--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think that were I in the middle of an…" description: "\"I think that were I in the middle of an obsession to write about, say, sudden oak death in California or my grandchildren or time and memory and how th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6b/robert-hass-3548_baghdad_i-think-that-were-i-in-the-middle-of-an_143704.png" --- # I think that were I in the middle of an obsession to write… ![“I think that were I in the middle of an obsession to write about, say, sudden oak death in California or my grandchildren or time and memory and how they look when you get to be in your sixties, and I thought, "Well, yes but people are dying every day in Baghdad," I wouldn't feel guilty about not…” quote by Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6b/robert-hass-3548_baghdad_i-think-that-were-i-in-the-middle-of-an_143704.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6b/robert-hass-3548_baghdad_i-think-that-were-i-in-the-middle-of-an_143704.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6b/robert-hass-3548_baghdad_i-think-that-were-i-in-the-middle-of-an_143704.png) > “I think that were I in the middle of an obsession to write about, say, sudden oak death in California or my grandchildren or time and memory and how they look when you get to be in your sixties, and I thought, "Well, yes but people are dying every day in Baghdad," I wouldn't feel guilty about not writing about Baghdad if I didn't have any good ideas about how to write about it.” [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing about personal obsessions is valid even when global crises occur. **In simple terms:** Personal topics are okay despite world events. Key Takeaway Write authentically, not out of guilt. Themes authenticity guilt global awareness writing focus Mood reflective balanced Type ethical creative When to use this quote - journalism - creative writing Key Concepts personal narrative ethical responsibility Questions to Reflect On - When should you address global issues? - How to avoid guilt when focusing on self? A Different Perspective Balancing personal and global concerns is tough. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Baghdad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baghdad/) [California](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/california/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Good ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-ideas/) [Grandchildren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandchildren/) [Guilty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guilty/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Obsession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsession/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [It takes me awhile to find something that I'm passionate about. I'm reading a lot and thinking a lot, and torturing myself a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-haggis/it-takes-me-awhile-to-find-something-that-i-m-passionate-about-i-m/) [Paul Haggis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-haggis/) > [Having a writer in the family is a curse - for the family. I do feel more or less guilty when I'm writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/having-a-writer-in-the-family-is-a-curse-for-the-family-i-do-feel/) [Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [When I'm fishing, I feel guilty that I'm not writing, and when I'm writing, I feel guilty that I'm not fishing. But when push…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-carver/when-i-m-fishing-i-feel-guilty-that-i-m-not-writing-and-when-i-m/) [Raymond Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-carver/) > [The creation of a film starts with an idea, a notion of a time period or characters, and you get really excited about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whit-stillman/the-creation-of-a-film-starts-with-an-idea-a-notion-of-a-time-period/) [Whit Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whit-stillman/) > [“I may not write new wisdoms nor new ideas. I write things which are about to happen in the future, things which might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/i-may-not-write-new-wisdoms-nor-new-ideas-i-write-things-which-are/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [You write down a paragraph or two describing several different subjects creating a kind of story ingredients-list, I suppose, and then cut the sentences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/you-write-down-a-paragraph-or-two-describing-several-different/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [I want to write a book that makes people debate, and makes people think, interact with each other and exchange ideas... I write because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-syjuco/i-want-to-write-a-book-that-makes-people-debate-and-makes-people/) [Miguel Syjuco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-syjuco/) > [“We put our thoughts, knowledge and ideas into what we write. We fill it with our passions, sometimes creating new businesses, new jobs, new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-feehan/we-put-our-thoughts-knowledge-and-ideas-into-what-we-write-we-fill-it/) Susan Feehan > [If you write, one of the questions you're always trying to answer is, Where do you get your ideas? And, if you write, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-abbey/if-you-write-one-of-the-questions-you-re-always-trying-to-answer-is/) [Lynn Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-abbey/) > [If you want to see the consequences of ideas, write a story. If you want to see the consequences of belief, write a story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baxter/if-you-want-to-see-the-consequences-of-ideas-write-a-story-if-you/) [Charles Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baxter/) > [Ideas are cheap. I have more ideas now than I could ever write up. To my mind, it's the execution that is all-important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-2/ideas-are-cheap-i-have-more-ideas-now-than-i-could-ever-write-up-to/) [George