---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I advise those who want to become writers…"
description: "\"I advise those who want to become writers to study veterinary medicine, which is easier. You don't want to be a writer unless you have no choice - and ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/803/robin-mckinley-1591_advise_i-advise-those-who-want-to-become-writer_2560363.png"
---

#  I advise those who want to become writers to study…

![“I advise those who want to become writers to study veterinary medicine, which is easier. You don't want to be a writer unless you have no choice - and if you have no choice, good luck to you.” quote by Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/803/robin-mckinley-1591_advise_i-advise-those-who-want-to-become-writer_2560363.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/803/robin-mckinley-1591_advise_i-advise-those-who-want-to-become-writer_2560363.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/803/robin-mckinley-1591_advise_i-advise-those-who-want-to-become-writer_2560363.png)

> “I advise those who want to become writers to study veterinary medicine, which is easier. You don't want to be a writer unless you have no choice - and if you have no choice, good luck to you.”

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

## 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 portrayed as a demanding, often involuntary vocation; the speaker suggests studying a simpler field like veterinary medicine as a tongue‑in‑cheek alternative, implying that true writers are compelled by circumstance rather than choice.

**In simple terms:** Writing is hard; only those forced into it become writers.

Key Takeaway

Embrace writing only if you feel compelled.

Themes

writing career choice creativity compulsion

Mood

reflective wry inspirational

Type

advice humorous philosophical

When to use this quote

- career counseling
- creative workshops
- personal reflection
- academic planning

Key Concepts

vocational pressure artistic integrity self‑determination

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you write because you must or because you love it?
- What would you study if writing were optional?

A Different Perspective

Not everyone who writes is forced; many choose it willingly for passion.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Luck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luck/) [Medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medicine/) [Veterinary Medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/veterinary-medicine/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [“Dr. Billi Tiner graduated from Oklahoma State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 1999. She has worked in a variety of veterinary fields including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billi-tiner/dr-billi-tiner-graduated-from-oklahoma-state-university-s-college-of/)

[Billi Tiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billi-tiner/)

> [“The University of Illinois Wildlife Medical Clinic accepted native wild animals in need of care due to illness and injury, or because they'd been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-garvis-graves-2/the-university-of-illinois-wildlife-medical-clinic-accepted-native/)

[Tracey Garvis Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-garvis-graves-2/)

> [If you decide to become a veterinary surgeon you will never grow rich, but you will have a life of endless interest and variety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-herriot/if-you-decide-to-become-a-veterinary-surgeon-you-will-never-grow-rich/)

[James Herriot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-herriot/)

> [“This book is written for our animals, who trust us with their safekeeping. To keep them healthy, we turn to modern medicine, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-thacher-jensen/this-book-is-written-for-our-animals-who-trust-us-with-their/)

Wendy Thacher Jensen

> [“My mind went back to my school-days and an old gentleman talking to the class about careers. He had said: “If you decide to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-herriot/my-mind-went-back-to-my-school-days-and-an-old-gentleman-talking-to/)

[James Herriot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-herriot/)

> [“I've never been to veterinary school.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/i-ve-never-been-to-veterinary-school/)

[Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/)

> [“For some reason there is a tendency to assume that one wild animal is a suitable model for another related species, whereas similar evidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-wobeser/for-some-reason-there-is-a-tendency-to-assume-that-one-wild-animal-is/)

Gary Wobeser

> [“Alfred Wight gained admission to Glasgow Veterinary College in 1933 with passes in English, French and Latin – hardly ideal subjects for a future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-wight/alfred-wight-gained-admission-to-glasgow-veterinary-college-in-1933/)

Jim Wight

> [I've worked with Morris Animal Foundation for more than 40 years now, and I'm so proud of all they've done to advance veterinary medicine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-white/i-ve-worked-with-morris-animal-foundation-for-more-than-40-years-now/)

[Betty White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-white/)

> [“We carried on like that through letters and phone calls for the next two years. And things didn’t change when Aimable graduated as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immaculee-ilibagiza/we-carried-on-like-that-through-letters-and-phone-calls-for-the-next/)

[Immaculée Ilibagiza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immaculee-ilibagiza/)

