--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For a dyed-in-the-wool author nothing is…" description: "\"For a dyed-in-the-wool author nothing is as dead as a book once it is written ... she is rather like a cat whose kittens have grown up. While they were..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2f/rumer-godden-11889_book_for-a-dyed-in-the-wool-author-nothing-is_2758803.jpg" --- # For a dyed-in-the-wool author nothing is as dead as a book… ![“For a dyed-in-the-wool author nothing is as dead as a book once it is written ... she is rather like a cat whose kittens have grown up. While they were a-growing she was passionately interested in them but now they seem hardly to belong to her, and probably she is involved with another batch of…” quote by Rumer Godden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2f/rumer-godden-11889_book_for-a-dyed-in-the-wool-author-nothing-is_2758803.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2f/rumer-godden-11889_book_for-a-dyed-in-the-wool-author-nothing-is_2758803.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2f/rumer-godden-11889_book_for-a-dyed-in-the-wool-author-nothing-is_2758803.jpg) > “For a dyed-in-the-wool author nothing is as dead as a book once it is written ... she is rather like a cat whose kittens have grown up. While they were a-growing she was passionately interested in them but now they seem hardly to belong to her, and probably she is involved with another batch of kittens as I am involved with other writing.” [Rumer Godden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumer-godden/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Compares an author’s evolving relationship with their work to a cat’s changing care for its kittens, highlighting detachment after creation. **In simple terms:** Authors may feel detached from their finished works. Key Takeaway Accept that creations evolve beyond you. Themes creativity attachment evolution detachment Mood nostalgic thoughtful Type literary reflective When to use this quote - writing process - career transition - personal growth Key Concepts authorial identity literary life Questions to Reflect On - How do you stay connected to past works? - What rituals help you re‑engage with old creations? A Different Perspective Detachment can lead to loss of passion for new projects. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Batch Kittens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/batch-kittens-3153613/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Cat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cat/) [Growing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing/) [Kitten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kitten/) [Kittens Involved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kittens-involved-3153612/) [Like Cat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-cat/) [Wool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wool/) [Wool Author](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wool-author-3153611/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Written Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written-like-469240/) ## Related quotes > [For a dyed-in-the-wool author, nothing is as dead as a book once it is written. She is rather like a cat whose kittens have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumer-godden/for-a-dyed-in-the-wool-author-nothing-is-as-dead-as-a-book-once-it-is/) [Rumer Godden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumer-godden/) > [“And it is also the only reward for my work: to feel what I have written is like the back of a cat as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julio-cort-zar/and-it-is-also-the-only-reward-for-my-work-to-feel-what-i-have/) [Julio Cortázar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julio-cort-zar/) > [I cannot go on… All that I have written seems to me like so much straw compared to what I have seen and what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/i-cannot-go-on-all-that-i-have-written-seems-to-me-like-so-much-straw/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [And then the really awful thing is that at the end of the day after crying and experiencing things, then you look at what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kazan/and-then-the-really-awful-thing-is-that-at-the-end-of-the-day-after/) [Zoe Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kazan/) > [Gatekeeper was sort of my first attempt to put a little bit of a frame and boundaries around songwriting, and try to figure out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/feist/gatekeeper-was-sort-of-my-first-attempt-to-put-a-little-bit-of-a/) [Feist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/feist/) > [“I guess Faulkner never would have written anything like this, huh? Oh, well.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/i-guess-faulkner-never-would-have-written-anything-like-this-huh-oh/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [It's just a deep pleasure to read something you've written yourself - if and when you like it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/it-s-just-a-deep-pleasure-to-read-something-you-ve-written-yourself/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [We've written something like 900 songs in all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-mann/we-ve-written-something-like-900-songs-in-all/) [Barry Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-mann/) > [I had never written about what it's like to live the life of a writer, and I had never read a book that combined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mattison/i-had-never-written-about-what-it-s-like-to-live-the-life-of-a-writer/) [Alice Mattison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mattison/) > [After the show comes out, I don't remember, Oh, it was written like this, and then I added this, because I'm not looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-james/after-the-show-comes-out-i-don-t-remember-oh-it-was-written-like-this/) [Janelle James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-james/) > [No one has written the way Isaiah does. The royal style, the majesty of the language. He is called the prince of the prophets.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/no-one-has-written-the-way-isaiah-does-the-royal-style-the-majesty-of/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Those situations were just taking over my entire life. It was fun to write in a way, because it helped me take a really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-atkins/those-situations-were-just-taking-over-my-entire-life-it-was-fun-to/) [Nicole Atkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-atkins/) > [I feel like the books were just written like a movie. You read it and you can just kind of see everything. Before I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-hemsworth/i-feel-like-the-books-were-just-written-like-a-movie-you-read-it-and/) [Liam Hemsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-hemsworth/) > [He suddenly announced that he could not write any more since "All that I have written seems like straw to me."