--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I feel like I could devote myself to far…" description: "\"I feel like I could devote myself to far more important things than writing novels.\" — Sally Rooney" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/594/sally-rooney-9142_books_i-feel-like-i-could-devote-myself-to-far_2492098.jpg" --- # I feel like I could devote myself to far more important… ![“I feel like I could devote myself to far more important things than writing novels.” quote by Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/594/sally-rooney-9142_books_i-feel-like-i-could-devote-myself-to-far_2492098.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/594/sally-rooney-9142_books_i-feel-like-i-could-devote-myself-to-far_2492098.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/594/sally-rooney-9142_books_i-feel-like-i-could-devote-myself-to-far_2492098.jpg) > “I feel like I could devote myself to far more important things than writing novels.” [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author doubts the value of writing compared to other pursuits, feeling a sense of misallocation of effort. **In simple terms:** Writing seems less important than other tasks. Key Takeaway Reevaluate priorities and honor creative work. Themes self‑doubt purpose creative work Mood reflective contemplative Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career planning - writing projects - personal fulfillment - time management Key Concepts existentialism value of art Questions to Reflect On - What would you gain by dedicating time to writing? - How might writing serve larger goals? A Different Perspective Creative work can be essential for personal growth despite perceived importance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Important things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-things/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I think one of the good things about writing novels is that you always start from scratch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-semple/i-think-one-of-the-good-things-about-writing-novels-is-that-you/) [Maria Semple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-semple/) > [“Writing is very hard mostly because until you try to write something down, it’s easy to fool yourself into believing you understand things. Writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-vonnegut/writing-is-very-hard-mostly-because-until-you-try-to-write-something/) [Mark Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-vonnegut/) > [One of the beautiful things about writing is that it offers an inner life that's disciplined and at the same time wild. Not in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-sheck/one-of-the-beautiful-things-about-writing-is-that-it-offers-an-inner/) [Laurie Sheck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-sheck/) > [I began to write in the first place because I expected everything to change, and I wanted to have things in writing the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/i-began-to-write-in-the-first-place-because-i-expected-everything-to/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [There are some different things I'm writing and developing, but I don't know where they'll go. They're fun stuff that I would be in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-elliott/there-are-some-different-things-i-m-writing-and-developing-but-i-don/) [Abby Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-elliott/) > [One of the nice things about writing is you can take essentially painful things in your life and turn them into something that might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/one-of-the-nice-things-about-writing-is-you-can-take-essentially/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) > [“Sometimes it's impossible to say certain things ... Writing is something needed by man to share experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arno-t-lustig/sometimes-it-s-impossible-to-say-certain-things-writing-is-something/) Arnost Lustig > [If he wrote it, he could get rid of it. He had gotten rid of many things by writing them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/if-he-wrote-it-he-could-get-rid-of-it-he-had-gotten-rid-of-many/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Writing has got to be an act of discovery. Finding out things about what one is writing about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/writing-has-got-to-be-an-act-of-discovery-finding-out-things-about/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [One of the things I find in writing about people who are dead is that, after a short or long time, no matter how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lindsay-hogg/one-of-the-things-i-find-in-writing-about-people-who-are-dead-is-that/) [Michael Lindsay-Hogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lindsay-hogg/) > [I think every writer has their waves of inspiration and their ways of doing things. But writing is very difficult for me. It's something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chath-piersath/i-think-every-writer-has-their-waves-of-inspiration-and-their-ways-of/) [Chath Piersath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chath-piersath/) > [“One of the really bad things you can do to your writing is to dress up the vocabulary, looking for long words because you’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/one-of-the-really-bad-things-you-can-do-to-your-writing-is-to-dress-2/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [To me, this is one of the great things about writing kids' books: the illustrations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/to-me-this-is-one-of-the-great-things-about-writing-kids-books-the/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [The quality of writing attracts me to films, also who the other actors are, who the director is, where it's being shot. Any or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dance/the-quality-of-writing-attracts-me-to-films-also-who-the-other-actors/) [Charles Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dance/) > [One of the really bad things you can do to your writing is to dress up the vocabulary, looking for long words because