---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I'm not writing a thing, depression…"
description: "\"If I'm not writing a thing, depression might be looming.\" — Sarah Manguso"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/sarah-manguso-11172_depression_if-i-m-not-writing-a-thing-depression-mi_1552319.jpg"
---

#  If I'm not writing a thing, depression might be looming.

![“If I'm not writing a thing, depression might be looming.” quote by Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/sarah-manguso-11172_depression_if-i-m-not-writing-a-thing-depression-mi_1552319.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/sarah-manguso-11172_depression_if-i-m-not-writing-a-thing-depression-mi_1552319.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/sarah-manguso-11172_depression_if-i-m-not-writing-a-thing-depression-mi_1552319.jpg)

> “If I'm not writing a thing, depression might be looming.”

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

## About This Quote

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

The speaker links lack of writing activity with the risk of depression, highlighting creative work as a mental health safeguard.

**In simple terms:** Not writing may lead to depression.

Key Takeaway

Maintain a writing habit.

Themes

mental health creativity depression

Mood

reflective serious

Type

advice personal

When to use this quote

- daily journaling
- creative projects
- therapy sessions

Key Concepts

psychology self-care

Questions to Reflect On

- How does writing affect your mood?
- What other activities help?

A Different Perspective

Writing alone may not prevent depression.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression/) [Depression Looming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression-looming-5804455/) [Looming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looming/) [Thing Depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-depression-469383/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-thing/)

## Related quotes

> [“The last time I’d been unwell, suicidally depressed, whatever you want to call it, the reactions of my friends and family had fallen into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-keyes/the-last-time-i-d-been-unwell-suicidally-depressed-whatever-you-want/)

[Marian Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-keyes/)

> [The thing with depression is you don't realise you have it and even when you do you don't want to realise you have it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cavendish/the-thing-with-depression-is-you-don-t-realise-you-have-it-and-even/)

[Mark Cavendish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cavendish/)

> [“The thing about depression is that, if you're not the one who's actually suffering from it, there's very little you can do to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-silverman/the-thing-about-depression-is-that-if-you-re-not-the-one-who-s/)

[Sarah Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-silverman/)

> [“But that’s the thing with depression. Sometimes there is no controlling it. Sometimes it sneaks up on you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-oram/but-that-s-the-thing-with-depression-sometimes-there-is-no/)

[Kelly Oram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-oram/)

> [“Night—it’s the only thing that will cover up one of my black moods. Good thing my depression isn’t an every day kind of thing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/night-it-s-the-only-thing-that-will-cover-up-one-of-my-black-moods/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [That's the thing about depression: A human being can survive almost anything, as long as she sees the end in sight. But depression is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wurtzel/that-s-the-thing-about-depression-a-human-being-can-survive-almost-2/)

[Elizabeth Wurtzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wurtzel/)

> [“The scariest thing about depression is how normal it starts to feel. How silence becomes your native language. How disappearing starts to sound like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-holland-dicks/the-scariest-thing-about-depression-is-how-normal-it-starts-to-feel/)

[Chloe Holland Dicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-holland-dicks/)

> [That's the thing about depression: A human being can survive almost anything, as long as she sees the end in sight. But depression is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-s-the-thing-about-depression-a-human-being-can-survive-almost/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Because that's the thing about depression. When I feel it deeply, I don't want to let it go. It becomes a comfort. I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-perkins/because-that-s-the-thing-about-depression-when-i-feel-it-deeply-i-don/)

[Stephanie Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-perkins/)

> [The worst thing about depression isn't the sense that you're accentuating the negative, it's that you're seeing things the way they really are, stripped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lileks/the-worst-thing-about-depression-isn-t-the-sense-that-you-re/)

[James Lileks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lileks/)

> [~Are you happy I honestly couldnt even tell you what happiness feels like anymore. I dont love myself, I hate me! I am a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/she-s-gone/are-you-happy-i-honestly-couldnt-even-tell-you-what-happiness-feels/)

[She's\_gone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/she-s-gone/)

> [“And that's the most frustrating thing about depression. It isn't always something you can fight back against with hope. It isn't even something -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allie-brosh/and-that-s-the-most-frustrating-thing-about-depression-it-isn-t/)

[Allie Brosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allie-brosh/)

> [Depression is a bad thing, there is no depression in heaven, one of the things Jesus came to rescue us from is depression. THE…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goddey-wilson/depression-is-a-bad-thing-there-is-no-depression-in-heaven-one-of-the/)

[GODDEY WILSON](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goddey-wilson/)

> [The interesting thing about depression and anxiety is that, it's not always wholly negative things that bring them on. Often times, those heavy swings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-sullivan/the-interesting-thing-about-depression-and-anxiety-is-that-it-s-not/)

[Chris Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-sullivan/)

> [ This story \["The Depressed Person"\] was the most painful thing I ever wrote. It's about narcissism, which is a part of depression. The character… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/this-story-the-depressed-person-was-the-most-painful-thing-i-ever/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

## More by Sarah Manguso

> [I like people who possess either deep mastery or deep empathy, but not as much as I like those who possess both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/i-like-people-who-possess-either-deep-mastery-or-deep-empathy-but-not/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

> [The best thing about time passing is the privilege of running out of it, of watching the wave of mortality break over me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/the-best-thing-about-time-passing-is-the-privilege-of-running-out-of/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

> [“The trouble with comparing yourself to others is that there are too many others. Using all others as your control group, all your worst…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/the-trouble-with-comparing-yourself-to-others-is-that-there-are-too/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

> [“There will come a time when people decide you've had enough of your grief, and they'll try to take it away from you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/there-will-come-a-time-when-people-decide-you-ve-had-enough-of-your/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