> [“Within a few months Mitch Bush, head veterinarian at the National Zoo, and David Wildt, a young reproductive physiologist working as a postdoctoral fellow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-o-brien/within-a-few-months-mitch-bush-head-veterinarian-at-the-national-zoo/)

[Stephen J. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-o-brien/)

> [Ultimately, Congressional medicine is like veterinary medicine: It must be strong enough to work, and tasty enough to swallow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/ultimately-congressional-medicine-is-like-veterinary-medicine-it-must/)

[Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/)

> [“Here was my lesson in the reach of veterinary medicine, in how an animal doctor may not be the one standing up when disaster…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-trout/here-was-my-lesson-in-the-reach-of-veterinary-medicine-in-how-an/)

[Nick Trout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-trout/)

> [Sinclair Lewis was asked one time to give a talk to class of students about writing. When he got there he asked the class,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-t-hall/sinclair-lewis-was-asked-one-time-to-give-a-talk-to-class-of-students/)

[Tom T. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-t-hall/)

> [There are many more want-to-be writers out there than good editors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-ambrose/there-are-many-more-want-to-be-writers-out-there-than-good-editors/)

[Stephen Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-ambrose/)

## More by Robin McKinley

> [It's hard to look too grand when you're led by someone who looks like a pudding with legs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/it-s-hard-to-look-too-grand-when-you-re-led-by-someone-who-looks-like/)

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

> [“The most serious drawback to the telling-nothing approach is that it made that much more of a mystery of what had happened, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/the-most-serious-drawback-to-the-telling-nothing-approach-is-that-it/)

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

> [The magic in that country was so thick and tenacious that it settled over the land like chalk-dust and over floors and shelves like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/the-magic-in-that-country-was-so-thick-and-tenacious-that-it-settled/)

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

> [“There was something very odd about the carpet this morning… More hedgehogs? Many more hedgehogs? Positively a lake of hedgehogs?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/there-was-something-very-odd-about-the-carpet-this-morning-more/)

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

> [He didn't look insane or inhuman. He did look uncooperative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/he-didn-t-look-insane-or-inhuman-he-did-look-uncooperative/)

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

> [People forgot; it was in the nature of people to forget, to blur boundaries, to retell stories to come out the way they wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/people-forgot-it-was-in-the-nature-of-people-to-forget-to-blur/)

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

> [“But he hated to see his people people unhappy--because he was a good king, not because he was a nervous one--”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/but-he-hated-to-see-his-people-people-unhappy-because-he-was-a-good/)

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

> [ “\[the sheep\] sidled up beside him and bumped him lovingly with its head. Val looked at it sadly. "I am sorry, you ugly creature,"… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/the-sheep-sidled-up-beside-him-and-bumped-him-lovingly-with-its-head/)

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

> [I long for another human face just as I fear it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/i-long-for-another-human-face-just-as-i-fear-it/)

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

> [“Rosie hated her curly golden hair. When she was old enough to hold minimal conversations, the itsy-bitsy-cutesycoo sort of grown-ups would pull the soft…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/rosie-hated-her-curly-golden-hair-when-she-was-old-enough-to-hold/)

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

> [“There was, too, a reality to her new life that her old life had lacked, and she realized with a shock that she had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/there-was-too-a-reality-to-her-new-life-that-her-old-life-had-lacked/)

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

> [Oh,' she said, too bone-weary to pretend: 'I would far rather that I love you as I saw yesterday I do than that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/oh-she-said-too-bone-weary-to-pretend-i-would-far-rather-that-i-love/)

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

> [But I'm going to try to tell the truth. Except for the parts I'm leaving out, because there's still stuff I'm just not going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/but-i-m-going-to-try-to-tell-the-truth-except-for-the-parts-i-m/)

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

> [“The magic in that country was so thick and tenacious that it settled over the land like chalk-dust and over floors and shelves like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/the-magic-in-that-country-was-so-thick-and-tenacious-that-it-settled-2/)

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

> [Roses are for love. Not silly sweet-hearts' love but the love that makes you and keeps you whole, love that gets you through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/roses-are-for-love-not-silly-sweet-hearts-love-but-the-love-that/)