you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/one-of-the-really-bad-things-you-can-do-to-your-writing-is-to-dress/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## More by Sally Rooney > [I like Christianity. I'm a fan of Jesus and his whole philosophy but not the social teaching aspects of it, of course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/i-like-christianity-i-m-a-fan-of-jesus-and-his-whole-philosophy-but/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [“I lay there in the bath not thinking, not doing anything. After a few seconds, I heard her open the front door, and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/i-lay-there-in-the-bath-not-thinking-not-doing-anything-after-a-few/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [There are a lot of people who probably enjoyed 'Conversations with Friends' who are part of the system that is actively exploiting other people's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/there-are-a-lot-of-people-who-probably-enjoyed-conversations-with/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [I would rather do two things really, really, really well than do 16 things and have 14 of them fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/i-would-rather-do-two-things-really-really-really-well-than-do-16/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [When I'm writing something, everything falls into place. When I'm not writing, stuff keeps happening to me, and there's nowhere to put it all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/when-i-m-writing-something-everything-falls-into-place-when-i-m-not/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [I try to keep my sentences quite pared back. What I really want to do is observe people's relationships and interactions. I don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/i-try-to-keep-my-sentences-quite-pared-back-what-i-really-want-to-do/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [“Well, if that's suffering, he thinks, let me suffer. Yes. To love whoever I have left. And if ever I lose someone, let me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/well-if-that-s-suffering-he-thinks-let-me-suffer-yes-to-love-whoever/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [“I thought about all the things I had never told Nick about myself, and I started to feel better.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/i-thought-about-all-the-things-i-had-never-told-nick-about-myself-and/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [“All these people are suffering without the tools to end their own suffering. And we who have the tools refuse to do anything about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/all-these-people-are-suffering-without-the-tools-to-end-their-own/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [I couldn't quite get the hang of how to socialise as a teenager. I didn't really understand it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/i-couldn-t-quite-get-the-hang-of-how-to-socialise-as-a-teenager-i/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [I'm very introverted. Easily a few days could go by where I would not really leave the house or talk to anybody other than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/i-m-very-introverted-easily-a-few-days-could-go-by-where-i-would-not/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [I'm not totally comfortable with the ways in which our culture monetises art and literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/i-m-not-totally-comfortable-with-the-ways-in-which-our-culture/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [Dialogue is the most fun to write. It's kind of like a tennis match.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/dialogue-is-the-most-fun-to-write-it-s-kind-of-like-a-tennis-match/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [I don't really believe in the idea of the individual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/i-don-t-really-believe-in-the-idea-of-the-individual/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [It annoys me when contemporary films and television shows create artificial tensions that could easily be resolved by a quick email or the use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/it-annoys-me-when-contemporary-films-and-television-shows-create/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) [Explore all 74 Sally Rooney quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) ## More Books 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/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [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/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [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/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [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/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I feel like I could devote myself to far more important things than writing novels.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sally Rooney" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/i-feel-like-i-could-devote-myself-to-far-more-important-things-than/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/i-feel-like-i-could-devote-myself-to-far-more-important-things-than/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/594/sally-rooney-9142_books_i-feel-like-i-could-devote-myself-to-far_2492098.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/594/sally-rooney-9142_books_i-feel-like-i-could-devote-myself-to-far_2492098.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/594/sally-rooney-9142_books_i-feel-like-i-could-devote-myself-to-far_2492098.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I feel like I could devote myself to far more important things than writing novels.” — Sally Rooney", "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": "Sally Rooney", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I feel like I could devote...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/i-feel-like-i-could-devote-myself-to-far-more-important-things-than/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/i-feel-like-i-could-devote-myself-to-far-more-important-things-than/#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 } } ] } ```