--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For me, writing is a way of thinking. I…" description: "\"For me, writing is a way of thinking. I write in a journal a lot. I'm a very impatient person, so writing and meditation allow me to slow down and watc..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/430/ruth-ozeki-2896_allow_for-me-writing-is-a-way-of-thinking-i-wr_928052.jpg" --- # For me, writing is a way of thinking. I write in a journal… ![“For me, writing is a way of thinking. I write in a journal a lot. I'm a very impatient person, so writing and meditation allow me to slow down and watch my mind; they are containers that keep me in place, hold me still.” quote by Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/430/ruth-ozeki-2896_allow_for-me-writing-is-a-way-of-thinking-i-wr_928052.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/430/ruth-ozeki-2896_allow_for-me-writing-is-a-way-of-thinking-i-wr_928052.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/430/ruth-ozeki-2896_allow_for-me-writing-is-a-way-of-thinking-i-wr_928052.jpg) > “For me, writing is a way of thinking. I write in a journal a lot. I'm a very impatient person, so writing and meditation allow me to slow down and watch my mind; they are containers that keep me in place, hold me still.” [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing serves as a mental rehearsal, helping the impatient mind pause, observe, and anchor thoughts. **In simple terms:** Writing helps calm a restless mind. Key Takeaway Use writing to slow down and reflect. Themes mindfulness creativity self‑discipline Mood calm reflective Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - journaling - meditation - stress reduction - creative planning Key Concepts cognitive processing emotional regulation Questions to Reflect On - How does writing change your thought patterns? - What moments reveal the most insight? A Different Perspective Writing alone cannot resolve deep anxiety without action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Allow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allow/) [Down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/down/) [Hold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hold/) [I write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-write/) [Impatient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impatient/) [Journal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journal/) [Keep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keep/) [Lot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lot/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person/) [Place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/place/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Slow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slow/) [Still](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/still/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Thinking Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking-write-432875/) [Very](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/very/) [Watch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watch/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Way of thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-of-thinking/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Write Journal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-journal-590381/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-meditation-1489318/) ## Related quotes > [Whether you're keeping a journal or writing as a meditation, it's the same thing. What's important is you're having a relationship with your mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/whether-you-re-keeping-a-journal-or-writing-as-a-meditation-it-s-the/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [I write in a journal first, briefly. Then read something I've read many times before, for about half an hour, then rework what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-haruf/i-write-in-a-journal-first-briefly-then-read-something-i-ve-read-many/) [Kent Haruf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-haruf/) > [I like to meditate, take baths at home with essential oils and salts and write in a journal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-kostek/i-like-to-meditate-take-baths-at-home-with-essential-oils-and-salts/) [Camille Kostek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-kostek/) > [If I didn't write in my journal every couple of days, I felt like I was going to burst. Later I learned the research…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/if-i-didn-t-write-in-my-journal-every-couple-of-days-i-felt-like-i/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [The starting point of discovering who you are, your gifts, your talents, your dreams, is being comfortable with yourself. Spend time alone. Write in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-starting-point-of-discovering-who-you-are-your-gifts-your-talents/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I write in my own journal when something extraordinary or funny happens. And there's some nice imagery in there. I don't think of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/i-write-in-my-own-journal-when-something-extraordinary-or-funny/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [To Nobody, then, will I write my Journal! since to Nobody can I be wholly unreserved, to Nobody can I reveal every thought, every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-burney/to-nobody-then-will-i-write-my-journal-since-to-nobody-can-i-be/) [Fanny Burney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-burney/) > [Almost every morning I write in my journal. I've been keeping it for a long time - I've filled more than 50 books. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-mycoskie/almost-every-morning-i-write-in-my-journal-i-ve-been-keeping-it-for-a/) [Blake Mycoskie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-mycoskie/) > [“ How Journal Writing Helps Because of your social anxiety, you may be so afraid that any opinions you have are wrong that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-moehn/how-journal-writing-helps-because-of-your-social-anxiety-you-may-be/) [Heather Moehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-moehn/) > [I write in a journal daily. This extraordinary ritual has revolutionised my mindset, transformed my heartset, and generally influenced my life exponentially.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-s-sharma/i-write-in-a-journal-daily-this-extraordinary-ritual-has/) [Robin S. Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-s-sharma/) > [“I always instruct my students to write a great deal. Write a journal. Take notes. Write when you are feeling wretched, when your mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-always-instruct-my-students-to-write-a-great-deal-write-a-journal/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [“Tonight I write this journal entry on my laptop. Other nights I have handwritten entries in notebooks. Sometimes I jot down notes as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-huntley/tonight-i-write-this-journal-entry-on-my-laptop-other-nights-i-have/) [Paula Huntley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-huntley/) > [I always think it would be so nice to go to the beach and sit and write in my journal, but it never happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-oh/i-always-think-it-would-be-so-nice-to-go-to-the-beach-and-sit-and/) [Sandra Oh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-oh/) > [I think the complaint that I hear most often from kids, even kids who like to write is that don't know what to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-m-martin/i-think-the-complaint-that-i-hear-most-often-from-kids-even-kids-who/) [Ann M. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-m-martin/) > [I have obsessed about my weight in some sort of way all my life. I used to write in my journal what I weighed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-bertinelli/i-have-obsessed-about-my-weight-in-some-sort-of-way-all-my-life-i/) [Valerie Bertinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-bertinelli/) ## More by Ruth Ozeki > [“Time plays tricks on mothers. It teases you with breaks and brief caesuras, only to skip wildly forward, bringing breathtaking changes to your baby's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/time-plays-tricks-on-mothers-it-teases-you-with-breaks-and-brief/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“Everything seemed to grow blacker as I sat there, except for the fireflies whose tiny pulsing lights drew arcs through the dark summer air.