--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writing is the only thing I've ever done…" description: "\"Writing is the only thing I've ever done with persistence, except for being married.\" — Richard Ford" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d55/richard-ford-2097_being-married_writing-is-the-only-thing-i-ve-ever-done_2291334.png" --- # Writing is the only thing I've ever done with persistence… ![“Writing is the only thing I've ever done with persistence, except for being married.” quote by Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d55/richard-ford-2097_being-married_writing-is-the-only-thing-i-ve-ever-done_2291334.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d55/richard-ford-2097_being-married_writing-is-the-only-thing-i-ve-ever-done_2291334.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d55/richard-ford-2097_being-married_writing-is-the-only-thing-i-ve-ever-done_2291334.png) > “Writing is the only thing I've ever done with persistence, except for being married.” [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing is a rare pursuit where I maintain persistence, unlike other areas of life such as marriage. **In simple terms:** Writing is the only thing I keep doing consistently. Key Takeaway Value persistence in creative work. Themes creativity commitment personal growth Mood reflective humorous Type observational self‑deprecating When to use this quote - writing projects - long‑term artistic goals - daily practice - overcoming creative blocks Key Concepts discipline habit formation Questions to Reflect On - How can you cultivate persistence in non‑creative tasks? - What does marriage teach about different kinds of commitment? A Different Perspective Persistence may not translate to other life domains. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being married](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-married/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Persistence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persistence/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [It's not so hard to be married, I've done it three or four times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-sondheim/it-s-not-so-hard-to-be-married-i-ve-done-it-three-or-four-times/) [Stephen Sondheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-sondheim/) > [I realized I loved you, and I didn't want to be married to somebody I didn't love. I wanted to be married to you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/i-realized-i-loved-you-and-i-didn-t-want-to-be-married-to-somebody-i/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [So you want to be married, oh baby, trying to put me on a chain, ain't that some shame? You must be losing your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimi-hendrix/so-you-want-to-be-married-oh-baby-trying-to-put-me-on-a-chain-ain-t/) [Jimi Hendrix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimi-hendrix/) > [When I'm married I want to be single, and when I'm single I want to be married.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cary-grant/when-i-m-married-i-want-to-be-single-and-when-i-m-single-i-want-to-be/) [Cary Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cary-grant/) > [My ambition when I was four years old was to be married.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyanka-chopra/my-ambition-when-i-was-four-years-old-was-to-be-married/) [Priyanka Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyanka-chopra/) > [Valancy herself had never quite relinquished a certain pitiful, shamed, little hope that Romance would come her way yet—never, until this wet, horrible morning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/valancy-herself-had-never-quite-relinquished-a-certain-pitiful-shamed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm very happy to make specific choices (as an actor), (but) you can't be married to them because you never know when the writers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-chlumsky/i-m-very-happy-to-make-specific-choices-as-an-actor-but-you-can-t-be/) [Anna Chlumsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-chlumsky/) > [Tell me, daughter Juliet, How stands your dispositions to be married" It is an honor that I dream not of](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/tell-me-daughter-juliet-how-stands-your-dispositions-to-be-married-it/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [When you put a halo on concepts - gender roles, religion, nationality or pride - or you put a halo on any topic -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mangan/when-you-put-a-halo-on-concepts-gender-roles-religion-nationality-or/) [Dan Mangan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mangan/) > [No, I was never that kind of guy. I believed in true romance; one-night stands are always going to leave you feeling cold and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/channing-tatum/no-i-was-never-that-kind-of-guy-i-believed-in-true-romance-one-night/) [Channing Tatum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/channing-tatum/) > [I've been with the same person for a very long time but I'm just non-conventional in that way. I don't think people need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-mendes/i-ve-been-with-the-same-person-for-a-very-long-time-but-i-m-just-non/) [Eva Mendes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-mendes/) > [ A lot of people \[are\] saying civil union," Faried told KDVR. "I don't like it being called that because I can get married to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-faried/a-lot-of-people-are-saying-civil-union-faried-told-kdvr-i-don-t-like/) Kenneth Faried > [The concept of growing up is so hard to quantify. 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My wife and I just didn't think we would be good parents, and also by the time we got married…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/i-don-t-hate-children-my-wife-and-i-just-didn-t-think-we-would-be/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [Writing never came naturally and I still have to force my hand to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/writing-never-came-naturally-and-i-still-have-to-force-my-hand-to-do/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [“Conversations with adults other than a person's parents had more of an outcome.