--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Your worst enemy as a writer - especially…" description: "\"Your worst enemy as a writer - especially one working online a lot of the time - is obscurity.\" — Ryan North" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e6/ryan-north-7388_enemy_your-worst-enemy-as-a-writer-especially_1112173.jpg" --- # Your worst enemy as a writer - especially one working… ![“Your worst enemy as a writer - especially one working online a lot of the time - is obscurity.” quote by Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e6/ryan-north-7388_enemy_your-worst-enemy-as-a-writer-especially_1112173.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e6/ryan-north-7388_enemy_your-worst-enemy-as-a-writer-especially_1112173.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e6/ryan-north-7388_enemy_your-worst-enemy-as-a-writer-especially_1112173.jpg) > “Your worst enemy as a writer - especially one working online a lot of the time - is obscurity.” [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Obscurity hides a writer’s voice, limiting impact and audience connection. **In simple terms:** Being unknown limits a writer’s reach. Key Takeaway Seek visibility and audience. Themes creativity visibility writing Mood determined hopeful Type motivational strategic When to use this quote - publishing - online platforms - networking - content strategy - career development Key Concepts audience engagement marketing self-promotion Questions to Reflect On - What steps increase your visibility? - How can you balance creation with promotion? A Different Perspective Focusing solely on output may ignore quality or relevance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Obscurity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obscurity/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Worst enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worst-enemy/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [The enemy of a writer is not controversy but obscurity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-p-young/the-enemy-of-a-writer-is-not-controversy-but-obscurity/) [William P. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-p-young/) > [“In many ways semantic search takes us back to the golden days of the Web when in terms of working online anything was possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-amerland/in-many-ways-semantic-search-takes-us-back-to-the-golden-days-of-the/) [David Amerland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-amerland/) > [I think my worst enemy was myself. It's like I've been in my own way more than anybody else has been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/i-think-my-worst-enemy-was-myself-it-s-like-i-ve-been-in-my-own-way/) [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) > [On a mission your worst enemy is idle time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nipsey-hussle/on-a-mission-your-worst-enemy-is-idle-time/) [Nipsey Hussle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nipsey-hussle/) > [Your Worst Enemy Could Be Your Best Friend && Your Best Friend Your Worst Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-marley/your-worst-enemy-could-be-your-best-friend-your-best-friend-your/) [Bob Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-marley/) > [I think sometimes your worst enemy is inside your head. All your insecurities, your ego, your fears, your expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-gerardo-mendez/i-think-sometimes-your-worst-enemy-is-inside-your-head-all-your/) [Luis Gerardo Mendez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-gerardo-mendez/) > [I control my life and I have never let success run away with me - I've taken it and ran. And the only thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaka-khan/i-control-my-life-and-i-have-never-let-success-run-away-with-me-i-ve/) [Chaka Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaka-khan/) > [“You should never tell your best friend anything you wouldn´t be prepared to tell your worst enemy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hoffman/you-should-never-tell-your-best-friend-anything-you-wouldn-t-be/) [Paul Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hoffman/) > [I'm my own worst enemy. I like to eat, and when people tell me to do something I do the opposite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-arreola/i-m-my-own-worst-enemy-i-like-to-eat-and-when-people-tell-me-to-do/) [Chris Arreola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-arreola/) > [We're our own worst enemies a lot of the time, but I still blame men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/we-re-our-own-worst-enemies-a-lot-of-the-time-but-i-still-blame-men/) [Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/) > [Liberal Catholics are the worst enemies of the Church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-pius-ix/liberal-catholics-are-the-worst-enemies-of-the-church/) [Pope Pius IX](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-pius-ix/) > [I will negotiate with my worst enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-newsom/i-will-negotiate-with-my-worst-enemy/) [Gavin Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-newsom/) > [Sometimes worst enemies like a Mohammed Ali and Joe Frazier that's what makes you fight so hard. Without them they never would have achieved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvester-stallone/sometimes-worst-enemies-like-a-mohammed-ali-and-joe-frazier-that-s/) [Sylvester Stallone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvester-stallone/) > [It is never just disagreement but always intellectual dishonesty that is the apologist's worst enemy. And its apprentice is ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/it-is-never-just-disagreement-but-always-intellectual-dishonesty-that/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [That's your best friend and your worst enemy - your own brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-durst/that-s-your-best-friend-and-your-worst-enemy-your-own-brain/) [Fred Durst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-durst/) ## More by Ryan North > [I've never written a novel before, and part of the reason I haven't is I was worried about getting 50,000 words into a book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/i-ve-never-written-a-novel-before-and-part-of-the-reason-i-haven-t-is/) [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) > [We need to encourage our kids to express their feelings. We need to help them find their voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/we-need-to-encourage-our-kids-to-express-their-feelings-we-need-to/) [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) > [I've said this before, but I think one of the reason so many of the cartoonists I know have become friends is because the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/i-ve-said-this-before-but-i-think-one-of-the-reason-so-many-of-the/) [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) > [You have to recognize as a creative person that not everyone's going to be into what you're doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/you-have-to-recognize-as-a-creative-person-that-not-everyone-s-going/) [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) > [I actually put Jubilee in 'Squirrel Girl.' I made it a priority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/i-actually-put-jubilee-in-squirrel-girl-i-made-it-a-priority/) [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) > [The funny thing with Ophelia is that I remembered her being this really cool, awesome female character when I read 'Hamlet' in high school,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/the-funny-thing-with-ophelia-is-that-i-remembered-her-being-this/) [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) > [“Algebraic to the limit!