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/everything-seemed-to-grow-blacker-as-i-sat-there-except-for-the/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [That's what it feels like when I write, like I have this beautiful world in my head, but when I try to remember it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/that-s-what-it-feels-like-when-i-write-like-i-have-this-beautiful/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“Premonitions are coincidences waiting to happen,” he said, without looking up. “I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/premonitions-are-coincidences-waiting-to-happen-he-said-without/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“As someone who has to teach for a living, I shouldn't be saying this, but the planet can do quite well without books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/as-someone-who-has-to-teach-for-a-living-i-shouldn-t-be-saying-this/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [Life is fleeting. Don't waste a single moment of your precious life. Wake up now! And now! And now!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/life-is-fleeting-don-t-waste-a-single-moment-of-your-precious-life/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“Do not think that time simply flies away. Do not understand “flying” as the only function of time. If time simply flew away, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/do-not-think-that-time-simply-flies-away-do-not-understand-flying-as/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“INSTRUCTIONS FOR ZAZEN First of all, you have to sit down, which you’re probably already doing. The traditional way is to sit on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/instructions-for-zazen-first-of-all-you-have-to-sit-down-which-you-re/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [The wondrous thing about nature, her gift to us, is her wanton promiscuity. She reproduces herself with abandon, with teeming infinite generosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/the-wondrous-thing-about-nature-her-gift-to-us-is-her-wanton/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“this feeling of alive is not so easy to experience. Even although life is a thing that seems to have some kind of weight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/this-feeling-of-alive-is-not-so-easy-to-experience-even-although-life/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [Writing is solitary. You spend so much time alone and in your own mind, telling stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/writing-is-solitary-you-spend-so-much-time-alone-and-in-your-own-mind/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [It was really a means-of-production problem. It costs so much to make films. With a novel, you can write the whole thing on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/it-was-really-a-means-of-production-problem-it-costs-so-much-to-make/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [My mind is like a gyre, and odd juxtapositions happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/my-mind-is-like-a-gyre-and-odd-juxtapositions-happen/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [“Adjunct teachers are the professorial equivalent of the migrant Mexican farm laborers hired during harvest. If you can get a good contract at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/adjunct-teachers-are-the-professorial-equivalent-of-the-migrant/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [She missed the built environment of New York City. It was only in an urban landscape, amid straight lines and architecture, that she could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/she-missed-the-built-environment-of-new-york-city-it-was-only-in-an/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) [Explore all 145 Ruth Ozeki quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) ## More Allow quotes > [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [Please don't allow anyone to make you feel less than what you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hoover/please-don-t-allow-anyone-to-make-you-feel-less-than-what-you-are/) [Colleen Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hoover/) > [Verbs allow you to communicate a story in a much more converged or involuntary way for a reader. The verbs allow you to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/verbs-allow-you-to-communicate-a-story-in-a-much-more-converged-or/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Markets are designed to allow individuals to look after their private needs and to pursue profit. It's really a great invention and I wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/markets-are-designed-to-allow-individuals-to-look-after-their-private/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [Nothing has power over you unless you allow it. No matter what happens, you can choose what and how to think, act, and speak!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nothing-has-power-over-you-unless-you-allow-it-no-matter-what-happens/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you don't allow people to contribute, to offer their point of view, or to criticize what has been put before them, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/if-you-don-t-allow-people-to-contribute-to-offer-their-point-of-view/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [While we welcome people of all faiths in America we cannot be so naive as to expect all countries to do the same. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-huffington/while-we-welcome-people-of-all-faiths-in-america-we-cannot-be-so/) [Michael Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-huffington/) > [“Allow yourself some happiness, so that I can be a part of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montgomery-mahaffey/allow-yourself-some-happiness-so-that-i-can-be-a-part-of-it/) [Montgomery Mahaffey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/montgomery-mahaffey/) > [I've cosponsored legislation to establish a lend-lease program to simplify bureaucratic barriers and allow a speedier transfer of U.S. military equipment to Ukraine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-waltz/i-ve-cosponsored-legislation-to-establish-a-lend-lease-program-to/) [Michael Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-waltz/) > [“Sometimes life doesn't allow us to be free to fly wherever we'd like.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elana-johnson/sometimes-life-doesn-t-allow-us-to-be-free-to-fly-wherever-we-d-like/) [Elana Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elana-johnson/) > [I am that which I am, and I am willing to allow all others to be that which they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/i-am-that-which-i-am-and-i-am-willing-to-allow-all-others-to-be-that/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [By letting go, you allow everything to find it's rightful place. Once free, everything finds its way home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-brown/by-letting-go-you-allow-everything-to-find-it-s-rightful-place-once/) [Leon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-brown/) > [As long as a man's heart beats, as long as a man's flesh quivers, I do not allow that a being gifted with thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-verne/as-long-as-a-man-s-heart-beats-as-long-as-a-man-s-flesh-quivers-i-do/) [Jules Verne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-verne/) > [Allow yourself to graduate, every five years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-guisewite/allow-yourself-to-graduate-every-five-years/) [Cathy Guisewite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-guisewite/) > [“A man will only do what you allow him to do,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kennedi-dior/a-man-will-only-do-what-you-allow-him-to-do/) [Kennedi Dior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kennedi-dior/) [Browse all 1,065 Allow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allow/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For me, writing is a way of thinking. 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