--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writing is saying to no one and to…" description: "\"Writing is saying to no one and to everyone the things it is not possible to say to someone.\" — Rebecca Solnit" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/163/rebecca-solnit-569_saying_writing-is-saying-to-no-one-and-to-every_1602882.png" --- # Writing is saying to no one and to everyone the things it… ![“Writing is saying to no one and to everyone the things it is not possible to say to someone.” quote by Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/163/rebecca-solnit-569_saying_writing-is-saying-to-no-one-and-to-every_1602882.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/163/rebecca-solnit-569_saying_writing-is-saying-to-no-one-and-to-every_1602882.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/163/rebecca-solnit-569_saying_writing-is-saying-to-no-one-and-to-every_1602882.png) > “Writing is saying to no one and to everyone the things it is not possible to say to someone.” [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing expresses thoughts that cannot be spoken directly to individuals, yet reaches a broad audience. **In simple terms:** Writing says what can't be said to one. Key Takeaway Use writing to convey hidden truths. Themes communication expression literature Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal journaling - social commentary - artistic creation - education Key Concepts voice public discourse Questions to Reflect On - How does anonymity affect honesty? - What topics are best shared through writing? A Different Perspective Readers may misinterpret intent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [People had been writing to me and saying, "Can you write something for children?" I felt I couldn't quite do it myself because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/people-had-been-writing-to-me-and-saying-can-you-write-something-for/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [“And then a man of forty or so, with a French accent, asked, "How do you achieve the presence of mind to initiate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholson-baker/and-then-a-man-of-forty-or-so-with-a-french-accent-asked-how-do-you/) [Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/) > [So many writers come to class with one question dominant in their mind, 'How do I make a living from this?' It's a fair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-kiernan/so-many-writers-come-to-class-with-one-question-dominant-in-their/) [Celine Kiernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-kiernan/) > [“How is it possible to say hello to the one person you’ll love the most in your life, when you still haven’t been able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-collins/how-is-it-possible-to-say-hello-to-the-one-person-you-ll-love-the/) [Melissa Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-collins/) > [Know what? (Wulf) If halflings live past twenty-seven. But then anything is possible. I say in a few months we should pop us some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/know-what-wulf-if-halflings-live-past-twenty-seven-but-then-anything/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [Only half of writing is saying what you mean. The other half is preventing people from reading what they expected you to mean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-richardson/only-half-of-writing-is-saying-what-you-mean-the-other-half-is/) [James Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-richardson/) > [“On Writing: Aphorisms and Ten-Second Essays 1. A beginning ends what an end begins. 2. The despair of the blank page: it is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-richardson/on-writing-aphorisms-and-ten-second-essays-1-a-beginning-ends-what-an/) [James Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-richardson/) > [Is it possible to say what one really feels?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/is-it-possible-to-say-what-one-really-feels/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“(on teaching writing) So many writers come to class with one question dominant in their mind, 'How do I make a living from this?'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-kiernan/on-teaching-writing-so-many-writers-come-to-class-with-one-question/) [Celine Kiernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-kiernan/) > [Some people manage their writing by saying, 'I need to get 2,000 words written today,' others by saying, 'I will write for X hours.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/some-people-manage-their-writing-by-saying-i-need-to-get-2-000-words/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [“I hate when people say something is not their job or that something isn't possible. We all say these things, sure, but some people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/i-hate-when-people-say-something-is-not-their-job-or-that-something/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [Let's teach our daughters, and our sons I suppose: it is possible to say 'no' without rancour, without anger, without emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-lipman/let-s-teach-our-daughters-and-our-sons-i-suppose-it-is-possible-to/) [Maureen Lipman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-lipman/) > [“It is not possible to say too much about Christ. But it is quite possible to say too little about hell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-ryle-2/it-is-not-possible-to-say-too-much-about-christ-but-it-is-quite/) [J.C. Ryle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-ryle-2/) > [I am as omnivorous as it's possible to be. I always say there's nothing I won't eat and nothing I won't wear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padma-lakshmi/i-am-as-omnivorous-as-it-s-possible-to-be-i-always-say-there-s/) [Padma Lakshmi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padma-lakshmi/) > [I think my way of being "funny" is just saying things that people think but have learned not to say, whereas, I haven't learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-chang/i-think-my-way-of-being-funny-is-just-saying-things-that-people-think/) [Victoria Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-chang/) ## More by Rebecca Solnit > [“Georgia O’Keeffe moved to rural New Mexico, from which she would sign her letters to the people she loved, “from the faraway nearby.” It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/georgia-o-keeffe-moved-to-rural-new-mexico-from-which-she-would-sign/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [Joy doesn't betray but sustains activism. 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It's so common to live in a place without truly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/whose-maps-are-we-trying-to-read-and-what-are-we-trying-to-draw-it-s/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“I was being cured of soldiering on endlessly: my job was now to be still, which had become almost easy at last.