Ability Quote by Sandra Cisneros
“The ability to be present with every single person and engage was a great model for me of the work that a writer needs to do. Writers, living or dead, still guide me in many ways.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: 2012 on writing process
Being fully present with each person informs a writer’s work, showing that listening shapes storytelling.
In simple terms: Listen deeply to inspire writing.
Key Takeaway
Cultivate presence to enrich writing.
Themes
writing
presence
listening
storytelling
learning
Mood
thoughtful
inspirational
Type
philosophical
reflective
When to use this quote
- interviews
- workshops
- reading groups
- personal reflection
Key Concepts
empathy
narrative craft
mindfulness
Questions to Reflect On
- How does listening change your narrative?
- What practices help you stay present?
A Different Perspective
Listening can be emotionally draining.
![“[Jorge Luis Borges] had short stories, and I was trying to learn how to write short stories, and then he had these things in the middle that were like fables, and I loved hearing fables.” quote by Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a46/sandra-cisneros-862_borges_jorge-luis-borges-had-short-stories-and_102630.jpg)
![“We changed it to emocionó, the way you say in Spanish, "to emotion me" [to be moved]. That, as opposed to "haunt." We wanted the feeling of sadness and grief and obsession, so we used emocionó.” quote by Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/8fc/sandra-cisneros-862_changed_we-changed-it-to-emocion-the-way-you-say_108295.jpg)
