---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are lots of guys out there who…"
description: "\"There are lots of guys out there who write a better prose line than I do and who have a better understanding of what people are really like and what hu..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fb/stephen-king-13_guy_there-are-lots-of-guys-out-there-who-wri_2351999.jpg"
---

#  There are lots of guys out there who write a better prose…

![“There are lots of guys out there who write a better prose line than I do and who have a better understanding of what people are really like and what humanity is supposed to mean - hell, I know that.” quote by Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fb/stephen-king-13_guy_there-are-lots-of-guys-out-there-who-wri_2351999.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fb/stephen-king-13_guy_there-are-lots-of-guys-out-there-who-wri_2351999.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fb/stephen-king-13_guy_there-are-lots-of-guys-out-there-who-wri_2351999.jpg)

> “There are lots of guys out there who write a better prose line than I do and who have a better understanding of what people are really like and what humanity is supposed to mean - hell, I know that.”

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

## About This Quote

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

He admits others write better prose and understand humanity more, yet he still writes.

**In simple terms:** He feels others are better but continues writing.

Key Takeaway

Keep writing despite self‑doubt.

Themes

self‑doubt creative competition humility

Mood

reflective determined

Type

literary motivational

When to use this quote

- writing workshops
- creative blocks
- peer review
- career persistence

Key Concepts

literary criticism authorial confidence

Questions to Reflect On

- What drives his persistence?
- How can writers use criticism constructively?

A Different Perspective

Comparisons can hinder growth if not balanced with self‑belief.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Better Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-prose-5730040/) [Guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guy/) [Guys Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guys-write-965987/) [Hell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hell/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prose/) [Prose Line](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prose-line-5730041/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [Understanding People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding-people/) [Write Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-better/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [As a songwriter, you always look for guys that you can write good with. Show up, have an idea, knock it out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-pardi/as-a-songwriter-you-always-look-for-guys-that-you-can-write-good-with/)

[Jon Pardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-pardi/)

> [The investors who generate big returns over five years, the guys they write books about, are supposed to keep winning, right? Well, they don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-fama/the-investors-who-generate-big-returns-over-five-years-the-guys-they/)

[Eugene Fama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-fama/)

> [The myth that 'old' guys can't write anything fresh is just a myth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-lukather/the-myth-that-old-guys-can-t-write-anything-fresh-is-just-a-myth/)

[Steve Lukather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-lukather/)

> [I know it's a lot of fun for you guys to write a lot of wacky things. Go ahead, if you want to. Get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-bowyer/i-know-it-s-a-lot-of-fun-for-you-guys-to-write-a-lot-of-wacky-things/)

[Clint Bowyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-bowyer/)

> [I envy guys who can write funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sinatra-jr/i-envy-guys-who-can-write-funny/)

[Frank Sinatra Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sinatra-jr/)

> [I think when companies are struggling, they don't want to talk to the press. The guys who write business books aren't interested in it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-horowitz/i-think-when-companies-are-struggling-they-don-t-want-to-talk-to-the/)

[Ben Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-horowitz/)

> [When I see these guys write all this macho stuff I want to smash their heads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-turturro/when-i-see-these-guys-write-all-this-macho-stuff-i-want-to-smash/)

[John Turturro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-turturro/)

> [When you're in a room with a guy who has a vision like that, it's just one of those things where you close your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cody-johnson/when-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-guy-who-has-a-vision-like-that-it-s-just/)

[Cody Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cody-johnson/)

> [“Mountains &amp; low hills would enclose us, &amp; gardens &amp; woods &amp; green spaces would surround us - And each pretty house &amp; its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hodgson-burnett/mountains-low-hills-would-enclose-us-gardens-woods-green-spaces-would/)

[Frances Hodgson Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hodgson-burnett/)

> [“No, its not, because you can see into the future if you have basic understanding of how people are likely to act.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/no-its-not-because-you-can-see-into-the-future-if-you-have-basic/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Your actions are not in a vacuum. They impact other people. It may be in a way that's less obvious than in mainstream movies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-pierce/your-actions-are-not-in-a-vacuum-they-impact-other-people-it-may-be/)

[Wendell Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-pierce/)

> [I used to read more when I was a kid than I do now. It was all sort of fuel for the fire to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/i-used-to-read-more-when-i-was-a-kid-than-i-do-now-it-was-all-sort-of/)

[Frank Gehry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/)

> [Understanding a people's culture exposes their normalness without reducing their particularity...It renders them accessible: setting them in the frame of their own banalities, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-geertz/understanding-a-people-s-culture-exposes-their-normalness-without/)

[Clifford Geertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-geertz/)

> [“Understanding languages and other cultures builds bridges. It is the fastest way to bring the world closer together and to Truth. Through understanding, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/understanding-languages-and-other-cultures-builds-bridges-it-is-the/)

[Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/)

> [“Powerful people sometimes do things to help people like me without really understanding people like me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/powerful-people-sometimes-do-things-to-help-people-like-me-without/)

[J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/)

