--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writing is another powerful way to…" description: "\"Writing is another powerful way to sharpen the mental saw. Keeping a journal of our thoughts, experiences, insights, and learnings promotes mental clar..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a45/stephen-covey-339_clarity_writing-is-another-powerful-way-to-sharp_1751920.jpg" --- # Writing is another powerful way to sharpen the mental saw… ![“Writing is another powerful way to sharpen the mental saw. Keeping a journal of our thoughts, experiences, insights, and learnings promotes mental clarity, exactness, and context.” quote by Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a45/stephen-covey-339_clarity_writing-is-another-powerful-way-to-sharp_1751920.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a45/stephen-covey-339_clarity_writing-is-another-powerful-way-to-sharp_1751920.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a45/stephen-covey-339_clarity_writing-is-another-powerful-way-to-sharp_1751920.jpg) > “Writing is another powerful way to sharpen the mental saw. Keeping a journal of our thoughts, experiences, insights, and learnings promotes mental clarity, exactness, and context.” [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Keeping a journal sharpens mental clarity, precision, and context, making thoughts and experiences concrete and facilitating personal growth. **In simple terms:** Journaling improves mental sharpness and insight. Key Takeaway Write regularly to clarify thinking. Themes self-improvement clarity reflection learning discipline Mood thoughtful focused inspired Type practical philosophical When to use this quote - personal development - academic study - creative writing - coaching - therapy Key Concepts cognitive psychology habit formation mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - What insights have you gained from recent entries? - How can you turn reflections into action? A Different Perspective Journaling alone may not address deep emotional issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clarity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clarity/) [Exactness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exactness/) [Insight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insight/) [Journal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journal/) [Journal Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journal-thoughts-1612177/) [Keeping a journal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keeping-a-journal/) [Keeping Journal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keeping-journal-704093/) [Mental Clarity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-clarity-1612178/) [Mental Saw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-saw-1612176/) [Our thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-thoughts/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Powerful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerful/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Saws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saws/) [Sharpen Mental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sharpen-mental-1612175/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I suffered from a quite severe speech impediment when I was young, and keeping a journal was part of the therapy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-fetherling/i-suffered-from-a-quite-severe-speech-impediment-when-i-was-young-and/) [George Fetherling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-fetherling/) > [If you feel like keeping a journal-that neither you nor anyone else on earth will ever want to read-be my guest. But if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-masello/if-you-feel-like-keeping-a-journal-that-neither-you-nor-anyone-else/) [Robert Masello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-masello/) > [I've never been one for keeping a journal, so my songs were my journals. They allowed me to express my feelings and let people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-ve-never-been-one-for-keeping-a-journal-so-my-songs-were-my/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [Whether you're keeping a journal or writing as a meditation, it's the same thing. What's important is you're having a relationship with your mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/whether-you-re-keeping-a-journal-or-writing-as-a-meditation-it-s-the/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [“Perhaps you are not sitting in this room, and I am not sitting by you. 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In high school my friends would make fun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/i-guess-whatever-maturity-is-there-may-be-there-because-i-ve-been/) [Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) > [“At certain periods it becomes the dearest ambition of a man to keep a faithful record of his performances in a book; and he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/at-certain-periods-it-becomes-the-dearest-ambition-of-a-man-to-keep-a/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“It wasn’t really a journal. I tried keeping a journal, but it would always be one long entry filling the first seven pages, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-leonetti/it-wasn-t-really-a-journal-i-tried-keeping-a-journal-but-it-would/) [Charlotte Leonetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-leonetti/) > [ Keeping a \[journal\] need not be a major chore-just a few minutes of notes each day can be valuable. Writing crystallizes insights, fools the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-n-walsh/keeping-a-journal-need-not-be-a-major-chore-just-a-few-minutes-of/) [Roger N. Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-n-walsh/) > [Keeping a journal will change your life in ways that you'd never imagine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/keeping-a-journal-will-change-your-life-in-ways-that-you-d-never/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [Keeping a journal implies hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/keeping-a-journal-implies-hope/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [“One of the most helpful tools a writer has is his journals. Whenever someone asks how to become an author, I suggest keeping a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/one-of-the-most-helpful-tools-a-writer-has-is-his-journals-whenever/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“David Gascoyne once told me that the only point of keeping a journal was to concentrate of the personal, the diurnal minutiae, and forget…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-boyd/david-gascoyne-once-told-me-that-the-only-point-of-keeping-a-journal/) [William Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-boyd/) > [It is this delightful habit of journalizing which largely contributes to form the easy style of writing for which ladies are so generally celebrated.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/it-is-this-delightful-habit-of-journalizing-which-largely-contributes/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) ## More by Stephen Covey > [You can't have the fruits without the roots. It's the principle of sequencing: Private Victories proceed Public Victories. Self-mastery and self-discipline are the foundation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/you-can-t-have-the-fruits-without-the-roots-it-s-the-principle-of/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [Empathic listening takes time, but it doesn't take anywhere near as much time as it takes to back up and correct misunderstandings when you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/empathic-listening-takes-time-but-it-doesn-t-take-anywhere-near-as/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [The fire inside people is like a match; the way to ignite that flame is initially through friction, then other matches are lit through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/the-fire-inside-people-is-like-a-match-the-way-to-ignite-that-flame/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [In a very real sense, there are only two roles in organisations: customers and suppliers. 