--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think my becoming a writer had much to…" description: "\"I think my becoming a writer had much to do with spending a chunk of each year sitting by myself out in a tent without radio, without newspapers, witho..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/701/robert-sapolsky-5012_becoming_i-think-my-becoming-a-writer-had-much-to_2527443.jpg" --- # I think my becoming a writer had much to do with spending… ![“I think my becoming a writer had much to do with spending a chunk of each year sitting by myself out in a tent without radio, without newspapers, without a whole lot of people to interact with, without anybody having any sort of similar background to me.” quote by Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/701/robert-sapolsky-5012_becoming_i-think-my-becoming-a-writer-had-much-to_2527443.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/701/robert-sapolsky-5012_becoming_i-think-my-becoming-a-writer-had-much-to_2527443.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/701/robert-sapolsky-5012_becoming_i-think-my-becoming-a-writer-had-much-to_2527443.jpg) > “I think my becoming a writer had much to do with spending a chunk of each year sitting by myself out in a tent without radio, without newspapers, without a whole lot of people to interact with, without anybody having any sort of similar background to me.” [Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Solitude and sensory deprivation foster deep creative thought and personal insight. **In simple terms:** Being alone can spark creativity. Key Takeaway Seek regular quiet time for reflection. Themes creativity solitude focus environment Mood contemplative inspirational Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - writing - research - artistic work - problem solving Key Concepts neuroscience creative process mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - What environments help you think clearly? - How can you balance solitude with social interaction? A Different Perspective Too much isolation can cause loneliness or mental fatigue. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Becoming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/becoming/) [I think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-think/) [Myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myself/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Radio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radio/) [Sitting Tent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sitting-tent-1310823/) [Tent Radio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tent-radio-1310825/) [Think Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-writer/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writer Spending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-spending-1310822/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Year Sitting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/year-sitting-1310824/) ## Related quotes > [I think that as a writer your responsibility is to search for and stir up the things that are in this world. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/i-think-that-as-a-writer-your-responsibility-is-to-search-for-and/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [I'm not a prophet or a teacher, I just ask questions. I don't think a writer should be a teacher, but should know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-sorokin/i-m-not-a-prophet-or-a-teacher-i-just-ask-questions-i-don-t-think-a/) [Vladimir Sorokin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-sorokin/) > [I think a writer's job is to provoke questions. I like to think that if someone's read a book of mine, they've had -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/i-think-a-writer-s-job-is-to-provoke-questions-i-like-to-think-that/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [I think you become a writer when you stop writing for yourself or your teachers and start thinking about readers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avi/i-think-you-become-a-writer-when-you-stop-writing-for-yourself-or/) [Avi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avi/) > [I did not consider that I would lead a literary life. I'd thought initially, as a young girl, that I would be a teacher,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-did-not-consider-that-i-would-lead-a-literary-life-i-d-thought/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [ I think, as the writer, you're always going to mourn something \[left out of a film\]. But you also just want to know there's… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/i-think-as-the-writer-you-re-always-going-to-mourn-something-left-out/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [It's important, I think, for a writer of fiction to maintain an awareness of the pace and shape of the book as he's writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-perry/it-s-important-i-think-for-a-writer-of-fiction-to-maintain-an/) [Thomas Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perry/) > [I don't carry notebooks and I don't consciously store ideas. I try not to think that I am a writer and I am pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-don-t-carry-notebooks-and-i-don-t-consciously-store-ideas-i-try-not/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [I don't think that writer's block exists really. I think that when you're trying to do something prematurely, it just won't come. Certain subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-don-t-think-that-writer-s-block-exists-really-i-think-that-when-you/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [One would think a writer would be happy here — if a writer is ever happy anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/one-would-think-a-writer-would-be-happy-here-if-a-writer-is-ever/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [The writer’s job is to write with rigor, with commitment, to defend what they believe with all the talent they have. I think that’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/the-writer-s-job-is-to-write-with-rigor-with-commitment-to-defend/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [I think of myself now as a writer, although I wouldn't go as far as to say 'novelist' because that sounds like a Victorian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-french/i-think-of-myself-now-as-a-writer-although-i-wouldn-t-go-as-far-as-to/) [Dawn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-french/) > [I think writer's block is simply the dread that you are going to write something horrible. But as a writer, I believe that if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-blount-jr/i-think-writer-s-block-is-simply-the-dread-that-you-are-going-to/) [Roy Blount, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-blount-jr/) > [Writer-directors are a little bit more liberal, rather than having just the writer on the set, because I think sometimes the writer becomes too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-farina/writer-directors-are-a-little-bit-more-liberal-rather-than-having/) [Dennis Farina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-farina/) > [I think, as a writer, you spend most of your time working on the book alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-han/i-think-as-a-writer-you-spend-most-of-your-time-working-on-the-book/) [Jenny Han](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-han/) ## More by Robert Sapolsky > [I was not especially a writer back in college.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/i-was-not-especially-a-writer-back-in-college/) [Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/) > [You don't want to end up telling somebody who's homeless or a refugee that stress is all perceptual, because it sure isn't in those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/you-don-t-want-to-end-up-telling-somebody-who-s-homeless-or-a-refugee/) [Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/) > [I think the relationship between social-dominance orientation in people and the extent to which they're made uncomfortable by ambiguity and novelty is really important.