---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's not the writing part that's hard…"
description: "\"“It's not the writing part that's hard. What's hard is sitting down to write. What keeps us from sitting down is Resistance.”\" — Steven Pressfield"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/526/steven-pressfield-696_resistance_it-s-not-the-writing-part-that-s-hard-wh_1936449.jpg"
---

#  It's not the writing part that's hard. What's hard is…

![“It's not the writing part that's hard. What's hard is sitting down to write. What keeps us from sitting down is Resistance.” quote by Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/526/steven-pressfield-696_resistance_it-s-not-the-writing-part-that-s-hard-wh_1936449.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/526/steven-pressfield-696_resistance_it-s-not-the-writing-part-that-s-hard-wh_1936449.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/526/steven-pressfield-696_resistance_it-s-not-the-writing-part-that-s-hard-wh_1936449.jpg)

> ““It's not the writing part that's hard. What's hard is sitting down to write. What keeps us from sitting down is Resistance.””

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

## About This Quote

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

The main obstacle to creative work is internal resistance, not the act of writing itself.

**In simple terms:** Resistance blocks us from writing.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and overcome resistance.

Themes

creativity discipline inner conflict

Mood

frustrated determined

Type

motivational inspirational

When to use this quote

- writing sessions
- creative projects
- daily practice

Key Concepts

psychology motivation

Questions to Reflect On

- What internal excuses stop you from starting?
- How can you reframe resistance as a signal?

A Different Perspective

Resistance can be persistent and disguised as procrastination.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Hard Sitting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-sitting-2928494/) [Resistance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resistance/) [Sitting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sitting/) [Sitting Resistance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sitting-resistance-1082273/) [Sitting Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sitting-write-741184/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-hard/) [Writing life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-life/) [Writing process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-process/)

## Related quotes

> [It’s not the writing part that’s hard. What’s hard is sitting down to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/it-s-not-the-writing-part-that-s-hard-what-s-hard-is-sitting-down-to-2/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [“What’s hard is sitting down to write.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-s-hard-is-sitting-down-to-write/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [There's a secret that real writers know that wannabe writers don't, and the secret is this: It's not the writing part that's hard. What's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/there-s-a-secret-that-real-writers-know-that-wannabe-writers-don-t-2/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [Meditation is a silent way of looking at resistance. You're not running away from it -- you're sitting with the resistance ... basically you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-yee/meditation-is-a-silent-way-of-looking-at-resistance-you-re-not/)

[Rodney Yee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-yee/)

> [“There's a secret that real writers know that wannabe writers don't, and the secret is this: It's not the writing part that's hard. What's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/there-s-a-secret-that-real-writers-know-that-wannabe-writers-don-t/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [Of course, it's hard when you are sitting on the bench and the team is playing well and you don't see yourself playing. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eidur-gudjohnsen/of-course-it-s-hard-when-you-are-sitting-on-the-bench-and-the-team-is/)

[Eidur Gudjohnsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eidur-gudjohnsen/)

> [“Hemingway once said that ‘there is nothing to writing, you just sit down at a typewriter and bleed.’ What Hemingway failed to mention is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-norris/hemingway-once-said-that-there-is-nothing-to-writing-you-just-sit/)

[Sean Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-norris/)

> [“I long for some connection, to the real and those who love them, and hope that my fiction can reach beyond the veil, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-celebi/i-long-for-some-connection-to-the-real-and-those-who-love-them-and/)

[Shannon Celebi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-celebi/)

> [“All experiences change us and personal writing is one of the most powerful agencies of change. The person who wrote these personal essays no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/all-experiences-change-us-and-personal-writing-is-one-of-the-most/)

[Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/)

> [“I prefer to be on the side of losers, the misunderstood or lonely people rather than writing about the strong and powerful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-ria-a/i-prefer-to-be-on-the-side-of-losers-the-misunderstood-or-lonely/)

[Núria Añó](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-ria-a/)