## More by Stephen King

> [Shall there be truth between us, as two men? Not as friends, but as enemies and equals?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/shall-there-be-truth-between-us-as-two-men-not-as-friends-but-as/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“October 3, 2017 The clown, Hagarty said, looked like a cross between Ronald McDonald and that old TV clown, Bozo—or so he thought at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/october-3-2017-the-clown-hagarty-said-looked-like-a-cross-between/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“Eddie saw great things and near misses. Albert Einstein as a child, not quite struck by a run-away milk-wagon as he crossed a street.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/eddie-saw-great-things-and-near-misses-albert-einstein-as-a-child-not/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [It hurt, of course, but more often than not the best things do, I've found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/it-hurt-of-course-but-more-often-than-not-the-best-things-do-i-ve/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“The idea that creative endeavor and mind-altering substances are entwined is one of the great pop-intellectual myths of our time... Creative people probably do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-idea-that-creative-endeavor-and-mind-altering-substances-are/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“The sun had burned through and the day had gone from dull to dazzling, yet in the west blask-satin thunderheads continued to stack up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-sun-had-burned-through-and-the-day-had-gone-from-dull-to-dazzling/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“Flakes of snow swirled and danced across the porch. The Overlook faced it as it had for nearly three-quarters of a century, its darkened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/flakes-of-snow-swirled-and-danced-across-the-porch-the-overlook-faced/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“In that instant it all seemed to come clear to him- it came in a grisly flash of light, and he realized that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/in-that-instant-it-all-seemed-to-come-clear-to-him-it-came-in-a/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [Who gets to be best-liked in any community? Who is the most trusted? Why, the man who does the dirty job, of course, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/who-gets-to-be-best-liked-in-any-community-who-is-the-most-trusted/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“¿Lo ves, tonto? Volvió a regañarse. Tú lo inventaste todo, gato asustado. No fue más que tu imaginación, gato asustado, gato asustado... No te…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/lo-ves-tonto-volvi-a-rega-arse-t-lo-inventaste-todo-gato-asustado-no/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“Death . . . but not for you. That was what Walter, clever as Satan even at the end, had said. A lawyer’s answer . . . so close to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/death-but-not-for-you-that-was-what-walter-clever-as-satan-even-at/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [The ghost story movie that scared me the most was The Changeling with George C. Scott. I think that's sometimes overlooked, but it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-ghost-story-movie-that-scared-me-the-most-was-the-changeling-with/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“Climb aboard, Jonesy. I'm going to send you up where the air is rare and the view is much more than fair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/climb-aboard-jonesy-i-m-going-to-send-you-up-where-the-air-is-rare/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

[Explore all 3,589 Stephen King quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

## More Guy quotes

> [There are guys who play lacrosse, and there are lacrosse players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-mundorf/there-are-guys-who-play-lacrosse-and-there-are-lacrosse-players/)

[Brendan Mundorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-mundorf/)

> [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/)

[L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/)

> [I have three words for you," EMT Guy said. "Possible internal bleeding." I turned back to him. "Don't you think if I was bleeding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darynda-jones/i-have-three-words-for-you-emt-guy-said-possible-internal-bleeding-i/)

[Darynda Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darynda-jones/)

> [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-wear-a-watch-because-i-want-my-arms-to-weigh-the-same-so-if/)

[Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [And I have been very blessed, having coached some of the greatest that have ever played the game. But if I had to start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-auerbach/and-i-have-been-very-blessed-having-coached-some-of-the-greatest-that/)

[Red Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-auerbach/)

> [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/)

[Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/)

> [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/)

[Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/)

> [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/)

[Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/)

> [I want to be perceived as a guy who played his best in all facets, not just scoring. A guy who loved challenges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jordan/i-want-to-be-perceived-as-a-guy-who-played-his-best-in-all-facets-not/)

[Michael Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jordan/)

> [Everybody is different. Some writers can write reams of great books and then J. D. Salinger wrote just a few. Beethoven wrote nine symphonies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/everybody-is-different-some-writers-can-write-reams-of-great-books/)

[Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/)

> [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/)

[Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/)

> [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/)

[Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/)

> [Hollywood is so fixated on keeping it that way because it's generating the buzz, but that representation isn't right. I definitely feel like it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/hollywood-is-so-fixated-on-keeping-it-that-way-because-it-s/)

[John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/)

> [I was never the best-looking guy; I was never the Tom Cruise-looking guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-sheffer/i-was-never-the-best-looking-guy-i-was-never-the-tom-cruise-looking/)

[Craig Sheffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-sheffer/)

[Browse all 14,708 Guy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guy/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "There are lots of guys out there who write a better prose line than I do and who have a better understanding of what people are really like and what humanity is supposed to mean - hell, I know that.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Stephen King"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/there-are-lots-of-guys-out-there-who-write-a-better-prose-line-than-i/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Guy"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/there-are-lots-of-guys-out-there-who-write-a-better-prose-line-than-i/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fb/stephen-king-13_guy_there-are-lots-of-guys-out-there-who-wri_2351999.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fb/stephen-king-13_guy_there-are-lots-of-guys-out-there-who-wri_2351999.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fb/stephen-king-13_guy_there-are-lots-of-guys-out-there-who-wri_2351999.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There are lots of guys out there who write a better prose line than I do and who have a better understanding…” — Stephen King",
                "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": "Stephen King",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "There are lots of guys out...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/there-are-lots-of-guys-out-there-who-write-a-better-prose-line-than-i/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/there-are-lots-of-guys-out-there-who-write-a-better-prose-line-than-i/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