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/i-was-being-cured-of-soldiering-on-endlessly-my-job-was-now-to-be/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [In the aftermath of 9/11, people had not a good time, but a deep, profound, rousing time, woke up from their ennui and isolation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/in-the-aftermath-of-9-11-people-had-not-a-good-time-but-a-deep/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“I wonder now about Demeter and Persephone. Maybe Persephone was glad to run off with the king of death to his underground realm, maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/i-wonder-now-about-demeter-and-persephone-maybe-persephone-was-glad/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [ \[In mountaineering, if\] we look for private experience rather than public history, even getting to the top becomes an optional narrative rather than the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/in-mountaineering-if-we-look-for-private-experience-rather-than/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [For me, being in a car or on an airplane is like being in limbo. It's this dead zone between two places. But to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/for-me-being-in-a-car-or-on-an-airplane-is-like-being-in-limbo-it-s/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“How do you calculate upon the unforeseen? It seems to be an art of recognizing the role of the unforeseen, of keeping your balance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/how-do-you-calculate-upon-the-unforeseen-it-seems-to-be-an-art-of/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [Walking shares with making and working that crucial element of engagement of the body and the mind with the world, of knowing the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/walking-shares-with-making-and-working-that-crucial-element-of/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“Marriage equality is a threat: to inequality. It’s a boon to everyone who values and benefits from equality. It’s for all of us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/marriage-equality-is-a-threat-to-inequality-it-s-a-boon-to-everyone/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“Mountaineering is always spoken of as though summiting is conquest, but as you get higher, the world gets bigger, and you feel smaller in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/mountaineering-is-always-spoken-of-as-though-summiting-is-conquest/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“A procession is a participants' journey, while a parade is a performance with an audience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/a-procession-is-a-participants-journey-while-a-parade-is-a/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) [Explore all 469 Rebecca Solnit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) ## More Saying quotes > [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. Shakespeare is just like learning a new, exciting language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barnett/it-s-like-saying-french-shouldn-t-be-taught-because-you-don-t/) [Samuel Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barnett/) > [A lot of people have been saying 'The 100' reminds them of 'Lord Of The Flies,' 'Lost' and 'Battlestar Galactica,' and all of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-avgeropoulos/a-lot-of-people-have-been-saying-the-100-reminds-them-of-lord-of-the/) [Marie Avgeropoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-avgeropoulos/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [“Fine’s a funny word, don’t you think? I don’t think there’s another like it in the English language that says so much while actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-chase/fine-s-a-funny-word-don-t-you-think-i-don-t-think-there-s-another/) [Emma Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-chase/) > [I always think 12 times before saying anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-blethyn/i-always-think-12-times-before-saying-anything/) [Brenda Blethyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-blethyn/) > [Most people do surprisingly poorly when dealing with a relative who is hurting, depressed, or anxious - we get defensive and try to solve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-d-burns/most-people-do-surprisingly-poorly-when-dealing-with-a-relative-who/) [David D. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-d-burns/) > [“...choose your battles wisely and remember, what the heart knows, walks afar from reason. It simply is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelo-tsanatelis/choose-your-battles-wisely-and-remember-what-the-heart-knows-walks/) [Angelo Tsanatelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelo-tsanatelis/) > [We are always saying: Let the Law take its Course but what we really mean is: Let the Law take OUR Course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/we-are-always-saying-let-the-law-take-its-course-but-what-we-really/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [“Having a child is to show an absolute accord with mankind. If I have a child, it's as though I'm saying: I was born…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/having-a-child-is-to-show-an-absolute-accord-with-mankind-if-i-have-a/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Your job as a writer is to find storylines, narrative structures, and characters to show the things that you believe rather than saying them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/your-job-as-a-writer-is-to-find-storylines-narrative-structures-and/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [Oh, but there's such a difference between saying a thing yourself and hearing other people say it,' wailed Anne. 'You may know a thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/oh-but-there-s-such-a-difference-between-saying-a-thing-yourself-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I was a little boy, I was reading Dante and I was saying to myself 'Bravo, Dante, Bravo.' It's so beautiful, the music,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-benigni/when-i-was-a-little-boy-i-was-reading-dante-and-i-was-saying-to/) [Roberto Benigni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-benigni/) > [Don't ever sell mankind short by saying there's anything they can't do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredric-brown/don-t-ever-sell-mankind-short-by-saying-there-s-anything-they-can-t-do/) [Fredric Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredric-brown/) > [There was a lot of stress and assumptions made without me even saying anything, which was very upsetting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-stevens/there-was-a-lot-of-stress-and-assumptions-made-without-me-even-saying/) [Craig Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-stevens/) > [The possibility of saying anything about a thing rests on the assumption that it preserves its identity, or continues to be the same thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-knight/the-possibility-of-saying-anything-about-a-thing-rests-on-the/) [Frank Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-knight/) Browse all 3,547 Saying quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Writing is saying to no one and to everyone the things it is not possible to say to someone.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rebecca Solnit" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/writing-is-saying-to-no-one-and-to-everyone-the-things-it-is-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Saying" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/writing-is-saying-to-no-one-and-to-everyone-the-things-it-is-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/163/rebecca-solnit-569_saying_writing-is-saying-to-no-one-and-to-every_1602882.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/163/rebecca-solnit-569_saying_writing-is-saying-to-no-one-and-to-every_1602882.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/163/rebecca-solnit-569_saying_writing-is-saying-to-no-one-and-to-every_1602882.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Writing is saying to no one and to everyone the things it is not possible to say to someone.” — Rebecca Solnit", "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": "Rebecca Solnit", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Writing is saying to no one...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/writing-is-saying-to-no-one-and-to-everyone-the-things-it-is-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/writing-is-saying-to-no-one-and-to-everyone-the-things-it-is-not/#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 } } ] } ```