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/he-suddenly-announced-that-he-could-not-write-any-more-since-all-that/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [“Put some other things to rights too, she had written, like maybe a hitch in her magic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-hunter/put-some-other-things-to-rights-too-she-had-written-like-maybe-a/) [Faith Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-hunter/) ## More by Rumer Godden > [“In good company your thoughts run, in solitude your thought is still; it goes deeper and makes for itself a deeper groove, delves. Delve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumer-godden/in-good-company-your-thoughts-run-in-solitude-your-thought-is-still/) [Rumer Godden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumer-godden/) > [in California I began to think that, except on the beaches, no-one had the use of their legs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumer-godden/in-california-i-began-to-think-that-except-on-the-beaches-no-one-had/) [Rumer Godden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumer-godden/) > [Of course one never knows in draft if it's going to turn out, even with my age and experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumer-godden/of-course-one-never-knows-in-draft-if-it-s-going-to-turn-out-even/) [Rumer Godden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumer-godden/) > [You can be a nuisance to your family. You mustn't be a nuisance to your friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumer-godden/you-can-be-a-nuisance-to-your-family-you-mustn-t-be-a-nuisance-to/) [Rumer Godden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumer-godden/) > [“Towards four o'clock the dew fell, and she smelled a gust of sweetness from the roses and a paleness showed in the sky to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumer-godden/towards-four-o-clock-the-dew-fell-and-she-smelled-a-gust-of-sweetness/) [Rumer Godden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumer-godden/) > [It's only by being obstinate that anything is got, or done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumer-godden/it-s-only-by-being-obstinate-that-anything-is-got-or-done/) [Rumer Godden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumer-godden/) > [“My nation, as all nations, is becoming a land without peace, without thought, without mind, Madam Abbess. We are suffocating our spirits in commercial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumer-godden/my-nation-as-all-nations-is-becoming-a-land-without-peace-without/) [Rumer Godden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumer-godden/) > [Once you have felt the Indian dust, you will never be free of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumer-godden/once-you-have-felt-the-indian-dust-you-will-never-be-free-of-it/) [Rumer Godden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumer-godden/) > [“Every piece of writing... starts from what I call a grit... a sight or sound, a sentence or a happening that does not pass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumer-godden/every-piece-of-writing-starts-from-what-i-call-a-grit-a-sight-or/) [Rumer Godden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumer-godden/) > [If books were Persian carpets, one would not look only at the outer side. because it is the stitch that makes a carpet wear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumer-godden/if-books-were-persian-carpets-one-would-not-look-only-at-the-outer/) [Rumer Godden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumer-godden/) > [With everything that happens to you, with everyone you meet who is important to you, you either die a little or are born.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumer-godden/with-everything-that-happens-to-you-with-everyone-you-meet-who-is/) [Rumer Godden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumer-godden/) > [As one gets older being sad and miserable can become a bit of a habit. To counteract this, she suggests making a point of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumer-godden/as-one-gets-older-being-sad-and-miserable-can-become-a-bit-of-a-habit/) [Rumer Godden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumer-godden/) > [The best would be to have friends who came and went away; but if I had to choose between their never coming or never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumer-godden/the-best-would-be-to-have-friends-who-came-and-went-away-but-if-i-had/) [Rumer Godden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumer-godden/) > [“Harriet told her, 'Captain John was so brave. He stayed there in the battle until his leg was shot off.' Victoria's brown eyes rested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumer-godden/harriet-told-her-captain-john-was-so-brave-he-stayed-there-in-the/) [Rumer Godden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumer-godden/) > [“The human heart Is unknowable. But in my birthplace The flowers still smell The same as always.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumer-godden/the-human-heart-is-unknowable-but-in-my-birthplace-the-flowers-still/) [Rumer Godden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumer-godden/) [Explore all 57 Rumer Godden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumer-godden/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For a dyed-in-the-wool author nothing is as dead as a book once it is written ... she is rather like a cat whose kittens have grown up. While they were a-growing she was passionately interested in them but now they seem hardly to belong to her, and probably she is involved with another batch of kittens as I am involved with other writing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rumer Godden" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumer-godden/for-a-dyed-in-the-wool-author-nothing-is-as-dead-as-a-book-once-it-is-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumer-godden/for-a-dyed-in-the-wool-author-nothing-is-as-dead-as-a-book-once-it-is-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2f/rumer-godden-11889_book_for-a-dyed-in-the-wool-author-nothing-is_2758803.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2f/rumer-godden-11889_book_for-a-dyed-in-the-wool-author-nothing-is_2758803.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2f/rumer-godden-11889_book_for-a-dyed-in-the-wool-author-nothing-is_2758803.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For a dyed-in-the-wool author nothing is as dead as a book once it is written ... she is rather like a cat…” — Rumer Godden", "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": "Rumer Godden", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumer-godden/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For a dyed-in-the-wool author nothing is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumer-godden/for-a-dyed-in-the-wool-author-nothing-is-as-dead-as-a-book-once-it-is-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumer-godden/for-a-dyed-in-the-wool-author-nothing-is-as-dead-as-a-book-once-it-is-2/#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 } } ] } ```