R. R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-2/) > [Whirlpool often stuck for ideas, you do not write the quote, you wanted to write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/whirlpool-often-stuck-for-ideas-you-do-not-write-the-quote-you-wanted/) Mak\_786 > [One of the things I'm real proud of is I just made a deal with 20th Century Fox, and I've got my own production…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/one-of-the-things-i-m-real-proud-of-is-i-just-made-a-deal-with-20th/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [“I've never yet run out of ideas what to write about... only out of time to write it in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rayne-hall/i-ve-never-yet-run-out-of-ideas-what-to-write-about-only-out-of-time/) [Rayne Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rayne-hall/) > [“It's not how great the ideas are. It's about how you write them, to make them great.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/primadonna-angela/it-s-not-how-great-the-ideas-are-it-s-about-how-you-write-them-to/) [Primadonna Angela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/primadonna-angela/) ## More by Robert Hass > [It's the same with this idea of a literate public, and also of a democracy in which people have access to and really read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/it-s-the-same-with-this-idea-of-a-literate-public-and-also-of-a/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [All the new thinking is about loss. In this it resembles all the old thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/all-the-new-thinking-is-about-loss-in-this-it-resembles-all-the-old/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [Poetry, when it takes sides, when it proposes solutions, isn't any smarter than anybody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/poetry-when-it-takes-sides-when-it-proposes-solutions-isn-t-any/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [When I was in college, I lost my scholarship one year. I had enough money for tuition, but not room and board. So I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/when-i-was-in-college-i-lost-my-scholarship-one-year-i-had-enough/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [As poet laureate, I was asked to be a spokesman for literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/as-poet-laureate-i-was-asked-to-be-a-spokesman-for-literature/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [After Pope, in the beginning of Romanticism, people developed the idea that imagination rather than reason was a special form of knowledge and its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/after-pope-in-the-beginning-of-romanticism-people-developed-the-idea/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [They are the kinds of things that make us a community: attachment to place, attachment to local arts traditions, the ability to read literature,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/they-are-the-kinds-of-things-that-make-us-a-community-attachment-to/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [I suppose there's something to be said for the sheer reinforcement of our beliefs, but really I think poetry is more useful as disenchantment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/i-suppose-there-s-something-to-be-said-for-the-sheer-reinforcement-of/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [If you were making poetry out of convictions - trying to convince other people - you were in the territory of rhetoric, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/if-you-were-making-poetry-out-of-convictions-trying-to-convince-other/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [Milton was the first person who really experimented with putting politics into sonnets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/milton-was-the-first-person-who-really-experimented-with-putting/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [When I came into the job, funding for the humanities at the federal level was being drastically cut. This was the high tide of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/when-i-came-into-the-job-funding-for-the-humanities-at-the-federal/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [One may prefer spring and summer to autumn and winter, but preference is hardly to the point. The earth turns, and we live in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/one-may-prefer-spring-and-summer-to-autumn-and-winter-but-preference/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [“ A Faint Music by Robert Hass Maybe you need to write a poem about grace. When everything broken is broken, and everything dead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/a-faint-music-by-robert-hass-maybe-you-need-to-write-a-poem-about/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [“When everything broken is broken, and everything dead is dead, and the hero has looked into the mirror with complete contempt, and the heroine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/when-everything-broken-is-broken-and-everything-dead-is-dead-and-the/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [I got interested in the question of literacy because writers are always moaning about why more people don't read books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/i-got-interested-in-the-question-of-literacy-because-writers-are/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) [Explore all 128 Robert Hass quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) ## More Baghdad quotes > [“I know a feeling like that only comes once in a lifetime, and I think you should follow your heart’s desires. I believe in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmad-ardalan/i-know-a-feeling-like-that-only-comes-once-in-a-lifetime-and-i-think/) [Ahmad Ardalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmad-ardalan/) > [My dad's Israeli. He was born in Baghdad to Iraqi Jews. Then, at age two, his parents wanted to move to their homeland and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-yamin/my-dad-s-israeli-he-was-born-in-baghdad-to-iraqi-jews-then-at-age-two/) [Elliott Yamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-yamin/) > [Almost immediately, I remember right when Tikrit even fell, a few days after Baghdad fell, there was talks of insurgency, there was talks of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farnaz-fassihi/almost-immediately-i-remember-right-when-tikrit-even-fell-a-few-days/) Farnaz Fassihi > [What is at stake is how to answer the potential threat Iraq represents with the risk of proliferation of WMD. Baghdad's regime did use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-chirac/what-is-at-stake-is-how-to-answer-the-potential-threat-iraq/) [Jacques Chirac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-chirac/) > [Our military superiority is so great - it's far greater than it was in the Gulf War, and the Gulf War was over in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/our-military-superiority-is-so-great-it-s-far-greater-than-it-was-in/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [The authority of the civil defense ... issued a warning to the civilian population not to pick up any of those pencils because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/the-authority-of-the-civil-defense-issued-a-warning-to-the-civilian/) [Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/) > [The mission statement was ordered, and it sent the 800th MP Brigade, effective the first of July, up to Baghdad. I joined my brigade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janis-karpinski/the-mission-statement-was-ordered-and-it-sent-the-800th-mp-brigade/) [Janis Karpinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janis-karpinski/) > [The senior officer who met with reporters in Baghdad said there had been 21 car bombings in the capital in May, and 126 in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-lowry/the-senior-officer-who-met-with-reporters-in-baghdad-said-there-had/) [Rich Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-lowry/) > [There are people who haven't faced the reality of what has gone on in Iraq. They still think that the old central state is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-w-galbraith/there-are-people-who-haven-t-faced-the-reality-of-what-has-gone-on-in/) Peter W. Galbraith > [If the U.N. secretary-general withdraws the inspectors from Baghdad ... this means that the secretary-general has abandoned its own responsibility in maintaining peace and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naji-sabri/if-the-u-n-secretary-general-withdraws-the-inspectors-from-baghdad/) [Naji Sabri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naji-sabri/) > [They are going to surrender or be burned in their tanks. They will surrender, it is they who will surrender.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/they-are-going-to-surrender-or-be-burned-in-their-tanks-they-will/) [Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/) > [I firmly believed we should not march into Baghdad ...To occupy Iraq would instantly shatter our coalition, turning the whole Arab world against us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-w-bush/i-firmly-believed-we-should-not-march-into-baghdad-to-occupy-iraq/) [George H. W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-h-w-bush/) > [We're giving them a real lesson today. Heavy doesn't accurately describe the level of casualties we have inflicted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/we-re-giving-them-a-real-lesson-today-heavy-doesn-t-accurately/) [Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/) > [I think that we live in a remarkably networked world. The problem with that, of course, is that tensions can travel in nanoseconds across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eboo-patel/i-think-that-we-live-in-a-remarkably-networked-world-the-problem-with/) [Eboo Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eboo-patel/) > [Workers are actually being starved on the largest military base in Baghdad, and women are being raped with impunity - and because it doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-stillman/workers-are-actually-being-starved-on-the-largest-military-base-in/) [Sarah Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-stillman/) [Browse all 191 Baghdad quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baghdad/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think that were I in the middle of an obsession to write about, say, sudden oak death in California or my grandchildren or time and memory and how they look when you get to be in your sixties, and I thought, \"Well, yes but people are dying every day in Baghdad,\" I wouldn't feel guilty about not writing about Baghdad if I didn't have any good ideas about how to write about it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Hass" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/i-think-that-were-i-in-the-middle-of-an-obsession-to-write-about-say/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Baghdad" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/i-think-that-were-i-in-the-middle-of-an-obsession-to-write-about-say/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6b/robert-hass-3548_baghdad_i-think-that-were-i-in-the-middle-of-an_143704.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6b/robert-hass-3548_baghdad_i-think-that-were-i-in-the-middle-of-an_143704.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6b/robert-hass-3548_baghdad_i-think-that-were-i-in-the-middle-of-an_143704.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think that were I in the middle of an obsession to write about, say, sudden oak death in California or my…” — Robert Hass", "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": "Robert Hass", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think that were I in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/i-think-that-were-i-in-the-middle-of-an-obsession-to-write-about-say/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/i-think-that-were-i-in-the-middle-of-an-obsession-to-write-about-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 } } ] } ```