-calling-a-game-is-just-as-good-in-2013-as-he-was-in/) [Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/) > [I don't deal with the nuts and bolts of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/i-don-t-deal-with-the-nuts-and-bolts-of-life/) [John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/) > [My first climb was on lead; there were pitons, no bolts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ueli-steck/my-first-climb-was-on-lead-there-were-pitons-no-bolts/) [Ueli Steck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ueli-steck/) > [The brightest thunder-bolt is elicited from the darkest storm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/the-brightest-thunder-bolt-is-elicited-from-the-darkest-storm/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [The church must never become a government factory, carrying on a nationalized industry of religion with the people as the bolts and nuts; with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-archer/the-church-must-never-become-a-government-factory-carrying-on-a/) Glenn Archer > [They say dreams are the windows of the soul-take a peek and you can see the inner workings, the nuts and bolts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-bromell/they-say-dreams-are-the-windows-of-the-soul-take-a-peek-and-you-can/) [Henry Bromell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-bromell/) Browse all 143 Bolts quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "How long has it been since you wrote a story where your real love or your real hatred somehow got onto the paper? 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