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/i-think-the-relationship-between-social-dominance-orientation-in/) [Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/) > [Depression is like the worst disease you can get. It's devastating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/depression-is-like-the-worst-disease-you-can-get-it-s-devastating/) [Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/) > [Juvenile justice is probably the area that's most ripe for reform, in the nice liberal sense of the word, simply because there's no getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/juvenile-justice-is-probably-the-area-that-s-most-ripe-for-reform-in/) [Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/) > [When it comes to how neuroscience could help the wider public, the worst thing is when we make advances in, say, mindfulness, and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/when-it-comes-to-how-neuroscience-could-help-the-wider-public-the/) [Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/) > [To do good science, you've got to work really, really hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/to-do-good-science-you-ve-got-to-work-really-really-hard/) [Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/) > [Literal cleanliness and orderliness can release us from abstract cognitive and affective distress - just consider how, during moments where life seems to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/literal-cleanliness-and-orderliness-can-release-us-from-abstract/) [Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/) > [“Words unconsciously shift thoughts and feelings. One person's 'terrorist' is another's 'freedom fighter'; politicians jockey to commandeer 'family values,' and somehow you can't favor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/words-unconsciously-shift-thoughts-and-feelings-one-person-s/) [Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/) > [I think you get to a time in life where by definition stuff's turning to quicksand and wherever you can get some solid footing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/i-think-you-get-to-a-time-in-life-where-by-definition-stuff-s-turning/) [Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/) > [Being president does seem a lot more stressful than being vice president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/being-president-does-seem-a-lot-more-stressful-than-being-vice/) [Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/) > [If a male primate is mean to a female primate, her whole family will come after him. We don't have that sort of accountability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/if-a-male-primate-is-mean-to-a-female-primate-her-whole-family-will/) [Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/) > [When humans invented material inequality, they came up with a way of subjugating the low-ranking like nothing ever seen before in the primate world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/when-humans-invented-material-inequality-they-came-up-with-a-way-of/) [Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/) > [Authoritarians have always been here. But the features of a given moment make that way of thinking more or less appealing. Germany in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/authoritarians-have-always-been-here-but-the-features-of-a-given/) [Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/) > [The key thing about us is that we all belong to multiple tribes. Even if we are predisposed into dividing the world into 'us'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/the-key-thing-about-us-is-that-we-all-belong-to-multiple-tribes-even/) [Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/) [Explore all 104 Robert Sapolsky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/) ## More Becoming quotes > [Focus on becoming more to achieve more while doing less](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-elrod/focus-on-becoming-more-to-achieve-more-while-doing-less/) [Hal Elrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-elrod/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) [Jennifer Siebel Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-siebel-newsom/) > [But I already saw no great difference between the psyche and spirituality. To amass knowledge without becoming wise is not my idea of progress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/but-i-already-saw-no-great-difference-between-the-psyche-and/) [M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [The path I choose through the maze makes me what I am. I am not only a thing, but also a way of being--one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/the-path-i-choose-through-the-maze-makes-me-what-i-am-i-am-not-only-a/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [Becoming famous is a really shocking thing, especially when you don't have aspirations to it. It got to the point where I would try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/becoming-famous-is-a-really-shocking-thing-especially-when-you-don-t/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [When other boys dreamt of going to the moon or becoming doctors, I wanted to be a designer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivier-theyskens/when-other-boys-dreamt-of-going-to-the-moon-or-becoming-doctors-i/) [Olivier Theyskens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivier-theyskens/) > [One is not born a genius, one becomes a genius; and the feminine situation has up to the present rendered this becoming practically impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/one-is-not-born-a-genius-one-becomes-a-genius-and-the-feminine/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [The dream of coming back is becoming a reality. A lot of the uncertainty about the future has been cleared up. A lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tagliabue/the-dream-of-coming-back-is-becoming-a-reality-a-lot-of-the/) [Paul Tagliabue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tagliabue/) > [I'm getting to a point where everything is becoming streamlined in my life. I'm learning how to stand onstage for two hours and play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayer/i-m-getting-to-a-point-where-everything-is-becoming-streamlined-in-my/) [John Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayer/) > [The term 'Pre-Raphaelite' is in danger of becoming one of the most misused tags in art history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-wood/the-term-pre-raphaelite-is-in-danger-of-becoming-one-of-the-most/) [Christopher Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-wood/) > [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [The reason so many of us are obsessed with becoming stars is because we are not yet starring in our own lives. The cosmic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-reason-so-many-of-us-are-obsessed-with-becoming-stars-is-because/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [In a personal way, to do with family and the father-son relationship, in a kind of artistic way with regard to him being an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/in-a-personal-way-to-do-with-family-and-the-father-son-relationship/) [Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/) > [Trying to be perfect may be inevitable for people who are smart and ambitious and interested in the world and its good opinion...What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/trying-to-be-perfect-may-be-inevitable-for-people-who-are-smart-and/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) [Browse all 4,715 Becoming quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/becoming/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think my becoming a writer had much to do with spending a chunk of each year sitting by myself out in a tent without radio, without newspapers, without a whole lot of people to interact with, without anybody having any sort of similar background to me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Sapolsky" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/i-think-my-becoming-a-writer-had-much-to-do-with-spending-a-chunk-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Becoming" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/i-think-my-becoming-a-writer-had-much-to-do-with-spending-a-chunk-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/701/robert-sapolsky-5012_becoming_i-think-my-becoming-a-writer-had-much-to_2527443.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/701/robert-sapolsky-5012_becoming_i-think-my-becoming-a-writer-had-much-to_2527443.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/701/robert-sapolsky-5012_becoming_i-think-my-becoming-a-writer-had-much-to_2527443.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think my becoming a writer had much to do with spending a chunk of each year sitting by myself out in a…” — Robert Sapolsky", "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 Sapolsky", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think my becoming a writer...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/i-think-my-becoming-a-writer-had-much-to-do-with-spending-a-chunk-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/i-think-my-becoming-a-writer-had-much-to-do-with-spending-a-chunk-of/#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 } } ] } ```