--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The worst thing you can do is censor…" description: "\"The worst thing you can do is censor yourself as the pencil hits the paper. You must not edit until you get it all on paper. If you can put everything ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee5/stephen-sondheim-1556_paper_the-worst-thing-you-can-do-is-censor-you_1518655.jpg" --- # The worst thing you can do is censor yourself as the… ![“The worst thing you can do is censor yourself as the pencil hits the paper. You must not edit until you get it all on paper. If you can put everything down, stream-of-consciousness, you'll do yourself a service.” quote by Stephen Sondheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee5/stephen-sondheim-1556_paper_the-worst-thing-you-can-do-is-censor-you_1518655.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee5/stephen-sondheim-1556_paper_the-worst-thing-you-can-do-is-censor-you_1518655.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee5/stephen-sondheim-1556_paper_the-worst-thing-you-can-do-is-censor-you_1518655.jpg) > “The worst thing you can do is censor yourself as the pencil hits the paper. You must not edit until you get it all on paper. If you can put everything down, stream-of-consciousness, you'll do yourself a service.” [Stephen Sondheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-sondheim/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self-censorship hinders creative flow; write freely before editing to preserve authenticity. **In simple terms:** Don't edit while creating. Key Takeaway Write first, edit later. Themes creativity self-censorship writing process authenticity stream of consciousness Mood motivational practical Type inspirational advice When to use this quote - novel drafting - songwriting - journal entries - blog posts - scriptwriting Key Concepts psychology of creativity artistic discipline flow state Questions to Reflect On - How can you protect initial ideas? - What strategies help postpone editing? A Different Perspective Editing too early can dilute original ideas. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Censor Pencil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/censor-pencil-5607819/) [Edit Paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edit-paper-5607820/) [Paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paper/) [Paper Edit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paper-edit-5607821/) [Pencil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pencil/) [Thing Censor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-censor-5607822/) [Worst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worst/) [Worst thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worst-thing/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I've got to feel the pencil and see the words at the end of the pencil,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/i-ve-got-to-feel-the-pencil-and-see-the-words-at-the-end-of-the-pencil/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [The computer is really like a pencil, you know. 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