--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I trained as a writer before I became a…" description: "\"I trained as a writer before I became a lawyer. I was headed for a life as an English professor, but that just wasn't me. I'm not a scholar; I didn't h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c65/scott-turow-3838_attitude_i-trained-as-a-writer-before-i-became-a_3044208.jpg" --- # I trained as a writer before I became a lawyer. I was… ![“I trained as a writer before I became a lawyer. I was headed for a life as an English professor, but that just wasn't me. I'm not a scholar; I didn't have a scholar's attitude toward literature.” quote by Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c65/scott-turow-3838_attitude_i-trained-as-a-writer-before-i-became-a_3044208.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c65/scott-turow-3838_attitude_i-trained-as-a-writer-before-i-became-a_3044208.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c65/scott-turow-3838_attitude_i-trained-as-a-writer-before-i-became-a_3044208.jpg) > “I trained as a writer before I became a lawyer. I was headed for a life as an English professor, but that just wasn't me. I'm not a scholar; I didn't have a scholar's attitude toward literature.” [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A writer shifted to law, discovering his true vocation despite initial academic aspirations. **In simple terms:** Changed careers from writing to law. Key Takeaway Embrace evolving passions. Themes career change identity vocational discovery Mood reflective determined Type personal narrative career insight When to use this quote - law school decision - career counseling - personal growth - overcoming doubt Key Concepts self‑actualization professional pivot Questions to Reflect On - What signs indicated law was a better fit? - How can one honor past ambitions while moving forward? A Different Perspective Career shifts can be unsettling and require new skill development. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attitude/) [Became](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/became/) [Before](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/before/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [English](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english/) [Headed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/headed/) [Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just/) [Lawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lawyer/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [Professor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/professor/) [Scholar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scholar/) [Scholar Attitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scholar-attitude-5032800/) [Scholar Didn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scholar-didn-5032799/) [Teachers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teachers/) [Toward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/toward/) [Trained](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trained/) [Trained Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trained-writer-1674120/) [Wasn Scholar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wasn-scholar-5032801/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writer Lawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-lawyer-5032798/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [There are lots of similarities between being a writer and a lawyer: to tell a story to a jury, hold their attention, make them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mortimer/there-are-lots-of-similarities-between-being-a-writer-and-a-lawyer-to/) [John Mortimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mortimer/) > [Certainly it is valuable to a trained writer to crash in an aircraft which burns. He learns several important things very quickly. Whether they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/certainly-it-is-valuable-to-a-trained-writer-to-crash-in-an-aircraft/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [I wasn't trained as a writer-director. 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I was very normal and headed for a lifetime…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-benedict/i-am-very-abnormal-but-it-wasn-t-very-long-ago-that-i-wasn-t-so/) [Dirk Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-benedict/) > [The two-headed boy in the circus never had such a headache.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/the-two-headed-boy-in-the-circus-never-had-such-a-headache/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [The truth is, most of us discover where we are headed when we arrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/the-truth-is-most-of-us-discover-where-we-are-headed-when-we-arrive/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [To make any future that we dreamt up real requires creative scientists, engineers, and technologists to make it happen. If people are not within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/to-make-any-future-that-we-dreamt-up-real-requires-creative/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [You know, plenty of people headed off to Canada or America on the basis of government information, propaganda campaigns. Often you'd go off with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/you-know-plenty-of-people-headed-off-to-canada-or-america-on-the/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) > [I was just taught very early that if I didn't solve problems, I was headed for a very dark path. Problems were everywhere. Now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homaro-cantu/i-was-just-taught-very-early-that-if-i-didn-t-solve-problems-i-was/) [Homaro Cantu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homaro-cantu/) > [I was a strange, dark little dude. I fell in love with horror movies, at a very early age. Somehow, as a first grader,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-roday/i-was-a-strange-dark-little-dude-i-fell-in-love-with-horror-movies-at/) [James Roday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-roday/) > [I'm basically a pretty level-headed guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-paycheck/i-m-basically-a-pretty-level-headed-guy/) [Johnny Paycheck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-paycheck/) > [“Is it so bad being directed if you like where you’re headed?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kresley-cole/is-it-so-bad-being-directed-if-you-like-where-you-re-headed/) [Kresley Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kresley-cole/) > [I was sent there by the Free Congress Committee, headed by Paul Weyrich. Fred Smith and I were sent down as observers, with reporters'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dixie-lee-ray/i-was-sent-there-by-the-free-congress-committee-headed-by-paul/) [Dixie Lee Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dixie-lee-ray/) ## More by Scott Turow > [I'm of that generation of Jews still deeply influenced by the Holocaust. Certainly the notion that the state power to kill can be subject…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/i-m-of-that-generation-of-jews-still-deeply-influenced-by-the/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [I cannot think of a day in my life when the library didn’t exert a potent attraction for me, offering a sense of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/i-cannot-think-of-a-day-in-my-life-when-the-library-didn-t-exert-a/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [Widespread public access to knowledge, like public education, is one of the pillars of our democracy, a guarantee that we can maintain a well-informed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/widespread-public-access-to-knowledge-like-public-education-is-one-of/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [I'm an ambitious person, and Harvard makes me feel successful, just having gotten in here. That's the ugly side of why I'm proud of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/i-m-an-ambitious-person-and-harvard-makes-me-feel-successful-just/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [My sister was a twin, and the other baby died in childbirth, and I was three at the time, and I always kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/my-sister-was-a-twin-and-the-other-baby-died-in-childbirth-and-i-was/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [After a week, it's better. I miss her. I mourn her. But some peace has returned. She had been so unattainable - so young,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/after-a-week-it-s-better-i-miss-her-i-mourn-her-but-some-peace-has/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [There are lots of things about Amazon for which they deserve credit. They're innovative. There are lots of very, very happy Amazon customers. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/there-are-lots-of-things-about-amazon-for-which-they-deserve-credit/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [Postmodernism cost literature its audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/postmodernism-cost-literature-its-audience/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [Libraries function as crucial technology hubs, not merely for free Web access, but for those who need computer training and assistance. Library business centers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/libraries-function-as-crucial-technology-hubs-not-merely-for-free-web/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [That led me to say that when push comes to shove, I'm against capital punishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/that-led-me-to-say-that-when-push-comes-to-shove-i-m-against-capital/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [I hate second-guessing other lawyers because I know that I've tried and lost cases, and somebody could sit there and say, 'Should have done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/i-hate-second-guessing-other-lawyers-because-i-know-that-i-ve-tried/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [The issue is not whether there are horrible cases where the penalty seems "right". The real question is whether we will ever design a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/the-issue-is-not-whether-there-are-horrible-cases-where-the-penalty/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [“It was crime at its purest, in which empathy, that most fundamental aspect of human morality, evaporated and another being became only a target…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/it-was-crime-at-its-purest-in-which-empathy-that-most-fundamental/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [“You accept that it happened. But you know that life burned this hole in your heart and it's not going to heal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/you-accept-that-it-happened-but-you-know-that-life-burned-this-hole/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > ['Presumed Innocent' was written over a six to seven year period with intervals in between where I was figuring out the end of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/presumed-innocent-was-written-over-a-six-to-seven-year-period-with/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) [Explore all 118 Scott Turow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) ## More Attitude quotes > [“WE CAN'T ALWAYS CONTROL OUR CIRCUMSTANCES BUT WE CAN CONTROL OUR ATTITUDE. WE MUST BE MORE CONCERNED WITH WHAT WE DO WITH WHAT HAPPENS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-j-ashton/we-can-t-always-control-our-circumstances-but-we-can-control-our/) [MARVIN J. ASHTON](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-j-ashton/) > [It's not the method, it's the mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gilbert/it-s-not-the-method-it-s-the-mindset/) [Andy Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gilbert/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Changes before your eyes, things you can do and things you can't. My attitude is always let it keep rolling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrence-malick/changes-before-your-eyes-things-you-can-do-and-things-you-can-t-my/) [Terrence Malick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrence-malick/) > [Vow to be valiant. Resolve to be radiant. Determine to be dynamic. Strive to be sincere. Aspire to be attuned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-arthur-ward/vow-to-be-valiant-resolve-to-be-radiant-determine-to-be-dynamic/) [William Arthur Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-arthur-ward/) > [Don't judge me because I'm stupid. Don't judge me because I'm, mean. Don't judge me because I'm weird. Don't judge me for mistakes. Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-harden-me/don-t-judge-me-because-i-m-stupid-don-t-judge-me-because-i-m-mean-don/) [Isaiah Harden (Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaiah-harden-me/) > [Your feelings (mood) dictate your thought, your thought determines your attitude (reactions) and your attitude describes your lifestyle, so: be careful how you feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheye-hassan/your-feelings-mood-dictate-your-thought-your-thought-determines-your/) [Sheye Hassan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheye-hassan/) > [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [“Good Seeds! Gratitude is the Greatest Attitude that has no Substitute.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-kelvin-clive/good-seeds-gratitude-is-the-greatest-attitude-that-has-no-substitute/) [Bernard Kelvin Clive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-kelvin-clive/) > [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/) [Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/) > [One genuine reason to feel jealous of my parents:-) I will never ever have a kid as awesome as their's...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-genuine-reason-to-feel-jealous-of-my-parents-i-will-never-ever/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm optimistic Hong Kong will achieve universal suffrage - no matter the attitude of Beijing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wong/i-m-optimistic-hong-kong-will-achieve-universal-suffrage-no-matter/) [Joshua Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wong/) > [My attitude it that you don't give in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-taylor/my-attitude-it-that-you-don-t-give-in/) [Phil Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-taylor/) > [Transparency pertains to impartial behavior, implies openness, communication, and accountability. Inculcate transparency in attitude and experience a life free of controversy and blame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-anil-kr-sinha/transparency-pertains-to-impartial-behavior-implies-openness/) [Dr Anil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-anil-kr-sinha/) > [And if the mind thinks with a believing attitude one can do amazing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/and-if-the-mind-thinks-with-a-believing-attitude-one-can-do-amazing/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) [Browse all 9,543 Attitude quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attitude/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I trained as a writer before I became a lawyer. I was headed for a life as an English professor, but that just wasn't me. 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