> [“Coffee, my delight of the morning; yoga, my delight of the noon. Then before nightfall, I run along the pleasant paths of the Jardin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/coffee-my-delight-of-the-morning-yoga-my-delight-of-the-noon-then/)

[Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/)

> [“It's all mine, it's all sacred.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-weise/it-s-all-mine-it-s-all-sacred/)

[Jamie Weise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-weise/)

> [“The pen is an extension of my anatomy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-pen-is-an-extension-of-my-anatomy/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [“The sooner you finish procrastinating, the sooner you can get back to your art.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-lennox/the-sooner-you-finish-procrastinating-the-sooner-you-can-get-back-to/)

[Stephanie Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-lennox/)

> [“Sometimes we don't know where we are going until we get there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-simon-gunn/sometimes-we-don-t-know-where-we-are-going-until-we-get-there/)

[Jacqueline Simon Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-simon-gunn/)

## More by Steven Pressfield

> [Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/most-of-us-have-two-lives-the-life-we-live-and-the-unlived-life/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [“The artist and the fundamentalist both confront the same issue, the mystery of their existence as individuals. Each asks the same questions: Who am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/the-artist-and-the-fundamentalist-both-confront-the-same-issue-the/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [The professional arms himself with patience, not only to give the stars time to align in his career, but to keep himself from flaming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/the-professional-arms-himself-with-patience-not-only-to-give-the/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [The Kabbalah describes angels as bundles of light, meaning intelligence, consciousness. Kabbalists believe that above every blade of grass is an angel crying "Grow!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/the-kabbalah-describes-angels-as-bundles-of-light-meaning/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [There is an enemy. There is an intelligent, active, malign force working against us. Step one is to recognize this. This recognition alone is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/there-is-an-enemy-there-is-an-intelligent-active-malign-force-working/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [To labor in the arts for any reason other than love is prostitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/to-labor-in-the-arts-for-any-reason-other-than-love-is-prostitution/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [“that of dealing death, of loosing another man’s soul and sending it down to hell. You want to savor it, to twist the blade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/that-of-dealing-death-of-loosing-another-man-s-soul-and-sending-it/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [“Resistance is experienced as fear; the degree of fear equates to the strength of Resistance. Therefore the more fear we feel about a specific…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/resistance-is-experienced-as-fear-the-degree-of-fear-equates-to-the/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [When we sit down each day and do our work, power concentrates around us... Ideas come. Insights accrete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/when-we-sit-down-each-day-and-do-our-work-power-concentrates-around/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [Anything that draws attention to ourselves through pain-free or artificial means is a manifestation of Resistance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/anything-that-draws-attention-to-ourselves-through-pain-free-or/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [The Gnostics believed that exile was the essential condition of man. Do you agree? I do. The artist and the addict both wrestle with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/the-gnostics-believed-that-exile-was-the-essential-condition-of-man/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [“Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting: The soul that rises with us, our life's star, Hath had elsewhere its setting, And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/our-birth-is-but-a-sleep-and-a-forgetting-the-soul-that-rises-with-us/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [You are a writer when you tell yourself you are. No one else's opinion matters. Screw them. You are when you say you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/you-are-a-writer-when-you-tell-yourself-you-are-no-one-else-s-opinion/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [“Resistance outwits the amateur with the oldest trick in the book: It uses his own enthusiasm against him. Resistance gets us to plunge into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/resistance-outwits-the-amateur-with-the-oldest-trick-in-the-book-it/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [“I don't need to read nothing,' said the New Zealander. 'I was there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/i-don-t-need-to-read-nothing-said-the-new-zealander-i-was-there/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

[Explore all 404 Steven Pressfield quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

## More Resistance quotes

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [The writings of latter-day prophets clearly teach that the sorrows and sufferings endured by Adam and Eve upon their leaving the Garden of Eden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-k-judd/the-writings-of-latter-day-prophets-clearly-teach-that-the-sorrows/)

[Daniel K Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-k-judd/)