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/conversations-with-adults-other-than-a-person-s-parents-had-more-of/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [Some people want to be bank presidents. Other people want to rob banks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/some-people-want-to-be-bank-presidents-other-people-want-to-rob-banks/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [In order to write novels for a living - it's not pathological, but I do think and worry and brood and fidget about stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/in-order-to-write-novels-for-a-living-it-s-not-pathological-but-i-do/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [There are more people in America that love guns and want guns for themselves and everyone else than there are not. It is also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/there-are-more-people-in-america-that-love-guns-and-want-guns-for/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [That said, being dyslexic, I wasn't a great reader when I was kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/that-said-being-dyslexic-i-wasn-t-a-great-reader-when-i-was-kid/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [I'm an equal opportunity reader - although I don't much read plays. And since I was raised a Presbyterian, pretty much all pleasures are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/i-m-an-equal-opportunity-reader-although-i-don-t-much-read-plays-and/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [The pace of life feels morally dangerous to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/the-pace-of-life-feels-morally-dangerous-to-me/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [“to sit in the empty stands of a Florida ball park and hear the sounds of glove leather and chatter;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/to-sit-in-the-empty-stands-of-a-florida-ball-park-and-hear-the-sounds/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [“And what there is to learn from almost any human experience is that your own interests usually do not come first where other people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/and-what-there-is-to-learn-from-almost-any-human-experience-is-that/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [“It was on such a night as this that the unhappy things came about.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/it-was-on-such-a-night-as-this-that-the-unhappy-things-came-about/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) [Explore all 184 Richard Ford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) ## More Being married quotes > [Jesus never said a word about homosexuality. In all of his teachings about multiple things - he never said that gay people should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/jesus-never-said-a-word-about-homosexuality-in-all-of-his-teachings/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [What is it the Bible teaches us? - raping, cruelty, and murder. What is it the New Testament teaches us? - to believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/what-is-it-the-bible-teaches-us-raping-cruelty-and-murder-what-is-it/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [The concept of growing up is so hard to quantify. What have you learned and how have you changed and how have you stayed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-byrne/the-concept-of-growing-up-is-so-hard-to-quantify-what-have-you/) [Rose Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-byrne/) > [ A lot of people \[are\] saying civil union," Faried told KDVR. "I don't like it being called that because I can get married to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-faried/a-lot-of-people-are-saying-civil-union-faried-told-kdvr-i-don-t-like/) Kenneth Faried > [It's not so hard to be married, I've done it three or four times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-sondheim/it-s-not-so-hard-to-be-married-i-ve-done-it-three-or-four-times/) [Stephen Sondheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-sondheim/) > [I've been with the same person for a very long time but I'm just non-conventional in that way. I don't think people need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-mendes/i-ve-been-with-the-same-person-for-a-very-long-time-but-i-m-just-non/) [Eva Mendes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-mendes/) > [No, I was never that kind of guy. I believed in true romance; one-night stands are always going to leave you feeling cold and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/channing-tatum/no-i-was-never-that-kind-of-guy-i-believed-in-true-romance-one-night/) [Channing Tatum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/channing-tatum/) > [When you put a halo on concepts - gender roles, religion, nationality or pride - or you put a halo on any topic -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mangan/when-you-put-a-halo-on-concepts-gender-roles-religion-nationality-or/) [Dan Mangan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mangan/) > [Tell me, daughter Juliet, How stands your dispositions to be married" It is an honor that I dream not of](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/tell-me-daughter-juliet-how-stands-your-dispositions-to-be-married-it/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I'm very happy to make specific choices (as an actor), (but) you can't be married to them because you never know when the writers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-chlumsky/i-m-very-happy-to-make-specific-choices-as-an-actor-but-you-can-t-be/) [Anna Chlumsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-chlumsky/) > [Valancy herself had never quite relinquished a certain pitiful, shamed, little hope that Romance would come her way yet—never, until this wet, horrible morning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/valancy-herself-had-never-quite-relinquished-a-certain-pitiful-shamed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My ambition when I was four years old was to be married.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyanka-chopra/my-ambition-when-i-was-four-years-old-was-to-be-married/) [Priyanka Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyanka-chopra/) > [When I'm married I want to be single, and when I'm single I want to be married.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cary-grant/when-i-m-married-i-want-to-be-single-and-when-i-m-single-i-want-to-be/) [Cary Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cary-grant/) > [So you want to be married, oh baby, trying to put me on a chain, ain't that some shame? 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I can't think of anything lonelier than spending the rest of my life with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/i-don-t-want-to-be-married-just-to-be-married-i-can-t-think-of/) [Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/) [Browse all 345 Being married quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-married/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Writing is the only thing I've ever done with persistence, except for being married.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Ford" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/writing-is-the-only-thing-i-ve-ever-done-with-persistence-except-for/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Being married" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/writing-is-the-only-thing-i-ve-ever-done-with-persistence-except-for/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d55/richard-ford-2097_being-married_writing-is-the-only-thing-i-ve-ever-done_2291334.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d55/richard-ford-2097_being-married_writing-is-the-only-thing-i-ve-ever-done_2291334.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d55/richard-ford-2097_being-married_writing-is-the-only-thing-i-ve-ever-done_2291334.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Writing is the only thing I've ever done with persistence, except for being married.” — Richard Ford", "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": "Richard Ford", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Writing is the only thing I've...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/writing-is-the-only-thing-i-ve-ever-done-with-persistence-except-for/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/writing-is-the-only-thing-i-ve-ever-done-with-persistence-except-for/#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 } } ] } ```