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

[Explore all 225 Robin McKinley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

## More Advise quotes

> [Choosing a job or business is the same thing. I'm not the best one to advise someone how to make billions of dollars; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-roy/choosing-a-job-or-business-is-the-same-thing-i-m-not-the-best-one-to/)

[Rachel Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-roy/)

> [Buddhism advises you not to implant feelings that you don’t really have or avoid feelings that you do have. If you are miserable you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/buddhism-advises-you-not-to-implant-feelings-that-you-don-t-really/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I always advise people not to act upon the advice that I give them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/i-always-advise-people-not-to-act-upon-the-advice-that-i-give-them/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [Sometimes curiosity is a poison, not only for those who drink it but for everyone around it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-norman-lippert/sometimes-curiosity-is-a-poison-not-only-for-those-who-drink-it-but/)

[G. Norman Lippert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-norman-lippert/)

> [Dont ever wrestle with a pig u'll both get dirty but the pig will enj0y it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/udechukwu-d0navan/dont-ever-wrestle-with-a-pig-u-ll-both-get-dirty-but-the-pig-will/)

Udechukwu D0navan

> [Some writing courses will advise you to write what you know. I've always thought this is very odd advice ... because it means, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/some-writing-courses-will-advise-you-to-write-what-you-know-i-ve/)

[Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/)

> [I advise women to invest in real estate. It is the collateral to be preferred above all others, and the safest means of investing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hetty-green/i-advise-women-to-invest-in-real-estate-it-is-the-collateral-to-be/)

Hetty Green

> [You bomb ISIL. You're not trying to bomb innocent people. And that requires intelligence and confidence in our military to be able to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/you-bomb-isil-you-re-not-trying-to-bomb-innocent-people-and-that/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [God is a spirit. Jesus was led up of the Spirit to be tempted of the Devil; and it is also true that spirits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bradlaugh/god-is-a-spirit-jesus-was-led-up-of-the-spirit-to-be-tempted-of-the/)

[Charles Bradlaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bradlaugh/)

> [I do not allow fan-fiction. The characters are copyrighted. It upsets me terribly to even think about fan-fiction with my characters. I advise my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-do-not-allow-fan-fiction-the-characters-are-copyrighted-it-upsets/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [Only a foolish man wil keep on doing one ting and expect another result](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordons/only-a-foolish-man-wil-keep-on-doing-one-ting-and-expect-another/)

Gordons

> [I do believe that where there is a choice between cowardice and non-violence I would advise violence. Thus when my eldest son asked me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-believe-that-where-there-is-a-choice-between-cowardice-and-non/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [You are lucky in life if you have the right heroes. I advise all of you, to the extent you can, to pick out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/you-are-lucky-in-life-if-you-have-the-right-heroes-i-advise-all-of/)

[Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/)

> [“I don't advise. You mutn't give any weight to what I say, except in so far as your own judgment approves it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gissing/i-don-t-advise-you-mutn-t-give-any-weight-to-what-i-say-except-in-so/)

[George Gissing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gissing/)

> [Parents can only advise their children or point them in the right direction. Ultimately people shape their own characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-frank/parents-can-only-advise-their-children-or-point-them-in-the-right/)

[Anne Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-frank/)

Browse all 507 Advise quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I advise those who want to become writers to study veterinary medicine, which is easier. You don't want to be a writer unless you have no choice - and if you have no choice, good luck to you.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robin McKinley"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/i-advise-those-who-want-to-become-writers-to-study-veterinary/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Advise"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/i-advise-those-who-want-to-become-writers-to-study-veterinary/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/803/robin-mckinley-1591_advise_i-advise-those-who-want-to-become-writer_2560363.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/803/robin-mckinley-1591_advise_i-advise-those-who-want-to-become-writer_2560363.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/803/robin-mckinley-1591_advise_i-advise-those-who-want-to-become-writer_2560363.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I advise those who want to become writers to study veterinary medicine, which is easier. You don't want to…” — Robin McKinley",
                "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": "Robin McKinley",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I advise those who want to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/i-advise-those-who-want-to-become-writers-to-study-veterinary/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/i-advise-those-who-want-to-become-writers-to-study-veterinary/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
