--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our instinct as human beings is to…" description: "\"Our instinct as human beings is to provide answers, to ease tension. As writers our job is the opposite, to create tension and not dispel it immediatel..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ce/sol-stein-30398_answers_our-instinct-as-human-beings-is-to-provi_1559011.png" --- # Our instinct as human beings is to provide answers, to… ![“Our instinct as human beings is to provide answers, to ease tension. As writers our job is the opposite, to create tension and not dispel it immediately.” quote by Sol Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ce/sol-stein-30398_answers_our-instinct-as-human-beings-is-to-provi_1559011.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ce/sol-stein-30398_answers_our-instinct-as-human-beings-is-to-provi_1559011.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ce/sol-stein-30398_answers_our-instinct-as-human-beings-is-to-provi_1559011.png) > “Our instinct as human beings is to provide answers, to ease tension. As writers our job is the opposite, to create tension and not dispel it immediately.” [Sol Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-stein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writers should deliberately generate tension rather than instantly resolve it, fostering engagement. **In simple terms:** Writers create tension, not ease it. Key Takeaway Embrace conflict to engage readers. Themes writing conflict engagement Mood thoughtful creative Type instructional inspirational When to use this quote - novel drafting - screenwriting - story workshops Key Concepts Narrative tension reader response Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance tension and resolution? - When should tension be released? A Different Perspective Tension can alienate if overused. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Answers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answers/) [Create Tension](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/create-tension-421608/) [Ease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ease/) [Ease Tension](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ease-tension-681946/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Instinct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instinct/) [Instinct Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instinct-human-2231445/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Opposites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposites/) [Tension](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tension/) [Tension Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tension-writers-1516010/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [There's always been a little bit of tension between the writers of science fiction literature and then science-fiction televised shows or movies, partly because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-scalzi/there-s-always-been-a-little-bit-of-tension-between-the-writers-of/) [John Scalzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-scalzi/) > [To create tension, dialogue needs to be stretched out. That is, characters should not be immediately responsive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-stein/to-create-tension-dialogue-needs-to-be-stretched-out-that-is/) [Sol Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-stein/) > [It is my belief that the most challenging photographs are those that create a tension between what we refer to as the real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ballen/it-is-my-belief-that-the-most-challenging-photographs-are-those-that/) [Roger Ballen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ballen/) > [Any time you do action and horror, you've always got to try to find a way to make it fresh for the audience, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rodriguez/any-time-you-do-action-and-horror-you-ve-always-got-to-try-to-find-a/) [Robert Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rodriguez/) > [You don't get a chance to take a breath but when you do, you have some really good comedy moments that ease up on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-r-ellis/you-don-t-get-a-chance-to-take-a-breath-but-when-you-do-you-have-some/) [David R. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-r-ellis/) > [It may be that the strongest instinct of the human race, stronger than sex or hunger, is curiosity: the absolute need to know. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-finney/it-may-be-that-the-strongest-instinct-of-the-human-race-stronger-than/) [Jack Finney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-finney/) > [Seems to be a deep instinct in human beings for making everything compulsory that isn't forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/seems-to-be-a-deep-instinct-in-human-beings-for-making-everything/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [2 ease tension Listen pay close attention 2 the soul between the noise Remain poised Ego must be destroyed. Its more 2 Life than androids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonnylongquotes/2-ease-tension-listen-pay-close-attention-2-the-soul-between-the/) [SonnyLongQuotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonnylongquotes/) > [When ill luck besets us, to ease the tension we have only to remember that happiness is relative. The next time you are tempted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/when-ill-luck-besets-us-to-ease-the-tension-we-have-only-to-remember/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [My instinct about a human being is paramount. For me, when a director has walked into my room or an assistant that I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-johar/my-instinct-about-a-human-being-is-paramount-for-me-when-a-director/) [Karan Johar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-johar/) > [In the end, it's acting, it's not real. But every director will tell you that you have to create conditions that create tension, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-greengrass/in-the-end-it-s-acting-it-s-not-real-but-every-director-will-tell-you/) [Paul Greengrass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-greengrass/) > [So what does a good teacher do? Create tension - but just the right amount.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-what-does-a-good-teacher-do-create-tension-but-just-the-right/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There are other ways to create tension and drama than to have somebody stabbed through the back with a sword.