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He is so much more than just a football coach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/i-believe-in-coach-louis-wong-he-is-so-much-more-than-just-a-football/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [Most people struggle with life balance simply because they haven't paid the price to decide what is really important to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/most-people-struggle-with-life-balance-simply-because-they-haven-t/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [Highly proactive people don't blame circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behavior. Their behavior is a product of their own conscious choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/highly-proactive-people-don-t-blame-circumstances-conditions-or/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [When it comes to developing character strength, inner security and unique personal and interpersonal talents and skills in a child, no institution can or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/when-it-comes-to-developing-character-strength-inner-security-and/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [Most people define greatness through wealth and popularity and position in the corner office. But what I call everyday greatness comes from character and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/most-people-define-greatness-through-wealth-and-popularity-and/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [Contrary to what most people believe, trust is not some soft, illusive quality that you either have or you don't; rather, trust is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/contrary-to-what-most-people-believe-trust-is-not-some-soft-illusive/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [We are limited but we can push back the borders of our limitations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/we-are-limited-but-we-can-push-back-the-borders-of-our-limitations/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [Many people seem to think that success in one area can compensate for failure in other areas. But can it really?... True effectiveness requires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/many-people-seem-to-think-that-success-in-one-area-can-compensate-for/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) [Explore all 663 Stephen Covey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) ## More Clarity quotes > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [Its a lack of clarity that creates chaos and frustration. Those emotions are poison to any living goal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/its-a-lack-of-clarity-that-creates-chaos-and-frustration-those/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [Anything well written with good language and clarity and honesty is worth doing. It comes out of the same tradition as Shakespeare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moriarty/anything-well-written-with-good-language-and-clarity-and-honesty-is/) [Michael Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moriarty/) > [“Writers whose thoughts are expressed with clarity and precision are assumed by readers to be superficial. Where the meaning is obscured, then readers give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/writers-whose-thoughts-are-expressed-with-clarity-and-precision-are/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [It comes a moment that someone says something really small, but fits so perfect into your heart that everything start to make sense!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laylablack/it-comes-a-moment-that-someone-says-something-really-small-but-fits/) [Laylablack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laylablack/) > [“Replaying the past in your mind won't change the present; it only steals the clarity needed to shape what comes next.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-meyering-sr/replaying-the-past-in-your-mind-won-t-change-the-present-it-only/) [Joseph Meyering Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-meyering-sr/) > [Rain is good for me. I feel like I achieve clarity actually when it rains. The longer I have to sit and wait, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/venus-williams/rain-is-good-for-me-i-feel-like-i-achieve-clarity-actually-when-it/) [Venus Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/venus-williams/) > [It's my feeling that any writer can get an emotion into a story without being sentimental as long as the emotion is dealt with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baxter/it-s-my-feeling-that-any-writer-can-get-an-emotion-into-a-story/) [Charles Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baxter/) > [President Obama has never summarized the Obama Doctrine with such clarity, but here is what it would look like: 'I will undertake any military…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/president-obama-has-never-summarized-the-obama-doctrine-with-such/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [The law of polarity brings forth clarity to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mercado/the-law-of-polarity-brings-forth-clarity-to-your-life/) [Joseph Mercado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mercado/) > [In meditation you withdraw from others and focus your attention inside to gain purity of mind and wisdom energy. Then you must become extroverted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-n-goenka/in-meditation-you-withdraw-from-others-and-focus-your-attention/) [S. N. Goenka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-n-goenka/) > [In stillness the muddied water returns to clarity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/in-stillness-the-muddied-water-returns-to-clarity/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [I think clarity is the real risk in poetry because you are exposed. You're out in the open field. You're actually saying things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/i-think-clarity-is-the-real-risk-in-poetry-because-you-are-exposed/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [I decided to be a filmmaker when I was 12. I had utter clarity that this would be my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hooper/i-decided-to-be-a-filmmaker-when-i-was-12-i-had-utter-clarity-that/) [Tom Hooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hooper/) > [The translucence that comes when life hardens into a bead of such cruel perfection you see it with the purest clarity. Everything suddenly there--life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/the-translucence-that-comes-when-life-hardens-into-a-bead-of-such/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) [Browse all 1,601 Clarity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clarity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Writing is another powerful way to sharpen the mental saw. 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