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/algebraic-to-the-limit/) [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) > [Being online works really well for any creative work, but especially comics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/being-online-works-really-well-for-any-creative-work-but-especially/) [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) > [With 'Machine of Death,' we became the #1 bestselling book on Amazon in a single day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/with-machine-of-death-we-became-the-1-bestselling-book-on-amazon-in-a/) [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) > [My first book, 'To Be or Not To Be,' took 'Hamlet' and converted it to the choose-your-own-path format. It was a great fit for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/my-first-book-to-be-or-not-to-be-took-hamlet-and-converted-it-to-the/) [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) > [I used to worry that I had a finite supply of ideas, that I should hold on to each of them in case it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/i-used-to-worry-that-i-had-a-finite-supply-of-ideas-that-i-should/) [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) > [Librarians are awesome; I don't care who knows it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/librarians-are-awesome-i-don-t-care-who-knows-it/) [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) > [ComicsAlliance asked if I wanted to do some holiday comics using a new layout and I said ‘HELLO, NEVER IN MY NEAR-DECADE OF MAKING…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/comicsalliance-asked-if-i-wanted-to-do-some-holiday-comics-using-a/) [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) > [I am a big proponent of the pal-centric lifestyle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/i-am-a-big-proponent-of-the-pal-centric-lifestyle/) [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) > [The first mp3 I downloaded, which I guess was illegal, was a symphonic rendering of the Super Mario Brothers 1-1 theme song. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/the-first-mp3-i-downloaded-which-i-guess-was-illegal-was-a-symphonic/) [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) [Explore all 92 Ryan North quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) ## More Enemy quotes > [Shall there be truth between us, as two men? Not as friends, but as enemies and equals?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/shall-there-be-truth-between-us-as-two-men-not-as-friends-but-as/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [“Before you were my enemy, you were my best friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kresley-cole/before-you-were-my-enemy-you-were-my-best-friend/) [Kresley Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kresley-cole/) > [It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to the enemy's one, to surround him; if five to one, to attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/it-is-the-rule-in-war-if-our-forces-are-ten-to-the-enemy-s-one-to/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [Fear is a man's worst enemy, but love is a man's most powerful weapon against anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/fear-is-a-man-s-worst-enemy-but-love-is-a-man-s-most-powerful-weapon/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The surprise of an army is now next to an impossibility. ... Prearranged surprises are rare and difficult because in order to plan one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-henri-jomini/the-surprise-of-an-army-is-now-next-to-an-impossibility-prearranged/) [Antoine-Henri Jomini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-henri-jomini/) > [“Never let your Enemies become your Advocates.” by A. K. Hasan”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-k-hasan/never-let-your-enemies-become-your-advocates-by-a-k-hasan/) A.K. Hasan > [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/) [Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/) > [Pain held no terror for him. Pain was, if not friend, then family, something he had grown up with in his crèche, learning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/pain-held-no-terror-for-him-pain-was-if-not-friend-then-family/) [Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/) > [To achieve victory we must mass our forces at the hub of all power & movement. The enemy's 'Center of Gravity'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-achieve-victory-we-must-mass-our-forces-at-the-hub-of-all-power/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't see why we and the Chinese should have to be enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/i-don-t-see-why-we-and-the-chinese-should-have-to-be-enemies/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [The invention of gunpowder and the constant improvement of firearms are enough in themselves to show that the advance of civilization has done nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-von-clausewitz/the-invention-of-gunpowder-and-the-constant-improvement-of-firearms/) [Carl von Clausewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-von-clausewitz/) > [Perfection is the enemy of greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/perfection-is-the-enemy-of-greatness/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [In this business, you find the enemy, then go after and destroy him. Everything else is rubbish!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-rickenbacker/in-this-business-you-find-the-enemy-then-go-after-and-destroy-him/) [Eddie Rickenbacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-rickenbacker/) > [“Enemies Teach. Friends Preach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tapan-ghosh/enemies-teach-friends-preach/) [Tapan Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tapan-ghosh/) [Browse all 7,981 Enemy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Your worst enemy as a writer - especially one working online a lot of the time - is obscurity.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ryan North" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/your-worst-enemy-as-a-writer-especially-one-working-online-a-lot-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Enemy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/your-worst-enemy-as-a-writer-especially-one-working-online-a-lot-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e6/ryan-north-7388_enemy_your-worst-enemy-as-a-writer-especially_1112173.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e6/ryan-north-7388_enemy_your-worst-enemy-as-a-writer-especially_1112173.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e6/ryan-north-7388_enemy_your-worst-enemy-as-a-writer-especially_1112173.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Your worst enemy as a writer - especially one working online a lot of the time - is obscurity.” — Ryan North", "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": "Ryan North", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Your worst enemy as a writer...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/your-worst-enemy-as-a-writer-especially-one-working-online-a-lot-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/your-worst-enemy-as-a-writer-especially-one-working-online-a-lot-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 } } ] } ```