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/there-are-other-ways-to-create-tension-and-drama-than-to-have/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [There's something about a supernatural universe that you would think would actually make it easier to create tension and build conflict and have big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-plec/there-s-something-about-a-supernatural-universe-that-you-would-think/) [Julie Plec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-plec/) > [“I felt I should repeat it for the other slipper, in case there should be any bad feelings between the two. One should never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/i-felt-i-should-repeat-it-for-the-other-slipper-in-case-there-should/) [Rachel Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-caine/) ## More by Sol Stein > [Readers take in dialogue one thought at a time. A frequent mistake of beginners is to combine thoughts, which may be suitable for other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-stein/readers-take-in-dialogue-one-thought-at-a-time-a-frequent-mistake-of/) [Sol Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-stein/) > [To create tension, dialogue needs to be stretched out. That is, characters should not be immediately responsive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-stein/to-create-tension-dialogue-needs-to-be-stretched-out-that-is/) [Sol Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-stein/) > [The biggest difference between a writer and a would-be writer is their attitude toward rewriting. . . . Unwillingness to revise usually signals an amateur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-stein/the-biggest-difference-between-a-writer-and-a-would-be-writer-is/) [Sol Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-stein/) > [“It can be said that one slip of point of view by a writer can hurt a story badly, and several slips can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-stein/it-can-be-said-that-one-slip-of-point-of-view-by-a-writer-can-hurt-a/) [Sol Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-stein/) > [Most of the time, tough, combative, adversarial dialogue is much more exciting than physical action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-stein/most-of-the-time-tough-combative-adversarial-dialogue-is-much-more/) [Sol Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-stein/) > [“The novelist is like the conductor of an orchestra, his back to the audience, his face invisible, summoning the experience of music for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-stein/the-novelist-is-like-the-conductor-of-an-orchestra-his-back-to-the/) [Sol Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-stein/) > [Dialogue, contrary to popular view, is not a recording of actual speech; it is a semblance of speech, an invented language of exchanges that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-stein/dialogue-contrary-to-popular-view-is-not-a-recording-of-actual-speech/) [Sol Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-stein/) > [I see manuscripts and books that are spoiled for the literary reader because they are one long stream of top-of-the-head writing, a writer telling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-stein/i-see-manuscripts-and-books-that-are-spoiled-for-the-literary-reader/) [Sol Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-stein/) > [In our not-yet-acknowledged secret garden lie the seeds of some of our best not-yet-written stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-stein/in-our-not-yet-acknowledged-secret-garden-lie-the-seeds-of-some-of/) [Sol Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-stein/) > [A reader's emotions can be sparked with few words. That's the power of dialogue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-stein/a-reader-s-emotions-can-be-sparked-with-few-words-that-s-the-power-of/) [Sol Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-stein/) > [Dialogue is a lean language in which every word counts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-stein/dialogue-is-a-lean-language-in-which-every-word-counts/) [Sol Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-stein/) > [“We are all writers from an early age. Most of what we write is nonfiction—essays for school, letters to friends, memoranda to colleagues—in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-stein/we-are-all-writers-from-an-early-age-most-of-what-we-write-is/) [Sol Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-stein/) > [The expert magician seeks to deceive the mind, rather than the eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-stein/the-expert-magician-seeks-to-deceive-the-mind-rather-than-the-eye/) [Sol Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-stein/) > [A writer writes what other people only think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-stein/a-writer-writes-what-other-people-only-think/) [Sol Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-stein/) > [Readers, transformed by film and TV, are used to seeing stories. The reading experience . . . is increasingly visual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-stein/readers-transformed-by-film-and-tv-are-used-to-seeing-stories-the/) [Sol Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-stein/) [Explore all 17 Sol Stein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-stein/) ## More Answers quotes > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [“As long as you keep searching,the answers will come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kynock/as-long-as-you-keep-searching-the-answers-will-come/) [Mitch Kynock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kynock/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/) [Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/) > [A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/a-religious-person-answers-to-god-not-to-the-elected-or-non-elected/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. The lyrics are the answer to all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-asking-a-girl-how-she-feels-try-looking-through-her/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [Enjoying life isn't about finding the answers, but living the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-margolis/enjoying-life-isn-t-about-finding-the-answers-but-living-the-questions/) [Sue Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-margolis/) [Browse all 7,843 Answers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Our instinct as human beings is to provide answers, to ease tension. 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