> [“It’s impossible to fail if one doesn’t know how the end should look. And it’s impossible to succeed. But it’s possible to enjoy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/it-s-impossible-to-fail-if-one-doesn-t-know-how-the-end-should-look/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

> [“I tend to forget that my measurement of time is designed to distract me from what's really happening.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/i-tend-to-forget-that-my-measurement-of-time-is-designed-to-distract/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

> [My existence shrank from an arrow of light pointing into the future forever to a speck of light that was the present moment. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/my-existence-shrank-from-an-arrow-of-light-pointing-into-the-future/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

> [“Whatever you're feeling, billions already have. Feel for them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/whatever-you-re-feeling-billions-already-have-feel-for-them/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

> [“ My friend Isabel says, When you’re writing even a short novel, with at least a couple of subplots, and God only knows how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/my-friend-isabel-says-when-you-re-writing-even-a-short-novel-with-at/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

> [The only thing I've consistently been interested in in the last twenty-five years is writing very short texts. That continues to interest me as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/the-only-thing-i-ve-consistently-been-interested-in-in-the-last/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

> [“Like a vase, a heart breaks once. After that, it just yields to its flaws.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/like-a-vase-a-heart-breaks-once-after-that-it-just-yields-to-its-flaws/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

> [“Death will reveal what you otherwise would have finished. Also what you never would have finished. I found the notes for a book a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/death-will-reveal-what-you-otherwise-would-have-finished-also-what/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

> [Those who claim to write about something larger and more significant than the self sometimes fail to comprehend the dimensions of self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/those-who-claim-to-write-about-something-larger-and-more-significant/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

> [Look at me, dancing my little dance for a few moments against the background of eternity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/look-at-me-dancing-my-little-dance-for-a-few-moments-against-the/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

> [Chair or no chair: a binary relation. But the vicissitudes of moving the body around are infinite. You never know what a person in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/chair-or-no-chair-a-binary-relation-but-the-vicissitudes-of-moving/)

[Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

[Explore all 61 Sarah Manguso quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/)

## More Depression quotes

> [These joys were so trifling as to be as imperceptible as grains of gold among the sand, and in moments of depression she saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/these-joys-were-so-trifling-as-to-be-as-imperceptible-as-grains-of/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [“As ofttimes as it rains on my little spot of earth, you'd think I'd grow accustomed to the gloom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/as-ofttimes-as-it-rains-on-my-little-spot-of-earth-you-d-think-i-d/)

[Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/)

> [There's only so much for a man to take...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-gilchrist/there-s-only-so-much-for-a-man-to-take/)

[Kirsten Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-gilchrist/)

> [“my stomach turned and burned with the acid of failure”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-ames/my-stomach-turned-and-burned-with-the-acid-of-failure/)

[Heidi Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-ames/)

> [That is the real problem of depression - a condition which will affect an estimated one in five of the population at some point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-andreae/that-is-the-real-problem-of-depression-a-condition-which-will-affect/)

[Giles Andreae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-andreae/)

> [Im tired, tired of putting more effort than you do. Im tired of always having to start the conversation and if I dont, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-tired-tired-of-putting-more-effort-than-you-do-im-tired-of-always/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Once upon a time, there was a naïve and innocent girl who thought she could tame the beast and live happily ever after. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nenia-campbell/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-na-ve-and-innocent-girl-who-thought-she/)

[Nenia Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nenia-campbell/)

> [“Why in depression" "If we are human, why not have the right to smile, Why in depression, young, and beautiful as earth, Why in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanilsa-pena/why-in-depression-if-we-are-human-why-not-have-the-right-to-smile-why/)

[Yanilsa pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanilsa-pena/)

> [“Depression makes me stronger”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shayamalan/depression-makes-me-stronger/)

[Shayamalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shayamalan/)

> [“Shorter believes that psychosomatic illnesses (such as leg paralysis at the turn of the twentieth century or multiple personality disorder at the turn of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-watters/shorter-believes-that-psychosomatic-illnesses-such-as-leg-paralysis/)

[Ethan Watters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-watters/)

> [Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/depression-is-merely-anger-without-enthusiasm/)

[Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/)

> [Repression will provoke rebellion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-williamson/repression-will-provoke-rebellion/)

[Hugh Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-williamson/)

> [I'm certainly not a perfect mother, but I'm trying to be what my mother wasn't for me. My mother's battled depression, so I understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-hamill/i-m-certainly-not-a-perfect-mother-but-i-m-trying-to-be-what-my/)

[Dorothy Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-hamill/)

> [Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buckham-kennedy/every-trial-endured-and-weathered-in-the-right-spirit-makes-a-soul/)

[James Buckham Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buckham-kennedy/)

> [Scars by Papa Roach. &lt;3](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophielianne/scars-by-papa-roach-3/)

[Sophielianne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophielianne/)

[Browse all 4,965 Depression quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If I'm not writing a thing, depression might be looming.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sarah Manguso"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/if-i-m-not-writing-a-thing-depression-might-be-looming/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Depression"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/if-i-m-not-writing-a-thing-depression-might-be-looming/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/sarah-manguso-11172_depression_if-i-m-not-writing-a-thing-depression-mi_1552319.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/sarah-manguso-11172_depression_if-i-m-not-writing-a-thing-depression-mi_1552319.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/sarah-manguso-11172_depression_if-i-m-not-writing-a-thing-depression-mi_1552319.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If I'm not writing a thing, depression might be looming.” — Sarah Manguso",
                "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": "Sarah Manguso",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If I'm not writing a thing,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/if-i-m-not-writing-a-thing-depression-might-be-looming/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/if-i-m-not-writing-a-thing-depression-might-be-looming/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
