---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Bad writers have influences. Good writers…"
description: "\"Bad writers have influences. Good writers steal.\" — S.M. Stirling"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d0/s-m-stirling-11637_good-writers_bad-writers-have-influences-good-writers_2549280.jpg"
---

#  Bad writers have influences. Good writers steal.

![“Bad writers have influences. Good writers steal.” quote by S.M. Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d0/s-m-stirling-11637_good-writers_bad-writers-have-influences-good-writers_2549280.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d0/s-m-stirling-11637_good-writers_bad-writers-have-influences-good-writers_2549280.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d0/s-m-stirling-11637_good-writers_bad-writers-have-influences-good-writers_2549280.jpg)

> “Bad writers have influences. Good writers steal.”

[S.M. Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-m-stirling/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Good writers take existing ideas and reshape them into something new.

**In simple terms:** Good writers steal.

Key Takeaway

Learn from others and create original work.

Themes

creativity influence originality

Mood

inspired cautious

Type

educational philosophical

When to use this quote

- novel writing
- screenwriting
- design
- marketing

Key Concepts

intertextuality innovation

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you credit sources?
- What makes an idea truly yours?

A Different Perspective

Stealing can blur ethical lines without proper credit.

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[Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

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> [I always think that good writers should be growing up on the brink of death - it really lets them see mortality very clearly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/i-always-think-that-good-writers-should-be-growing-up-on-the-brink-of/)

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[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [Good writers are those who keep the language efficient. That is to say, keep it accurate, keep it clear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/good-writers-are-those-who-keep-the-language-efficient-that-is-to-say/)

[Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/)

> [Well, you know when people are no good at anything else they become writers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/well-you-know-when-people-are-no-good-at-anything-else-they-become/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

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## More by S.M. Stirling

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Browse all 203 Good writers quotes

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