> [The amount of things you can do with a kettlebell is unsurpassed by any other training equipment - dumbbells, resistance machines, free weights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laird-hamilton/the-amount-of-things-you-can-do-with-a-kettlebell-is-unsurpassed-by/)

[Laird Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laird-hamilton/)

> [We are innocent. We are not criminals or terrorists. We are revolutionary guerillas and have been captured in the course of building a resistance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rosenberg/we-are-innocent-we-are-not-criminals-or-terrorists-we-are/)

[Susan Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rosenberg/)

> [Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/most-of-us-have-two-lives-the-life-we-live-and-the-unlived-life/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [Doing away with separate black colleges meets resistance from alumni and other blacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constance-baker-motley/doing-away-with-separate-black-colleges-meets-resistance-from-alumni/)

[Constance Baker Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constance-baker-motley/)

> [Widespread use of antibiotics promotes the spread of antibiotic resistance. Smart use of antibiotics is the key to controlling its spread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-p-j-abdul-kalam/widespread-use-of-antibiotics-promotes-the-spread-of-antibiotic/)

[A. P. J. Abdul Kalam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-p-j-abdul-kalam/)

> [I encourage you to be a person who is not afraid of responsibility. In meeting resistance you will build your strength. If you only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/i-encourage-you-to-be-a-person-who-is-not-afraid-of-responsibility-in/)

[Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/)

> [There are those that say, if you do the uncomfortable thing long enough, it will become comfortable. But we are really not encouragers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/there-are-those-that-say-if-you-do-the-uncomfortable-thing-long/)

[Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/)

> [Nothing gets stronger without resistance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-furtick/nothing-gets-stronger-without-resistance/)

[Steven Furtick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-furtick/)

> [Burma - and let me be clear, it's also known as Myanmar - and the reason a lot of Burmese and Burmese exiles call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-wagner/burma-and-let-me-be-clear-it-s-also-known-as-myanmar-and-the-reason-a/)

[Alex Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-wagner/)

> [The divine drink which builds up resistance and fights fatigue. A cup of this precious drink permits a man to walk for a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hernando-cortes/the-divine-drink-which-builds-up-resistance-and-fights-fatigue-a-cup/)

[Hernando Cortes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hernando-cortes/)

> [When wrongs are pressed because it is believed they will be borne, resistance becomes morality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/when-wrongs-are-pressed-because-it-is-believed-they-will-be-borne/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [“People tend to resist a change into something new and different. But after it's succeded, they easily say that the change is a must.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/people-tend-to-resist-a-change-into-something-new-and-different-but/)

[Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/)

> [“This is one of the harshest after effects of the pandemic that I am witnessing some and experiencing some, a diminished ability to deal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shellen-lubin/this-is-one-of-the-harshest-after-effects-of-the-pandemic-that-i-am/)

[Shellen Lubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shellen-lubin/)

[Browse all 1,674 Resistance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resistance/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“It's not the writing part that's hard. What's hard is sitting down to write. What keeps us from sitting down is Resistance.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Steven Pressfield"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/it-s-not-the-writing-part-that-s-hard-what-s-hard-is-sitting-down-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Resistance"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/it-s-not-the-writing-part-that-s-hard-what-s-hard-is-sitting-down-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/526/steven-pressfield-696_resistance_it-s-not-the-writing-part-that-s-hard-wh_1936449.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/526/steven-pressfield-696_resistance_it-s-not-the-writing-part-that-s-hard-wh_1936449.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/526/steven-pressfield-696_resistance_it-s-not-the-writing-part-that-s-hard-wh_1936449.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It's not the writing part that's hard. What's hard is sitting down to write. What keeps us from sitting down…” — Steven Pressfield",
                "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": "Steven Pressfield",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“It's not the writing part that's...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/it-s-not-the-writing-part-that-s-hard-what-s-hard-is-sitting-down-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/it-s-not-the-writing-part-that-s-hard-what-s-hard-is-sitting-down-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
